Weekly Updates

Yesterday, Rosie began her second term of language school. They started off with some tests which she easily breezed through and she is now back in classes learning new ways to say things! It is exciting to see her growth. Please continue to pray for her language learning.  This coming Sunday, we will be doing […]

We have had several people who are originally from Fukushima who have come to the church. Fukushima is the area that was severely affected in 2011 by the earthquake and nuclear meltdown. Some of these visitors have only been in town for a short time while others currently live in Niigata. While the tragic event

This week, our part of Japan is in the middle of Obon. Obon is not technically a holiday, but many people take off to visit family. It is a time that is much like the Day of the Dead in Mexico. People believe their ancestor’s spirits come home during this time. As you can imagine,

This past weekend, we had the opportunity go to Nagaoka City which is about an hour south of us to watch the annual fireworks festival. The Nagaoka fireworks festival is one of the three largest festivals in Japan. It was magnificent! In other news, a lady who has attended the English class asked about a

Rosie finished her first term on language school on Friday. It is hard to believe how quickly it has come and gone! She has improved significantly in her language even in day to day things like making a phone call. This week my (James’) parents are visiting from out of town and it is their wedding

We have recently begun to work on getting our Japanese driver’s licenses. There are several countries that Japan allows a quick transfer with just some paperwork, but unfortunately licenses from 49 of the 50 states do not transfer like this. Maryland state licenses are the only ones that do. We are currently on our international

This past weekend, we went to Osaka to visit Senri New Town Baptist Church! This church was started by Dr. Don Sisk and is a thriving, mission minded congregation. It was very encouraging to see what the Lord has done and continues to do to get the Gospel out in Japan. On Sunday night, Bro

While there is a generic knowledge about Christianity as a religion in Japan, many don’t really understand the Gospel or know the power of God unto salvation. On Sunday night, we were looking at the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. We talked specifically about what kind of sin the prodigal son would have

This past Sunday (June 30th), the church hosted a friend day event. A gentleman from the city the Hills previously worked in also visited with us and sang a couple of specials on Sunday morning as well. He powerfully testified about the one true God! It was a very special time. Please keep praying for

Over the last week, Rosie experienced her first earthquake here in Japan! Around 10:30 at night, our phones started going crazy saying an earthquake was about to hit. Moments later, our place began to shake. Fortunately, no damage was done. For a short time, there was a tsunami warning on the coast, but the wave