You might recall we had written up a post about a $25,000 dollar for dollar church planting fund. (Read the post here.) We are very excited to write the team was able to raise $50,000 for the Togo Church plant. This is very exciting as seed money opens many doors as far as being able to pay national workers right away and secure meeting facilities. Please continue to pray for this church plant!

This year the Nisshin Church decided to put on a Christmas outreach dinner event. The meal was a traditional American Christmas dinner. This might sound easy but rounding up all the ingredients is quite the challenge.

I, C, had the opportunity to go to Costco with our team leaders. Costco is about a 2.5 hour drive so when you go it is time to stock up on many American favorites. We were so excited to find Costco had butterball turkeys! We bought 6 turkeys for the dinner. Many people couldn’t believe how many carts we had (3) of food. They also didn’t know what the Butterball turkeys were. Our team leader’s wife used the opportunity to tell people why we were buying the food and introduced them to the church and Christ. This could very well be the first time some of the people had interacted with Christians! Beyond Costco through various import stores we were able to round up all the other traditional parts including cranberry sauce, ingredients for dressing, pumpkin, etc.

The real trick was cooking the turkeys since we only had 3 American size ovens. (The typical oven is about 1′ x 1′ x 1′.) Some were roasted and others cooked on grills. Thankfully all were cooked and turned out well.

In addition to dinner there was singing of hymns, a presentation of the Gospel, and a Japanese man gave his testimony. Pray for the many who were there and heard the Gospel. Pray for the team to be able to follow up throughout the New Year.

This week Bruce and Susan were in town from America. Bruce preached at various churches on Sunday and as a couple they met with many team members to encourage their spiritual walk while in Nagoya. We drove up to our team leader’s house and enjoyed an excellent dinner. Part of dinner was this fish a church member had gifted. At first I wasn’t so sure, but our team leader (pictured) did a great job grilling the fish and it was tasty. The eye goes to the guest of honor. Thankfully not us!

This month we were informed MTW has a donor willing to match dollar for dollar up to $25,000 for the Church Plant being planned for the Nagoya Area. This is excellent seed money for a national pastor/worker and space for a church to meet. So far the team has raised over $12,000 towards the $25,000.

Please consider giving $5, $10, $50, or even more to this excellent project. For every $1 you give you really give $2 thanks to the match.

For more information click here for a PDF discussing the Togo area.

Donations should be given:

Donate On-line: #92886, Japan Togo Church Plant

Please send donations to: (checks made payable to MTW and “#92886, Japan Togo Church Plant” in the memo line)
PO Box 116284; Atlanta, GA 30368-6284

Prayer Requests for this Project:

• May God use the recent disaster in Japan for the salvation of many.
• May God bring more Japanese Christians to partner with us in evangelism.
• May God bring a Japanese Pastor to work with this church planting effort.
• May God bless the evangelistic efforts in Togo such as choir, Bible Studies, and possible conversational English classes.
• May God provide the financial resources needed to support national staff and to rent or purchase space to meet.
• May God lead us to the specific location for this church plant.

Every year the Nisshin Church celebrates Kid’s Gospel Week. In some ways it looks like a VBS in America. This year over 170 children attended the final day. Below is an excerpt from a team member’s update and specific ways to pray for this outreach.

Over 170 people attended the final day of our annual Kids Gospel Week! It was an exciting time of interacting and sharing with kids and parents from the community. The gospel was presented each day through teaching, songs, and activities. Close to 30 staff and volunteers worked with kids from ages 3 to 15 years old. A week later, some of the children were still singing to themselves the songs they had learned during the time. For others, the memories go back much farther. One of the older ladies in my Friday neighborhood Bible study remembers earlier times like this. As a young child on her way to school she would walk by a church each day. She was invited to participate in a children’s program and really enjoyed it. She has shared a number of times about her experiences as a child and how she was introduced to the Bible through that local church’s kids program. Those experiences left a favorable impression on her, and she looks back on them even now as she continues to study the Bible with us and as her heart opens further to God’s truth.

Prayer Requests

1. For the seeds that have been planted for the gospel to blossom and flourish.
2. For these young children to continue to have opportunities to be involved with God’s Word and God’s people.
3. For the many parents who came every day of the week and carefully listened and observed. Pray that they would be drawn to Jesus.
4. For good follow-up and wisdom in continuing to reach out to the precious children God has brought to us.
5. For our Japanese youth worker Ayumi as she works with the older youth of our church. Please pray for opportunities to be able to build close relationships and that God’s Spirit would foster heartfelt sharing and receiving of His Word.

This link takes you to an excellent overview of the recent trip our team took up north.  Our team is currently focusing on taking teams from the church to help with the recovery.  During this trip the group had the privilege and opportunity to share in the public schools!  This was an amazing opening by God and we pray he will use the time in the school to open the hearts of the Japanese and build relationships between the Christian church and the community.

Music ministry is a very important element within worshipping God.  In Japan music is also used as an evangelistic outreach. We are blessed to have a highly trained and gifted musician on our team.  He leads many choirs throughout the area with mostly non-Christians participating.  One of the Gospel choirs he leads participated in a Gospel Music workshop with a traveling Gospel singer.  The workshop was Saturday and the choir sang before worship Sunday morning.  This is a snapshot of the group singing, “Our God Can Do Anything!” It reminded me of Question 13 in the Catechism for Kids.

Q. 13. Can God do all things?
A. Yes; God can do all his holy will.

Our God is certainly great!

This is the latest update from Peter. He recently returned from a trip up north helping with relief efforts.

Up to this point, the Nagoya Team has made eight trips up to the quake affected areas. These trips brought much needed supplies to the earthquake areas. The work is now shifting toward work teams and volunteers to come alongside those in need and offer further assistance in whatever way we can. Long term efforts will continue helping in clean-up, as well as offering emotional support and caring for the spiritual needs of the people. Recently we traveled to Kamaishi to help a local church there. Kamaishi is one of the towns that was hardest hit by the Tsunami. Our daughter Rita, as well as a nurse, another volunteer and myself traveled by van. We joined with others from our team who were already there helping with volunteers. The nurse and Rita had planned to care for the older women in an evacuation center. Plans changed and they joined us all in shoveling mud and debri to clear the front of the church. They also helped in preparing food for all the workers. It was very moving to listen to residents of Kamaishi speak of their experiences and for us to be a small part of their lives at this time. The response of the Church has really shown the ministry of the ‘Body of Christ’ as each part works together and responds in love.

We appreciate your prayers and support. It truly is a team effort. – Peter

Click for his picture gallery.

This is a video I created of the Nagoya Team’s work. It is a little over 4 minutes but gives a great picture of where our team is currently partnering and what ministry on the home front in Nagoya looks like.

Continue to pray:

• Pray for wisdom as the Japan missionaries meet and best try to form a long-term relief strategy.
• Pray as the missionary teams equip the Japanese members to be equipped to serve in Northern Japan.
• Pray for all the new contacts in Nagoya who are now connected to the various churches.

One of the trucks from the Nisshin Church in Nagoya returned this morning at 5:30am this morning from Kamaishi-Iwate. This city had massive damage from tsunami. Below I have embedded one of the videos from YouTube of residents taping the tsunami hitting the city.

Our team is partnering with New Life Kamaishi Church. This church has only 15 members. How can 15 members possibly reach this city? The Lord knew. The church is the ONLY place in the damaged area of the city with running water. Many many people from the damaged area have descended upon the church for help. With help from agencies including the Nisshin church in Nagoya deliveries are being made, residents being helped, and construction/clean up projects started.

This morning members of five local Nagoya Churches (inter-denominational) met at the Nisshin Church to load the seventh truck sent up north. (The second truck to Kamaishi-Iwate.) Please pray as the truck is traveling and for the members who will be gone for the next five days. Please also pray as the Nagoya team as they work to potentially create a long to partnership with this church!

The Lord is moving throughout Japan. It is amazing the amount of people coming to the churches helping and in need. Many many open doors for the Gospel!