January Newsletter

To Our Family and Friends,

It seems like ages since the last time we have updated everyone on the happenings in Japan. In fact, it was last year that you all received a letter from us! So, first off, we want to wish all of you a very prosperous and blessed 2008. Upon coming home in December for about three weeks, we were able to see some of you though we wished we could have visited with each one of you individually to thank you for your prayerful support for us for what was most of 2007. As we testified to some of you at Jubilee Christian Center over the holiday, we have been blessed tremendously, and, in turn, we have been able to bless the people of this nation. Every penny given and every prayer spoken has undoubtedly been purposeful in advancing the kingdom of God here in Japan.

Although you are reading this in February, since there was no newsletter for the month of December, we want to share with you all how Chi Alpha’s main event of the Christmas season went. As you might recall, the program that we spent many hours for in prayer, preparation and promotion was called “Jazz in Christmas.” Chi Alpha was blessed to have Steve Sacks, a professional Christian saxophonist living in Tokyo, as our guest for the night. On the way to creating a melodious Christmas mood, Steve Sacks shared the meaning behind tunes such as “Silent Night” –a song which many Japanese are familiar with but may have never known the significance of. After a brief Christmas message was given and the final encore was finished, many people filled out welcome cards, which revealed that many in attendance were not Christians or had never even been to a church. Looking back, the event exceeded many expectations as the size of the 120-person sanctuary was filled to capacity with many non-believers. Even now, we continue to believe that the many seeds that were planted and watered on that night will blossom into a desire for and belief in Jesus Christ.

Since coming back to Japan in early January, we have adjusted back into our schedules at Riverside and Chi Alpha fairly easily. While our daily classes at Riverside International School (RIS) keep us busy, we continue to give private lessons through Riverside English School (RES). Last year, Kathy had many more students simply because of the number of females signing up. Yet, this year, Jeremy has been given three new students to teach once a week. RES has been and continues to be a wonderful opportunity for people from the community to learn English at a cheaper rate from native speakers. And, most importantly, it exposes them to the Japanese church as all the classes are held at Riverside Chapel. Through RES, we have been able to invite our students to outreach events going on in the church as well as to our coffee nights. We ask you to please keep all of our RES students in your prayers since most are not Christians.

Moreover, January marked the time of the year where millions of college students across Japan began to close their academic semesters with final exercises and exams. Many students have also started to prepare for spring vacation, which will last until the end of March. While our work with Chi Alpha and university bible studies will consequently slow down slightly during these two months, our work with the youth of Japan will have only increased greatly. This is due in large part to a vision that Jeremy has been given in the year of 2008, which is to produce a documentary on the youth of Japan and who they say Jesus is. The project will be heavy on interviews in an attempt to capture the reality of the youth’s opinion of Jesus, the church, and Christians. Rather than make a video that highlights only the positive side of the state of Christians and the church in Japan, the project will seek to listen and put a face to the voice of the Japanese who are agnostic or even hostile towards the person and message of Jesus. The aim and audience in mind for the documentary is simply everyone. Once completed, Christians in America will hopefully be inspired to act on bringing the Gospel to Japan. Furthermore, Jeremy hopes to awaken the few Christians in Japan to the millions in darkness around them and motivate them to spread the power and love of Christ to those around them. With our schedules being as they are, finding sufficient time to do the interviewing, filming, and translating will prove to be a great challenge. We ask that you pray for not only the completion of this project but for blessing and favor from the Lord in all areas of this documentary’s production.

Although it was wonderful to have the opportunity to go back home to relax and visit with family and friends, we are very happy to be back in Japan, following God’s plan for our lives. As we press forward into this new year, we remain excited, eager, and expectant of God’s divine working through us in this great nation. Please continue to partner with us in prayer for:
➢ Renewed vision and strength for our remaining time here in Japan going into 2008
➢ RIS and RES: our role within these groups to spread the message and love of Christ through teaching English
➢ Jeremy’s documentary on the Japanese youth’s perception of Jesus

We can only step into this bright year with joy and anticipation within Japan because of the prayer and support we receive from you back home. As always, thank you so much!

Always,
Jeremy & Kathy