May 12, 2023

Joint Worship Assembly – Mito, Japan – April 29, 2023

Time has slipped by and we have now finished three weeks in Japan. The last couple of weeks have been filled with many exciting things. It started with the Spring Joint Worship Service. It has been three years since this event was held in person. Josephine and I journeyed to Mito about 85 miles northeast of Tokyo in order to participate in this in-person gathering.

It was heartwarming to see so many we have known over the years. Eighty gathered for the in-person meeting and another 26 met online via Zoom. Twenty-two congregations were represented by those who participated. It was so very encouraging. We worshiped together in the morning, had lunch together (the weather was beautiful), and then reassembled to play some games and get to know each other. The lesson given was right on and so encouraging.

One surprise came at the end of the meeting. The church building that the Mito church uses was dedicated on the same day forty years ago (1983). In going through some of the history of the church one of the leaders realized that I had preached at that dedication. He felt it appropriate that I lead the closing prayer. I mentioned that finally meeting in-person after three years gave us a glimpse of what our reunion with our Lord will be one day. What memories!

Sermon for Ochanomizu church

The following day we worshiped with the Ochanomizu church in Tokyo. Again, there were reunions with brothers and sisters. Our acquaintance with this congregation goes back to 1969 when we visited as college students. It was on that trip that Josephine and I decided to minister in Japan. This congregation was our guarantor for our ministry in Japan.

Ochanomizu elder visit

The next evening we were visited by one of the elders of the Ochanomizu congregation and his wife. They were not able to be at worship the day before because they went to worship with the Haruna church. We visited for almost two hours. Both their children are now grown and out of the house. He just recently “retired” and was hired back at half salary. This is a common practice in Japan when you reach a certain age.

The next day we hosted two brothers who were in Japan to tour and also to look at possibilities for ministry. We were able to share some opportunities and challenges for the ministry here.

Happy Birthday Josephine

Josephine celebrated the beginning of her birthday month on May 3. Time keeps moving forward as God designed it.

On Sunday, May 7, we worshiped with the Tachikawa church. We are always thankful for their hospitality in allowing us to stay in the third-floor dorm. It makes commuting easy when we worship with them.

Uenohara church reunion

On May 9, we had a special treat. One of the members of the Uenohara church where we ministered for six years (1980-86) communicated with other members who were there when we began ministry there. Four families came for lunch and a time of fellowship. It brought back memories from 43 years ago.

Ephesians Class – chapters 1 & 2

Finally, just yesterday on May 11, I began teaching from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. I had prepared to deliver them in 2020 but was unable to because of the pandemic. Over the course of three Thursdays, I will cover the six chapters of the letter. These classes will be recorded for future use among the churches. There were 7 in-person in the class and another 8 via Zoom. Each class is on one chapter and lasts for about 30-40 minutes.

April 24, 2023

Haruna church of Christ – April 23, 2023

As we finish our fifth day in Japan today, we feel like we are over jetlag and ready to settle down to work on a regular schedule. Yesterday, we traveled for a little over two hours to worship with the Haruna church in Gunma Prefecture. This congregation was the one we most wanted to connect with.

Two months before departing for Japan, I wrote a brother asking if he would drive us to Haruna. It is away from any public transportation so it is only accessible by car. I gave him several dates to choose and it happened that our first Sunday in Japan was convenient for him.

Shiro Obata ministers to this congregation which he started twenty years ago. Brother Obata is one of my Japanese mentors. We first met brother Obata and Rumiko his wife in 1969 as college juniors. He later picked us up in 1977 in Yokohama as a family of four (a three-year-old daughter Rachel and a one-year-old son Jonathan) to begin a nine-year ministry. Since that time, he and his wife have encouraged and taught us many things. At eighty-eight, he continues to minister to this congregation they planted 20 years ago. Before planting this congregation, he served the Tokyo downtown church at Ochanomizu for over 30 years. They have been a blessing!

Next Sunday (April 30), we will worship with the Ochanomizu church. They were our sponsoring church when we moved to Japan in 1977. I will record the sermon for those that worship by Zoom.

On Saturday (April 29), we will journey to Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture for the annual spring joint worship. This will be the first time to have a “hybrid meeting” which means it will be in-person and via Zoom. We are looking forward to the in-person fellowship. It will last from 9:30 until 3:00 in the afternoon.

It has been 6 years since we were in Japan in the spring. We really enjoyed the flowers – Dog Wood, Rhododendrons, Azaleas, along with so many others.

Rhododendron

Iris & unknown flower

Mt. Fuji is still here

On November 2, 2022, Josephine and I returned from a ten and a half weeks trip to Japan. It has been three years since we were there to minister. It was good to be in Japan. This will be a report of some of the things we did during those weeks.

Warm greetings at the airport and upon arriving in Tachikawa

Upon coming out of immigration and customs at Tokyo Haneda Airport on August 23, we were surprised to see Ruku Obata (pronounced Luke) waiting for us. We have known Ruku since he was in grade school. He is twenty-three years old now. After graduating from college, he began a special four-year course in Bible and theology. He graciously drove us from Haneda Airport in southeastern Tokyo to Tachikawa in western Tokyo. He also carried our luggage up three flights of stairs to our dorm room in the Tachikawa church building.

Sister Sano was at the building to meet us when we arrived. She was a great help over the time we were there. She serves as the church secretary and also cares for the flowers around the church building. We were blessed on this trip to have time to deepen our relationship with her.

Fukushima receiving the Hogan-Cate Mission Award at Harding School of Theology 

We left on Monday, August 22, and arrived in Tokyo the following day. Our first priority was to set up housekeeping and get a functional office together. This is something we did each year for twenty-three years until the pandemic started in early 2020. Our primary ministry on this trip was to fill in for Nao and Noriko Fukushima while they were in Memphis studying at the Harding School of Theology. While I shared lessons with the congregation each Sunday, Josephine reached out to members and studied with those interested in English Bible Study.

Lesson topics for the Tachikawa church

For the eight Sundays we met with the Tachikawa church, I chose to preach through John 13-16. This was Jesus’ message to his disciples the night before he was betrayed and killed. On our first Sunday, there were two assemblies. One in Japanese in the morning and one in Chinese in the afternoon on the fourth Sunday of the month. One member is from Mylasia and speaks Chinese. I wrote out my sermon in English and she translates it into Chinese. At the assembly, I read the sermon in English and she read her translation in Chinese. I did this for three Sundays while we were at Tachikawa. The first sermon was written two weeks before we left for Japan to give time for translation. The following sermons were prepared each week.

Visitation for brother Shigekuni – minister, teacher, principal

Since our main work on this trip was to minister to the Tachikawa church, we stayed in the Tokyo suburb of Tachikawa most of our time. We did get out several times. On Monday morning September 12, we traveled an hour and a half to Ochanomizu to meet up with a group going to Hitachi Ota three hours and two prefectures away. We went to the Ota church building for the visitation for brother Nobuyuki Shigekuni. This building was the place where Josephine attended her first Japanese worship assembly in the summer of 1969. The brother we had come to pay respect for was the minister at that time. He later visited us in Memphis in 1975. He was a high school teacher and principal for Ibaraki Christian High School.

Another occasion to get out of Tachikawa was afforded by a brother from the Yokota church. He offered to take us to Haruna in Gunma Prefecture to see brother and sister Shiro Obata. The Obatas helped us numerous times while we were full-time workers in Japan (1977-86). Brother Obata was one of my mentors. He fell in July 2019 and suffered a serious injury to his spine. After much healing and physical therapy, he is back walking and continues to preach for the Haruna congregation each Sunday while seated. Sister Obata suffered heatstroke this past summer and is now in a care facility. It was a blessing to be able to visit them.

Japan School of Evangelism Lectureship via Zoom

In addition to speaking at Tachikawa, I spoke at the fall lectureship for the Japan School of Evangelism with Takeshi Kushida minister for the Hitachi church. My topic was Paul’s understanding of the church from Ephesians. Paul pictured this gathering community of believers in several ways. But I focused on my favorite image of the church as a household of God (Ephesians 2:19).

Our two-week rail pass began on September 28 with our going to Kojima in Okayama Prefecture. This is like going from Memphis to Austin, Texas. We went there to visit with Sandy Rogers. Over twenty years ago, she and Brent moved to Kojima to teach English and started a congregation at the same time. Brent died three years ago but Sandy remains to work with the congregation. Their school closed just before the pandemic broke out. On our return to Tachikawa, we visited a couple Josephine and I had English Bible classes with while they were in Memphis.

Tuesday Bible class with some of the Numazu church members

During the second week of our rail pass, we made a day trip to Shizuoka. I taught a class for the Numazu church at their Tuesday morning Bible study. Sarah Andrews started that congregation after WWII. There are three other congregations she started before the war in that area – Okitsu, Oiwa, and Shimizu. We received a delicious sushi lunch after the class. We visited with brother Tomoyuki Shinozaki former minister for the Numazu church as well as brother Fumio Maeda minister for the Nakada church and his wife Sachiko before returning to Tachikawa.

Later that week of the rail pass, we started our long trip north. It began with the Tomobe church. The church members knew we were coming so they planned an impromptu meeting for that evening. It was a “tea party” with fifteen gathered of which three were non-Christians and one of them came for the first time. I shared a lesson and answered questions during that meeting. We appreciated the members quickly organizing the meeting.

While in Tomobe, Jeanne Ray was our host. She has opened her home to so many over the years. She and Marlin came to Japan in about 1972 to teach English. This gradually changed to re-establishing the church in Tomobe. It has now been over 35 years since they started ministering in Tomobe.

Joel, Hiro, and Seika ministering to the Mito congregation

While in the Ibaraki area, we visited Joel Osborne and Hiro Akahoshi who team minister to the Mito congregation. The church secretary, Seika, also came with them. We had a wonderful meal together and discussed the work in Mito and in Japan in general. We worked with Joel and Hiro in 2011 following the tragic earthquake and tsunami.

From Ibaraki, we went further north to Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture. This is like going from Memphis to Chicago. Twelve of us gathered on Sunday morning for worship. It was such a blessing to be with these brothers and sisters. They rented a room in a local hotel for the occasion. They usually meet in a member’s home. Following the worship, we had a wonderful bento lunch and then an impromptu ladies’ class. It is always an encouragement to see those who have the desire to learn more about God.

Lunch with the Hachinohe congregation after worship

On our way back from Hachinohe, we stopped at Omika in Ibaraki Prefecture. I spoke in chapel for the Ibaraki Christian University. That afternoon, Josephine was asked to share a lesson with some of the ladies. She taught from Habakkuk. Later that week after returning to Tachikawa we had lunch with a couple we taught while in Memphis. The husband teaches at Nagasaki University and the wife works for a research group.

While we had to secure visas to enter Japan, 0n October 11 the borders of Japan were fully opened to foreign tourists. This means that travel to Japan can be done pretty much as it was before the pandemic. This gave us hope for a spring trip in 2023.

Visit with Leslie and Sara Taylor ministering in Matsudo, Chiba

The week before we were to leave, we were finally able to squeeze in a visit to Matsudo in Chiba Prefecture to see Leslie and Sara Taylor. They had worked with the Matsudo church for five years with Steve and Debbie Carrell. They returned to the states for two years before returning two years ago in the midst of the pandemic. They are now working full-time with the Matsudo congregation.

Our final Sunday was spent with the Ochanomizu congregation in downtown Tokyo. They sponsored us when we came as full-time workers in 1977. Over the years, we have benefited from their encouragement and help. I spoke for the Japanese assembly in the morning and then for the English assembly in the afternoon. We stayed in the old building in 1969 as college students. Brother Obata, mentioned above, was the minister at that time. It was like coming home.

Speaking at the Ochanomizu congregation

On Monday, October 31, we began the process of packing and closing up housekeeping. We had tried to go to Japan in 2020 and 2021 but were not allowed. Having finally been able to enter and minister, we are very thankful. It has been great to renew friendships and minister once again in Japan. We are ever indebted to those who encourage and support our ministry. Our prayers have always been that God is glorified through our efforts.

Hello and happy summer everyone! I can’t believe it, I just looked and it’s been three months since I last sent out a report. Wow, time is continuing to fly!

For so long, mainly because of Covid, days and weeks just tend to look the same. We as a church family are unable to have special summer activities, parties, get-togethers, or movie nights any time of year in order to keep from having a large group of people together inside. Each time we think we’re going to be able to open up and plan something, the numbers go up again. They are currently at their all-time high both for all of Japan as well as here in our prefecture. But, as in the States, people have decided that it’s time to just live their lives (carefully, still wearing masks in public) and the government is no longer encouraging people to stay at home or to close down businesses.

I decided, before the numbers went up again, to take a trip, and continued with my plan even after they went up. I spent about five days traveling to and being in the area around Tokyo. My goals were to renew friendships and do a little more networking, get advice on books that should be added to the Kojima library, and then go shopping at one of the larger Christian bookstores in Japan. (still not very large though!) It was exciting to find some really good books in Japanese to add to our library, including a good study Bible, (it weighs a ton!!) and I’m excited to introduce them to the Christians here!

I was terrible about remembering to take pictures, but I enjoyed spending time with Sister Jeanne Ray and some of her English/Bible students, being with Sister Emiko Noguchi for a day, meeting a Christian sister, and hearing about the café and outreach that she and other Christians in her area use to reach hurting people such as alcoholics, homeless people, people suffering from cancer, and whoever else comes their way. I was able to speak with Brother Nao Fukushima only by Zoom because of his wife Noriko‘s illness, and Brother Yoshiya Noguchi for just an hour or two because he was so busy that week. And then a couple nights plus Sunday with Leslie and Sara Taylor and their delightful children and the Matsudo church. I was so delighted to get to spend a few hours with a woman, Nao, who was in my mom‘s Bible class, and her children attended my children’s Bible class here in Kojima two years back around 10 years ago. She’s now a Christian and assisted Sara in teaching the children’s Bible class at the Matsudo Church. And we got to talk a lot, it was great! The first picture below shows the Taylors and Nao with her daughter, taken a week and a half ago when I was there, and just for fun, the next two pictures are her kids, from when she was living in Kojima 10 years ago. And I got a picture of Brent in!

After my time in that part of Japan, I flew to Ishigaki Island, maybe the southernmost and westernmost island in the Okinawa chain of Japanese islands, for a short vacation.

Again, my pictures are either nonexistent or pretty bad, but I’ll put one down below of me eating an Okinawa, or maybe Ishigaki, a dish of noodles with Japanese flavored spareribs on top, and another one of the most beautiful flowers I saw down there.

Highlights of my trip were-

• Spending time with Christian sister Rumi, who decided to join me at the last minute,
• beautiful flowers, amazing night sky—probably the best I’ve ever seen the Milky Way,
• beautiful sunrise over the ocean,
• swimming in the ocean for a couple of hours,
• seeing gorgeous tropical fish, coral, clams, etc. from a glass bottom boat,
• swimming in the most beautiful pool I’ve ever seen,
• relaxing in the best what I would call a bungalow I’ve ever been in,
• making a pottery turtle in a workshop,
• eating amazingly delicious small pineapples such as peach pineapple and melon pineapple,
• eating tropical fish sashimi, and
• just, in general, relaxing in such an amazingly beautiful place.

Rumi flying down to vacation with me at the last minute was a blessing, I think for both of us. I pray that I was an encouragement to her and that she was a real blessing to me.

After 27 years of living in Japan, I’m glad I finally made it to Okinawa!

As I said before, no real big news, except I continue to praise God for the growth I see in the Christians here in Kojima.

For example, one sister considering getting a degree in Christian counseling so that she can be a counselor to others.

One sister teaching and encouraging a seeker, and the actual “teachers” sitting back and listening in amazement.

People teaching our children’s Bible class (so far just one child) for the first time.

One of our seekers said to the group, “I’m looking forward to the day when I will have a story to tell about how God saved me, the same as (some of our other Christians) have! He’s already loved me through all of you.

I pray Ephesians 1:18-20 for all of you, that through the Spirit you know deeply the hope we have, how great and amazing our blessings are, and the unbelievable power God uses for us.

Thank you as always for your prayers, messages of encouragement, and support.

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Grace and peace to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! As always, we thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. We’re happy to share with you what has been going on over the last month here in Japan.

Hamburgers on 4th of July. Japanese grills are very different from those in America, using a different kind of charcoal and a grated covering, since typically they cook small pieces of meat or vegetables on it rather than large burgers or steaks.

Heading into July, of course, we have the 4th of July. However, as you might imagine, Japan does not celebrate the day. Thankfully, we have a family friend who lives out in the Chiba countryside about an hour or so away who is American, so we went out and had a cookout with him and his family. No fireworks this year, but it was nice to celebrate together all the same! This friend and his family are not Christians, and unfortunately, they live far away so it’s hard to connect regularly, but we try to use what influence we can to shine the light of Jesus and plant some seeds. You never know what the Lord is doing through these interactions!

We also had another visit this month with a longtime American friend here in Japan, our sister Sandy Rogers. Some of you may remember that our family first came to Japan in 2010 and lived in the small town of Kojima in Okayama Prefecture for a year. At that time, we worked together with Sandy and her husband Brent, who had a great influence on us in showing us what it looks like to labor in this culture for the Lord. Brent has since gone to be with the Lord, but Sandy is still here working hard to water the seeds they planted together for so long. Sandy was able to stay with us for a couple of nights, and also attended Sunday worship together with us, which was a great blessing. We had some wonderful conversations together. Sandy is planning to return to the U.S. in a couple of years, so please be in prayer for her as she prepares for that major life transition.

Sara, Sandy, and Nao. Sandy and Brent played an important role in Nao coming to follow Jesus. We are so thankful!

You also likely heard about the unfortunate murder of previous prime minister Shinzo Abe. This was definitely a major shock in Japan, particularly because a gun was used. Guns are, practically speaking, banned in Japan, with only very limited kinds allowed for hunting, the permission for which requires a long and extensive process. Of course, Abe was very influential in politics for many years, and it was even possible he could become prime minister again one day. Given the potential impact on people here, we had a special service the following Sunday at Matsudo, discussing tragedy from a Christian worldview. Although no one from the community attended, we did receive a kind word from a non-Christian Japanese friend who saw that we were hosting this. She said: “You are always thinking about what you can do for the people around you. I respect you. Thank you for what you do for Japan.” This individual is one of the people regularly listed on our “names you can pray for” prayer request list at the end of our newsletter. These small statements are very meaningful to hear for us, and we pray that this little light we shine will point this friend and others to the One who cares about Japan and its people more than anyone else.

Our kids doing a Q&A session with kids in the U.S.

July ushers in summer vacation for the kids. Summer break for kids here is shorter than in the U.S., but there are still several weeks off from school that they can enjoy. Our kids enjoyed playing with their friends and were also able to host a short Q&A with several kids from the U.S. who asked questions about life in Japan. We’re so thankful for all the friends in the U.S. who show interest in and concern for our children. What a blessing it is!

Unfortunately, summer vacation has also brought a new wave of covid cases here in Japan. This has perhaps been the largest wave we have experienced here, and several of our closest friends have contracted covid for the first time. In fact, we had potential exposure to one case, but gratefully God protected our family, particularly since that would likely mean being stuck in the house for a full two weeks at least.

Yet, while this wave has produced large numbers (for Japan), we have noticed that the response has been much more reserved compared to previous waves. Many large events are still being held, for example, and we still see plenty of people playing at the local playground, and people walking around town without masks. Although we know of at least one church that has suspended services again, they have provisionally done so only for one week rather than indefinitely. Additionally, and importantly for us, for the first time, the borders have not been closed again. That is a very hopeful sign, we believe. Anyone who knows about life in Japan knows that change here is a slow process. That is true in all areas of life and is one of the reasons the spiritual work here can be so challenging. But it also produces a great sense of joy when the change finally comes, even if it is measured in inches instead of yards.

Despite this recent wave, God has been providing us with new connections and opportunities. Leslie has continued playing tennis several times a month with those individuals we mentioned in our previous newsletter. Sara continues to build relationships with some people in her classes. We also have made a new contact with a foreigner living nearby thanks to a mutual friend with our previous missions partner, Steve Carrell. This individual seems to be seeking something, and while we are currently only connected through Facebook, we’re hoping we’ll be able to meet him in person soon. There are others we could mention as well, but the point is that God is still working and we are very grateful for that.

Our most recent English worship service at Matsudo.

We have also been continuing our English Worship services. Attendance has been somewhat sporadic so far, but we are hopeful this will continue to be a blessing to Matsudo and that God will use it to help make disciples in our community and beyond. At our last service, three Christian sisters from the Ochanomizu church visited with us. We’d like to share something one of them texted Sara later in the day: “I was thinking on my way home, no offense, who could ever imagine that we could have English service at Matsudo. That’s awesome. Of course, God is working, but also I’m very proud of you guys. The seed you planted is starting to bloom.”

Yes – God is indeed working! We are so grateful for our small part in planting seeds and allowing others to see how God does what might seem unimaginable when we trust in him.

Listen To Matsudo Church of Christ Sermons!

Speaking of our services at the Matsudo church, you can now listen to Leslie’s sermons online! This will include both Japanese and English sermons.

Click Here To Listen On The Church Website

Click Here To Listen Through Apple Podcasts

For now, the split will be roughly 75% Japanese and 25% English, but we hope, if the Lord blesses our English services, that we will eventually move to have that every Sunday and thus have more English lessons there. To be honest, uploading the Japanese sermons is a bit embarrassing for Leslie. Although Leslie is capable in Japanese, there are still plenty of mistakes in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

Click on the image to listen to our sermons

Postwar Japan – A Christian Nation?

Leslie also has a new episode up of his new personal missions podcast. Did you know that in postwar Japan, General McArthur considered the possibility of making Christianity the official state religion of Japan? It was a real possibility! In this episode Leslie shares some of the history behind that, as well as some reflections on what that might have meant for the work here, and what it means for the church generally in modern times.

Listen through our host Acast: https://shows.acast.com/notes-from-the-field

Listen through Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/notes-from-the-field/id1630093831

Click on the image to listen to the most recent episode

As you remember our work in prayer as we head into the summer, here are some things we would love for you to remember:

• Cambria and Madeleine, as they continue to grow as disciples of Jesus
• Liucija, as she continues to adapt to life in Japan, and for her and Matthieu both as they continue their relationship in person
• Our DBS study, that we will find others who will join us in discovering God’s word and the life of Jesus discipleship
• The English worship service to bless the English-speaking community, and to grow so as to be more fruitful
• Sara, as she continues to engage with people in our community
• Gratitude for opportunities for Leslie, and for him as he engages in these, that they might be fruitful
• Continued success and fruitfulness with the Kids’ English Bible Class
• That the COVID situation in Japan will continue to improve and we will be able to extend our work further at Matsudo
• Some specific names you can pray for: Craig Carroll, Matthieu, Liucija, Tomoko, Kawakami family, Kobayashi family, Mr. Gotou, Fujita family, Ebata family, Toyoda family, Shirouzu family, friends of our children, coaches and staff at tennis

Grace and peace to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! And as always, thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. The summer months have really come in with a bang here, and we’re excited to share about how God is working around us!

Some of the ministers gathered on the last day of the meeting.

Each year in June, the ministers across Japan meet for a preachers’ retreat. For several years, these retreats were held at a Christian camp in Nagano Prefecture. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, this gathering has been held through Zoom for the past 3 years. It is possible that next year we may be able to do it again in person in Nagano, but we leave that in the hands of the Lord. Incidentally, the topic for this year was about what the church looks like in a post-corona world, and there was a lot of good discussions. Leslie was also invited to offer the closing message this year. He spoke on the life of the minister out of Paul’s departing address to the elders at Ephesus in Acts 20. Although we look forward to this retreat being held in person again, we’re grateful for the ability to gather with ministers across the country digitally.

Another big event for us here was the arrival of our sister Liucija from Lithuania. Liucija (pronounced Lu-tsi-ah) is the girlfriend of our new brother Matthieu. We were grateful to be able to pick her and Matthieu up at the airport when she arrived this month.

Liucija was raised with a solid Catholic background, but began seeking to know more for herself and ultimately was baptized at a Church of Christ in Lithuania about a year or so ago. In fact, that is the reason that Matthieu ended up showing up at the Matsudo church this past December! They met prior to the pandemic, and have been maintaining a long-distance relationship since they have been unable to visit each other, and she encouraged Matthieu to visit our church, which she found online. Isn’t that how discipleship works? Disciples point other people to Jesus! It’s really that simple, and it’s amazing to see how God is working all across the world at any given moment. These kinds of actions are direct answers to prayers that we as a family and as a church have been praying for. We’re so grateful to have a front-row seat to see the work the Lord is doing as he draws people to himself.

The arrival of Liucija has been exciting for several reasons. First of all, of course, we’re happy for her and Matthieu, as we know they are excited to be together again after so long. We’re excited to watch their relationship blossom further and ask for your prayers for them as they move forward. However, we’re also excited because we believe the Lord has brought her here for spiritual fruit.

Materials we use for our home DBS with Liucija. These materials come from the North Boulevard Church of Christ in Tennessee.

After she got settled in, we invited Liucija to come over to our house to do Discovery Bible Studies together. We may have mentioned this before, but Discovery Bible Study (DBS) is a simple and reproducible way of studying the Bible with people. DBS is prepared for Christians at almost any level to facilitate and is built around the express idea of making disciples. These studies are built more for small gatherings at home or in other more intimate settings. During these studies, we share our lives together from a spiritual perspective, and then discuss a simple passage together, emphasizing how the passage should change our lives and could impact others around us. The point of these studies is to discover God’s word and will for our lives, and then to put that knowledge into genuine practice, and share it with others. Because it’s so simple and personal, it provides a more comfortable environment in which to bring non-Christian friends.

We’re really excited to start these studies with Liucija, and so grateful for and impressed with her willingness to embrace a life of discipleship. Liucija is about 10-15 years younger than us, and that means she will have doors open to her that we won’t have. Please pray for Liucija as she adapts to life here in Japan, and please pray for these studies, that they will prove fruitful and give us opportunities to help others discover the joy of following Jesus together.

The first gathering of the English worship service at the Matsudo church. Small, but blessed with the Lord’s presence!

Another blessing with her arrival is the opportunity to start our English worship at Matsudo. This is something we have really wanted to do, but without more English speakers it wasn’t clear if it would be worth it. With Matthieu and Liucija now attending, we have decided to hold English worship services every 2nd and 4th Sunday. We are praying that this will be an opportunity to reach out to the foreign contingent of Matsudo and the surrounding cities. Our first service was greatly blessed. We were grateful to have some friends who normally attend the Ochanomizu church visit with us that day, so it was a wonderful start to this new ministry. Please be praying for us as we continue this service. We’d ask prayers that we’ll be able to get the word out to those who are searching and that this will ultimately be a tool to make more disciples of Jesus, and show those around us the unity possible in God’s kingdom.

As you can see, it’s been a busy month of June! But we are so thankful to see ministries shaping up and opportunities to make disciples being created. God is good!

To quote the infomercials – “but that’s not all!”

Click on the image to listen to episodes online.

First, we’d like to let you know about a new podcast Leslie is doing. We wanted to keep up our Taylors In Japan podcast, but it’s been a challenge for Leslie and Sara to sit down and make these happen together for various reasons. So, Leslie is going to be doing a separate podcast called “Notes From The Field.” The name really explains what it is about – in this podcast, Leslie will share various thoughts from the mission field here in Japan. Many of the topics will be related to working as a missionary here, but there may be other discussions along the way as well. You can listen using the links below:

• Listen through our host Acast
• Listen through Apple Podcasts

As many of you know, our family has been part of a tennis school here in Matsudo very near the church building and not far from home either. It’s been a wonderful opportunity to stay active and healthy, and great to have something we all enjoy as a family. But, that’s not the only reason we joined – a big reason was to find opportunities to connect with people in the community in a natural setting. It’s taken some time, but we’ve begun to see some fruit from that investment.

Just this past week, a classmate/fellow player at the school invited Leslie to come to play doubles with him and some other people on Monday afternoon. Usually, Mondays are taken up by sermon preparation, but knowing this was a huge opportunity to build relationships, Leslie gladly accepted, and it looks like this is something he will continue to be able to participate in for the foreseeable future. In addition to that, just that week Leslie randomly came into connection with another foreigner who plays tennis in Kashiwa, the next town up from Matsudo and also where one of the Matsudo church members lives. These are exactly the kinds of things we have been praying for, and to have others reach out on their own is such a joy! God hears our prayers as we seek to be fruitful! We’re excited to see if God will bless some of these connections. Please be praying that he will. We truly want all of our lives to bring glory to God and to be used to make disciples. Please pray for Leslie to have opportunities to do just that.

A Note From Sara

Before we close out, we wanted to share with you about the work Sara has been doing with the Sunday morning English Bible class for children. This has been a great opportunity, and we’re excited to share about how God has been working through this.

Corrie ten Boom told a story from her childhood about being afraid that she wouldn’t be strong enough to bear it when her father would someday die. She recollected: “Father sat down on the edge of the narrow bed. ‘Corrie,’ he began gently, ‘when you and I go to Amsterdam—when do I give you your ticket?’ I sniffed a few times, considering this. ‘Why, just before we get on the train.’ ‘Exactly. And our wise Father in heaven knows when we’re going to need things, too. Don’t run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need—just in time.’

I am not a teacher. I’m not even a natural kid person. When I was in college, I had the grand idea to follow in my mother and grandmother’s footsteps and become a teacher, primarily because I couldn’t bear the idea of life without summer vacations. I lasted one semester in the education program before I changed majors. I am paralyzingly self-conscious and have a major case of impostor syndrome in everything that I do.

So it wasn’t a big surprise to me when I burst into spontaneous tears no fewer than five times in the days leading up to my inaugural Kids’ Bible Class, or when I couldn’t hold back a quick-but-frantic cry in the bathroom thirty minutes before people were supposed to arrive.

“Sara,” you might be thinking, “why in the world did you decide to lead a Bible class?” It’s a good question. You could ask the same why our family decided to move to Japan, and the answer would be the same: Because we believe that it is what God wants us to do. (And if we’re not doing what He wants us to do, what are we even doing?)

Over the past seven months of our Kids’ Bible Class, that story from Corrie has been ringing in my ears. “Our wise Father in heaven knows when we’re going to need things, too. … When the time comes… you will look into your heart and find the strength you need—just in time.”

This is what I’ve witnessed Him doing within me in this Bible class. Ellie Holcomb put it well when she sang, “where He leads us to go, there’s a Red Sea Road.” I am a spiritual Israelite, following God but so easily distracted by fears and worry and a desire for comfort, and He proves over and over that He will provide what I need when I need it as I follow Him in faith.

I survived that first class. And God gave me the ability to teach, the ability to connect with children and their families, the ability to be creative. And I cried again, because the entire time we were here on the field last time, I felt like an impostor, focusing all of my time on raising my own small children and barely passing as a missionary, but now, on this side of things, I see how God has been asking me to be patient for the past thirteen years and to trust Him, and how that time has been spent preparing me for when He would ultimately give me more to carry.

He has brought people to us. We prayed, and you prayed, that He would send people who are seeking Him, even if they don’t realize that they are. Right now, we have four families who attend nearly every week. Two dads who come at least half of the time and joyfully participate. Moms who are interested to know the stories that I share. A couple of weeks ago, they all had other plans and couldn’t make it, and were adamant about telling me that they love the class and didn’t want me to doubt that because they couldn’t come for one week. Earlier this month, one of the families came over for dinner with our family. I am so thankful.

Counting these precious “sheep.”

Over the last month, I have been teaching the kids the parable of the lost sheep. For some reason, it has been heavy on my heart to emphasize this parable to them, so we’ve done stories, we’ve done pictures, we’ve done scavenger hunts for lost sheep, and we’ve done a live-action play of it. It has moved me so much to plant this story in the kids’ hearts. I don’t know why I feel so strongly about it, but I do know that life as an adult in Japan can feel very isolated sometimes, and so I wonder if one of these kids will someday come to need this story that was planted in their heart at age five, or if one of their parents needs it now. As Aslan says in C.S. Lewis’ The Horse and His Boy, “I am telling you your story, not hers. No one is told any story but their own.” But just today, a friend from high school, who my family used to bring to church, told me that—twenty years later—she still sings church songs when she’s looking for something to sing. My prayer is that the stories I’m telling these kids now will stay in their hearts, so that when they someday feel lonely or desperate or lost or unloved, they will know that there is One who knows them, cares for them, sees them, and loves them.

Thank you all for your continued support of this class. If you would ever like to know more about it, I would love to tell you more. There are details and names that I would love to share personally but don’t feel right sharing through our newsletter, so please don’t hesitate to ask about it.

Sara

As you remember our work in prayer as we head into the summer, here are some things we would love for you to remember:

• Cambria and Madeleine, as they continue to grow as disciples of Jesus
• Liucija, as she continues to adapt to life in Japan, and for her and Matthieu both as they continue their relationship in person
• Our DBS study, that we will find others who will join us in discovering God’s word and the life of Jesus discipleship
• The English worship service to bless the English-speaking community, and to grow so as to be more fruitful
• Sara, as she continues to engage with people in our community
• Gratitude for opportunities for Leslie, and for him as he engages in these, that they might be fruitful
• Continued success and fruitfulness with the Kids’ English Bible Class
• That the COVID situation in Japan will continue to improve and we will be able to extend our work further at Matsudo
• Some specific names you can pray for: Matthieu, Liucija, Tomoko, Kawakami family, Kobayashi family, Mr. Gotou, Fujita family, Ebata family, Toyoda family, Shirouzu family, friends of our children, coaches and staff at tennis

Miscellaneous images from June:

Looking out over downtown Matsudo in the vening. This image represents probably at least 10,000 peopl, and possibly closer to 20-30,00. This area is only about 10 minutes by bike and 20 minutes walking from the church building.

A Fathers’ Day photo of Leslie and the kids.

Grace and peace to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!

The month of May was a relatively slow and restful month for our family – something we definitely needed! – but that’s not to say the month was uneventful.

With Nao at the summit of Mt. Tsukuba

The beginning of May is always marked by Golden Week in Japan. Golden Week is a string of national holidays and one of the few times Japanese people get off throughout the year. Unlike in the U.S., few people here have vacation days outside of national holidays, so basically all travel and vacation happen at the same time. As you can imagine, things can get pretty crowded, but it is a good time to get together with people.

Madeleine with a massive Tree on the path up the mountain

During Golden Week, we first went on a hike with our sister Nao and her daughter Miyama up Mt. Tsukuba. As it is a convenient location from Tokyo, it took us about an hour or so to find parking, just to give you some idea of how crowded things get at this time of year! That said, it’s such a rare gift to gather with Christians during the week here, and we were grateful for the opportunity. Nao is a wonderful blessing to our lives and to the congregation.

As we mentioned last time, there are many smaller interactions we have each month that are notable, and yet not particularly significant in the immediate sense. For example, we had several people over to our house this month, in part because of the time our friends have off during Golden Week. These get-togethers are simple affairs, but give us opportunities to show what Jesus looks like in our own lives in a genuine way. These interactions build relationships and establish our presence in the community. They are opportunities to plant seeds. Whether or not these seeds grow and produce fruit or fall into harsh soil we can only leave in the hands of God, but we continue to pray for each of these people that God will work and pull on their hearts, and that they will respond one day in faith.

Madeleine’s Baptism

While May was relatively quiet, we did have one major event in our family at the end of the month. On May 22, after Sunday worship, both Cambria and Madeleine were baptized! They had been asking questions about baptism at various times over the last year but never seemed quite ready to take the step on their own. Recently, however, they began thinking and talking about it more in earnest, so we took a week to read through some passages together and to pray and talk, and after several talks with Leslie and Sara, they felt it was time to make that commitment. We are so grateful to God for this gift! To see our children commit to following Jesus as disciples for themselves is (as many of you know) one of the greatest blessings we can experience as parents. We are excited to see them come to know the joy of the Lord more directly in their lives. We are excited to see how God works in and through them. We are filled with joy and gratitude to the Lord for his provision and would ask for your prayers for them as they continue their walk as followers of Jesus.

One of the interesting parts of Cambria’s and Madeleine’s baptism is that it gave us an opportunity to share the gospel message with some friends here. We have mentioned previously a family here who said they weren’t interested in religion and really didn’t care to be invited to any events for the church, though they appreciated our mutual friendship. That’s a hard response to face, but because their children are close friends with ours, we wanted to invite them to be witnesses to this important step in our children’s lives. Somewhat surprisingly, they agreed to come, which meant we had at least this one chance to present the smallest glimpse of the gospel. Perhaps the only chance!

A picture with friends and members of the Matsudo church after the baptism.

Given the context, it’s hard to know what to say. You certainly can’t say everything you want to say or that needs to be said. Tempting though it may be, it would be unwise to get sidetracked and aim your words at certain individuals. It’s also challenging because you don’t entirely know what background they are coming from. What would you say if you knew you could share only a snippet of the gospel in the context of an introduction to what baptism is about, with people whose entire exposure to Christian teaching is probably through Wikipedia?

It’s easy to put intense pressure on ourselves in these situations and feel like it’s all up to us. But Jesus promised in the Great Commission that he is with us. Yes, we are called to make disciples, but it’s not all in our hands. People have a choice to make, but most importantly, God is at work even when we don’t say all the right words in exactly the right way. Leslie did his best to share the core Christian message, and we are confident they saw the genuine love and tenderness of the Christian community during their brief time with the congregation. For now, we continue to pray that the Lord will work and use our friendship to produce fruit and faith. We prayed before and we continue to pray now, and we trust God listens and is working. We are grateful for even these small opportunities to participate in his work!

Since this May had five Sundays, Brother Aikawa Sr. from the Ochanomizu congregation in Tokyo came to speak, which meant Leslie had the day off from preaching. We took the opportunity to enjoy a family vacation that week camping in the mountains near Takayama in Gifu Prefecture. It was such a wonderful getaway, and a much-needed refreshment, especially as we head into what will likely be a busy remainder of the year (more on that in a moment). The region is known for its lovely natural scenery, as well as unique history and cultural heritage, so it’s a great place to experience as a family.

With the Adachis after Japanese worship at Ochanomizu. Bro. Adachi preached in the morning on 1 Samuel 12:19-20

Additionally, we were able to visit with the Ochanomizu congregation this past Sunday (May 29), which is the first time we have worshiped away from Matsudo since arriving in Japan a year and a half ago. We worshiped both at the Japanese and English service, so it also was the first time worshiping fully in English since coming to Japan. As missionaries, we focus much of our lives on feeding others, and though we do our best to drink from the Lord’s spiritual storehouse on a personal level, nothing replaces the fellowship of other Christians and the ministry of others sharing the meat of God’s word with you. We are so grateful to be partnered with the Ochanomizu congregation, and thankful for this time we got to share with them. We hope that as pandemic protocols are eased, this will be able to happen more frequently.

Speaking of that easing, we are very excited for the remainder of the year. Japan has finally opened its borders to tourists for the first time since the pandemic began. The first groups will only be allowed in on packaged tours, restricted to specific areas with those tours. However, this is the first step in a more general opening, so we are grateful to see things moving in that direction. Most importantly, this opens the door for plans we have been making for some time. As of now, we are planning to have our first English worship service at Matsudo on June 26th. We are very excited about the possibilities that extend from this and would ask for your prayers that it goes smoothly and proves to be as fruitful as we think it can be. There are plenty of English-speaking foreigners in Matsudo and surrounding towns, and we would love for this congregation to be able to serve and disciple them. In addition to these plans, we are also seeing others who are becoming willing to spend time with us at our home. This coming Friday, we are having a neighborhood friend over for the first time, who is one of the mothers who regularly attends the English Bible Class that Sara has been heading up. Please pray our time together is fruitful and that we may have opportunities for spiritual discussions.

As you remember our work in prayer as we head into the summer, here are some things we would love for you to remember:

• Prayers for Cambria and Madeleine as they begin their personal walk with the Lord
• Prayers for our upcoming English worship service
• Prayers for our brother Matthieu as he travels in June, and as his girlfriend from Lithuania moves to Japan
• Prayers for upcoming interactions with those who will visit with us
• Prayers for Leslie as he teaches at the upcoming All-Japan Preacher’s Meeting, and prepares for classes with JSE next year
• Prayers for Sara as she continues to engage with people in our community
• Prayers that God will provide Leslie with more opportunities to engage with men
• Prayers for continued success and fruitfulness with the Kids’ English Bible Class
• That the COVID situation in Japan will continue to improve and we will be able to extend our work further at Matsudo
• Some specific names you can pray for: Mrs. Aoki, Mrs. Yamaya, Matthieu, Tomoko, Kawakami family, Kobayashi family, Mr. Gotou, Fujita family, Ebata family, Toyoda family, Shirouzu family, friends of our children, coaches and staff at tennis

Miscellaneous images from May:

Sara and the kids on Mother’s Day

Leslie and Tad Aikawa – another minister at Ochanomizu who speaks fluent English and has helped Leslie with big projects many times. Tad played a big part in putting together the paperwork to get us to Japan this time.

Inside the worship hall at the Ochanomizu church building j- lots of space to keep distance as a virus prevention measure

Our family at a waterfall near our campsite

Overlooking Takayama City with the Japan Alps in the distance

Konnichiwa from Kojima! (That means hello!)

On Resurrection Sunday, our church was able to have a large meeting outside, complete with inviting friends, worship and Bible study, a picnic, and even an Easter egg hunt. See pictures below. I apologize I didn’t get any Easter egg hunt photos. But you all know what that looks like anyway! I believe we had about 17 adults and seven kids from infant to junior high.

In the past, we have met under cherry blossoms, but this year Easter was late enough that the cherry blossoms were all gone, and anyway the place we have met in the past is not allowing picnics at this time. So we met at a beautiful park with wisteria trellises. The amazing wisteria pictures below were taken by Tomomi, not me.

Ken used a story from Japanese tradition as a redemptive analogy to Christ’s sacrifice of his own life for us. I think it resonated with newcomers.

My friend Lisa came with her three kids. It was her first time experiencing Resurrection Sunday worship and she seemed to really enjoy it. The kids enjoyed the picnic and the Easter egg hunt.

Unfortunately, the Covid numbers are going up again, so my hopes that we would be able to begin having monthly get-togethers soon that we could invite friends to will have to wait a while longer.

Four of us have begun taking turns teaching a Bible class for our one regular child so that the others can attend worship and Bible study (and teach or translate!) for the other three weeks. This has just begun, so we’ll see how it goes, we may have to tweak our arrangement a little, but we hope it will be a good experience for all involved.

Pray for us, that all the Kojima Christians will continue to grow in faith and fellowship, and that we will soon be able to begin inviting friends to activities again.

Please pray for our sister Yukiko; without going into details she is searching for a godly way to handle a personal situation.

Brent Wood Rogers was born July 4, 1959, in Arkansas, U.SA. At a very young age, he felt a strong calling to be a missionary. He graduated from college in 1980. While at college he met and married Sandy. Together they planned a life sharing their faith in Jesus overseas. In 1981 they moved to Bangalore India, and lived there for three years, working as missionaries. Then Brent came down with a rare infection, and they returned to the U.S. for treatment. While in California, Brent preached in a small church, earned a master’s degree and Sandy taught school. God began to open their eyes to opportunities in Japan.

In 1991, they moved to Kojima for Brent to teach at Mt. Hood College. In 1993 he opened an English school which eventually became Logos. Brent suffered from several life-threatening health crises in rent years. Brent continued to learn to trust God to help them through these difficult times.

After living most of the last 26 years of his life in Kojima, Japan, Brent was diagnosed with colon cancer in April 2017. His courageous battle ended and he left this life on December 18, 2017. He left behind his wife of almost 38 years, Sandra Hougey Rogers, three siblings, two children, Tim and Rachel, and three grandchildren, Zoiee, Destyn, and Willow.

Grace and peace to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! As we start this newsletter out, we want to begin by saying thank you. Thank you for caring about our family and the work in Japan, and for taking the time to read about it. Thank you for your support, both financially and spiritually. We are grateful to each one of you for reading this.

We pray that you all had a wonderful Easter. What a joy it is to have a risen Savior! It is through his life that we have life and hope. It is because he is alive from the dead that the church exists and that our family is in Japan doing this work. Jesus’ resurrection is the foundation of everything we are and do as Christians, and we’re so grateful for the opportunity for a special moment of remembrance that we can celebrate not just with other Christians, but even with non-Christians who may be uniquely open to listening to the Gospel message this time of year.

It still amazes us that this opportunity has reached as far as Japan. So many assumptions we make in the West don’t apply in Japan, but somehow Easter has broken through that barrier and opened a door. Perhaps it is only the commercialism surrounding days like Easter and Christmas that has opened the door, but if it requires pagan commercialism to open the door to the true life of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then we praise God all the more for his grace and wisdom for making such things possible.

We are happy to report that our Easter worship at Matsudo went very well, with several visitors during worship. Two of the visitors were Mrs. Yamaya and Mrs. Aoki, who we mentioned previously, so we were very happy to have them join us once again. We ask for continued prayers for these two ladies, that the messages they have heard and fellowship they have experienced will continue to sink deep into their hearts and pull them towards the Savior. The other visitors were a connection through tennis. The mother (Kimie – Ki-mi-eh) works at the front desk at tennis and often talks to us. She, her husband, and their two young children attended. It was a bit difficult for the children (and thus for the parents), but we hope they felt the grace and love of the church even in the midst of that struggle. We are so grateful for a church that does not complain but embraces families and young children with patience and love.

Sara teaching the children’s class the story of Easter. For many of both the children and the parents, this could well be the first time they have ever heard it!

In the afternoon after worship, we had our children’s Easter event, and that was very well attended! Along with a lot of children, we also had many parents, including several fathers. Sara taught the children the Easter story of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and then afterward we had a fun egg hunt in the park across the street. It’s easy to overlook events like these, but we believe these are the very places where seeds are planted. Each egg is a memory for that child and the parents that shows the love of the church, with Jesus’ resurrection at the heart of it all. We pray that those seeds will bear fruit by the Lord’s power over the years to come.

The children search for easter eggs hidden around the edge of the park. We hid over 100 eggs!

Speaking of Easter, Leslie has another project in the works related to the resurrection of Jesus. We’ve mentioned before that Leslie is joining JSE (Japan School of Evangelism) as a teacher, and his first lessons have been scheduled for the first or second semester of next year. He will be assisting Brother Noguchi (one of the ministers at the Ochanomizu church) for part of his Systematic Theology class, focusing on a section on the resurrection of Jesus. Leslie has taught on the resurrection both here in Japan and in the U.S., and it has been a topic he has emphasized in his studies both during graduate school and since. Each class will require the same amount of work as nearly a month of sermons, so it’s a big undertaking just to teach 2 or 3 classes as part of a larger course. As you can imagine, Leslie is thankful to have almost a year to prepare! Placing the resurrection within the broader framework of Systematic Theology is an exciting and big task, particularly in Japanese, but that’s why JSE is such a blessing – it provides resources in Japanese that are rather scarce compared to what we have available in the U.S.

Leslie and Sara in front of cherry blossoms at a nearby park earlier this month

So much of the work we do here is hard to lay out in a newsletter. It’s easy to point to big events or particular projects, but there are so many encounters we have each week that are important. The vast majority of those are engaged by Sara. Because I (Leslie) am the minister at Matsudo, there’s a tendency to focus on my work in terms of the mission, but to be honest I think that is misleading. Sara and I are partners in the gospel, much like Priscilla and Aquila. Sara doesn’t just support me, she is a big part of our work on her own. A couple of recent encounters come to mind. For example, the reason our friend Kimie and her family attended our Easter worship is because of the connection with Sara. Also recently, a mother who has been struggling emotionally with life during the pandemic protocols reached out and asked Sara to meet her so she could pour out her heart to her. Then, just two days ago, another mother who we have a connection with through tennis came over because her family is moving to Kentucky soon and is very nervous about the move and everything it entails. As we have said many times, men here typically work long hours and their only days off are Sundays. For that reason, Leslie has few opportunities to build relationships. Sara is our family’s door to the community and thus to evangelism. The Easter event for children is good evidence of that. In many ways, I support Sara as much as she supports me. All that to say: please pray for Sara as she continues to engage, and remember our family in prayer as often as you can because it is in these unpredictable encounters that we believe God is most clearly working.

Our family beneath a cherry blossom tree this spring

Speaking of the family moving to Kentucky (the Toyodas), we would also like to ask specific prayers for them and for us as we try to encourage them. If you’ve ever moved overseas, you know how overwhelming the whole process can be, especially when you have young children. It’s emotionally disruptive for everyone and can produce a lot of anxiety. But, we know a lot of Japanese Christians who became Christians during their time in the U.S. We would love to see that happen with this family, so we are doing what we can to plant seeds now. Please be praying that others will have opportunities to water when they arrive and that God will give the increase!

As the year goes on, we continue to hear good news about Japan heading into a post-corona phase. In addition to the lifting of the state of emergency, the government appears to be mulling allowing in tourists again, and even – surprisingly! – backing off the recommendation for masks in certain situations (e.g., outdoors at parks). We are grateful to hear these discussions in the air, as it gives us hope that some projects we’ve put on hold may be able to move forward soon, especially because it means we may be able to have people visit us here, as well as find it easier (or at least cheaper) to visit the States ourselves.

Regardless of what the future holds, our hope is most of all in the living Lord. Jesus is alive, and he is still working, regardless of viruses, mitigation measures, wars, or anything else. We are so grateful for his provision, and to have front row seats to the Spirit’s work here in Japan. We appreciate your prayers and support as we continue to seek to live in the Spirit’s power, by the grace of the Son, to the glory of the Father.

As you remember our work in prayer throughout 2022, here are some things we would love for you to remember:

• Prayers for interactions we will be having over the coming Japan holidays
• Prayers for Sara especially as she continues to engage with people in our community
• Prayers that God will provide Leslie with more opportunities to engage with men
• Prayers for continued success and fruitfulness with the Kids’ English Bible Class
• That God will continue to work at Matsudo regardless of the COVID situation
• That God will allow the pandemic to come to an end soon so things can open and get back to some kind of normalcy
• Some specific names you can pray for: Mrs. Aoki, Mrs. Yamaya, Matthieu, Tomoko, Kawakami family, Kobayashi family, Mr. Gotou, Fujita family, Ebata family, Toyoda family, Shirouzu family, friends of our children, coaches and staff at the tennis club