NC and GA

We began the summer in Asheville, North Carolina at a Living in Grace Conference. This was part of our missionary training with Mission to the World. This was a great way to start off the summer because the conference was a full week to be reminded of God’s grace and love. It was certainly a blessing for me and Cathalain to be a part of it. We stayed a few days in Asheville to speak at two church services held at a retirement community there. Not only did we get to speak about our ministry, but I also got to deliver the message to the congregation which was a first for me. We truly enjoyed being there and were glad to have the opportunity to share our ministry with them. We got back home only to turn right back around and head to General Assembly, held in Orlando. I saw some old friends from Japan and we spoke with pastors whom we had met before at various presbytery meetings. I also was able to speak at a presbytery meeting in North Florida. I had not previously met any of the pastors in this presbytery and had no connections with them, but the Lord really blessed my time there. I was able to not only meet many pastors, but talk with some in depth about our ministry and vision for Japan. We will also go back to some of the North Florida churches in the fall to talk to them more about our ministry, so it was a very fruitful time.

On to Virginia

We finished our summer by spending two weeks in Virginia in July speaking with churches and also taking some time off and relaxing.  We were able to speak at a church outside of Richmond on the first Sunday. The next day, we drove over to Lynchburg and met with the missions committee of a church there and we spoke at a church in Blacksburg on the following Sunday. The church in Blacksburg was particularly enjoyable because a Japanese family from Nagoya, Japan attends that church. The mother and all but the newest child were baptized by our future team leader in Nagoya, Japan, so it was exciting to talk to them about ministry in Japan and discovering mutual friends.

Support Update

This summer we learned that Holy Trinity Presbyterian in Tampa would partner with us in our ministry. We have been blessed by many relationships with members from Holy Trinity and are excited to have them as partners. Our support level is increasing slowly but surely. We are at approximately 40% of our needed budget. We have a long way to go but we are certainly thankful to God for what he has provided and we are faithful that God will provide the rest in his time.

Please Continue Praying

• Pray this fall the Lord would open doors at churches and we would continue to build church partnerships.  Pray also as we talk to small groups in Lakeland that people would desire to partner with our ministry.
• Pray for our partnerships with churches, for doors to open with additional churches, and churches would be able to add us to their budget.
• Pray for the Newsome family, our team leaders, as they returned to Japan last week from a year long home assignment.  Pray for the family adjustment and ministry as it continues to grow in Nagoya.

Speaking at Home

As you might recall in our last update we were just about to speak at a Mission’s Conference in our home church.  The weekend was such an encouragement to us.  We are so blessed by our home church, Covenant, and their continual support and prayers.   We were especially touched by a 4 year old boy in our congregation who has been faithfully praying for us EVERY night and who also gave us $1.02 he saved from his own allowance for our ministry.  What a sacrifice and a wonderful reminder of God’s goodness!

Traveling through Virginia

After the mission’s conference we headed off to Virginia for eight days.  While in Virginia we were able to speak to two church congregations, meet with three pastors, attend Presbytery, and Cathalain even found time to play guitar for the women’s retreat at my dad’s church.  Whew! As exhausting as it sounds the Lord blessed us with a few days to spend some quality time with family and to just plain relax! We are grateful for the opportunity to start building more relationships with churches in Virginia and continue to bolster the relationships we have.

Support Update

Our last update reported we were currently at 25% of our needed budget.  We are excited to share that we now have 30% of our budget.  In addition to the 5% increase, the church that we spoke to in Arcadia, FL has decided to support us.  We have also had the opportunity to speak to a few local churches and last week I attended a presbytery meeting of our neighboring presbytery.  What a huge blessing, encouragement, and answer to prayer!

This Summer

In early June we will be attending the Living in Grace Conference at Ridge Haven in North Carolina. Cathalain’s grandmother lives in Asheville and we will be speaking to her church and potentially another church there as well.  The following week I will be attending General Assembly which is in Orlando this year.  This is a great opportunity to meet many pastors in the PCA, put a face to a name, and begin to develop relationships.  We also are scheduled for another trip to Virginia in late July to continue visiting with churches.

We are so thankful for your partnership in our ministry and grateful for the sacrifices you make for the sake of advancing the Gospel in Japan!

!!!We NEED your prayers!!!

• Pray for our time at the Living in Grace Conference (June 7-12).  That we would grow in our knowledge of Christ and our relationship with him would be strengthened.
• Pray for our partnerships with churches, for doors to open with additional churches, and churches would be able to add us to their budget.
• Pray for General Assembly and the ability for Michael to meet pastors and other contacts.
• Pray for the Japanese…that the Lord would be working NOW in the hearts of the Japanese people and moving them toward repentance.

Thank you all for praying for our trip to Virginia. We were able to meet with five different pastors/churches, attend presbytery and Cathalain went to a women’s retreat where she assisted with the worship. It was a great time of developing relationships with churches and pastors as well as a good time of relaxation. In the middle of the week we were able to stay in Lexington for a few days of  rest and relaxation.

Our time back in Florida has paralleled our time in Virginia. We have been able to speak to pastors and churches, such as Holy Trinity Presbyterian in Tampa and we have also been able to relax, such as camping at Fort DeSoto with some good friends from church.

Again, thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray as we continue to speak to churches, pastors, missions committees, presbyteries, and individuals. Pray also for our upcoming travels this summer.

On a final note, Cathalain and I received an exciting surprise this past weekend while driving home from a Mother’s Day celebration with her family. If you look back to the February 24^th entry, you will see a picture of us speaking at Grace Presbyterian in Arcadia, FL. We learned they will be supporting our ministry as a church. We have enjoyed getting to know the people at Grace Presbyterian and are very excited for their partnership. Praise God!

While here we will spend time in Roanoke, Lynchburg, Winchester, Charlottesville, and at mom and dad’s in Lexington.

Please pray for our time as we meet with churches, pastors, the Blueridge Presbytery, and various individuals.