Praise the Lord! After two and a half years of closed borders, as of October 7, Japan is finally open to visa-free travel once again. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for us and Japan it has helped sustain us in the waiting. Was the prolonged wait a plan of the devil to keep new missionaries from going out? Maybe. Was it used by God to better prepare both the missionaries and Japan for this time when we are able to go? Absolutely! ...
Happy Easter everyone!! As we celebrate our living Redeemer I wanted to give you an update on what’s going on with us. First, thank you all for your prayers for us and Japan. The entry restrictions have started to lift since our last update, students and business people have started receiving visas again and while we don’t currently qualify for either of those visas, it means that visitor visas will follow. Please continue to pray for Japan and for it to open up completely by this fall. We have been waiting in the starting blocks for awhile now and we are excited to go, may the Lord’s timing happen soon. ...
As the month of February starts, we wanted to make you aware of our situation and ask for you to pray with us. Japan is still closed due to COVID, and they are not allowing non-citizens to enter the country. We called the Japanese consulate to see if there were any options at this time, and they told us that unless Alishia or I were Japanese we had no options at this time. The Japanese government is going to reassess these policies at the end of February. Would you join us in prayer each day this month that Japan would open up to international travel in March? ...
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV Happy Autumn everyone! We are settled in here, back in southern California. We had a good trip from Montana to Seattle to Yorba Linda, but are glad to not have to drive for a while. Here is what has happened since our last update. We had the opportunity to meet Pastor Rob Douglass in Seattle in early September. We interviewed a pastor and former missionary to Belize for Missions Equip. It was a great experience and we learned a lot as a ministry on how our on-location video shoots will look in the future. ...
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry Ephesians 4:11-12a Another amazing summer on the farm has come to an end. We had a great time with Daphne and were blessed to spend time with family. Alishia and I will be leaving for Montana next week. Here is a letter to let you know what we’re up to now. ...
Just want to send out a letter to let you know that we made it to Nebraska. The journey from California to Montana to Nebraska was a long one, but we made it. We’re glad to be spending several weeks with Daphne on the farm and it feels good to get away for a bit and reflect on what the Lord has done and is doing in our lives. We enjoyed a wonderful week in Montana with our church family and friends. It started with a stop in Boise on the way up to Whitefish to visit some friends. Then we picked up Daphne in Lewiston, Idaho on Monday morning and made it just in time for bible study on Monday night in Whitefish. We were able to reconnect with friends on both Monday and Tuesday nights and I was honored to have the opportunity to share at our church on Wednesday. It was a blessing to see everyone again and spend time with family even if it was only for a little while. If we missed you this trip, we will be back in Montana in late August/early September and would love to see you then. ...
It’s been a busy spring here in Southern California. Here is a rundown of some of the things we’ve been up to since our last update. The studio at Missions Equip is nearly complete and plans are being made for the start of video recording and website construction. It’s been such a blessing to be a part of this project and we can’t wait to see what the Lord does through this ministry. ...
Hello everyone, I have an exciting update to share with you all. I (Jeff) have been given an amazing opportunity to go on a mission trip to Africa in April. I’m going with a team from Ends of the Earth Ministries to Uganda and South Sudan. I can’t express how excited I am to be able to participate in this trip. The main purpose of this trip in April is to host three training seminars. ...
A new year has begun, and we are excited for what the Lord has for us in 2021. Thank you for continuing with us on this journey. We are nearing the three-and-a-half-year mark since we first received our call to become missionaries, and honestly, we thought we’d be in Japan within the first year. How thankful we are that God did not allow us to rush headlong into work we were not prepared to do. We’re also thankful for the wise counsel from many of you to be patient and to not strive until God opened the door for us to go. We are still waiting for that door to be opened, but we are not idle. Here’s what we’ve been up to and what we’re planning to do while we wait. ...
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We hope that wherever you are, you are able to gather, and that you have plenty to thank the Lord for this year. I’d like to start by saying how thankful we are for all of you. The support we have received this year has been so encouraging. We feel your prayers covering us often, and we love the kind words that you send our way regularly. Thank you for continuing to stay in our lives and read these updates. Thank you for praying for us. Thank you for partnering with us in the gospel just like the Philippian church did with Paul. ...