Hallelujah! Our first church plant in Japan reached the age of two this month! Though we have seen many people come and go, especially during our second year ministering in Kisarazu, and our attendance in church is currently lower than what God had allowed us to have during this same time last year, we are amazed at the amazing work that God has done in the lives of those who have remained faithful and are encouraged by our ever-growing list of local personal contacts that we are patiently endeavoring to reach. We are excited to report both about what God has done this month and about our second full year of planting the Kisarazu Hope Baptist Church.

One of our church regulars who has remained faithful over this past year is Bro. M, a young man who began coming faithfully with his family exactly one year ago but was struggling mentally at the time. I began counseling him regularly right away, and he has since found victory in many areas in his life; that time has now turned into a weekly one-on-one Bible study to further aid in his discipleship. Though his parents and his younger sister have since stopped coming, he has faithfully continued to come and grow in God’s Word, often bringing his friend with him and encouraging his family and many of his other friends to come. He continues to lead our weekly men’s kickboxing activity, attend our Sunday services faithfully, and grow diligently as a disciple of Christ. We are excited to see how God will use this young man for His glory!

We held the church’s Two-Year Anniversary Service on October 5, and it was an honor to host Pastor Randy and Mrs. JoAnne Smith of the Immanuel Bible Baptist Church of Nayoro, Hokkaido, this year as our guest speakers. This is the same ministry where I had the privilege of serving as interim pastor from March to October 2023 during their furlough in the United States. This was a special blessing for all of us, especially as Bro. K, another young man in our church, was saved during the invitation of a special evangelistic meeting that I had the privilege of preaching at their church six months prior to serving as their interim pastor, and the Smiths have been instrumental in seeing Bro. K grow during his first days as a believer. It was also a special blessing to have another man, who had since moved away from our area, travel four hours one way to completely surprise us and visit our services that day. God gave us a wonderful Two-Year Church Anniversary Service, giving our current, smaller-yet-stronger church the encouragement we needed to resolve to stay faithful. On the day prior, Bro. L, our faithful church member, came out with us and the Smiths to pass out church invitations with a clear Gospel explanation in a large neighborhood area in preparation for our anniversary service. We were also able to have a good visit with Mr. I, a gentleman for whom we have been praying to get saved for almost two years. Please pray that God would allow us to reach more lost souls in our area for Him! God allowed us to finish the month strong, with two returning visitors on October 12 and a first-time visitor on October 22 at a midweek service by the invitation of Bro. L. Please pray that God would continue to work in ways only He can as we commit to staying faithful in serving Him in Kisarazu!

Major Praises This Month

• The Kisarazu Hope Baptist Church, our first church plant in Japan, celebrated its two-year anniversary since opening.
• We had one first-time visitor and two returning visitors this month.
• Danielle’s visa extension was filed smoothly, and favorable results have already come in.

Prayer Requests and Upcoming Events

• December 6, 21, and 24 – Christmas Outreach Events
• January 1 – New Year’s Day Service
• Salvation: Mr. I, Mr. D, the O family, Miss NI, and the TA family
• Baptism: Bro. K, Bro. W, Bro. TO, Bro. P, Bro. NI, Sis. NE, Sis. E, and Bro. Y
• Growth: Bro. L, W family, and Bro. M

Danielle’s Journey

We began our month with preparations for our Two-Year Anniversary Service. Our guest speakers were Pastor and Mrs. Smith from Hokkaido, and it was a huge blessing to have them here. The service was so encouraging to each person who came, especially to my husband and me. We were also able to celebrate Pastor Smith’s birthday with him on the Monday after our anniversary service, which was such an honor and a lot of fun! On the second of this month, we applied for my third Japan visa extension, and we actually already have the results! I’m so excited to share with you this huge answer to prayer in the praise report covering November! On the twenty-second of this month, Bro. L brought a lady from China to visit our midweek prayer service! Though she works on Sundays, she hopes to attend our Wednesday services going forward. Thank you for continuing to keep us and the ministry here in your prayers! That truly means so much to us!

Your friends and co-laborers to Japan,

Go and Danielle Oishi