Glory to God! He is always good! This has been a month of hellos and goodbyes, with our first church regular moving out of our city, as well as opportunities to witness and connect with new families and grow new people. Through the ebb and flow of seeing God grow this living church plant, we praise God for His grace and mercy as we face each new exciting chapter!
Our month began with an exciting new opportunity to develop a closer relationship with one of our neighbors, the O family. They have an interest in the American culture and quickly became friends with my wife and me. We were able to invite them into our home for a 4th of July celebration, and during our time together, we were able to share with them why we moved to this city, as well as our desire for everyone in this country, including them, to have the chance to know Christ. We were already able to enjoy another visit with them by shopping together later in the month. We believe that a wonderful seed is being planted, and we look forward to getting more opportunities with them in the future.
One of our faithful young men, Bro. J, graduated high school this year and has been accepted into a university in Australia. We held a sendoff service for him on Sunday, July 6, the day before I drove him to the airport with his family, and God worked in a wonderful way. Bro. J shared a testimony of how God had used our church in his life, after which we had three of our men pray out loud for his future. For one of the men who led us in prayer, Bro. K, it was his first time leading prayer publicly for the church, and this time of prayer became a sweet moment for our church that truly revealed their love for God and for one another. Bro. M, one of our men, responded during the invitation to make the decision to give his future for Christ that day! To help him stay true to his decision, we began meeting for a one-on-one Bible study on July 12. I currently meet with two of our young men weekly on top of our regular services to aid in their discipleship by answering questions and giving personalized instruction from the Bible to both deepen their understanding of their faith and train them to share it with others. On July 26, I covered the doctrine of redemption in depth with Bro. M, which moved him to tears, wishing to have been taught this sooner in life and thanking God for the position He has given him in Christ. Literally 99.7% of our nation do not know Christ, and the majority of the 0.3% that do know Him have little understanding of their own faith. Please pray that God would use our church to bring Japan to the wonderful saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!
God sent us special encouragement throughout the month, allowing us to visit with four of our fellow missionary friends in Japan, spend a little time with Danielle’s mom before she returned to the U.S., and enjoy a visit to our church from two friends from a supporting church in the U.S. Another encouragement came because of throwing out my back in the middle of the month. During that time, none of the regular people who attend our church allowed me to be on my feet to serve, as they came together to set up, serve, and clean on Sunday. Though the physical pain and limitations were frustrating, I was greatly encouraged by the growth and love of our people here. To top it all off, on July 27, Bro. Garry Tingson, a fellow FBMI missionary to Australia and a personal friend, sent me photos of himself visiting with Bro. J from our church who just moved near his area for university and was told that he was able to connect Bro. J with a like-minded church! Praise the Lord! Thank you for your prayers!
Danielle’s Journey
We started the month with a visit from the Madrigals from Osaka, which was so encouraging for me especially. We got very close to them during our time in Osaka, and I really missed Mrs. Madrigal, so it was exciting to have them see the church here and the city we now call home! We also were able to become closer to our neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. O this month! We had them over for 4th of July and got to take Mrs. O with us to Costco the next week! I pray that God would use us as a light on our street, and that one day, we will be attending church with our entire neighborhood!
Major Praises This Month
• Bro. M surrenders his life to Christ, begins discipleship
• New opportunity to witness to the O family
• Joseph Liu connected to a like-minded church in Australia
Prayer Requests and Upcoming Events
• October 5 – 2-Year Church Anniversary Special Service
• Salvation: Mr. I, Mr. D, O family, TA family
• Baptism: Bro. K, Bro. W, Bro. TO, Bro. P, Sis. E, Bro. Y
• Growth: L family, W family, Bro. M
Your friends and co-laborers to Japan,
Go and Danielle Oishi
