Dear Praying Friends
Thank you for your prayers! Christine leaves school tomorrow to fly to Mumbai and then to Jo'burg and then Cape Town. It is a long unfamiliar journey. Please pray for God's blessing and protection. She arrives Friday afternoon. Andrew has been with us since yesterday. We have until the end of the year as time off.
Joel writes that the farm buildings that the Sendai church were considering buying have been sold to someone else. On top of that some of the church members expressed reservations about it being further from public transport. So we trust that God has somewhere better for us. But we are glad that it has set them thinking and they will be better prepared to consider the next opportunity. Our goal is for the church to be independent, fruitful and strong.
We give thanks that our latest donation report shows that we are 85% supported. Thank you too, Lord, for the army of supporters whose sacrifices have made this possible.
In a passage speaking of the Messiah's reign, the Lord says "I will make the lame a remnant, those driven away a strong nation." Micah 4:7. How true this is in Japan where the national sin is pride! God often takes those with mental problems, those at the end of their tether and those who haven't been successful in society and incorporates them into his church rather than the successful and self-sufficient, so that no one may boast, as Paul also says in 1 Cor 1:28-29. Please pray for us as we prepare to go back to the work in Japan and for Joel and Seiko there.
Finally, thank you all for your prayers and support this past year and may God give you a very happy Christmas with family and friends.
love from Rod and Glenda
Rod and Glenda Thomas are church-planting in NE Japan in a city called Sendai. This is their blog in the form of letters to their prayer partners.
Tuesday, 11 January 2011
Prayer Partner Letter November 2010
Dear Praying Friends
Greetings from Fish Hoek in W Cape. It is lovely to be here. We have been kindly lent a flat overlooking the sea until 6 Dec.
I (Rod) have just returned from 9 days in Kwazulu Natal and it was a joy to meet enthusiastic mission-minded churches and prayer partners who have been praying for many years. Later we went to Dept of Home Affairs to apply for an ID book for Esther. There were crowds of Zimbabwean asylum seekers but we were surprised how quick and efficient it was. We also had to renew our driving licence cards which had expired. Next, we have to go back for Esther's and Christine's passports which have expired and Rod's permanent residence. This month and December we will be visiting churches and prayer groups in the Cape (I have appended our schedule below).
Please urgently pray for Sendai church. They have found some farm buildings (residence, barn and office) for sale and are considering buying. It is about 1 km from the present rented place, not so accessible by public transport, nor so visible but it is large, and adequate for a residence for a future pastor and suitable for a church and means that our monthly payments will go into a mortgage instead of rent. So the church led by Joel needs to discuss this among themselves and come to a decision. Personally I am positive about this but there are other buyers interested. So please pray that the Lord's will is done and that at the very least it will be a positive experience for the church members.
Christine travels back from Hebron School, India, through Coimbatore, Mumbai and Johannesburg, an unfamiliar route, but is more cheerful about it now that we have found someone to help her transfer airports in Mumbai the night of Dec 16/17th. Andrew joins us on 14th. Our support percentage has gone up to 75%, so give thanks and keep praying!
Thank you for your prayers
Greetings from Fish Hoek in W Cape. It is lovely to be here. We have been kindly lent a flat overlooking the sea until 6 Dec.
I (Rod) have just returned from 9 days in Kwazulu Natal and it was a joy to meet enthusiastic mission-minded churches and prayer partners who have been praying for many years. Later we went to Dept of Home Affairs to apply for an ID book for Esther. There were crowds of Zimbabwean asylum seekers but we were surprised how quick and efficient it was. We also had to renew our driving licence cards which had expired. Next, we have to go back for Esther's and Christine's passports which have expired and Rod's permanent residence. This month and December we will be visiting churches and prayer groups in the Cape (I have appended our schedule below).
Please urgently pray for Sendai church. They have found some farm buildings (residence, barn and office) for sale and are considering buying. It is about 1 km from the present rented place, not so accessible by public transport, nor so visible but it is large, and adequate for a residence for a future pastor and suitable for a church and means that our monthly payments will go into a mortgage instead of rent. So the church led by Joel needs to discuss this among themselves and come to a decision. Personally I am positive about this but there are other buyers interested. So please pray that the Lord's will is done and that at the very least it will be a positive experience for the church members.
Christine travels back from Hebron School, India, through Coimbatore, Mumbai and Johannesburg, an unfamiliar route, but is more cheerful about it now that we have found someone to help her transfer airports in Mumbai the night of Dec 16/17th. Andrew joins us on 14th. Our support percentage has gone up to 75%, so give thanks and keep praying!
Thank you for your prayers
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