Looking Back at 2017

Thank you for your continued prayers, encouragement, and support. It has now been almost 2 years since moving to Fukuoka, Japan from Hiroshima. God prepared the way for us, and provided us many good friends and outreach opportunities. We’d like to give you a glimpse of our ministry and lives here as we serve as your hands and feet on the field. We’re grateful to have partners like you praying for us and for the people of Japan. 

God partnered us together with Pastor Miyauchi of Fukuoka Evangelical Free Church (FEFC). He is a soft-spoken and humorous man, who has been pastoring FEFC for the past 18 years. He and his wife have 3 children; the oldest attends college in Tokyo, and the two younger are in high school and jr. high. FEFC has about 30 members, including a dozen children, and a handful of students from Kyushu University. 

When we first arrived in Fukuoka, God provided a mother and daughter who became two very good friends for Jenny and Juhee. The daughter, “N”, attends the FEFC Sunday School (FEFC’s first service), but is not yet a believer. She has been attending Sunday school for about 5 years at the invitation of former Christian neighbors, and has continued attending even though those friends moved away. After meeting “N” on our first Sunday here, Jenny gave her contact information to “N” for her to give to her mom, which she did. “N”’s mom contacted us that same day, and invited Juhee to come over for a play date. Our families have become close friends ever since, and both “N” and her mom are attending our English classes. 

We planned to begin ministry activities slowly for our first year, but God had other plans. Our ministry increased multifold during our second year! We now have 4 weekly kids English classes, one adult weekly English class, two monthly English classes, a monthly adult English class that we call Coffee and Bible (where we are studying English using the Bible), and a monthly fellowship for university students. Our goal is not to teach English, but to use these English classes as a bridge to build relationships and opportunities to share the gospel with these students. It’s been encouraging to see our English students and families attend worship services or other events at our church! 

Since coming to Fukuoka we’ve also had over a dozen short term mission teams come from the U.S. and Korea to help us with various outreach events including Korean parties, our English classes, and a week long VBS. They also shared testimonies, cooked delicious food, and stamped, folded and passed out thousands of various flyers and tracts. Through these short term teams, we have had the opportunity to meet many new people, and have been trying to follow up with them. 

Please pray for a couple of the college students we’ve developed relationships with these past two years.

* For “Y” who has been regularly coming to our college fellowship, and has also started coming to church on her own volition. She seems to be more and more open to hearing the gospel every time we see her.

* For “C”, who has recently been coming to our college fellowships. He is an international student from China, and seems open to learning more about who Jesus is. 

Please pray for our English students. Please pray for...

* “N” has come to a couple of Sunday worship services with her two children. She comes to every weekly adult English class which includes a Bible lesson, and also bring her two children to the monthly MOPS and Kids’ English classes which also include Bible lessons.

* “M” attends the monthly Coffee and Bible class. She has been asking many good questions as we read the Bible together. Her husband recently passed away, which has made her think more about her own life.

* “K” and “K” are two sisters who are in elementary school who used to come to our English classes. They have been coming to our Sunday school most Sundays, and really enjoy being at church. 

Please pray for the many many other children and families we’ve made connections with these past two years. Many have heard the gospel through our various events, but still do not understand the truth of it. We thank God that He has given us the opportunity to share the Truth with those that He is bringing into our lives! We have many friends here in Fukuoka and we are very grateful for them. We are also thankful for you, our friends all over the world, who continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you!