“I think it would be good if she could meet you too. Should I invite her to church? Should we meet outside of church first?”
At our weekly gathering, the subject turned to unbelieving friends dealing with intense personal issues. One person mentioned friends whose family members were facing health problems. Another lady brought up a friend who had confided in her as well. “I’ve already shared some about my faith with her, but I think it would be good if she could meet you too.” As a newer Christian, she is working through how to share the Gospel with this friend.
In the New Testament, John writes about having “no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 4). It truly is a joy to see believers think through how to love their friends and share the Gospel with them.
April has been a season of new beginnings for our family and ministry. For example, several new ministry partners joined our support team. We are praying for God to provide about 40% more in monthly support to cover outreach and the added costs of moving downtown. If you or someone you know would like to learn more about partnering with the ministry in Japan, please send us an email.
For our family, Amos started first grade, and we celebrated 9 years of marriage. In the ministry, Kris, who has helped us from the U.S. recently stepped down to care for her mother. We are grateful for her help over the last several years and are praying for God to provide someone stateside to help recruit and raise awareness for the ministry.
The search for a place to use for the church continues. We were originally looking for a permanent rental space we could use throughout the week. We are now also considering spaces we would rent to use only on the weekends. We have already looked at a couple of places.
We are grateful because your faithful giving and prayers make this work possible. We always love to hear how we can pray for you as well. Please feel free to reply with your own requests.
Yours for Japan,
The Miyashita Family
Click here for a printable version of this prayer letter.
Prayer requests:
- Stateside help with recruiting and raising awareness for the ministry
- Place to use for the church
- The 4 men attending the recon trip in May (clarity about serving in Japan long-term)
- Ministry funds to cover downtown operations and expanded outreach