Halfway Through

By -

December 2013

Dear friends, family & co-workers!

We hope this message finds you well and you're wrapping up warm! It's strange to think it's likely freezing where you are when it's so warm here! But we'll be traveling to Winter in a couple of days. Brr!

We have reached the half-way point of the Discipleship Training School here in South Africa! Lecture phase has ended. We have had a wonderful time here getting to know people from all over the world, learning more about God and missions, being involved in local ministries in South Africa, as well as learning about married life! It's been busy, loud, challenging, inspiring, energising, frustrating, fun! We have both enjoyed it very much and are excited to see what God has for us next, and beyond! We feel that God has been speaking to us about the future and He's been placing things on our hearts that caught us off-guard! We will share these things after more prayer. But first comes Turkey..

The past month has been crazy. As we are both now leading the outreach to Turkey, we have been busy making email contacts in Turkey, planning our time there, finding accommodation (frustrating!), and figuring out a budget (very tight). But we and our team of 5 others are excited and expectant that God will use us to share the love of Jesus with those that don't know. Turkey is a 99% Muslim country and we believe God wants to reveal to them that Jesus is more than a prophet!

Thank you so much for your continued support and friendship. Please be praying for our team, that God will keep us safe and that we won't run out of money. Most of all, that we will have our eyes fixed on Jesus and that God breaks our hearts for the Turkish people we encounter.

We will be leaving for Turkey on Monday (the 16th of December) and will be back in South Africa on the 24th of February. After this, we will travel back to the UK on the 3rd of March! Until then, have a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!

Blessings,
Gary & Naoko


Prayer Points:
  • Thank God for winter clothes!
  • Safety in Turkey
  • God's provision
  • Focus on Jesus
 --

みなさまへ

アドベントに入りましたね！いかがお過ごしですか？
日本はきっと本格的な寒さになってきているのに、こちらは夏で変な感じです。けれど明後日には私たちも、トルコの寒い寒い冬に突入します・・・＾＾；

私たちは、南アフリカでの弟子訓練学校の課程をようやく半分終えたところです。世界中から集まった仲間たちと友情を築きながら、神様の愛について、宣教について、（そして結婚生活について！）本当にたくさん学ばせていただいた充実した１２週間でした。
ギャリーも私も、このような学びの期間を過ごすことができて感謝いっぱいであると同時に、次なる導きを楽しみに祈っているところです。というのも、思いがけない形での導きを受けつつあるのです・・・
けれどまずは、トルコ！その後のことに関しては、もっと祈ってから皆さまにちゃんとお伝えします。

このたび、ギャリーと私はトルコへの２ヶ月間のミッショントリップのリーダーとして奉仕することになりました。最初は何の経験もない私たちなので不安もありましたが、主の平安に後押しされ、引き受けることに！以来、現地での活動内容や予算立てや宿泊先探しなど、様々な準備に追われながら忙しく過ごしています＾＾；至らぬ点が多い中、しっかりと責任をもって
仕事を果たすことができるようにお祈りください。

トルコチームは私とギャリーを含め、国際色豊かな合計７人です。みんな若くやる気満々です☆
人口の９９％がイスラム教徒であるトルコの地において、「イエス」という人物が預言者以上の存在であることを少しでも伝えられますように。現地の教会を通しての主の働きに加えていただけますように。何よりも、チーム全員の健康と安全が守られ、信仰が強められながらトルコで伝道のために用いていただけますようにお祈りください。

今後の予定としては、あさって１６日（月）にトルコに向けて出発し、２月２４日に南アフリカに戻ります。そして２８日の卒業式を終えた後、３月３日にイギリスに戻る予定です。その後は、お楽しみに・・・！

いつも私たちを祈りをもって支え、応援してくださり本当にありがとうございます。
皆さまのおかげで、元気に弟子訓練学校の後半部分に入ることができます。ハレルヤ！感謝しています！

皆さまがそれぞれの場所にあって、喜びあふれるあたたかなクリスマスを過ごせますように♫そして、すばらしい２０１４年を迎えることができますように。
年末でどんどん忙しくなる時期、どうかお体にお気をつけてお過ごしください。


心からの感謝をこめて

なおこ＆ギャリー
 
 
お祈りポイント；
  • 多くの方々のご協力のおかげで、冬服が集まったことに感謝！
  • トルコでの健康と安全のために
  • トルコでの経済的備えのために（予算がギリギリなのです！）
  • 信仰が守られ強められるように
                                                                          お祈りください＾＾ 
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

First Week in Japan

By -
Image
I'm finally here! It's been a long time coming, but now I am in Japan! I found some rare free time so thought I'd do a quick blog to let you know what I've been up to! The flight on Sunday/Monday was nice. I didn't get any sleep on the plane which meant I was extra tired when in Japan due to Nefyn camp and the 8 hour time difference, but oh well! After arriving in Narita, I was met at the airport by an OMF worker and we travelled via train to Ichikawa (OMF Japan HQ). There I was shown the guest house and they then left me to my own devices! In Japan! All alone! Was a bit scary, but I wondered outside, to the train station, then popped off to Akihabara (Electric Town). I just had to visit this place while I was here! This is geek heaven. Hundreds of stores that hold DVDs, games, Anime, Manga, all kinds of electronics and arcades. Oh and porn mixed in there as well which I found shocking. There are even vending machines with porn scattered around Japan for easy ac
Read more

Outreach on the Streets of Tokyo

By -
Last week we spent every day, Monday to Friday, going out into the streets of Tokyo with the aim of meeting people and sharing God's love with them. And I had to somehow lead this time! Scary! Well, it would have been scary if it were me actually leading. It was God. Thankfully so! The students under my charge did an amazing job at worshipping God every morning and listening to him in order to follow him each day! We spent time every morning to thank God for who he is and what he had done then gave him all of our ideas of evangelism and all of our worries and fears. I split everyone up into small groups and each group listened to God and decided on what they felt he was saying. We had people go to Shinjuku, Harajuku, Yoyogi Park, Shibuya, Meguro, Musashi-Kosugi, Ebisu and even Yokohama among other places I can't think of right now! We met lots of homeless people, prayed for them and gave them food and drink. We also met random people on trains and parks and the street and
Read more

Japan Update: July 2012

By -
Image
It's hot! Summer is well underway here in sticky Tokyo! Mushiatsui is what we call the yucky humid hotness here in Japan. But anyway, it's the end of July. Time for another update! DTS This month has been a really amazing outreach month for the DTS! The students had a great time in the Philippines reaching out with the YWAM base over there to the young ladies working in bars and also to young street kids. The YWAM base at that location is made up of women who came out of bar work and now work towards setting people free that are like how they used to be. They have a safe-house where girls can come to stay and also receive education and training so that they can work and earn a living without working in bars or as prostitutes. The students learnt a lot from these women and at the very end of the outreach, one of the girls working in the bar decided to leave the bar and live in the YWAM house. She is now being discipled with the lovely ladies there! Praise God! She has a sm
Read more