From our October 2012 Newsletter

Building Relationships

We just celebrated the one year anniversary of being back in Japan!  It has been a joy to be a part of Christ building his church where none existed.   Robert has been able to use his Japanese to lead worship since our church officially launched in March 2012.  

How is a church started in a place where there are few Christians? We are learning that it is all about building relationships.  First, making sure that our foundational relationship with God is strong. We often remind ourselves that it is God who is at work in and through us and He desires a church in this city. Thankfully, Shin Urayasu Grace Church is growing, we now have more Japanese people than missionaries!  

Secondly,  nurturing our relationships within the church is vital in these early days.  Unity in who we are as a church takes a lot of talking and praying together.  We have the opportunity to be a church with authentic community that is refreshing to the weary... which describes many of the people we meet.

Thirdly, we are building as many friendships as we can by hosting events for families and children.  We invite everyone we know, which at this point are the families we have met through our children!  Having our children in the local Japanese public school has been one of the hardest things we have done as missionaries... and yet so very strategic in becoming a part of this community. This summer we held a 3-day day camp for kindergarten and elementary aged children. We met and shared the gospel with over 60 children. Some of those children then participated in the Upward basketball camp we hosted. We have had a few of the children from these events join our regular Sunday morning ‘Grace Kids’ program.  Some of the mothers have brought their youngest children to our ‘Moms and Kids’ outreach.  A few other moms have expressed interest in studying the Bible. This is how Christ builds His church. One relationship at a time.

Please pray for our relationships with the people of Shin Urayasu.  It takes time to build trust with our Japanese neighbors. They have to see that we are trustworthy and that the Hope we have is worth seeking after.

Financial Update: 8/2012

To date we have received 56% of our pledged support for the year.  We are so thankful for the financial gifts that we receive from the 17 churches and 101 individuals who support our ministry.  Despite having a shortfall for several months, we are still operating in the black.  We are praying for 100% of our support needs to be met by the end of the year.

MTW Donations 

P.O. Box 116284 

Atlanta, GA 30368-6284 

Account #016845

Donate online at:

www.mtw.org