Tomorrow morning (Sunday 9 am JST, but Sat. night 7pm CST in the U.S.) our team and some of our good friends are leaving an overnight family camping trip here. I will go and wish the family could join us. Lisa is staying home in light of the kids' colds which seem to be going around in light of the change of season into fall ("aki") that came in after last Monday's typhoon.
I would never have guessed that I would be going camping twice within about two months here. There are 14 adults and 9 kids planning to go. Monday is a national holiday in Japan, so most people don't have to work, school and so we don't have Japanese language school. I am excited to get some time with other dads and get to know them more. One of the dads is the same one I went with on my last trip. In fact, another relative of his who went with us last time is going again as well! It is a great opportunity to be with not only followers of Jesus but with some of our good friends who have been very involved in Grace Harbor Project / Church events. This camp out is for basically the core families and friends who are apart of our community and we hope may be future worshippers in our church-planting ministry. We plan to have a worship service on Sunday led by my teammate and partner Rev. Seima Aoyagi. For some of those attending it will be their first time in a Lord's Day worship service with Christ-followers. For this I rejoice and are depending on the Lord to see how the he works in our time together. Please pray for us. Thank you for reading this and investing in our lives!
Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! (Psalm 115:1)
By the way….
Today was Kai's 7th birthday. He has had a slight fever the last few days so we had to delay his party. (We hope to have another party and invite his classmates from 1st grade.) He had a really good attitude about it all. He was still able to Skype with family and open his gifts (and some more are on the way). Lisa also reminded me that our Grace Harbor staff meeting that it was also the 5th anniversary of being ordained to serve in gospel ministry. This made me feel so grateful and humbled to be called to be a servant of the gospel. I feel the same way about being a dad. So Sept. 21 is a day remembering two highly important, tangible, personal reminders of the Savior's "steadfast love and faithfulness" to me.
Reflections on mission to Japan's next generation
