Tag: Featured

OK, so a lot has happened since our last prayer update, so I’ll just jump right in. The event with the former terrorist who became a missionary to Japan went really well. Thank you for your prayers! He also shared at some of our Bible Studies, and at a college class which Pastor Kondo teaches, and at all opportunities we had good turn outs, and great times of sharing.  Please be praying that those who heard the message would be challenged to seek the sort of change that Christ can bring about in their lives change which can only be brought about through being born again.

The Ballinger family, our friends, neighbors and fellow missionaries serving at Morioka Church left to go on home service back in the UK. (That’s Titus with their son up top). They’ve had a tremendous impact on the church here and did so much to help us get settled in and connected ever since we arrived last year, they will be dearly missed. God has opened the door for them to work in Tokyo after they return to Japan, which is about 6 hours south of us by car, so we won’t get to see them too often. Please keep them in prayer as they’re doing a lot of traveling on their way back home to the UK.

James Ballinger was coordinating the monthly English Cafe that we have been helping with since last Summer, and so in his absence we’ve agreed to take over his role and keep it going. We had our first one since they left last night. The turnout was pretty low, with only a few people from the church showing up, and no one from outside the church attending as usual, but everything went pretty smoothly for our first time heading it up, and we’ll do a lot more to promote next month’s 4th of July themed Cafe, trusting that God will continue to use this event to reach out to people throughout our city.

Tomo’s just had a checkup, and as has been the case throughout, everything with her pregnancy is completely normal, praise God! In case you missed it somewhere, we’re expecting a baby girl, somewhere around September 16th. Tomo’s belly is getting pretty large, and often get’s in her way, and she’s been pretty uncomfortable lately. Right now it’s the rainy season, but shortly Summer will be in full swing and it will probably get pretty hot humid. Our apartment is not equipped with AC, so it’s won’t be the most comfortable place to be 9 months pregnant. Please pray for us to be able to get through the remainder of the pregnancy as easily as possible, and for a safe delivery and healthy baby.

Looking ahead I’ve got a lot of Japanese tests the last week of June and the first of July. Please pray that I will be able to pass them and continue to progress. I think I’m still about on track for meeting all my language goals that I set on the outset, but these tests will give a pretty good indication if that’s the case. As this point I’m getting pretty good at understanding what people are saying, and can usually give adequete and sufficient answers to questions I’m asked. Carrying an extended conversation or sharing from the Word still requires a significant amount of preparation beforehand, but I continue to practice a little every week at Wednesday prayer meetings.

Thank you for your prayers and support! It’s a busy time of life for us, but whenever we take the time to stop and look at what God is doing we excited to see all the ways He’s working. Pray that we can find time to do that more often!

We’re incredibly happy to announce that we’re expecting a new baby, due on September 16, 2014! We’re praising God for this new addition to our family, and are looking forward to meeting this little one with lots of excitement (“Will it be a boy or a girl?”) and a little bit of nervousness (“How in the world are we going to handle TWO kids?”). But with each new ultrasound and checkup we’re once again in awe of our amazing Creator in watching Him knit together this little child as it develops and grows from a little speck to now even at just over 3 months, squirming around with his/her little arms and legs.

Titus will be a few months short of three when this new one is born, and while he was born in the US our second will be born here in Japan, so it’ll be interesting to go through the whole experience in a Japanese way. The doctors and medical system is quite good over here, but there are definitely differences. For one doctors are a lot more strict about weight gain here, often putting pregnant women on diets to keep it within what they consider acceptable levels. On the other hand Tomo’s American doctor told her to start eating more milkshakes and ice cream with Titus because she thought Tomo wasn’t gaining enough weight. Also, here Sushi is considered one of the best foods for pregnant women, whereas in the US most doctors said you shouldn’t eat any raw fish.

The timing of this new baby fits pretty well with our anticipated home service schedule. We’re shooting to be back in the US in February of 2015 in order to keep Tomo’s green card from being revoked. That would mean the new baby will maybe 5 months old. We appreciate your prayers for Tomo and the baby throughout her pregnancy!

David’s Spring Semester Grades:

I just got my grades in for my Spring finals, and as you can see, I’m still struggling to keep up with Kanji in this more advanced class. And since I can’t read the all the Kanji, that makes reading comprehension a big challenge as well, which is also reflected below. On the bright side I scored really highly on the speaking section of the test (96%), I feel like I’m getting the hang of the Japanese accent, so as long as I can study up on the other areas I should be relatively easy to understand when speaking with people (or preaching).

Speaking:   A
Grammar:   C
Writing:   C
Listening:   C
Kanji/Vocabulary:   F
Reading:   F

As I now enter into a two week long Spring break, I’ll be spending a lot of time trying to catch up on Kanji and Vocabulary, so please be praying that I will be diligent during this time and be able to memorize the dozens (hundreds?) of Kanji characters that I need to be able to read and write for next semester — which is actually the start of a new school year in Japan. So I’ll be a Ninensei (2nd year student), which means I can boss around all the the new incoming Ichinensei (1st year students), Japan’s pretty rigid about seniority here, not just in school, but in basically every aspect of society.

All day today the news was covering stories of survivors on the coast, and reporting on the many memorial events that were being held. It was three years ago today that the prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima were devastated by an unprecedented 9.0 earthquake, 10 meter high tsunami and the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Three years seems like a long time, and while most of the world has moved on to other concerns, for those living on the coast, dealing with the loss of children, parents, friends and homes and entire towns, the pain is still as fresh as ever.

The nightly news struck a very personal tone. A story about a father who lost his wife and son, but survived with his then three year old daughter was particularly difficult to watch. I could easily imagine being left alone with Titus, struggling year after year with the memory of loss, trying to keep that memory alive in my own mind and in the mind of my child. Tomo saw another story about a father who lost his wife and three children. His youngest daughter was 10 at the time, and he held her in his arms as tightly as he could as the waters rushed in until he was knocked unconscious. When he came to his daughter was gone, but he was still alive, and alone. The man said that he talked to his daughter everyday since, and all he could say to her over and over was that he was sorry, but he never heard a word back from her.

Initially I wondered how these people could even bear to share their stories on television, bringing out photos and videos of their lost loved ones to show to TV crews. I wondered how the stations could have the heart to broadcast such sad and hopeless stories of loss, one right after another. I think it touches a bit on how the Japanese deal with death. Remembering those who have passed before them is of utmost importance. They don’t want to forget their loved ones, they want the memories to stay alive, and to share those memories with others. Likewise the survivors themselves do not wish to be forgotten. And despite the fact that an estimated 267,000 people are still living in temporary housing, much of the world has forgotten.

I understand that, there are daily tragedies in this world, new fears, new threats, new disasters. It is impossible to keep track of them all, to care for them all. But it is in large part because of this disaster, and because of these survivors that God has called us here, to Iwate to serve and love and reach out. And for that same reason, many of you have committed to praying for us, and supporting us. God has put on our hearts, and yours as well, a burden for these people, to love them and pray for them, even when the rest of the world forgets them.

May the love of God finally break through into the hearts of the survivors, even in this, the darkest hour of their lives. May we do whatever God has enabled us to do, that His love might be demonstrated and made known among a people that has suffered and lost, and has yet to hear of their God who suffered like them in order to purchase for them a great and everlasting Salvation.

I’ve got lots of things to share in this update! First off, thank you so much for your prayers concerning Tomo and I acquiring our Japanese Driver’s licenses. As of last week both of us have passed all the tests and received our official Japanese Driver’s licenses. My brother and his wife (Tomo’s sister) were going through the process at the same time, so often we would go to the testing center together and all try to pass the road test. In the end the four of us failed a total of 11 times before passing. I had the best record, managing to pass on my third attempt. As small of an accomplishment as this was, it marks yet another milestone on this journey; we’re here for the long term, and little by little we’re starting to belong to this place and these people. As the Apostle Paul sought to become all things to all people, we strive to become like the Japanese all around us (easier for Tomo than me), in order that by God’s grace we might present the Gospel without any distractions to the hundreds of thousands all around us who have never heard it.

Another huge part of that is language learning. Mid March will see the end of my first complete school year attending full time language school here in Morioka. I’ve come a long way from not being able to speak or read or write at all, but still have a long ways to go before I can adequately communicate the message of the Gospel to those around us. March 13-14 I’ll be taking my final exams, and would appreciate prayer, that I would do well, and be able to integrate all the vocabulary and concepts I’ve been learning this term into my mind. While I’ve made a lot of progress in catching up to the rest of my class, I’m still struggling in a number of areas, and the workload to keep up.catch up is pretty intense. Despite all this I continue to marvel at how far God has brought me, and am pretty well satisfied with the progress that I’ve made so far.

March 11th will mark the third anniversary of the Earthquake and Tsunami. While some of those who lost homes in the disaster have begun to find permanent ones, the vast majority are still living in temporary housing. Some estimate it may take another 5 years before permanent housing is found for all the survivors. Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, and as each anniversary draws near, suicides among temporary housing residents increases. One staff member who goes to our church recently went to visit an elderly lady that she had befriended, only to find that she was in the hospital, having survived a suicide attempt. Pray that those who are losing hope will be led to Christ, and to an eternal, everlasting hope that shines even in the darkest of times.

There are many other things to share, but they’ll have to wait for future updates. Thank you for your prayers. Recently we have been very busy, and somewhat exhausted. Please pray for God’s strength and peace, and for effective management of the limited time that we have, that we might use it most effectively to the praise of God’s glory.