Greetings one and all! It's been another month, and things have been exciting, busy, and a tad scary with the wedding preparations! With less than a month until the wedding, Misako and I are doing our best to make the transition from single to married life as smooth as possible. We've been to pre-marriage counseling, selling things, and getting set up for the big move! I will be moving into Misako's apartment back in little ol' Ayashi. I will miss living in the city with all of its convenances, but Misako is more than worth it!
Thanks to everyone who helped us, we have more than enough to fully pay for the wedding ceremony! I will set up a YouTube live stream for the event, which I will post in June's blog once I have it ready, so everyone can watch it! Speaking of media, my supporting church, Lakeside Christian Church asked me to make a video about Misako and I, so for those who didn't see it yet, here you are:
Isn't Misako just adorable?! But yes: we are planning on doing animation media together in the future, making stories, testimonies, and showing Biblical parables through the art of animation to the Japanese people. Please pray that the Lord will bless this so we may reach as many people as possible in the near future. Thank you.
One of our DTS graduates from Singapore graciously raised some funds for our wedding from the Singapore YWAM Base! Here is another video thanking them:
Looking back at these videos, I think they truly capture our natural chemistry and sense of humor we share. I still cannot believe a beautiful, sweet, gentle, silly, and loving Japanese Christian woman is marrying this silly bald American. I thank the Lord everyday for bringing us together, and I pray He will be the center of our relationship in times of joy and sorrow. Amen.
One last thing: we are seriously considering and praying about doing a three to four week trip to America sometime between August and September. I know it's coming up quick, and it's in-between the wedding and the next DTS, but to be serious for a moment:
One of my biggest regrets is that my grandmother, Marilyn Jenkins, never got to meet Misako in person before she passed. I was able to tell her on the phone that I was going to marry Misako, but it's not the same. One of the most difficult parts of being a missionary in a foreign land is the fact that people grow older, they get sick, things change, and, sadly, people do not last forever. To not be close by when bad things happen to people I love is heartbreaking.
Therefore, I truly want to introduce my lovely future wife to as many of you as possible. And yes: this means traveling to Washington state, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and San Diego, if possible. The timing may not be perfect, but it's our desire to share our new happiness with as many of you as we can. If you are interested in helping us with this, please prayerfully consider donating toward our trip. If it makes things easier, I could set up a GoFundMe, like back in 2021. Please let me know what you all think.
Thank you all so much again for all of your prayers, support, and love over the years. This new season of marriage is almost upon Misako and I, and we are looking toward the future with hope and trust in the Lord. Amen.
Romans 12:12
"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."
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