Hello, my wonderful family, friends, and supporters! I am so sorry for the very long wait in-between blog updates! So much has happened and I have been very busy the past three months! In fact, this post is gonna be so big, I will divide it into two parts: December/January, and February/March! Let's focus on December and January events this time, and I promise to release the second part next week! Here we go:
Our very first DTS (Discipleship Training School) has finished this year! All the students, including my wonderful girlfriend Misako, have all graduated and returned to their respective countries, all having renewed passion for following and serving the Lord. More than half of them want to come back to Japan one day, and at two of them want to join as staff with YWAM Sendai within the next year! So exciting! Being an intensive five month course, including two months of on-the-field mission experience in both Thailand and Japan, it wasn't easy for the students or us staff, but it certainly challenged us and changed us all for the better!
For Christmas, we did two Christmas ministries: one of them was a play we performed at the seminary for all of our Japanese friends we made during the school year, including yours truly as "Mall Santa". It was a simple production, sort of in the vein of the prodigal son, about a child accidently breaking a present from his dad to his mom, so he runs always, trying to find a way to buy a replacement. Everyone played their parts well, and it had a heartwarming message about how God is always pursuing us, even when we sin against him. Also at this event, we made little keychains, Christmas cookies, and sang Christmas carols. Overall, it was a wonderful night of ministry, fellowship and celebrating the birth of our savior. Please pray for all of those who attended that they will know Jesus.
The last Christmas event was a massive banquet hosted by Praise Community Church in Sendai, inviting the homeless, needy, and anyone to enjoy a tasty dinner, and watch a show of dancing, stand up, and singing. It concluded with a message of the true meaning of Christmas, and an invitation to church. Yours truly was Santa, again, taking pictures with the families and other amused patrons. Seriously, I have gotten so much mileage out of that suit. Like I said before, please pray for more public events like this in the future and for all those who attended to know Christ and accept Him as their savor. Amen.
After twelve weeks of schooling and learning about mission-work, spiritual warfare, identity in Christ, etc, it was time for the next big staple of DTS: Outreach. Joshua and I were the leaders who volunteered to take the students, despite this being our first time leading such a trip. After much praying and planning, we decided to go to southern Thailand, in a little town called Khok Kloi, about 30 minutes from the beach city of Phuket. Let me tell you: getting 14 people from point A to B while keeping them fed, safe, and stable was not an easy task, even with a co-leader. Keeping track of the budget, schedule, ministry opportunities, contact with our local hosts, and many other things, defiantly stretched me and tested my patience. But with the Lord's help, Misako's support, and the students stepping up their game, we all got through it together in one piece and made memories to last a lifetime!
In Khot Kloi, we stayed at a cute church in the middle of a forest, ran by one lady, Pastor Jun, and a small community of local believers. They graciously gave us a place to stay for three weeks, and cooked us lunch and dinner every single day! Pastor Jun had many connections in town, we we got to teach English at four different schools, and even at a prison! We used a variety of vocabulary, games, and even Bible stories to teach children from 6 to 17 years of age! Every Sunday, one of our students would give a sermon, and every Friday evening, we would perform worship and prayer for the small Christian community there. We were truly blessed to serve the Thai people for the short time we had, and I pray that our involvement contributes to the salvation of many.
This blog is getting a tad long already, and I have only covered December and January! Stay tuned next week for February and March reports, because they are big updates! Some of joy and others of sorrow... Thank you all so much for your prayers and support as I journey on as a missionary in Japan. May the Lord keep you and bless you all the days of your life. Amen.
Galatians 6:9
"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."
Proud of you brother. Godspeed.