Into The Deep
Staff Conference 2017
"He said to Simon, 'Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.' And Simon answered, 'Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.' And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink," Luke 5:4-7.
Once a year, all of the YWAM bases in Japan gather in one place for a conference. This year, we met in Gotemba, which is only a few hours from Higashikurume. When the sky was clear, we could clearly see the massive beauty of Mt. Fuji. The theme for this year's conference was "One Team," and was inspired by the above passage from Luke.
We focused on the importance of unity because the time is coming when there will be so many fish that we need help pulling the nets into the boat. When the salvations begin to happen, more help and resources will be needed. These are our prayers of faith. It is a different call for help than we have had in the past. Before, there were no fish. Soon, there will be too many to count.
We made history during this conference! During our official business meeting, we gave the Okinawa base permission to purchase a building for their base. We also took an offering to help support them financially, and raised nearly $3,500 US dollars! This will be the first building owned by YWAM Japan on Japanese soil. Other bases, including YWAM Tokyo, are saving and contending for buildings of their own, so it was a joyful offering to sow into the building for the Okinawa base. We get to share in their victory, and in their rejoicing.
Hearing about the fruit others are seeing all over Japan encouraged my heart. It was a great honor to pray for their ministries and pursue the heart of God together. Thank you for your prayers! We need your help pulling in the nets.
New Ministries
The staff members at YWAM Tokyo have helped make my transition smooth. I have been seeing different ministries and meeting new people almost every day. So many new things at once was a little overwhelming, but I look forward to going deeper in relationships and in ministry.
Discipleship Training School DTS will be starting in less than two weeks, on April 3! Although I will not be staffing this school, I will serve with meal preparation. I look forward to helping out and even getting to know the students a little bit. It will be awesome! Please pray for the students. This is the same school I did in Japan in 2012, and the Gospel of Christ changed my life. Pray that lives will be changed and that the staff members will be an example of Christ's love to the students.
Friday Night Outreach Several different ministries take place on Friday nights in Ikebukuro, a district in Tokyo. From 4 pm to 6 pm, the Worship Ministry and Art Outreach teams set up on opposite sides of the train station to praise and worship the Lord in popular public parks for all to see. Lots of conversations result from these ministries. Afterward, a prayer team meets in the Red Light District to pray through all of the streets and seek the Lord for direction in a new ministry there. Then, at around 6:45 pm, another staff member and I meet for healing ministry, to pray for the sick and brokenhearted. During all of this, an evangelism team also shares the gospel with people on the street. They meet at 4pm and go from the train station to wherever the Lord leads.
Recently, I have been involved in the prayer walks and the healing ministry, both of which are new groups. We are just beginning to ask God how to develop these outreaches, so please pray for that! Pray for healing for the Japanese people and for freedom to come in the Red Light District.
Teaching English/ Bible Study In two weeks, I am taking on an English class here in Higashikurume! Each Wednesday, I will partner with a Korean missionary to teach English to about eight children, then have coffee with the mothers to practice English with them. We are teaching new vocabulary through Bible passages like Psalm 23 and 1 Corinthians 13. I am extremely excited and completely terrified. It has been a long time since I have interacted with a group of children, and I have never put together lesson plans before.
Please pray that the mothers will come to Christ and that their hearts will be enlightened by the Gospel. Pray for the children, as we sow seeds in their hearts. Pray for me, that I will communicate love well and have grace while going far out of my comfort zone.
Base Finances I was invited to serve the YWAM Tokyo base by helping manage the base finances. I get to be an assistant for the Finance Director, so I have been learning how finances are handled and ways I can lighten the workload. This is my new job during Office Hours! Please pray that I can do this job and serve the base well.
Tokyo Life Church I started regularly attending Tokyo Life Church in Ikebukuro. It is a bilingual church (Japanese and English) and only a couple of years old. I love this place and I want to be ready for opportunities to serve there. Please pray for ministry opportunities here, and for relationships to grow. I want to bring encouragement to this church. Japanese Class My Japanese class meets on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for one hour. I am continuing with self-study and practicing with friends, but please pray for a solid language partner with whom I can study. And pray for grace in learning and practicing!
Thank You
Thank you, everyone, for your prayers! I miss you so much already, but I am already seeing that God is doing awesome things here, and it is such a privilege. Thank you! If you have questions or want to contact me, feel free to email me! If there is a letter you want to send, here is my address:
1-8-15 Hikawadai
Higashikurume-Shi, Tokyo-to
Japan, 203-0004
Please enjoy some more pictures from Staff Conference!
