Prayer Partner Letter February 2013

SO SORRY I HAVE BEEN LATE IN POSTING THESE

Thank you for your prayers. Through the wonderful mercy of God we had 4 baptisms in the last 3 months of 2012. This is something to be so thankful for. And yet none of these people were the tsunami victims we have been trying to reach! The tsunami victims are mostly elderly, country folk and strongly traditional. Please pray that God would give us the words to say and that we would be bold, clear and effective. 

On 14th Feb (Thurs) we are having an evangelistic Bible study in Yamamoto Town. This area was badly hit by the tsunami and according to the church member who books the venue and invites people some of them are close to believing.

On 15th (Fri) Rod is speaking to 1700 high school boys. This is a wonderful opportunity! Pray for the message of the gospel to sink in! We always pray that 200 would come to faith!

On 16th (Sat) we have a evangelistic concert in Shichigahama in the temporary housing. Usually about 30 people come. We have been there many times before and the people trust us, enjoy singing hymns and like hearing the bible message, BUT we want them to accept Christ and give up them their buddhist altars. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to give them the new birth so that they will trust in Christ alone!

On Sunday afternoon (17th Feb) we have the chapel service near the harbour.

Glenda returned safely from South Africa. She teaches English to 10 women each week. Some of them are strongly buddhist. Pray for them to get saved! She also does loads of baking for all the events.

Rod goes to UK from 18 Feb to 11 Mar. Pray that he can be a real help to his parents and that his Dad will recover from his operation quickly.

Miss Y who came for counselling last month has started to attend church in Tokyo. Praise the Lord.

Tadamitsu Nishimura has been our church evangelist reaching out to the tsunami victims in temporary housing for the past 18 months. He has been helping with distribution of relief goods, counselling and evangelism. Tsunami victims will stay in these temporary units for at least another 2 years. The OMF tsunami relief fund will run out in July (we have been told) and we would like to continue this ministry for another couple of years. OMF has set up a Japan Field local project for this called "Ministry of Sendai Evangelical Christian Church" (project number L60117). Please pray for God to supply this need if it is his will.

love in Christ 
from Rod and Glenda

Prayer Partner Letter January 2013

Happy New Year! Thank you for your prayer support in 2012. May God give you your heart's desire this year!

It has been an eventful month. In mid-December we were grateful for the baptism of Mrs Matsui. She says that despite all her trials (divorce, depression, ill-health) she feels the Lord has been drawing her to himself since she was a child and is now so happy to be a Christian. She is now in hospital for a bad back. Please pray for her recovery and growth in grace. 

Rod went to South Africa to join Glenda for 3 weeks. We were able to spend quality time with her mother and it seems that we now have a 5-day/week househelp and care for her. Rod's Dad had a colon cancer op recently and is recovering slowly. Please pray.

Last Sunday, a daughter of a church member, Miss Y stayed behind and wanted to know more about the Lord so please pray for her. She said she will come to the bible study tomorrow. Please pray that she comes to faith and starts going church in Tokyo where she lives.

On Saturday (19th) we have a concert in the Okada temporary housing for tsunami victims in east Sendai. And on Sunday (20th) after the main worship service we have the monthly Sunday Chapel near the harbour. Please pray for God to present by his Holy Spirit. On 29th we have another evangelistic concert in Natori. In all this activity please pray for God to be present by his Holy Spirit and to save many in this spiritually barren country.

Glenda returns from South Africa on 23rd Jan. Andrew- please pray for his safety. Amy and Sam are back in Rwanda, and Amy starts practising medicine in a Kigali hospital on Monday (21st). Christine is learning to drive and doing practical OT in an Oxford hospital. Esther is trying to train up others to serve in the Farnham CU which is well-attended; some students saying that the bible study has become the highlight of their week.

"I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry." Ps 40:1 

Prayer Partner Letter December 2012

We are grateful for the baptism of old Mr Chiba last month. He has diabetes and failing eyesight and weak legs. Despite all that he is joyful with no trace of self-pity and said in his testimony that he had accepted God's will that he was not going to be healthy.  We are close to baptising Mrs M. She is also very cheerful and evangelistic despite bad health. Please pray for them!

Evangelism in the temporary housing continues at a relentless pace. Last week we had another concert in Arai (east Sendai) and we were encouraged by the hunger for the New Testaments and other literature we were giving away. At Natori (south Sendai) the week before, the gospel message was quietly and respectfully listened to. This month the 4 concerts are between 14-16th. Please pray for us that we will be bold and full of the Holy Spirit. There is also carolling at a convalescent home on 22nd.

This year our Sunday service attendance averaged 33 adults. Please pray for the independence of the church with its own land, building and Japanese pastor.

Family News
1. Andrew please pray for his safety. 2. Rod's Dad is having an operation soon so please pray for complete healing. 3. Glenda's Mum needs long-term care in Cape Town. 4. We are meeting for Christmas in Cape Town (Glenda is there already and Rod leaves Japan on 16th Dec, Amy and Sam fly from Rwanda, and Esther and Christine from UK).

Thank you for praying for us. May God pour down many blessings for you and your family this Christmas time and throughout the New Year!

Prayer Partner Letter November 2012

We thank the Lord that 15 year-old Narimasa was baptised last month in the Natori River. We are planning to baptise old Mr C in church on 11th Nov. Mrs M who was in hospital has now been released and we hope to start baptism classes with her soon. She is very zealous. Sadly Mrs Y is still worshipping at her buddhist altar, after making a profession of faith. She has told us plainly that her (long-dead) mother saved her from the tsunami. When I said 'No it was God', she said, 'but God sent her'. Go figure. We tried many times to get her into a bible study but there were always excuses. I am convinced that there is a direct proportional relationship between solid bible study and spiritual growth.

Yesterday we had about 30 attend an evangelistic concert in Natori (city south of Sendai badly hit by the tsunami - in fact the suburb Yuriage where they all came from was wiped off the map). They enjoyed singing the hymns and the direct gospel message. It seems so many are on the edge of conversion. Please pray hard for the Holy Spirit to sweep many into the kingdom and for us to be increasingly bold.

The mini-concert schedule hasn't been fixed yet. We call them Ndachaya (which in the local dialect means an 'Amen' meeting!). We have the Community Cafe on 17th, and Sanchapekai (=Sunday Chapel) on 18th. Tadamitsu might be offered a house for rent in Gamo near where we have the Sunday Chapel. Please pray for guidance in this.

We are very grateful that Christine was awarded an NHS bursary. This is an immense relief for us as the fees are huge. Glenda goes to RSA on 25th Nov. Amy is with husband Sam in Rwanda and will join us in RSA for Christmas with Esther and Christine flying out from UK, God willing. Andrew is enroute to Japan for 3 weeks and we will fetch him from the airport tonight.

Thank you for your prayers! 

Prayer Partner Letter October 2012

Dear Prayer Partners
As ever, thank you for your prayers! We thought we would write this letter as a 'day in the life of a missionary couple', but here are the big three for this month in case you dont have time to wade through all our waffle;

1. Conversion of tsunami evacuees and the new people at church
2. Growth of church members
3. Christine to get an NHS bursary

The last 24 hours went like this:

Rod goes to the church and sets up for the morning bible study. Glenda does to the doctor to get the results of her free annual health check (thankfully all is fine). Four women come to the Bible study, which is less than usual, last week we had 7 women and one guy. We are studying Ephesians and are due to do 2:1-7 but the phrase "dead in trepasses and sins" keeps us occupied most of the hour. One of them asks if should we keep telling the gospel to those who have rejected it and leads into a discussion of conversion, evangelism and the work of the Holy Spirit. This is not academic for these women - they work hard at our evangelistic events and are praying for the conversion of their families. We then pray for all the church in detail and share individual needs.

After a riceball for lunch, Glenda travels by train to central Sendai where she teaches a woman English conversation and they study Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life. The other women stay to clean the church and Rod goes to visit Mrs M who is in a mental hospital for a bad back problem (apparently the cause is longterm stress). In March she had came forward for salvation at a Franklin Graham meeting after being discharged for depression. After being conducted through the locked door by an attendant and meeting her she quickly gathers others and we have a bible reading and prayer. She has a great evangelistic attitude even in a place like that. She will be out next week, God willing.

From there Rod goes to a hardware store and buys a fire extinguisher. Why? Well the old one went off in the kitchen by accident covering everything with a pink powder!

Then he phones Mrs MO who is in tears because a close friend has committed suicide, the second in a month.  14 year-old N who is preparing for baptism comes to meet Rod in the church, but his testimony needs improvement and it takes time for him to see the problems with it and change it in his own words but now it will be a blessing for him and for others. His baptism has been set for 14th in the Natori River.

After that it was off to give baptism preparation to old Mr C in his flat. He has very bad diabetes and is almost blind but he is full of joy. The lesson was 'Against idolatry' which is necessary in Japan but the denunciations of the prophets are 'a bit scarey' he says.

Then it was back to church for supper with Glenda and a staff meeting with evangelist Tadamitsu. We discuss the two concerts for tsunami evacuees held last week, both went well and we had about 20 people at each. At the one near the church one old lady told us that she escaped from the tsunami to high ground only to have to move 3x as the water rose further. She broke her arm in the process. The woman who rescued her the first time went back to save her child and both were drowned. She last saw her being carried away chest high in the muddy water. We told her that Jesus had also given his life for her and she had been saved to be saved again but she told us she was NOT interested in the gospel! The chairman came to the mike after we had finished and announced that he loved singing hymns and hearing bible stories and please come back. He lost 4 family members. So we will definitely be back. Tadamitsu is concerned to follow up the many who have been to our events and shown interest. We have a short-termer Kent Li arriving tomorrow and staying with Tadamitsu for 5 weeks. Pray for a good working relationship.

The mini-concert schedule hasn't been fixed yet but we have the Community Cafe on 20th, and Sanchapekai (=Sunday Chapel) on 21st. A couple from a Tokyo church have been coming up every month, usually with a team, to help out at these events. We thank God for them!

The prayer meeting starts at 8pm and we are joined by church member Mr H. After praying through all the church needs we get home at 10pm.

This morning early we had a nice Skype chat with Esther just before her UK bedtime and it also is rubbish collection day and they are collecting PET bottles and unburnable trash. Woe to us if we don't keep the rules and separate the trash!

Not every day is as busy as the last 24 hours. Today there is a typhoon (second one in a week) so we will stay inside and write prayer letters, prepare sermons etc...

On Friday 5th (tomorrow) Rod has the opportunity tell the gospel to 2000 high school boys in a 7 minute sermon.

We are still attempting to get an NHS bursary for Christine already in her Occupational Therapy course. Please pray for God to grant this as the fees are huge. Amy is with husband Sam in Rwanda and their first 2 weeks has gone well except that their house is barely inhabitable. She is trying to get a job as a doctor but there is a lot of red tape. Esther is busy evangelising first-years in Farnham.

Thank you for your prayers! We need the Lord's help in all we do here.

love from Rod and Glenda

Prayer Partner Letter September 2012

Dear Praying Friends

Thank you for your prayers!!

An article in the local newspaper expressed concern that many tsunami evacuees were seeing ghosts. "Even visiting health professionals and those who don't believe in the spirit world have seen them". As a result many are turning to religion (Christian, Buddhist and Shinto) for help and peace. The article goes on to say these kinds of manifestations often occur when people have lost loved ones and that chaplains from the various religions should be provided to help people with emotional suffering, as in the West.

The many events we had last month went well and the gospel went out clearly without hindrance. We have seen some growth in recent converts for which we praise the Lord. At church while we aren't seeing the steady growth in numbers for which we long, nevertheless there is a buzz on Sunday mornings, new people are warmly welcomed and members willingly work in the various events and projects. We are very thankful for them. Please pray for the conversion of their families and neighbours near the church and for a church plant to be established at Gamo. Pray for all Christians in Japan to tell the gospel with boldness.

Our events for September include concert at temporary housing on15th, 25th and 29th, Sunday chapel at Gamo on 16th, lunchtime evangelism at Yamamoto on 27th.

Some family news…. We have had great summer weather and snatched many days on the beach in between work. Christine got the grades she needed and is due to go Oxford Brookes to do Occupational Therapy. We are grateful indeed. The final hurdle in this saga is getting an NHS bursary which we are late in applying for. Esther is planning to welcome first-year students at Farnham UCA with the gospel as head of the CU from 17th. Amy and Sam go to Kigali, Rwanda for a 2-year posting on 24rd. Andrew is studying. Glenda may go to Cape Town in November to see her elderly mother and we may all join her over Christmas.

God's richest blessings!

love from Rod and Glenda

Prayer Partner Letter Aug 2012

Dear Praying Friends

Sorry I'm late getting this posted.

The first part is devoted to thanksgiving. In 1996 we were agonizing over the different educational options for our children. In the end we settled on Hebron School in India because of its Christian standards, UK curriculum and centrality between UK, RSA and Japan. We were fully aware of the disadvantages too, ie communication with a school on top of a 2500m mountain in a 3rd world country, traveling and living in India and the separation of being 7000 km from home in Japan. In 1998 Amy and Andrew went for 6 and 8 years respectively and later Esther for 5 years and this June Christine graduated after 6 years and we all left India for the last time. In these 14 years our family has taken about 300 Hebron-related flights, our children usually travelling unaccompanied, on 12 different carriers, 10 different routes usually the cheapest, and travelled 10,000s km by train, bus and taxi. In all this time they have had no injury, serious loss or even serious delays. While there have been tears, anxious moments and many prayers God has blessed and protected them. Academically they have done better than we hoped and each is following the Lord. We don't know what the future holds for them but not knowing doesn't seem a good reason to hold back thanks now. I am not drawing any lessons from this other than God has answered our and your prayers and we want to publicly and loudly say thank you to Him.
"This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles."  Psa. 34:6

We also thank God for the way in which last year's tsunami has been a blessing. Our little church has been galvanised into action and we are so glad that Nishimura Tadamitsu has been working among tsunami evacuees full time for the past year. Sendai churches are more unified, bold and cooperative and many thousands have heard the gospel clearly who wouldn't have without the disaster. We have been able to start a monthly worship service in another area. There have been some conversions too and many more are thinking seriously about their souls. Personally the tsunami has re-motivated us and made us excited to be here.

But please keep praying;
1. 30th July (this Monday) Cafe/concert at a temporary housing site. We had a good response last time but not everyone was pleased that we were telling the gospel and we had some complaints.
2. 6th Aug. Bible study in Yamamoto with 5 friends of a church member (one has recently been converted  - pray for the rest)
3. 9th Aug. Cafe/concert at Shichigahama
4. 10th Aug. Cafe/concert at Natori
5. 16th Aug.  Christine's A'level results come out!
6. 18th Aug. Cafe/concert at Shichigo
7. 19th Aug. Sunday chapel at Gamo
8. 25th Aug.  The first 'Hallelujah Summer Fest' in cooperation with other Sendai churches. It is in the same place as our monthly Sunday Chapel near the harbour and will be run on the lines of a traditional Japanese festival with stalls, games etc etc. Our church's responsibility is to provide the drinks and run the children's activities.

And then there are the regular Sunday services at church. Most mid-week services are suspended for August so we can have a bit of a break. 2 people are in baptismal classes.

Thank you for your prayers!!

love from Rod and Glenda