May 15, 2008
Three steps forward; two steps back:
First, I would like to apologize that this letter is several weeks overdue. The ministry in Japan is certainly full of surprising, patience-building, learning experiences. The Sunday before Easter, we had 36 in attendance. We praise the Lord! We had hoped for 40 on Easter Sunday, but it was not to be. The attendance has dropped down to the low 20’s and been there for two months now. Every time things start to take off, something happens (Satan attacks).
This time, it involves Setsuko Nagaiwa, the first lady saved in our ministry in Japan. She hasn’t been to church in two months. I’m not able to go into details, but please pray that God would bring healing to her heart, that she would repent, and come back into the fellowship of the church.
I know this is going to sound the same as every letter I send, but we would really beg you to pray earnestly for the baby Christians here. The attacks of Satan are real and intense. There never seems to be a break.
English classes:
I felt that I was too busy teaching English at the church, so I have decreased my class load by 4 classes a week. I still teach 8 classes per week, with about 70 adult and children enrolled. Please pray that God would send us someone (retired couple? young couple? single person?) who would be willing to come to Japan as a layman to help with teaching English. It is a great opportunity to reach people, but very time consuming.
Most of the adults stay for the Bible study afterward.So, I am thankful that they are hearing the Gospel, but very few have visited on Sunday. This is a real burden of mine. Please pray specifically for the following people: Mr Ezoe, Mrs Izumi, Mrs. Yamasaki, Mrs. Nokubi, Mrs. Ogushi, Mrs. Hirashima, Mrs Tanaka, Mrs. Ueno, and Mrs. Tsuruno.
Several of the kids from English class have attended the church on Sunday. Most of them come to special events, like VBS, etc. We are praying that the Spirit of God will speak to their hearts, and they put their faith in Christ.
Young People’s Camp:
I just returned from a three day camp in Shizuoka, Japan, a 16 hour drive from our city. The main speaker was a pastor from Korea. I had the privilege of preaching one time during the 6:00am service. The theme for the camp was “Surrender”, that God would call young people to serve Him full time and that they would be willing to surrender. The need is greater than ever before! The majority of pastors and missionaries in Japan are nearing retirement. Where is the next generation?
Please pray for Mr. Satoshi Sata. He has been attending our church every week for four months now, but he still has not accepted Christ. I took him to camp with me, hoping and praying that he would make a decision there, but he did not. At camp he told me he has no interest or desire in becoming a Christian (They all say that at first.) Please pray that God will break his hardened heart.
Ken Board:
Please continue to pray for Bro. Board, as he adjusts to life in Japan without his wife, who went home to be with the Lord in November. On March 23, the Kyushu churches prepared a celebration honoring Ken for 40 years of ministry in Japan. Ken has been such a blessing to us, and we praise God for his faithfulness.
Family Picture:
We mentioned this in our last letter, but we still have 20 family pictures available to send out. If you would like a picture for your church wall, please contact us.
email: mwintersjapan@hotmail.com
Field address:
Kashiwara 2-4-8 Minami ku
Fukuoka shi, Fukuoka ken
Japan 811-1353
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment