In JAPAN!!!

Hello My Dear Friends! Yes it is true! ( I have to keep telling myself that too) I really am in Japan! It is hard to believe I’ve already been here for a month!

Sincere apologies to my readers for not being faithful to post as of late—I do intend to break that bad habit! Honestly, I was in the middle of posting one big update for my blog 3 weeks ago when my computer totally crashed! I had it sent off and was without a computer for 2 weeks. I’m finally catching up with communicating this week!

I LOVE JAPAN! I love living here—not to say it is the easiest thing to do right now—but I have enjoyed the challenge thus far! God has also put some wonderful neighbors and other people in my life to make this transition easier.

Getting here this soon is truly a miracle of God—and I wish to give Him all of the credit. Raising my support in 1 year and 6 months is true evidence to me that God wanted me to get here quickly! That may not sound fast to you, but when one considers that I was told repeatedly that it would likely take me 5-6 years to raise support, then it really is fast!

Many have asked about the completion of my 50/50 vision—and as far as I know it is covered. Last I counted I still had a several left, but my pastor said he had individuals let him know that they wanted to be one of my 50 and that he was sure I had my 50. PRAISE THE LORD with me!!! He is faithful to lead us in green pastures!

I’m currently in my 3rd week of language school and it is going alright thus far. They are teaching us “survival Japanese” for the first 6 weeks. That means we memorize dialog that could be used say, at a bank, post office, grocery store, etc…then the next day our teacher actually takes us to those places to REALLY practice it!!! It is great to have the “hands on” learning right away! That does not excuse us from book work though—oh no!!! Yes, by the 2nd week we were already writing 1-2 page papers in Japanese!!! Yes, lets just say me and my English/Japanese dictionary are getting to know each other really well!!!

I love my little cabin here in the mountains of Karuizawa! I’ve had so much fun decorating it and making it my own! It is nestled in the woods surrounded by moss and fern—I almost feel like I’m living in a fairy land! It really is almost unreal this place! There are wild boar (HUGE pigs that come in my yard at night) and bear and wild monkeys about here! I’m 7 miles from the base of Mt. Asama—an active volcano which evidently erupts ever so often and sends rock and/or ash spewing about! School children are daily required to wear little yellow helmets to and from school in case of an eruption. Karuizawa is a huge tourist town and reminds me so much of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Adorable, quaint shops line the old fashioned streets with a great variety of goods. The area is so beautiful that everyone (practically) comes here to get married! They perform over 6000 weddings in this tiny town every year!!!

I am currently helping Pastor Richard Rich and his wife on the weekends with their church in Saku—the next city over. It is so exciting to see Buddhist—and other people who are not Christians truly enjoying learning about our God! Please pray God will open the hearts and minds of these people and that Satan will not be allowed ground in their life any longer! Most that come to the church are unsaved. I have so enjoyed making these new Japanese friends and pray sincerely that God will use me to bring them to Him!

I do thank you so much for your faithful prayers and giving! God has truly been my protector, provider, and my peace in what could have been some very rough days.

Please pray for:

1.Satan’s de-throning and God’s working in the hearts of my new Japanese friends and acquaintances. (Note: I will send specifics if you indicate you want them by commenting below or e-mailing)

2. Protection from Satan’s discouragement, confusion, snares, and sickness.

3. That I will learn the language quickly and efficiently. The school director said it is often easier for business people to get the language sooner than missionaries because of the strong spiritual warfare involved.

4. Growth of the church I help in Saku.

5. Relationships between those of us in ministry. –This is said to be one of the biggest reasons that missionaries return home. Satan hits hard here! He loves dividing believers!

Again I thank each of you! God bless you for your part in assisting Japan to know Christ!

Katie

50/50 Vision

Praise the Lord with me! I've seen 4 more souls saved since I last blogged! God is mighty and worthy to be praised!

I'm excited that I can see the end of my pre-field support raising in sight!

The Lord has given me a vision for raising this last part of my support! All I need to get to Japan is 50 supporters giving 50 per month!

I'm calling this the 50/50 Vision! The Lord gave me the verse "Where there is no vision the people perish." Prov. 29:18

PLEASE help me pray for these 50 to come in quickly! My goal is to be able to leave for Japan mid-August of this year! This would put me in Japan in time for the fall semester of my language school.

Thank you all for your continued faithful support and prayers!

If you would like more information concerning the 50/50 vision, you can request it by commenting at the end of this note. These comments will not be published unless you wish for it to be.

Thank you for you partnership for the sake of Christ in Japan!!!

Jesus Club!

Hello Friends!!!

God continues to do amazing things! The last several weeks 5 kids from my neighborhood have been saved!! (ages 7-13) They are so excited about witnessing to their friends and praying for them! The Lord put it in my head to start a "Jesus Club" to disciple them and to use as a tool to reach more kids. The kids have had super ideas about the club!

"We should have matching Bible's!" One suggested "We can collect money and give it to the homeless!" Another suggested. "Or we can give our extra clothes and toys to needy kids!"

And my favorite--"Can we pray for our friend's to be saved too in this club?" These kids are great evangelist! One seven year old was telling his 13 year old sister how to be saved and she accepted Christ!!!


Please pray the excitement will not be lost and that God will be honored and bring fruit! We meet every Monday at 7pm. Thanks!!!

Fishing for Men

Hello My Friends! Much apologies for the delay in update! The good news is that the Lord has kept me hopping with travels, meetings, witnessing, and missions conferences! I have had many great meetings since I last wrote--up to three different churches in week! My support is now at 45%!!! It has really jumped in the last couple of months! Please continue to pray with me that it will continue to come in quickly!

Not only has the Lord been blessing financially but also with the treasure of new souls won for His Kingdom! By the great power and grace of God He has chosen to allow me to lead 12 new souls to know their Saviour since I last wrote you!


God really has challenged my heart in a brand new way lately on how to pray for souls to be saved. Prayer really is the key!!! It has completely changed my outlook on life. I am so grateful for a big God that cares about wee little men as we are so much as to love them.


I wish I could sit down and tell you each story of those who now bear Christs name, but I'll just relate a bit of my encounters with a few of them.



If you get my prayer letters you may remember I mentioned the man named James I met at the lake. James is a Vietnam veteran and an avid fisherman. As I walked by him I felt the Holy Spirit whispering that I needed to talk to him. Observing his baited poles I asked if he was catching anything. "NO. Do you fish?" He asked. "Not that kind of fishing." I replied.

"What kind of fishing do you do?" He asked.

"I fish for men." It sort of just popped out, and he replied with a hearty peel of laughter!

So then I had to explain myself. One thing led to another and he was asking the Lord to be his saviour within an hour! After he was saved I told him that I believed God wanted Him to be another kind of fisherman now too. He was excited to assume his new role as a fisher of men!

Since then James has been to church with me and called me every week just to let me know he is praying for me.


Mrs. Ann is another that really encouraged my heart! I met her in an assisted living facility. After she got saved she was so happy! She told me--"This is an answered prayer for me! Every night I have lain in my bed and prayed that God would show me how I could be forgiven and taken to heaven! Mrs. Ann is 80.

My little seven year old neighbor we have been praying to be saved for awhile. His parents are unsaved and divorced. Three days ago we got into a discussion about God and what sin was. He began telling me how awful a boy at his school was. "He lies, and steals and he doesn't even pray!"



"You know his sin looks just like this to God." I said grabbing up the handful of dirt. "Isn't that nasty? But don't you sin too?" I asked. He became sheepish.

"Sometimes." He admitted. "OK, maybe you don't sin as much. Perhaps your sin just looks like this." I grabbed a slightly smaller handful of dirt. "Does that look better to you?" He was silent. "Now which one of these would you like to eat?"

"Eeeww!!! Neither!!!" He replied!

"His sin is no worse to God then your sin. They are both dirty to Him." I explained. "Jesus is the only one that can come and clean your dirty sin away. To do that you have to ask Him to forgive you of your sin and come in your heart."

Suddenly his little eyes became very wide! "I'll be right back!" he said and ran away! "What is he doing?!?? I thought. "This is the most important part! He needs to get this!" When He returned I was a little frustrated and asked him what he was just doing. "I was asking Jesus to forgive me of all of my sins!" Came his reply! I was shocked!

"Did you just ask Jesus in your heart?" I asked.

"Yes." Was the simple answer. That's really what Jesus is to Salvation--the simple answer!

Public Schools, Pickle Jars, and Praises

What a week! I had the privilege of speaking with an Awanas group Wednesday. I talked about what it meant for a missionary to be on deputation and the "three Ps" for how to pray for them. You can do it too! Just pray for:

People --to be saved
Protection--from evil
Power--of God

Thursday was amazing! I did a Gospel chalk talk in a public school for about 80-90 kids from K5--5th grade! I was so surprised when they presented me a pickle jar with my prayer card taped on it that they had been collecting money in for weeks! I wanted to cry as they presented it to me. Most of these children do not even go to church, but they were so excited to give to missions! It seems I have had many children coming up to me this week very excited to put money in my hand--even if it was just a few pennies and telling me that this was for missions! Children are such an inspiration and encouragement to me. If you have children I incite you to let them know they can be such an encouragement to missionaries right now!

Back to the chalk-talk--I spent a lot of time explaining and giving illustrations for the plan of Salvation. At the end there was an invitation. I got the names of at least 12 kids who said told me that that they received Christ right then!!! I suspect there may have been more than that but I wasn't able to talk to all of them. Several more of the children came up to me and said they still weren't sure that they were going to heaven and asked if how they could be sure. I was heart broken that I could not talk with them before they were ushered off to their next activity. I was able to get their names so the Good News Club workers that invited me could follow up with them. Please pray for Destiny, Bailey, Emily, Isis, Brittany, Caitlin, Taylor, Jason, Kaleb, Ethan, Eros, and Turich who told me about their new Salvation! Please also pray for Anniah, Kieth, Jemini, Tybee, and Tiara who said they were still not sure.

Then, to top off this good week, the Lord allowed me to lead my neighbor to know his Saviour! Much prayer has been answered--and it is truly a wonderful testimony of our Wonderful, All Powerful, Amazing, Loving, Merciful God!!!

One very special prayer request I would like very much for you to pray for this week. My 10 year old sister is having heart surgery Wednesday morning and we would covet your prayers very much. Thank you all of my dear prayer supporters for having your hand in what God is doing in my life.

www.missionarytalks.com

Praise the Lord! I just found out that another church in Germany has taken me on for support!

Yesterday was a real mile-marker for me. Febuary 17th made exactly One Year that I have been on full time deputation! I am currently at 1/3 of my support level so my prayer is that I can start double timing my support rate!

I think it is no accident that on this anniversiary that the Lord allowed me to do something I've never done before to record and sum up this first year of pre-field ministry. I had the privelege being interviewed on http://www.missionarytalks.com/ . My only prayer is that the Lord will be glorified through this!

Another praise is that my car is back in good working order again!--A special thanks to Doug Stevens for that!

Satan's Worst Nightmare

This week has been especially busy for me! My home church's missions conference lasts the entire month of February and they asked me to present my ministry this last Sunday. The morning service they asked me to dress up in my Japanese dress and march in with others that represented nations across the globe.

Sunday night I presented a brand new chalk talk that I have never done before! Preparing a new chalk talk can be pretty difficult--especially when Satan is working over time to try to keep you from doing it! Coming up with a new drawing, an impacting black-light image, a uniting theme, and then the message that is timed perfectly with the drawing are just a few of the challenges that faced me on this project.

Ever see a chalk collection? Well, at least you have now!

I entitled my new chalk talk Satan's Worst Nightmare and spoke about the power of prayer. Let me tell you --Satan got MAD and tried all kinds of tricks to keep me from doing this! When I set out all my chalks to begin it immediately started raining, but I rebuked to Prince of the Power of the Air and asked God to please stop the rain--and He did!!! My God is more powerful than my enemy and He prevails! I know my part was so extremely minute in what happened Sunday night, but I praise the Lord for the feedback of how God touched peoples lives during the chalk talk.

Please pray for me as I will be doing an interview tommorow with a man who will be posting my testimony as a pod-cast on web. Thank you my partners!