Hello brothers and sisters!

We’ve been back in Japan now for almost 3 months, and by God’s grace, we feel we are all settling in well. Between the holidays and family birthdays (Sara, Madeleine, and Boston all have birthdays within the span of about 4 weeks), the turn of the year is always very busy. But we’ve now passed that period, so our family life and mission work is beginning to take shape, to the extent that it can in the midst of the pandemic.

Service Amidst The Pandemic

In early January, Japan declared another state of emergency because the virus was expanding dramatically in several key locations like Tokyo. The Matsudo church has been able to continue meeting, but things certainly look and feel different. Trying to figure out how to minister and reach out in the middle of this has been a challenge, but God has provided many seeds even now (more about that later). Thankfully, the virus situation in Japan has improved considerably since the declaration, and we are seeing hints of warmer days ahead, so we pray more opportunities will open soon.

As we’ve navigated this period, we’ve tried to turn our attention first to what we can do rather than what we cannot. We have invited people to our home as much as possible, although we know not everyone will feel comfortable with that at the moment. We are especially grateful for our sister Nao. She comes over with one or both of her children almost every Sunday after worship and usually stays for several hours. This has been a wonderful time to help disciple her as a young Christian, as she asks many thoughtful questions as we sit at our table together. Her questions are very helpful to us as well, as they reveal some of the specific challenges Japanese people face which we would not understand otherwise. Sara has also been engaging in a Bible devotional program with Nao through their phones throughout the week. We are so grateful for these opportunities and love seeing Nao grow in her faith. Please pray for her, as she navigates the difficult waters of being the only Christian in her family.

In addition to these types of activities, we have tried to use what online connections we have to plant seeds. Leslie has been sharing various devotional thoughts in Japanese online, both on Facebook and on Instagram, accompanied by a simple graphic or video. Aside from the immediate encouragement, we hope this provides, we also believe this can let more people in the community know about the church, and feel more comfortable with visiting at some point. Likewise, we are still working on the church website, which we hope will be up and running by early spring.

Speaking of online efforts, the preachers’ meetings have been online since the pandemic began, operating through Zoom. Leslie had the honor to speak at the preachers’ meeting for February, where he spoke on the subject of bearing fruit. It’s always a bit nerve-wracking to speak to fellow ministers in Japanese, but the lesson seemed to be well-received and encouraging. We are so grateful for the other ministers here who work so hard and dedicate their lives to the service of the Lord. We pray we will be able to be further encouraging to them throughout the year.

Holding the monthly preachers meeting over Zoom from home. It’s wonderful to have this technology, but we can’t wait until it isn’t necessary anymore! Nothing beats face to face.

Seeds For The Sower

One of the big challenges we knew we would face when we arrived was making new connections and reconnecting with old friends. The pandemic creates many barriers for both here. While some people are comfortable getting out and spending time with others, many are less so. If nothing else, the pandemic provides an excuse to indulge in avoidance. However, pandemic or not, we know that it is God who provides the seed. He knows those who are seeking, and he knows exactly which paths need to cross and when. So, we have been praying repeatedly that God provides us with connections by his power and grace. We have already seen him answering.

The kids playing with their new friend Rin (pronounced Reen)

For starters, God has been providing the children with new friends. Cambria recently made friends with a girl her age named Rin. She has connected with her through an online app, and Rin has come to the playground many times to play together. This has given Cambria a reason to work on her Japanese, while also building a connection to the community. This, along with several younger friends at the playground, is a blessing to us all. We would love to see seeds planted through these relationships – please pray that God will provide those opportunities.

Sara visiting with Tomoko at her workplace. We apologize for the blocked faces, but the Japanese are very particular about online privacy. In the absence of permission, we want to be careful to honor that concern in these public newsletters.

We’ve also been reconnecting with some old friends since our return. Without getting into a lot of details, we ask that you pray for Tomoko, as well as the Kawakami family. We’ve been able to reconnect with both since our return, and it would be a tremendous joy to see God’s enlivening power take root in the hearts of these friends – it is a literal daydream! Please pray that God will provide us with opportunities to share his gospel – that he will give us the words to say, the wisdom of when to speak them, and the courage to say them when the time arrives.

Life In Japan

A few other things we would like to mention here…

Sara visiting with Tomoko at her workplace. We apologize for the blocked faces, but the Japanese are very particular about online privacy. In the absence of permission, we want to be careful to honor that concern in these public newsletters.

First, we are so grateful and excited to say that we were able to get a car this month! That is completely and totally due to your generosity, for which we are humbled and thankful. Aside from the benefits, this brings our family, we also plan to use this to visit members of the church and serve as much as possible. Thank you again for your generosity, and please pray that God provides opportunities to use this in his service. As it happens, our sister Sanpei’s husband helped us a whole lot with the car, which gave us some opportunities to connect with him. Please pray for him and for us as we continue to build that relationship. We would love to see him walk with the Lord, and we know our dear sister would rejoice as well.

A map of the recent quake in Japan. The shaking lasted at least a minute, and some people in Fukushima said it felt as strong as the 3/11 quake, though it didn’t last as long. Although it was not as powerful, it was closer to land.

Second, we had a very large earthquake about a week or so ago late at night. It was a magnitude 7.3 just off the coast of Fukushima and was officially listed as an aftershock of the 2011 disaster. Thankfully, there was no tsunami this time, though the shaking was quite strong and did cause some damage and injuries (we were fine, although Cambria did injure her toe as we headed downstairs). On the plus side, the next day was Sunday, and someone who had not visited since we returned did come to worship that morning. God is always working!

Finally, Leslie of course continues to preach each Sunday. Preparing lessons in Japanese is challenging. He writes the sermon in English first, translates it into Japanese, and then practices for several hours and makes edits on Sunday morning before worship. Despite this, there are many hurdles that make it difficult to express what he would like to during the sermon. We request your prayers that his Japanese ability will increase and become more natural so that it will not prove a barrier to teaching the gospel and the congregation’s growth.

Connect With Us!
If you don’t yet, you can follow us on Instagram, where we share daily life experiences and more from our life here.

Leslie  / Sara

Christian Baptism and Conversion – Feb 5, 2021

In the last ten years, several people who were baptized in Christ in other congregations started attending the Yokota congregation. As I talked to them, they confessed to me that they had never experienced a spiritual transformation. They didn’t feel that they had changed anything spiritually. The only difference is that they went to church after their baptism. It is no surprise that some of them faithfully attended the assembly and every bible class available. The confession of those people made me think about the meanings of baptism and conversion.

By baptism, a person is born again in Christ. He is baptized into Christ’s death, buried with him, and raised with him. After baptism, he is expected to continue growing spiritually and be transformed spiritually into the image of Christ. I am afraid that only some of us experience this spiritual transformation. I conclude that a person’s conversion in Christ doesn’t take place in baptism instantly, but takes place in the process as he strives to follow Christ. More importantly, I believe that becoming like Christ is a lifelong goal for every Christian.

This is the Time of Evangelism – Feb 5, 20201

This is the 21st century. One-fifth of the century has already passed. I think this is the century of chaos and confusion. In the year 2001, September 11 attacks struck in the US. A big earthquake and tsunami struck Indonesia in 2004. A lot of Japanese people who saw it never dreamt something like that would ever hit Japan, but it happened even in a bigger scale in 2011. In the US, political chaos has been going on. Also, we have been fighting Covid-19 which is a new pandemic all over the world. Who knows what is going to happen this year and next year? What is going to become of the US-Japan relation and treaty? What will become of Yokota Base?

People feel uncertain and insecure about their future. Older generations may have experienced similar uncertainty during the depression and WWII. But things are much different from the past, and I think the degree of uncertainty has been a lot higher than in the past.

I think this is a great chance to evangelize people in Japan. We plan to do the following things.

(1) We will make a tract for non-Christians. This tract has a very important and relevant message to them.
(2) We will distribute the tract in the communities surrounding the congregation as much as possible. This is the toughest part of evangelism in Japan. We have to come up with the most effective way to distribute it.
(3) We will try to become a congregation that people feel friendly, free, and open. Always smile and friendly. No pressures are put on them.
(4) My sermon message is always God-Christ-centered.
(5) Although I am responsible for the entire congregation in many different ways, I don’t represent the congregation. Our members understand that every member is an ambassador of Christ. Nobody is regarded highly among us. Every Christian is considered as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Jan 15, 2021 – Hello everyone, and Happy New Year! We hope that your holidays proved safe and uplifting, even as we all navigate this challenging time together.

For our family, this was certainly a very different holiday experience in many ways. After arriving in Japan, we had to quarantine for two weeks. While we were allowed to get groceries and other necessities, we stayed in the house the majority of the time. We did have some visitors who brought us things, including our sister Sanpei from the Matsudo church, and the Adachis, who work with the Ochanomizu congregation in central Tokyo. We were so grateful for their kindness during this time!

Our quarantine period ended on December 14th, so we were finally able to get out of the house and do more than just grab groceries. One of the first things we did was go buy a Christmas tree from IKEA, which allowed us to have at least a little taste of the holidays at home. Most of the holiday season kept us busy trying to set things up more generally – buying appliances and furniture, and then assembling those things for use. Let’s just say the delivery people know us pretty well at this point!

We’ve also been figuring out, during this time, what life is like in our new neighborhood. Among other things, one of the requirements of living where we do is that we are responsible for keeping the garbage area clean. Garbage in Japan is very complicated. You can’t just throw everything out whenever you feel like it. Burnable trash is picked up on certain days, while plastics, cardboard, and plastic bottles must be separated and are picked up on their own individuals days of the month. That is the case wherever you live, but here we have extra responsibilities. For example, each week the responsibility for making sure the area around the garbage area is clean passes to a new person on our street. Naturally, on the first week of our turn, someone who didn’t live in our area threw their trash in our garbage bin, with nothing separated (i.e., they had mixed all their garbage into one bag). One of the ladies on our street came and got Sara, opened the trash bag, and they went through and separated it all together. It was a disgusting job, but at least our neighbor helped!

Much of our Christmas season looked like this – laying on the floor and watching movies with our humble Christmas tree nearby. We are grateful for these memories!

The Adachis came to visit us during quarantine to deliver some food and welcome us back to Japan. We were so grateful for their brief, outdoor visit, and hope to get together again soon!

New Year’s is always a big holiday in Japan. Similar to Thanksgiving and Christmas for those of us from the U.S., the New Year holiday marks a time of gathering with family for traditional foods and is one of the only times of the year that almost everyone in the country is off from work. Especially after so many weeks of craziness, it was nice to have a few days to slow down and reset for the work ahead. One of the highlights of this time was having Mrs. Sanpei and her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild come visit us. Both her daughter and son-in-law are doctors at a nearby hospital. They talked to us about possibly doing some English conversation time together in the future to help them in their work. As neither are Christians, we are praying this may be an opportunity to shine the light of Christ to them, however infrequently it may be.

The kids help Sara scrub down the trash area – an important part of trash duty for the week! It may seem excessive to us, but this is part of how we shine the light of Christ in this neighborhood.

As the year began, a variety of things start to roll forward for our family and our mission here. Boston began kindergarten on January 4th, and while he struggled for the first few days, he has adjusted well and is enjoying it. We were very blessed that Mrs. Sanpei helped us get Boston into a hoikuen (as opposed to a youchien), which means that his schooling is covered by government funding. The school is also very close to where we live. It will only be for three months, but this will be an important part of Boston’s language development and ability to make friends. Please be praying for him over the next few months, and that God will work through this to help us produce fruit for his glory.

Leslie delivers his first sermon at Matsudo on December 20th. Wearing a mask while preaching in Japanese can be a bit of a challenge, but we are so glad to be serving.

In terms of our mission, we are still getting settled into life with the Matsudo church in the middle of a pandemic. Worship services are very different from what they used to be. First of all, several members are no longer here, and concerns over the pandemic have kept many past visitors away (although we have been able to gather with some non-Christian friends briefly at home). As you might expect, we are also taking many precautions to protect the members of the church. For example, everyone wears a mask during worship, including Leslie while he preaches, and we only sing one verse of each song. Although it is not what anyone would hope for, we are grateful that we can still meet. Japan declared a state of emergency that includes Chiba Prefecture (where Matsudo is located), but so far they haven’t recommended that groups of our size not meet. Please be praying that this remains the case!

This is an image one of Boston’s teachers sent to us. We are so happy to see him thriving in his new school. Praise God for his blessings!

Despite the challenges to our mission that the pandemic poses, we are certain that it is God’s power that produces fruit even in the best of times, and this gives us comfort. With that in mind, at the beginning of the year, we began a new theme for the year focused on the gospel. The first series of the year is entitled “福音って何”, or “What Is The Gospel?” We are told in scripture that the gospel is “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24), and so we want to focus the Matsudo church and all of our family’s work around that power. In the first series, we will cover the basics of the gospel – that Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead, along with a few other central topics. This will lead to other series throughout the year that will hopefully focus our hearts and minds around the gospel and the power of God within it. Ultimately, our prayer is that this will fuel fruit production both this year and in years to come. We are still figuring out what our mission will look like in these times, so please be praying that God gives us and the Matsudo church clarity and guidance so we can be fruitful for his glory.

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My prayers for Christianity – Jan 15, 2021

Human history is like a rollercoaster and has gone through ups and downs. One-fifth of the 21st century has passed. I think that the 21st century is the age of confusion and chaos. Name a few chaotic historical events: the terrorism in 2001, earthquakes, tsunami, covid-19, and political chaos.

Likewise, Christianity is more confusing than ever. I am referring to Japanese Christianity. It is often seen that self-proclaimed Christians reprehend one other on the internet. They are often dogmatic about their beliefs and denominations. They are nothing different from street gangs who use vulgar language. Another extreme is to accept homosexuality as normal. This trend among Japanese churches may be stronger than that in the US.

This may be the age that Christ describes in Matt. 24, but I don’t speculate what is going to happen as those premillennialists do. I think that this is the time that I should go back to the basics of the gospel message. Christ warns us to go through the narrow gate.

My prayers are to proclaim the gospel of Christ as simple as possible so that people can understand it. I would like our church to be completely denominational free and free from any trend of religious movements.

The state of Japanese Christianity and my concern – Jan 15, 2021

I have been using Twitter and Facebook. I’ve got to know many people who have had negative experiences with Christianity. Those people visited churches to look for peace in mind and life solutions for their worries, but they had completely opposite experiences.

Denominational preachers bind their members in two wrong ways. All of the preachers in the denominations call themselves “pastors” and claim to have received God’s calling. First, they have ultimate authority next to Christ and preach as the will of God. Naturally, the members are expected not to ask their authority but to obey them. If the members question the validity of their sermons, they are treated as rebellious and lacking faith. Second, they interpret the word of God in order to meet their own agendas and try to use the members accordingly.

A few people who had similar experiences with denominational churches have visited our congregation. They told me about how they were treated. This verified my assumptions.

Besides, in maybe the last 30 years lots of people have had mental illness and depressions. Most of them cannot have regular jobs anymore and become totally dependent on the government. When they come to those denominational churches, they are treated as second class members because they cannot function as regular members.

This has raised great concern. I have decided to try to evangelize more than ever. Our church members are willing to do so. I will write out our own tract to distribute in our communities and towns.

英語クラスの子どもたちと、小さな工作をしました。いつもより少ない人数ですが、楽しい時間を過ごすことができました。メリークリスマス🎄

The children in the English class made some small handicrafts. Though there were fewer than in regular years, we were able to have a very enjoyable time. Merry Christmas 🎄 -Asako Adachi

Thank you so much for planning the party. I think the children really enjoyed it. -Jean Ray

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Two Kinds of Christians – Dec 2, 2020

There seem to be two kinds of Christians in Japan: one who hears the word and put in practice what he hears and the other one who only hears the word, just as Christ describes in Matthew 7. The latter one is a Sunday Christian. Spiritual transformation has not taken place in such a person.

Recently I started having a bible study with a middle-aged man who used to attend a nearby church of Christ. He faithfully attended the service for over 10 years there, but he has not felt that he had grown spiritually while he was in that congregation. He listened to a sermon every week, attended the Bible study, and did faithfully what the preacher told him to do, but nothing clicked with him. He must have been considered a faithful member of the congregation.

His story was typical. He was always passive, not active with his spiritual life. He faithfully did what the preacher suggested, but he did not go beyond that.

At the beginning of our study, I told him that all of us were expected to be transformed into the image of Christ by the Holy Spirit. We have to decide to follow Christ if we desire to grow in Him. He cannot be passive but must be actively seeking Christ and His kingdom.

He and I have made a covenant with one another that both of us grow together.

About the Tokyo Olympics – Dec 10, 2020

Nobody knows how long the covid-19 chaos will continue. As you know, the 2020 Olympics was canceled. I hoped it would be in 2021, but now we are not sure of anything.

Meantime, in Japan, the final athletic competitions have been taking place in order to select the best. Those athletes who have been selected have to be prepared for the Olympics even though they don’t know the Olympic definite schedule.

I hope that the Olympics will take place next year for their sake, but I am not sure if it is a feasible idea.

Up to now, no official announcements have been made concerning the Olympic schedule.

I know some of our friends who plan to come to Japan to do some mission work next year. I am hopeful, but I am afraid that it might be delayed.

One of the Biggest Challenges – Dec 10, 2020

People come and go. Unfortunately, some people don’t stay long in the church. Many people who come to visit church have experienced negative relationships with others. Some of them may have been to other churches and have suffered moral harassment from Christians there. They come to our congregation to look for some positive relationships.

Here is a challenge. Our members are very sincere and honest. A few of them are very straightforward and self-assertive to express their opinions, but those new people are not used to such an attitude. Also, our members always have good intentions to help them. For instance, our members may encourage them to read the Bible and pray daily, but sometimes they overdo it. This can create tension between them and those newcomers.

I hope that our congregation will become where people feel completely free to come and visit anytime. Every week I encourage our members to make a free atmosphere so that visitors feel comfortable. I believe that this is biblical. People can be encouraged to do a certain thing, but should never be forced to do it. After all, Christ is always patient with us and gives us free will to do what we think is right and good.

Having a good intention is not good enough. Some people may be very sensitive. They may easily feel harassed by others.

I pray daily that God will give us the wisdom to discern what is right to do.

Return to Updates from Masa Nonogaki

Hello friends! We are so thrilled to finally be writing our first newsletter from Japan. The Lord has seen us through so many challenges, and we are grateful for his provision, as well as your prayers on our behalf. That we are writing this today from Japan is evidence of his working, and that he has answered those prayers.

Our journey back to Japan went down without a hitch, although that doesn’t mean it was easy, necessarily! We said goodbye to Leslie’s family bright and early Saturday, November 28th, departing from Pensacola to Dallas, where we then boarded our flight to Japan. That flight took a little over 13 hours and landed us at Narita International Airport a little after 3 pm Sunday, November 29th. After we landed is when the fun really began. Immediately after getting off the plane, we were ushered to a testing area where all five of us provided a saliva sample. We were then moved along to a waiting area (after some paperwork), where we stayed for about an hour until our results came.

All masked upon the plane – we wore the masks for almost 24 hours straight, except for brief moments on the plane while eating.

Those results were thankfully negative, and we then moved along to immigration. After another round or two of paperwork and waiting to receive our residency cards, we were finally able to get our baggage and go through customs. After that, we went and picked up our mobile wifi hotspot and shipped the big luggage to our soon-to-be house, and then headed to our hotel for the night. From landing to arriving at the hotel, it took about 3 hours or so, which was actually very good, although it was at least double the time it would normally take. From leaving our house in Florida to arriving at the hotel, it took a little less than 24 hours, which again isn’t bad considering we were traveling in a pandemic! God was with us!

The plane to Japan was extremely empty – more empty than we have ever seen. We had enough space that the staff let us sit wherever we wanted, so we could lay down across the seats.

After a good night’s sleep at our hotel, our sister Nao came and picked us up. Normally we would use public transportation to get home (i.e. a train), but because of COVID-19, the government has called on all incoming travelers to avoid the use of public transportation for 14 days. So, after another hour or so car ride, we arrived in Matsudo, where Nao dropped us off at the church building.

Our sister Mrs. Sanpei met us at the building and helped Leslie take care of a bunch of important paperwork for the rest of the day, including registering with the city and signing the lease for our house. Although we started quarantine upon arriving, the government allows us to take care of necessary business and do other needed activities like shopping for groceries. However, other than this, we are to remain inside – no going to restaurants, hanging out with friends, etc., and of course we are called upon to wear a mask anytime we are out. Also, we are required to answer a daily symptoms questionnaire for the first 14 days.

We’ve been sleeping in the living room because it’s the warmest place in the house. A large part of the floor in the room is heated, so we stay plenty warm throughout the night. The rest of the house gets quite cold, however!

After that first day in Matsudo, we spent one night at an Airbnb downtown, and then the next day was able to get into our own home, which has made the rest of quarantine much more enjoyable (to the extent that it can be enjoyable), and less expensive. Getting set up has been put on hold largely because we can’t go out and shop easily. We have ordered a number of things online through Amazon and other services, but the house is still pretty sparse at the moment. Thankfully, several friends have loaned us some things to use, so we at least have warm bedding at night and other basic necessities to tide us over until quarantine ends.

As of this writing, we have about 6 days left of quarantine. On Monday, Dec. 14th, we will be able to get out of the house do other activities as we wish. Then we can really start setting things up and getting settled more fully.

This has certainly been a strange experience, but we are grateful to have completed the journey and be here, ready to get back to the work. Please continue praying for us here, that we can serve the Lord faithfully and produce much fruit for his kingdom. We can’t wait to see what God will do!

Leslie was able to put together a brief behind-the-scenes video of our journey here, starting from our early morning departure in Florida. Although we couldn’t show everything – various restrictions created obstacles throughout the journey – this should give you an idea of what it was like to travel back. Click on the image below to watch the video. We hope you enjoy it!

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Bags waiting for someone to get them.

The Food Bag Ministry is ongoing.  We will continue to accept monetary donations. Food bags are available at the back of the education building on the Welchshire side from Noon-6:00 pm every Monday (see picture at left). If you know of a family in need, please feel free to come by and pick up a bag and deliver it.

We thought you would like to see a glimpse of the Food Bag Ministry at work.   Thanks to those who volunteered to help fill bags this past Sunday (Dec 6) and to Trish Brownlee and Lindsay Lamport for their vision and work in helping all of us to reach out to our neighbors.

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The American Congregation – Oct 2, 2020

We did not have a worship service at the building from the beginning of March to 20 September. On 27 September, some of us met for the worship service at the building. We had a good service and meaningful time together.

We will continue meeting at the building as often as possible.

Preaching from the Psalms – Nov 5, 2020

Beginning this Sunday, I will preach from the Psalms. But in this Sunday’s lesson as Intro to the Psalms, I will encourage the congregation to have a daily devotional time and mini-worship time by reading a Psalm. Although it depends on an individual’s schedule, I will suggest that it is good to have a mini-worship time in the morning because it is the beginning of the day. It can be only 10 minutes. There are no rigid rules.

The mini-service consists of the following three: reading a Psalm, praying to God, and singing. Psalms are basically believers’ prayers. You don’t have to think about how to interpret them. They are not as complex as Paul’s letters and other biblical materials. In some of the Psalms, there are only praises to God, but others are prayers of agony and pain in which the writers hope in God’s everlasting love and mercy.

I think that singing is also a form of prayer. We pray to God by singing. There are two types of prayers: inaudible and audible. You can pray to God without saying actual words. I would pray to God in a train silently. (If I prayed audibly in a train, the police might come to take me to the police station.) But in singing, we express our thoughts audibly. We hear ourselves while we sing. I think that this has double effects.

I have this devotional habit for a long time. It works well for me, so I would like to share it with others.

One of the Biggest Challenges – Nov 23, 2020

People come and go. Unfortunately, some people don’t stay long in the church. Many people who come to visit church have experienced negative relationships with others. Some of them may have been to other churches and have suffered moral harassment from Christians there. They come to our congregation to look for some positive relationships.

Here is a challenge. Our members are very sincere and honest. A few of them are very straightforward to express their opinions, but those new people are not used to such an attitude. Also, our members always have good intentions to help them. For instance, our members may encourage them to read the Bible and pray daily, but sometimes they overdo it. This can create tension between them and those newcomers.

I hope that our congregation will become where people feel completely free to come and visit anytime. Every week I encourage our members to make a free atmosphere so that visitors feel comfortable. I believe that this is biblical. People can be encouraged to do a certain thing, but should never be forced to do it. After all, Christ is always patient with us and gives us free will to do what we think is right and good.

Having a good intention is not good enough. Some people may be very sensitive. They may easily feel harassed by others.

I pray daily that God will give us the wisdom to discern what is right to do.

Return to Updates from Masa Nonogaki

Hello friends! Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Taylors – Leslie, Sara, Cambria, Madeleine, Boston

As we mentioned in our previous newsletter a couple of weeks back, the doors have officially opened to us in Japan, and we have received our visas, so most of the bureaucratic hurdles have been passed.

Since that time, we have passed several other hurdles. First, we have officially purchased our plane tickets! We will be leaving the Saturday after Thanksgiving, November 28th, and arriving in Japan on Sunday, November 29th. This allows us to have one more Thanksgiving here in the states and enjoy that holiday with family but also gives us plenty of time to get ready in Japan so the kids can enjoy some of the Christmas season in a meaningful way.

The Kuro Neko driver came to our house at 7 am – after driving here straight from Atlanta! – and then single-handedly packed all 26 boxes into the van. That’s a Japanese work ethic for you!

Another big hurdle that has passed is packing up most of our belongings and having them sent off. We sent most of our items like books and kids’ toys and summer clothes through a Japanese company called Kuro Neko Yamato (Kuro Neko means “black cat” in Japanese, and Yamato is a family name – they are like UPS in Japan). These will all be going by boat, so it will take a couple of months to get there. We still have a few more boxes to send that we want more quickly which will be sent through USPS. We sent 26 boxes total in this shipment, and all are now on their way to our new home.

The house is about 1200 square feet or so, almost double our previous apartment. Not only is this good for our family, but opens up some great opportunities for hospitality and ministry.

Speaking of our new home, we are excited to share that we officially have a house ready for us to move into when we get to Japan. We still have a little paperwork to do, so we won’t be able to go directly to the house when we land, but we expect we’ll be able to move in within a day or two of arrival, so most of our quarantine can be carried out at home. This new house is much larger than the old apartment where we lived in Matsudo previously. Our old apartment was about 700 square feet, which was fine when we had two small children, but with our family larger now both in number and physical size (height, not width … well, maybe width for some of us, too 😅), more space is very helpful. On top of being larger, the new house is located directly across the street from a playground and is on a quiet, residential road that should be much safer than the roads around our previous apartment. If that wasn’t enough, it’s only about a 10-12 minute walk to the church building, so we still get to live nearby. We are incredibly grateful that God has provided for us, as he always does, and pray that we will be able to use this house to bear fruit for his glory. Please be praying that on our behalf, as well.

While we have certainly passed a lot of important hurdles (by God’s grace!), there are still some hurdles to be overcome which we would love to have you praying about. One such hurdle is getting our COVID tests before we depart from the U.S. We have to get our tests taken and the results back within 72 hours of our departure, and we need to have a special document filled out and signed as well. That is a bit of a challenge, but we believe we have a testing provider who will be able to make this happen. It’s going to be expensive – >$200 per test – but we are grateful we can get it either way. Of course, it is necessary that the results for all five of us are negative, so please be praying that the results go as they need for our departure.

Once we land in Japan, we will receive another test at the airport. Our plan right now is to then stay the night at an airport hotel, get picked up first thing Monday morning, and then continue the 2-week quarantine in Matsudo. However, while we are required to quarantine, we are allowed to do things that are necessary like paperwork, so we will probably have a few things to keep us busy that first day at least. Please be praying that everything goes smoothly so we can have a peaceful quarantine. We are eager to begin work once we are free!

This will likely be our last newsletter before we leave, but we look forward to updating you from quarantine once we arrive. Please be in prayer for us as we begin our journey and mission! Please pray that we will bear much fruit for Jesus, and make a lasting impact for his Kingdom in Japan.