A Quick Update From Japan!

Hey everyone! I am writing to you all from Ishinomaki, Japan, the location of our first ministry site this year! I want to give you just a brief update on what these first few weeks have looked like, what is coming next, and how you can be praying. We have been in Ishinomaki for just under two weeks now and it has been an incredible start to the year and the World Race. For this month, we have been serving with our hosts Rich and Emmi and Cherry, who run a small cafe called J’s Cafe. J’s Cafe has been open for just about a year now and seeks to provide a safe and relaxing environment for the people of Ishinomaki. Along with this, J’s Cafe has a number of ways they seek to serve the people in the area. This includes: english classes for both adults and students, outreach events such as concerts and movie nights, and finally, by holding Bible Studies and prayer nights throughout the week, as well as a Sunday service.

I have had the opportunity to serve in a number of ways in these first few weeks here in Japan. I have loved helping people with english here during english cafe, where the cafe is open for people to come in and talk with us and practice their english. I have gotten the opportunity to hear about people’s lives and have been able to share my life and my stories with them. This has been a fun and encouraging time and has been a cool opportunity to build relationships with people in the area. Another cool highlight from our ministry was the concert we were able to put on our first Saturday here. We did a concert with music, testimonies, and poetry which was fun, we also had some people from the area who got up and played music with the group, which was really cool and a ton of fun. As a group, we have been able to go out and play music at the mall, walk through the surrounding area and meet with people and pray over the city, we got to visit a convalescence home and hang out with the residents, and we were able to visit a school and hang out with the kids.

One other cool highlight for me was I got to celebrate my 27th birthday this past Sunday. My team went all out and made the day super special and one that I will never forget. I am so grateful for each of them and felt extremely loved. I am excited for year 27 and what is to come.

Overall these first 2 weeks have been a true blessing and super encouraging. I have truly enjoyed Japan and the ministry opportunities we have been blessed with so far. We have one more week left here in Japan before we will be making our way to Taipei, Taiwan. In the next week, we will continue to invest in the english cafe and the classes for the kids that J’s Cafe puts together. We will also be hosting another movie night and concert so please be praying for both of those events. Finally, be praying for our hosts Rich and Emmi and Cherry, that they will continue to be encouraged and remain resolute and strong in their faith, mission, and where God has them. There is a great need here in Ishinomaki and J’s Cafe is an incredible ministry. Please pray that the Lord will continue to bring people into J’s Cafe and that people would continue to encounter the love and hope of Christ. Also pray for the future ministries that Rich and Emmi are working towards, including a bakery and a shop to design t-shirts. Pray for this city and for this country and that the Lord will continue to move in the lives of the people here.

That’s all for now. It’s been a great month and I am still encouraged and excited for all that is in store. I am pumped to continue to share this journey with you all in the coming weeks and months. I also look forward to providing you all more of a glance into my personal walk as well and what the Lord is doing in my life. Thank you for walking this journey with me!