Sugoi! It has been quite a year for us living out our faith over here in Japan. This update is going to highlight both the difficulties and blessings this year has brought. Thank you so much to each of you who have gotten behind us and opened your hearts to the lost souls of Japan. It’s been quite a ride so far, but one full of God’s Glory. Learning to walk with Jesus while isolated from a culture that we know and understand has been both stretching and rewarding. We have the opportunity as adults to experience being “cultural infants” as we learn a new way of life and what it looks like to be ambassadors of Christ here in Japan.

December 2023 

After seven long years of waiting and training, there we were, preparing to move. It was Sunday the 10th and Jeff was sharing one last message with our home church in Montana. I distinctly remember becoming emotional and honestly overwhelmed. I was sitting beside my mother and father and surrounded by people who I’d built deep relationships with. I asked the Lord ‘will I know how to love the Japanese people? I love these people you have given me. I feel so sad to not do life side by side with them.’ 

For every missionary there is great cost here on earth, but we each have to ask how much of ourselves is Jesus worthy to have? I had made the choice years earlier that Jesus could have my whole life, but on that Sunday I felt myself put it on the altar again. I sat there thinking about all that the Lord had done in our lives. I listened and watched in awe of the man of God that had been built in my husband. I thought of all the people whose lives had been used by God to get us to this launching point. I was filled with trust once more, reminded that He loves the lost and that the Japanese are lost. 127 million people without hope waiting to hear. “I heard the voice of the Lord, saying whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, “Here I am send me.” – Isaiah 6:8

Three days later would be the most painful experience and also the solidifying event of understanding just how important it is to get the hope of Jesus to the Japanese and give proper discipleship in this empty land. My dear friend who we’d met a year previously committed suicide. I have tried to understand why this happened for a year but to be honest, it is something that I don’t have an answer for. She was a 22 year-old woman that loved Jesus. To us she was a beautiful example of what God wanted for every Japanese soul. And personally my heart loved her so much that it was a terrible loss. We stayed up crying until the wee hours of the morning too confused about how this could happen. And now the excitement we had for moving and experiencing the Lord’s joy was met with deep sorrow. But…“WE know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose” Romans 8:28. There is still a deep hole in so much that Jeff and I do in ministry as we still feel that she is supposed to be here ministering alongside us. However, her story showed us that the issue of suicide in Japan is very real and we need to be sensitive to the Spirit and I am continually praying about how the Lord wants to use our dear friend’s testimony to help others. 

January-May 2024

We packed our bags and with a team of 9 others coming on a short-term vision trip, we moved and led a missions trip to Japan. It would take us three months to finally find a place to call home and settle into life in Japan. That time was very stretching for us as many of you know I have celiac disease and eating at restaurants is very risky for me and we didn’t have a kitchen so it was a hard way to start our new life. But we are so thankful for having the team come, because out of the 9 people that came, 4 of them are going to be here from this month until April/May. They are praying about moving full time to come over and do ministry together. I cannot even begin to tell you how encouraging this is for Jeff and I, we honestly thought it would just be us faithfully following the Lord, but to have so many missionaries lining up behind us is mind-blowing. The Lord really has His eyes on this country. Over and over again we are reminded how precious they are in His sight.

May-June 2024

We were so blessed to have the funds needed to travel back to America and see Jeff’s daughter Daphne graduate high school. There was so much joy as we saw the faithfulness of the Lord to have the whole family together and see her enter adulthood. 

June-September 2024

We came back to Japan and really dug in. We started our language learning at this time and were able to start understanding how to live as part of the Japanese community rather than be a bystander or a tourist. We also experienced our first summer; wow that was no joke with temperatures of 100+ and humidity of 98%! Plus, there was the noise of the cacophonous cicadas that penetrated every room in our home. 

October-November 2024

We were so blessed to travel to Thailand for the Saving Grace conference. It was seriously so wonderful to be all together from different countries and hear about all that the Lord is doing all over the world. This was so so so faith-building and I can tell you that the Holy Spirit is really moving globally. When we got back, we hosted another missionary as she prayed about moving full time over here too. It was also at this time that Jeff started teaching a bible college class on the book of Acts.

December 2024

We ended out the year totally encouraged as we had outreaches amidst the community that seemed to be very successful. It was so special to be here for our first Christmas. It was nothing like Christmas in America so it was a time of some sadness as we missed our loved ones and traditions. But the simplicity of just enjoying the celebrations of Jesus’ birth with the believers was so special. 

January 2025

As our second year begins, our language learning is going well. Jeff started a 5 day a week language program, and I am still learning with my tutor. We have 4 other missionaries here for 3 months praying about coming over long term so we are blessed by them being with us. We are continuing in the ministry at the church and praying if there is anything the Lord wants us to add in our second year.

If you would like to get behind us and the work the Lord is doing this year, our one-time needs include:

• The ladies’ retreat at Abide coming up that will be an extra cost of $100.
• Funds needed while we are blessed to host the short-term teams that come (for extra train rides and meals we’ll host in our home)
• The ministry trip to Tokyo for the Japan Calvary conference we would like to join (about $860 in total)
• A vacuum for our home
• A dryer machine
• A printer to print Japanese worksheets
  
  We are also still in need of monthly partners at the moment and so if you feel led to partner with us monthly, you can do so through the financial button below. Thank you so much for your prayerful consideration in partnering with us as we reach out and minister to the people of Japan.

Christmas is in full swing here in Japan. There are decorations and lights in the parks and shopping malls. The stores are playing Christmas music. There are Christmas markets and holiday light shows that you can go watch. Unfortunately, they don’t understand why Christians are celebrating. So, while on the surface they seem more excited about the birth of Christ than the west does (‘Merry Christmas’ is plastered everywhere, there’s no ‘Happy Holidays’ or ‘Season’s Greetings’ here), once the Hollywood version of Christmas is wiped away there’s nothing left.

The other night we went to the German-esque Christmas Market near where we live. There were stalls selling sausages and candied nuts and hot chocolate, there was an ice-skating rink and street performers. There was also a nativity scene. Mary, Joseph and Jesus were there, along with sheep and donkeys and the like. As the Japanese people passed the nativity they would bow to the manger and then throw a coin at the feet of Mary and Joseph. This is the sight very common in Japan, but you’d only see it if you were at a Buddhist Temple. The Japanese aren’t a spiritual people, but they are extremely superstitious, so they will go to the temple and throw in a coin if they need good luck on a test or a job interview. They don’t understand the difference between Jesus and the principalities that are worshiped at the temples and shrines, all they know is that the nativity shows up for six weeks a year and if they have time they might as well throw and coin and see if their luck improves.

This, of course, leads to many opportunities to have important conversations with people. Some are curious about the meaning of the manger scene, or the reason for decorating trees, or how Santa Claus fits into the story, and it’s an easy conversation to take them to Jesus and His coming to earth. Be praying for us as we continue to have these conversations with people until the end of the year.  

We are almost to the end of our first year here in Japan, and it has gone by in a flash. We are so thankful for all that the Lord has done to bring us to where we are now. Japan has quickly and mostly painlessly become to feel like home, and our church family here are a blessing in every way. Thank you for all your prayers and support, they have been a great encouragement to us.

In January, more workers will arrive from California to serve with us at Abide. Please be praying for our entire team as it starts to grow. I’ll be attending a language school full-time starting in January and Alishia will continue on with our friend from church who tutors her. I have been teaching the book of Acts via Zoom at a bible school in South Asia for the past few months. Those classes will run through March, please pray for me as my schedule becomes much fuller. Alishia continues to host people and has been investing in some of the young girls at church. We are still helping with the kid’s English classes at the church, and I have been given the opportunity to teach here and there as well. Please continue to pray for us.

We love you all. Merry Christmas!

This past Sunday at Abide, Pastor Joseph started Matthew chapter 5, the ‘Sermon on the Mount’. We covered the Beatitudes, and one that stood out to those I spoke with after the service was ‘Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.’ The Japanese are all about keeping peace, but not about making peace. In this culture they would assume that Jesus would have said blessed are the peacekeepers, but not peacemakers. They have what’s called the ‘wa’, it’s the concept that values harmony and group unity over all else. They value harmony over truth, over justice, over love.

What that looks like day to day for them is that they must put their personal feelings aside for the benefit of the society. If a problem arises between two Japanese people, it will be ignored. They will not address the issue and will act as if there is no problem at all. The problem is that inside the aren’t able to let go of the problem. They let bitterness toward the other person grow and fester, until finally one or both parties must leave the group. That may be a friend group or a job or even on some occasions a church. They can’t make peace with one another because that would involve losing the peace long enough to face the problem and fix the issue.

Now, we know that the Beatitudes are for believers, not unbelievers, but I wanted to use them as a way to share with you just how far the average Japanese mindset has to change in order for them to ever have peace with their Creator. Like so many people around the world, they think that if they ignore the fact that they are at enmity with God, if they deny God’s very existence, then they won’t have to ever face the consequences of being in rebellion towards Him. Please be praying for the Japanese people, and for the Holy Spirit to help them see the failures of their culture and help them overcome those failures to find true peace with God.  

We are back home from Thailand. Thank you all for your prayers regarding Alishia’s health while we were at the conference. She wasn’t able to stay healthy the entire time, but all-in-all, she was pretty happy about how it went, and we may go back next year. The CCA Asian Pastors and Leaders Conference, as well as the SGWM Conference, was a wonderful time of teaching and fellowship with the other missionaries from around Asia, and especially the other SGWM workers who were there.

A team from SGWM joined us here in Japan the week before the conference as well. Having them here praying for and about the work in Japan was amazing. They were a huge blessing to Alishia and I and Lord willing some of them will come back full-time.

Thank you for always praying for us, it makes such a big difference. Here are some things to be praying for this month:

• Alishia’s health and for the Lord’s healing of her body.
• Language learning and what my language schooling will look like moving forward.
• For the Lord to meet our needs and provide for us in every way.
• For wisdom about our housing situation moving forward.

Japan is a nation of being shiny and put together. The mess and grime is cleaned, covered, or hidden. Like any place in the world, entropy happens. In Japan, however, the break down and disorder are fought against as much as possible. The upkeep of possessions is done compulsively, especially items that other people will see. So it came as quite a surprise when several times we would hear loud squeaks coming from the brakes of the bicycles that passed by us each day. Why don’t Japanese people oil their brakes. When they meticulously take care of almost everything in their lives, why not their bikes? It wasn’t just old looking bicycles or random people, it was nearly every bike including the policemen.

One day we asked one of our friends if she knew the reason why this was the case. She told us that people want their brakes to squeak. Bicycles are rode exclusively on the sidewalk. When you come up behind someone you don’t want them to move into your path. If your brakes are squeaky, you can use them to let people know you’re coming up behind them. The other option would be to have to interact with people on the street, they want a system that allows them to do their communal responsibility without having to actually talk or interact with people. Even with something as non-direct or small as letting them know you’re coming up in their blind spot. As Christians who desire to connect with the Japanese and show them the love of Christ and share the gospel with them, how do you overcome a culture that avoids interaction at that level? We need the Spirit to lead us to right people every single day. If He doesn’t go before us, we won’t be able to have any impact in this country. Please be praying for us to talk to the people who are lonely and looking for an interaction with a strange foreigner. 

We have a lot of stuff going on right now, both Alishia and I have been giving teaching opportunities this month. I taught a Sunday morning at Calvary Chapel Iwakuni at the end of July. I will be teaching a Sunday and midweek service at Abide in August, and Alishia will be teaching the women’s bible study for two weeks in August as well. There is also our normal young adults bible study and the opportunity to possibly teach at a homeless church this month as well.

We have a team coming from the US in early September that we are hosting, then we will head to Thailand with them for the CCA Asia Conference. Then a few people will be coming to Japan for three month stays later this fall. As we have more opportunities and are doing more traveling to conferences we have some financial one time needs. If you’re interested in supporting us monthly or with a one time gift, please click the link below. 

Prayer requests:

• Alishia’s health as we head to Thailand. We are trusting the Lord in stepping out to have her go to this and so we would ask that you cover her greatly in prayer.
• With some single female missionaries coming for medium to long term stays here in Osaka, we are praying about moving to a larger apartment so that we can house them and other visitors that may come spend time with us.
• For the Lord to meet all our needs, spiritual and financial alike.

After five weeks in America, we are thankful to be back home in Osaka. Thank you to everyone who blessed us in big and little ways while we were there. It was a packed trip and we wouldn’t have made it through the different legs if it wasn’t for the generosity of several of you.

At the beginning of May we attended the Calvary Chapel Japan conference in Tokyo. It was an amazing time meeting missionaries, worshiping with national believers, hearing wonderful teachings from some of the leaders. We even got to spend quality time with some friends who had traveled with us from Abide Osaka. It can often feel like you’re the only Christian here just like Elijah in 1 Kings 19, but these times where we all get together allow the Lord to show us that he has a remnant here that love and worship Him. It refreshes our souls and we look forward to other conferences this fall and next spring.

We left from the conference and flew straight to America. Our first week there we drove up to Canada to visit some of Alishia’s family. We then spent a week in Whitefish before heading to Helena for Alishia’s oath of allegiance ceremony where she received her American citizenship. After another week in Whitefish, meeting with people and reconnecting with the church, we flew down to California to spend time with our friends at Calvary Chapel Saving Grace. Our week in California was full of speaking opportunities and time spent with friends, before we drove up to Idaho. We spent a few days in Idaho with both of our families and we were able to see Daphne graduate from high school. Then it was back to Montana to spend one last week there before we flew back to Japan.

It was great seeing everyone, but we are thankful to be back serving the Lord in Osaka. We feel like we have our feet under us now and we should be able to hit the ground running. Please keep us in prayer as we start language classes and start up a couple of ministries this summer. One will be our young adults’ ministry at our house, and the other will be an evangelistic ministry that we will be starting with a couple of friends from the church.

We have some needs for monthly support as well as one-time gifts. We’ve been asked to attend the Calvary Asia Conference in September and then lead a short-term team to Japan at the conclusion of the conference. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us financially through the link below.

Prayer requests and praise reports:

-Our trip to the states went well and we were able to accomplish everything that we had hoped to accomplish.

-The church here in Osaka has been growing! Please pray that we can find ways to minister to those who have started to attend.

-We start official language classes this month. Please pray for our minds to be able to grasp Japanese.

-We have opportunities to attend conferences in September and November, as well as potential visits to bible schools in other parts of Asia. Please pray for wisdom and provision to go if it’s the Lord’s will for us.

The title of this post is three-fold. It refers to our time so far here in Japan, the time we’ll be spending in the States, and this post itself. Even though it’s a quick one, we wanted to keep you up to date on our comings and goings. If you’d like to see us and hangout we’ll be in Montana from May 7-22, and in California from May 23-29. It’s tough to head back so soon, but we look forward to seeing you again.

We have caught our breath here in Osaka and have settled in nicely. Ministry opportunities are opening up and we are building several relationships. We hosted our first young adult night at our apartment this month and will be having that every first and third Saturday once we get back. We met up with some friends from Las Vegas who were in Osaka praying about moving here to serve in a church, please pray for them as they seek the Lord. Also, we helped out with a belated Easter party that was held for some kids that attend English classes taught by some friends from church. I shared with them what it was like growing up in America as a Christian, and we played games with them. So, a pretty eventful few weeks when added to our normal church days and meeting with people.

This week we are attending the Calvary Chapel Japan Conference in Tokyo before we fly to America. It will be great to connect with Pastors and believers from all over Japan. Thank you for thinking of us and praying for continually, we could not do this on our own.   

Several things fell into place this month. The Lord is faithful and He has blessed above anything we could have imagined and in His perfect timing. It’s easy to look back and write that now. It doesn’t mean that we didn’t have our share of anxious days and stress-filled nights. We haven’t always had peace since arriving in Japan (visa delays and plan changes and team leading etc.), but we have always had access to the Peacemaker. We didn’t often have confidence in the Japanese government, but we did have confidence in our calling. So those moments of doubt and anxiety were hard, but thankfully few and short-lived.

Since our last update, our change of status was approved, and we now have our three-year visas. Once those arrived, we were able to register with the local city office and look for a place to rent. We had been praying for the right place for several months, but it’s still difficult to rent as a foreigner in Japan. Alishia had been using a website to see what rental units were available in the area around the church, but nothing quite fit our list that we had been praying about. There was a surprisingly low number of places that were open, and it looked like we wouldn’t have many options. However, the day that our visas came through, and we could officially start looking for a place, one came available. It was the place we had been praying for and met every one of our needs. We moved in this week, and it already feels like home.

We were also able start serving at the church. We set-up and tear-down for our church gatherings on Friday nights and Sundays, we help out with English class on Fridays and Saturdays, and Alishia goes to the ladies’ bible study on Tuesdays. We are preparing for the church’s Easter outreach as well as doing discipleship with some of the other volunteers at the church. And of course, now that Alishia has a kitchen, she is inviting anyone and everyone over for meals or tea. Please keep all of these interactions in prayer.

We will be making a ‘short’ trip back to the States in May for Alishia’s American citizenship ceremony, as well as Daphne’s high school graduation. We’d love to spend time with you then if you’re free and we’re in your area. We’ll only be able to be in Montana and California this time, so let us know. Thank you so much for your prayers, they mean so much to us.

Prayer requests:

-Praise the Lord that we have an apartment and that we are getting it set up!

-Pray for our ministry opportunities, especially our upcoming Easter outreach.

-Pray for our trip back to America that is coming up in May.  

What a month we have experienced. Things have moved fast and obstacles have been removed, doors have been opened and bonds have been forged in the furnace of life on the mission field. Let’s go over some of the highlights. We headed towards Japan in a pretty humble way, by driving to California. On the way, we visited friends in Las Vegas and Yucca Valley before arriving in Orange County. Our time there flew by quickly as we had a full schedule of meetings with friends and our sending organization, and before we knew it, the day of our departure had arrived.

Like a more famous group before us, we joined with nine others to form a fellowship that headed to Land of the Rising Sun. Which sounds epic but mostly just a flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo. Once there, we spent a week meeting with Calvary Chapel pastors in the Tokyo area, helping with an earthquake relief outreach, and praying over a city of 35 million people who don’t know Jesus.

It was during one of those pray sessions that we went to the observation deck in the Tokyo government building. 450 feet in the air, with unobstructed views in all directions, and you could not see the end of the mass of people. The sheer size of the metropolis was somewhat overwhelming. It had such a big impact on all of us as we realized the task before us. Could the Lord use us to reach these millions? Well yes, He can, but He wouldn’t do it all in one day. We only have to focus on what He puts in front of us each day and be faithful to that.

After the end of the week, the team traveled to Osaka to see the place we are called to and see the work there. The church really enjoyed having the team with them and embraced us whole heartedly. We were able to give the missionaries a week off as we did an English language worship night for the midweek service and then Pastor Trent taught the Sunday service. Most of the team headed for Indonesia on Monday and those of us that stayed were ready to settle in.

Unfortunately, the settling will have to wait. We applied for our certificates of eligibility in October. The timeframe on those is supposed to be less than 90 days, and the 90-day mark was January 25. Since we were flying out on January 29, we knew that the timing would be close, but we shouldn’t have any issues getting it worked out before we left. Well, the 25^th came and went and the certificates didn’t arrive, they hadn’t arrived by the 29^th but since we were leading a team, we decided we should go and trust we could take care of it on the Japan side. They finally arrived on the 31^st and we were given three years!! Once the team had left, we went to the immigration office to apply for a change of status, we explained the situation to one of the officers there and were scolded for doing things out of the proper order and to not expect that they would accept our change of status applications. However, after praying about it that night, we returned the next day and turned in our applications and there seemed to be no issues from the people taking the officers there. Please pray for our change of status and that the visas would come through quickly so we can rent an apartment and start putting down roots.

Here are some ways to pray for us until our next newsletter:

• Alishia’s American citizenship was approved and her oath ceremony is on May 16. Please pray for us as we make plans to return for that and Daphne’s high school graduation on June 1.
• For direction in finding an apartment that meets our needs and allows us to use it for ministry.
• Wisdom in finding a language school that meets our needs

As of the time in which I write you this update, we are 58 days from getting on a plane and moving our life to Japan. We are 75% funded as far as our recurring monthly needs are concerned, so please pray about partnering with us financially. And to all of you that have gotten behind us, and have helped to encourage and get us to this point, thank you and may the Lord bless you mighty for your commitment and care for us.

Hello, this is Alishia Root, and I am about to become a missionary wife. It has taken roughly 6 years to arrive at the gate of launching out as full time missionaries. A time spent learning about culture and learning how to be ministry workers. The days have been full of change, adaptation, and reconstruction as we grow in our understanding of God’s heart for the unreached. The part we as the church are to play, as both goers and senders, in fulfilling the great commission. And most importantly growing in our understanding of His gracious love for us personally. 

This is the picture I use to illustrate and understand the life of a missionary … Remember the first time you wanted to tackle a big roller coaster? There was promise of thrill and some unknowing apprehension, but it seemed fun, so why not. So you get in line, and the line is rather long. You wonder if you will get to the ride head before the day is over ( I equate this to the waiting period of a young missionary), but it is moving so you just settle in and move along inch by inch. At some point the coaster is on top of you, and people are screaming. Then your time comes, you sit down willingly, and you get strapped in (those straps for a missionary are the prayers of the saints). And you start climbing that hill, click…Click…CLICK, up it goes. At this point there are all sorts of feelings and emotions, some excitement, some apprehension. Then you reach the top and whoosh down. You plunge into the places the ride is going to take you (or in this case the Holy Sprit). And then you get off and you realize you kind of want to do it all again. 

My idea of what missions is, and what a missionary is tasked with, has grown and the weight of the task ahead has sunk in. Along with the size of the task ahead, my understanding of God’s sovereignty and hand leading has grown as well. I find myself looking back to all the trials and moments of growth that not just the last 6 years, but a lifetime, has prepared me for, all leading up to this moment. I think about the way my dad taught me as a young girl to use chopsticks in a game of picking up peas. Or how the reserved and pragmatic nature of Jeff’s parents, trained him up in a mindset very similar to the Japanese mind. I have thought of the ways the Lord has allowed me to experience a level of culture shock moving from rural Montana with its “Montana time” (if you know, you know) to the fast paced scheduled out calendar of being an intern at a busy California church. 

I have been blessed to love lives of people that serve the Lord all over this planet. I have been blessed with experiences I never expected to have. I have seen not just my husband, but other young missionaries learn to be missionaries, pastors, and ministry workers. There have been friends made. There have been moments that the Lord’s voice has been so sure. There has been fellowship in a depth that amazed me. There has been learning to support others and learning to be a wife that holds up a husband that has expectation on him. 

And there has been costs to be payed. For every life I have been given the joy to love, I now place at Jesus’ feet as I will be separated by an ocean. There has been ministry lessons that have broken my heart. And personal trials that have brought me to my knees. But learning to be on your knees is the posture required of every missionary, so I rejoice in the lessons and shaping of Jesus. 

So, it’s all lead up to this point. We are strapped onto this rollercoaster and clicking up that hill. Please pray for all we have ahead of us.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30

As we endeavor to be more Christ-like in our lives, I’m reminded of Matthew 11:28-30. In those verses Jesus tells us that His burden is light, He doesn’t put a heavy weight upon us. In fact, in Him, we find rest and relief from the weight of this world, it’s the opposite of a burden. As ministers of Christ, how can we emulate Christ by not being a burden on those we’re ministering to, and beyond that what can I do to relieve the burdens of those around us?

I often think about this question, not because I view myself as an incredible burden currently, although I’m sure I have my moments, but because of a conversation that we had with a missionary years ago. One of our friends gave us the contact information of a veteran missionary in Japan. He had been there several years, had an effective ministry in Japan and the Philippines, and had come from our denomination, so we were excited to connect with him over the phone. The missionary was great and very helpful, but the first thing he said to us has stuck with me four years later. He said “I hope you come to Japan and serve, but I don’t really have a place for you in my ministry. The minute you land at the airport here in Tokyo, you are a burden to me or my team. I don’t say that to discourage you, it’s just the reality of the situation. You don’t speak the language, you can’t rent an apartment or set up utilities. A national will have to take you to every government appointment and help you accomplish the simplest of tasks.”  

The Holy Spirit used the bluntness of his comments to teach me a valuable lesson that day. We had not yet started our missions training at SGWM and we didn’t realize how childlike we would become in our adopted culture. We viewed ourselves as a blessing, called of the Lord, coming to help the people of Japan. That conversation cured us of that notion and we decided that night, while talking to each other, to do whatever we could to shorten the amount of time we would burden the Japanese church. We knew we couldn’t eliminate it all together (the law prohibits foreigners from being able to do somethings without a Japanese guarantor), but we could reduce the weight and length that they would have to carry for us. Thus, we began three years of cross-cultural training and internship, language learning and growing spiritually before we left for Japan. Please pray for us to be a blessing and not a burden in any way to those in Japan.

Please also pray about partnering with us financially. Our sending organization has a policy that we have 80% of our monthly needs funded before we can go so that we don’t become a financial burden on the indigenous church. They are wonderful, loving, Christian people, and if they saw we were struggling to make ends meet, they would help us any way they could. We don’t want to ever put them in that situation, but especially not when we’ve just arrived. We are currently at 50% of our monthly needs, so please consider coming along side us to get to our monthly goal. At the same time, we don’t want to be a burden to any of you, so please give prayerfully and within your means. No amount is too small or insignificant, The Lord will bless and multiply it. If you already partner with us, thank you so much, it means the world to us. It is incredibly humbling to have people believe in your calling and want to get behind you. The ‘financial partner’ link is at the bottom of this letter.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Prayer requests:

• For the Lord to provide everything we need (financial, visa, moving logistics, etc.) for our move to Japan.
• For Jeff as he teaches the midweek service at the church.
• For Alishia’s health and strength as she ministers and works each day.
• For the team going to Japan with us for a few weeks in January, and the planning of the trip.
• For Alishia’s US citizenship process, that the timing would work with our departure.