Go and Danielle Oishi Prayer Letter: Announcing Plans for a Short Document Furlough

Hallelujah! This month was the last month of all official State of Emergency restrictions all over Japan, and we were able to advance in so many ways!

Thank you for all of your prayers regarding the test for my Japanese driver’s license. As was recommended to me by many, I decided to take a two-day practice course to prepare me for the test. I was able to tell my instructor a little bit about what Christ did for me and hand him a tract. I was blessed with even more new contacts on the actual day of the test on the 15th, where I was able to meet a young man from the United Arab Emirates and a fellow Japanese man who spent time in Malaysia, both to whom I was able to give a tract and tell a little bit about why I returned to Japan. Please pray for the salvation of these three men. As an answer to prayer, the two young men and I were all able to pass the test and obtain a Japanese driver’s license!

There is another door that was opened to us this month, as well as a door that was reopened in terms of building relationships to point people to Christ. On the 6th, one of the assistant pastors at the Senri Newtown Baptist Church introduced me to one of his unsaved childhood friends, whom we randomly saw while running an errand and were able to have a good conversation with him and his friends that were there. On the 11th, we were able to reconnect with the couple from the Kita Ward of Osaka who, through the Airbnb we were staying in while looking for our current apartment, became our first contacts for outreach in Japan. As we had lost communication for a while, we decided to write a letter to them, asking them how they were and inviting them to the October 17 service, where I am scheduled to play a cello special. They promised to come if they are feeling well enough on that day. On the 22nd, we enjoyed a lunch outing with the man from the Chuo Ward of Osaka, whom I had the privilege of helping at the Japanese driver’s test scheduling window last month, as well as his wife. Though the wife is Japanese, the man is not and speaks very little Japanese, and he was very worried about his upcoming Japanese driver’s test. I agreed to help explain the course to him in English on a day that they reserved a practice time slot on the course, for which they were extremely grateful. After he passes his driver’s test and it is off of his mind, we are planning to invite them to our house and, this time, explain the one and only course to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Please pray for the salvation of these souls!

Another great blessing this month was the fact that I had the privilege of preaching a total of five times: twice for the Senri Newtown Baptist Church, twice for prerecorded school chapel sessions for a supporting church, and once for a live Wednesday evening service for another supporting church! This was also the month of extending my wife’s visa, which went very smoothly. As there is a bit of extra paperwork that needs to be submitted from the U.S., we are taking a very brief document furlough, where we will be off the field starting December 29, hopefully for no more than six weeks, after which we are returning straight to the field. Due to time restrictions and our needed location flexibility with the document schedule, we are not planning to schedule any furlough meetings for this particular trip, as our endeavor will be to complete the necessary procedures and return to the field as quickly as possible. We are planning to take an actual furlough to visit all of our supporting churches sometime in 2023, before planting our first church. Thank you for your prayers!

Danielle’s Journey

Often while walking to my language school, I pass by a lady who is gardening. This month I was finally able to speak with her and invite her to church. At the church, I have continued working in the children’s ministries. I am grateful for all the areas in which the church allows us to serve. This month I took a short break from language school to celebrate finishing the first textbook (25 levels). I am now halfway to where my husband started with his lessons. We are nearing the end of my first visa, so toward the end of this month, we were able to get it renewed for one more year. Japan is beginning to feel more and more like home to us. I’m so grateful for the joy, peace, and comfort that comes with being in the center of God’s will.

Your friends and co-laborers to Japan,

Go and Danielle Oishi