September Update!!

Hello Everyone!

Hey all! This is my update for the last 2 months since i came back from Canada. Even though it was a very busy 2 weeks and I didn't get to hang out with everyone it was good being back for a little bit, also a great wedding and wedding party, Glad to be a part of it! The show has went on though since then, and there have been a few changes and updates with everything thats been going on here, I've finished 2 years here with J-house! Time flies really fast! 2013 has been a really fast year, theres only 3 months left until Christmas again and the new year! I'm thankful that God has been faithful and though this year has gone by fast, God has taught me a lot of things, given me many new experiences, and continues to bring me forward in my journey as his follower.

Campus Ministry:

We have just started to go on Campus again. a few new missionaries have arrived so our teams have changed again. I've been made leader of a campus once again so please pray that God gives me wisdom on how to lead. Also during the Sept-Jan semester, the students get busier with their club activities and studies, so it gets a little difficult meeting and befriending them. Right now, me and my colleague are in the process of creating a new system on campus in meeting students. I felt that the old way we were doing things was getting boring and unfruitful, and overall just too comfortable for us. So changing our strategies are necessary. i still have a few students though that I keep in touch with on campus, one goes to our J-house Kobe plant every Friday. Pray that God will continue to reveal himself to him as we continue to minister to him. Things on Campus are still a little new, so I will update when I have more news, please though continue to pray for our endeavors and that God will bless us while we reach out.

J-house Kobe/Kyoto

Both our church plants have been doing well recently, we're still small in both areas, but I think God has been working the hearts of the people that have been coming. We have at least 3-4 repeaters in both plants and 1 baptism through our efforts! We also have been given a grant of $20000 USD from a Christian Organization in the US to help us with one of the churches that we are planting! Praise God! Continue to pray that God will grow his church in these cities. 

J-house/Staff ministry

J-house just recently celebrated it's 14th anniversary this month, i'm thankful that God has been using this church and growing it and I'm hopeful for the future and anticipating new things coming ahead!

      Since I've been here for more then 2 years, my title has changed from J-soldier to J-house staff, but my duties stay the same lol. Pastor Katsuya wants those who stay on staff to earn a certain amount of money per month so he has put together a plan to have some of the church members sponsor us. it's still in its experimental stage right now, so we have no idea if it will work or not, hopefully though God will move some to support my colleagues and i to earn a little more then we do now. We only earn about 400 dollars a month now, so we could use extra money just encase we need to save for other endeavors or plans for the future.
     I have now been officially installed as the head of the Worship ministry in J-house. I am grateful for the privilege of leading as the new head, but at the same time, I'm still a little nervous about this new position i've been given simply because, even though i'm experienced with more then 10 years on a worship team, i'm working with new people and a different system. I want to stay humble and let God work within me to help grow the worship teams and their abilities, pray that God uses me to do so

       I am also still leading the international Cell group here in J-house. I have been challenging them to find disciples of their own and focusing on them. J-house itself has been on a theme of find their own "peter, james and john" so to speak, just like Jesus did when he was on earth. Pastor Katsuya has made it so that the cell groups in the church do not just become meetings to satisfy ourselves. But to help each other grow, not just in the word, but also in making disciples and sharing the word and passing it on which is the commission. It is a refreshing idea because far too many of us are making our own Christian "bubbles", and I didn't want the group I'm leading to become that also and my group members agree with me, so we have made ourselves accountable for each other every week in finding and discipling  at least 3 others so that they can do the same, and updating on their progress.

Personal Life

SOooo I have some big news to tell everyone. Probably most of you already know, and some of you who don't know, I have been dating someone here for more then a year and from the beginning when I started dating her, my intentions were of course, to get married. After dating her for a little over a year now, we have decided to get married next year, so with that said, I am officially engaged. We planned our date for next year February, and though its still really close to now and we still have much planning to do, I do trust God will provide during those this time of preparation. I am excited, yet nervous at the same time, but I think we're ready for the challenges that lay ahead of us, during the planning process and even after the wedding. Just pray for the both of us as we plan and also for God's provisions for us.

Prayer Requests:

- for the students that I have met and befriended this semester and the last, that God will continue to reveal Jesus to them. Pray that God will use his Spirit to lead them to Christ and Pray that God will Continue to use J-house and each member to do so.
- For My colleagues and I to continue to be faithful to our jobs as missionaries. and to grow with each other through the Spirit and grace and love of Christ
- For those members in J-house to grow spiritually, there are still a lot of baby Christians in J-house, pray for spiritual growth and maturity in the Gospel and for those to put the Gospel first over everything.
- For the church plants that we are going to do. Pray that God will lead us and help extend his church to other cities so that the Gospel will exponentially grow within Japan! We REALLY NEED YOUR SUPPORT! We need all the spiritual support we can get on this one, because we know we cannot do this on our own for sure! and if you are moved to want to support financially also, you make donations at the J-house website: J-House website. We want to be able to partner with all of you Spiritually and prayerfully through this!
- For a revolution in Japan! for spiritual eyes to be opened in Japan and that the 0.5% of christians will increase!
- For God's plan in my life, now that it has bee revealed that I'm planning to get married, pray that God will keep me patient and under control, to rely on him and not think negatively about my circumstances

Again I just want to thank you all for the support you have been giving me! I have to say that without all of you I wouldn't be able to live here both spiritually and financially, seeing that Japan is very Spiritually dead and very expensive to live in. It would be very hard to live here without your prayers and financial support! I would like to continue to ask for your support for the future i'm about to face. Though i'm happy, i am also still nervous and would still need your prayers. Thank you :)