Richard Geringswald heads up the mission efforts at Legacy Christian in Lakeland, FL in addition to the Jamaica Bible Seminary. He believes, as do we, that God made water come out of a rock at Moses command, and as such was able to procure for our mission 30 Japan flags when his mission budget read EMPTY. Yet another testament to creative support efforts we've been blessed to be recipients of. We're elated that each of our partner churches who've pledged monthly support will receive one of these fine gifts as a token of our appreciation to remind them that God's love is as far reaching as the East is from the West. See if you can spot Aaron in that photo.

Labels: Japan, outreach, praises

Southeast Christian Church in Orlando will soon be reborn as The Bridge, and part of their new makeup is a slogan Crash the Future with a rhino that serves as their visual reminder. A group of rhinos is called a crash. We had the opportunity to share the SWORD STORY with the congregation and afterward I presented Pastor Steve Malone with our crash offering - an 18 pound solid aluminum rhinoceros that's been a talking point of our house since we've been married. Our prayer is that The Bridge would connect people to Jesus Christ and His purpose for their lives in Orlando and beyond. Will you join us in that prayer as they seek to follow the LORD's will in 2009?

Labels: outreach, prayer

We first met Jack and Joan Stenson while attending Roundup at Florida Christian College and they invited us to share our mission calling at their church in Inverness. It was a quick 90 minute drive Northwest of Orlando and we had the pleasure of meeting many seasoned Christians including Sarah who, Lord willing, will be celebrating her 97th birthday in January. As spry as a teenager, she makes her rounds giving hugs to any and all. We know the LORD has great things in store for this congregation. Glenn Bourne, who had been filling in while they search for a new minister, fell ill recently, so we will all remember him in our thoughts and prayers. Pray also for Aaron who is testing his parent's patience when it comes to his behavior in church.

Labels: outreach, prayer

After amassing a rather sizable collection of stuff for the past 12 years, this was our first garage sale to try to reduce the clutter. Thankfully we sold more than half of it and netted a modest return. The goal is to consolidate our lives into 5 manageable boxes which we will bring with us to Japan. Unfortunately, neither the crib nor the queen size bed sold, so we'll have to wait until the Spring for our next sale.

Labels: praises

Preacher Jim Reed was very gracious to invite us to share our mission calling with the good people of Winter Haven Christian Church. They are definitely a mission-minded church faithfully supporting a number of workers around the globe. Like so many of the churches who've had us speak, this one is lovingly led by Christ's Spirit. Friendly faces and warm embraces from everyone we talked with. They held a faith promise collection on our behalf and raised enough money to cover my airline expenses out to California this January were I'll be doing a residency for my MA degree.
If you ever happen to visit Cypress Gardens, be sure to stop by Winter Haven Christian. When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!

Labels: outreach

Japan aficionado Peter Machat used his creative talent to produce a website appropriately titled 51JapaneseCharacters.com. It is an insightful collection of figurines showcasing several typical members and cultural phenomena of Japanese society - an easy and playful approach to Japan.

We're likely to encounter many of these characters in our endeavors there. Please pray for us!

Labels: culture, Japan

With an increase in the number of people praying on our behalf, especially as we travel to churches around the state to raise support, we can definitely feel God's hand at work in our ministry. It was awesome to meet so many faithful Christians in Valrico where we presented during the Sunday school hour at Horizon Christian Church. Pastor Scott was kind enough to introduce us during the powerful worship hour, and we also got to visit with the very dedicated missions team. Clearly missions has a special place in the hearts of Christ's elect here and we're so blessed to enlisted 28 additional prayer warriors! Shouts to Frank and Christine and everyone in class that welcomed us.

Labels: outreach

We can learn a lot about culture by simply looking at the world around us. This HD video is a recent compilation done by a French visitor to Japan. It's easy to understand how one can become disconnected from society in an area with over 10 million people. What East and West have in common are questions about humanity's purpose, the existence of a creative, knowable God, and the ultimate destiny we each face as a result of choices we make. I look forward to being immersed in that culture and working together to seek life-changing answers to those questions.

Labels: culture, Japan

The November edition of our monthly mission newsletter is now available. Please print an extra copy or two to share with folks at church. Blessings.