A Thank You From The Tsunami Victims of Japan

Encouragement!

The past month has been very encouraging. We had the pleasure of participating in two Mission’s Conferences, met some wonderful people and had more opportunities to share about the great spiritual need in Japan. The Lord also orchestrated a meeting with Japanese Pastor Shingo Katayama and his wife while they were here on a short trip in the US. Pastor Katayama greatly encouraged us and also invited us to a Japanese Bible study that meets once a month in Gastonia (about an hour from our house). We were able to attend the meeting and met some wonderful people who invited us back to be a part of their Bible study group!

We also heard from our team leader last week and we now have a place to live in Japan! One family on our team will be leaving for HMA at the end of December and another family at the end of June. Our team leader agreed that December is most likely out of the question for us, so they are planning on putting us in the other house. We were hoping to be in Japan before then, but God’s timing is perfect and we praise Him for the provision of this “furnished” home in Japan! This is an encouragement in so many ways. We don't have a lot of "stuff" to furnish a home, so we won't have to purchase and/or ship a lot of things, praise God! And it's encouraging to know that our team is making preparations for our arrival because we can get pretty discouraged sometimes feeling like we're never going to make it to Japan.

We feel very encouraged that God is preparing us in so many ways and we trust Him to bring in the additional financial need in His timing. It is tempting to worry about the money, but when we look back at how God has always provided and how He continues to provide for us and prepare us, how can we worry. Our job is to trust Him and keep moving forward in faith, not to worry. Not because our faith is great, but because of the Greatness of the One in whom we put our faith!

Prayer Request and Update Oct 5, 2011

Hello everyone,

What a wonderful privilege to write to you all and ask for prayer. We may be a little bogged down with current struggles in the US, but rest assured God's Kingdom is advancing on earth and God is definitely doing something in Japan. We have a new opportunity to share with two more presbyteries out west as we continue to ask for support and also to raise an awareness of the great need for gospel ministry in Japan. I will be flying out of Charlotte this morning for Seattle and then on Friday to Sacramento. Kim is flying out on Saturday and we will visit with churches etc over the weekend and head back to N.C. on Tuesday. Please pray that God will use this time to open doors and grow our partnership with churches and individuals out on the west coast. (Of course we are certainly not opposed to support from east coast people either in case you were wondering :-)))

More than 99% of Japan's population does not profess the Christian faith. Not only is there a great need for evangelism and church planting in Japan, but there is also a great opportunity. It is our prayer that more churches and individuals will recognize this opportunity and join the mission of reaching Japan's lost millions through partnering with us financially and prayerfully. That more folks will see this as the privilege that it is - being on mission with Christ to Japan. Let's partner together to carry the gospel to a spiritually impoverished land.

In Christ,

Triston Craven

704-441-3011

tristoncraven@gmail.com

Mission To The World

JAPAN

Living by Faith and Not by Sight

I was listening to our local christian radio station the other day and the General Manager started talking about "faith support". He reminded listeners that he was not making a plea for a handout or trying to sell a product. He was asking them to be part of sharing the Gospel with people in this community, to be a part of what God is doing through the radio station. I thought he did a very good job of explaining "faith support" and it caught my attention because we trust God to provide our finances as well.

Our job is to obey God's call and be faithful to invite others to join the team! We're not salespeople nor are we professional fund raisers. We don't have control over when or how the funds are provided, we just have to trust God to provide for what He has called us to do, and He will!

God is touching the hearts of many people to be a part of taking the Gospel to Japan, through giving and going! He loves the people of Japan and wants them to be free from the bondage of false religion.

Often we feel like Peter, stepping out of the boat, doing something that looks crazy to the "rational" mind. But if we keep our eyes on Jesus, He won't let us sink!

Come Be A Nobody For Christ (Michael Oh's most recent post on the Desiring God blog)

Many people leave college with the goal to “be somebody.” And this usually means getting a good job, making good money, buying a nice house,...

Honest Japanese Return $78 Million in Cash Found in Quake Rubble - ABC News

Honest Japanese Return $78 Million in Cash Found in Quake Rubble - ABC News

Article from INVISION: A bi-monthly e-newsletter of Mission to the World

Opening the Doors for the Gospel in Japan

Following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, MTW church-planting teams and partner churches in the Tokyo and Nagoya areas responded quickly to help the people affected by the tsunami. The teams were led by MTW missionaries Dan Iverson, Wayne Newsome, and Japanese pastors Makoto Fukuda and Seima Aoyagi. The stricken area, the Tohoku east coast, is an area of small, coastal fishing villages and small cities. Churches from the Tokyo and Nagoya areas have sent over 100 individual truckloads of relief supplies and volunteer teams, helping stabilize the area. Though government relief efforts have been relatively swift and effective, there are still many people who are homeless or living in temporary shelters. And, as a result of the deaths of approximately 25,000 people, there are now many shattered families and orphaned children. However, there seems to be a new spiritual openness among the Japanese, particularly those directly affected by the tsunami. This openness presents an unprecedented opportunity for MTW missionaries and partners to work in cities virtually untouched by the gospel. Relief efforts have noticeably changed from carrying supplies to carrying love—serving hot meals, performing concerts, playing with children, and simply listening. And as Japanese Church members and missionaries listen, they are making friends and opening doors for long-term relationships. “We have been warmly welcomed by the residents of the region and anticipate an ongoing and lengthy effort to help,” said Bob Drews, assistant team leader of the Chiba team. Only about 0.22 percent of Japanese are evangelical Christians. Most Japanese do not know a Christian and have no knowledge of the Bible, much less of a sovereign and loving God. Moreover, Tohoku is the least-churched area in all of Japan. Currently, there are no Presbyterian Church in Japan (PCJ) works in Tohoku, though MTW is actively working with evangelical churches in the area. The ministry dreams of renting a facility, or purchasing land or a building, establishing a permanent facility for church-planting teams. The facility will provide opportunities to work with children, elderly, and families. The ministry also hopes to jump-start future business ventures. “Having a physical footprint in a community is vital to a long-term relationship that can bring the gospel transformation to individuals and communities,” said Drews.