Happy Easter everyone!! As we celebrate our living Redeemer I wanted to give you an update on what’s going on with us.
First, thank you all for your prayers for us and Japan. The entry restrictions have started to lift since our last update, students and business people have started receiving visas again and while we don’t currently qualify for either of those visas, it means that visitor visas will follow. Please continue to pray for Japan and for it to open up completely by this fall. We have been waiting in the starting blocks for awhile now and we are excited to go, may the Lord’s timing happen soon.
In the meantime, God has provided us with some amazing opportunities while we are here stateside. In March, we were able to travel to Santa Rosa, Ca, to visit some missionary friends, and then continued on to Truckee, Ca where we filled in for our friends Isaac and Hope while they were out of town. I was given the opportunity to teach the young adults group and we were able to share at the church on Sunday morning as well. The Lord provided some awesome encounters as we were able to meet a missionary that had recently returned from Japan as well as a missionary whose family had served in the Middle East for many years. The people He puts in our paths encourage us greatly and give us an opportunity to ask questions from people who have been where we feel called to go.
The internship that we are a part of, also sent a team to an inner-city church to give the incredibly faithful workers there a break to be refreshed and poured into. The small crew of servants at Hope Central Watts Calvary Chapel do multiple jobs each weekend to be able to provide church and Sunday school for a mostly forgotten community. We sent a team of twelve to fill the roles usually filled by just three or four people. It was a joy to serve along side them and here their passion for the people of Watts (for those of you that aren’t familiar with Watts, it’s a fairly notorious part of south-central Los Angeles that has high gang activity). I was given the opportunity to give the message that morning and you can check that out at this link: https://www.facebook.com/HopeCentralWatts/videos/344774491037935/?app=fbl
Filming and editing at Missions Equip has hit full swing and we are getting new teachings recorded each week. Alishia was able to serve at the Women’s Day event put on by Voice of the Refugees where they minister to dozens of displaced women (mostly Muslim women) and show them the love of Christ. Often, these women are told that Christians hate them and that they will never be accepted in America. Events like this one breaks down walls that can get in the way of the gospel and she was very blessed to be a part of it and make connections with some of the woman that she has been following on since.
We love you all and are always thankful to hear from you.
Jeff and Alishia