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Encouraging

  • Three values to help teams thrive

    “A‌s you prepare for the ministry, I would like to share some key attitudes that can be used by God to greatly minister to the Japanese church and people: 伝道スピリット (dendo supiritto): spirit of and [...]

  • Why don’t we pray?

    I’m sure we have all gone through periods when we don’t pray that much. That doesn’t mean we don’t pray at all, but sometimes our prayer life can become a meaningless round of perfunctory platitudes. [...]

  • Spiritual warfare in Japan

    Of the various lessons I’ve learnt during the three years I’ve been in Japan, the biggest one has been about spiritual warfare. In particular, I have been surprised by how real and how normal it [...]

  • Community is vital

    “I want so much to belong. Sometimes I think I kind of belong and then I realize that I really don’t belong. The scary thing for me is that I don’t belong in America. I [...]

  • A role in God’s movie

    I was standing on the sideline of our kids’ soccer field, chatting with a bilingual friend, when another Japanese mum we hadn’t seen for a while came over to chat. It all seemed ordinary enough. [...]

Inspiring

  • Short-term teams are valuable

    We consider short-term teams a great asset for the work of the Lord in Japan and other nations. Short-term teams assist with evangelism in many locations including parks, railway stations, and college campuses as well [...]

  • A 25-year tapestry

    A‌bout to embark on my ninth trip to Japan, I was assailed by the same questions from my family and friends as I prepared to leave them once again: Why Japan? Do you think you [...]

  • The benefits of giving thanks

    Paul exhorts us to “in everything give thanks” (1 Thess. 5:18 NASB). Here, I consider some of the benefits that can flow to us through following this exhortation. Dispelling negative emotions Being thankful can sweep [...]

  • Connecting people of all ages

    At the age of 25, Masako Tanaka left her job as a personal care assistant and moved to New Zealand. It was around that time that the devastating Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, and she [...]

  • Combining family and church planting

    I had a deep desire to share the gospel with Japanese people when I arrived in Japan in 1951 at the age of 20. I met Phyllis, who was also with the same mission, about [...]

Equipping

  • Lessons I have learned

    Scenario: Your church or mission wants to send a short-term worker or team this summer and they have asked you to be in charge. How do you approach this big task? You know that hosting [...]

  • Short-term missions: moving forward

    You’ve probably seen a kid’s show where the cartoon character is skiing, but then clumsily falls and begins to tumble down the slope. As the character rolls down the mountainside, they become enveloped in an [...]

  • Take time to listen

    When I do premarital counseling, I tell couples to listen, listen, listen to each other. In Japanese, I write kiku, the verb for listen, three different ways, きく、聞く、聴く. In hiragana, kiku has a soft feel. [...]

  • Prayer letter inspiration

    Google “writing inspiration” and you’ll get millions of suggestions. Finding inspiration can be a problem even for full-time writers. So here are some ideas for next time you don’t know where to start on your [...]

  • The early stages of language acquisition

    Each stage of language and culture acquisition has its own challenges. Probably the greatest battle in the early stages is against the feeling of being overwhelmed and discouraged. The goal of fluency can seem very [...]

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