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Prayer Request - Japan short-term-mission with OMF

Here it is, our long awaited information regarding our upcoming missions trip to Sapporo, Japan. We will be heading off on the 30th of November 2007 for a little over three weeks. We return on the 23rd of December 2007.

What follows is some information about Japan and prayer points for the country, our team, and for us specifically.

Thank you for your prayers in advance – please let us know how we can be praying for you also :)

Info re Japan:

Japan has a population of approximately 127 million people. Christianity has been in Japan since the mid 1500’s, however the church has been persecuted a number of times throughout the history of Japan. Christianity is generally viewed suspiciously as a ‘Western’ religion. Today the Christian population number less than 1% of the overall population. Evangelical believer’s number much less than this.

Church growth recently has been very slow. Many churches struggle without a Pastor and those with Pastor’s have found that the bulk of all church work and administration falls on the Pastor themselves.

Pray for Japan:

• That God will work through economic shock, political instability, and fears for the future, to shock people out of their complacency and turn to Jesus
• For the churches around Japan; many are struggling to grow spiritually and in number, and many churches are still without a pastor
• For more long-term missionaries to be raised to help grow the church in Japan
• That Christians in Japan will grow strong in faith, particularly as many of them face pressure from their non-Christian family members to turn away from Jesus

Pray for our team:

• For good health and stamina throughout the duration of the trip, particularly as we will be adjusting to a very different environment to our sunny Brisbane weather. Pray that we will adjust quickly to the harsh winter conditions.
• For good teamwork, patience, and servant-heartedness, especially as we will be seeing each other for long hours every day!
• We will be going carolling in public—pray that God will work through the words of our carols to arouse people’s interest in the Lord and Saviour we sing about
• Students tend to be more receptive to the Gospel, so pray for the many youths we will be making contact with, that God will work through us to bring them one step closer to Jesus. Pray that God would help us build relationships with these students.
• Pray that people will be receptive when we tell them about Jesus. Pray that we will continue to trust in God’s sovereignty, rather than become disheartened, if people are unresponsive
• Pray that we will be of practical help, support and encouragement to the missionaries based in Sapporo

Prayer for us:

• The next few weeks will be a very busy time before we leave. We are in the middle of preparing for the trip whilst getting as much work done on the upcoming BLT conference in January, finalising the semester timetable for SALT (the new St Lucia teens group), planning the first social events for SALT and getting a few house-keeping things done. Please pray that we will be able to get as much done before we go, but at the same time please pray that we’ll be rested so we don’t leave for Japan exhausted.
• Praise God for the generous financial support we’ve received for our trip!
• Pray for our health as we’ll be constantly moving from the icy-cold conditions outside to heated homes and this may wreak havoc with my sinuses.
• Steph and I feel under-prepared with the language, so please pray that over the next few weeks we’ll be able to brush up a little on our Japanese.
• I have to prepare a number of devotions to lead during the trip, please pray that these will be helpful times of encouragement.

Thank you again for your prayers.
Steven and Steph

A new brother!

This is what I’ve been waiting for ever since I became a Christian myself, to be able to witness first hand the Spirit moving in a person to declare Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

In some ways it came as little surprise. I had been meeting to do Christianity Explained with a new guy at Church and after our 4th session he said that things became so clear. With a glint of a tear in his eyes he shared that for the first time he was glad to know that God was sovereign and that things in his life would be taken care of. It was the expression of a profound trust in God.

‘Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee…How great thou art, how great thou art!”

Prayer Request - the next few weeks

Things have been getting quiet hectic around here. We've been settling into our new home nicely, but there's been plenty of things to do in the meantime.

Steph and I are heading to Japan in a few weeks for a short term mission with OMF. I will be posting up more details very soon. In the past few weeks we've been getting ready to go and only last Monday was I able to finally find some boots in my size at DFO! A huge praise point (since I was concerned about getting proper footwear for my weak ankles and didn't want the cost and risk of purchasing online from the US).

I'm also preaching this weekend on Colossians 2:6-23 which has been an immensely encouraging and exciting time in my preperations for it. However I've been feeling very fatigued in the last few days so please pray for good rest and energy to sustain me through.

Thank you :)