Gary and Naoko in Japan

The most unreached by the Gospel... As we have been sharing with many of you, the northern  area of Japan (known as 'Tohoku')  has been on our heart. We will be taking the first vision trip from 15th to 21st July. This region of Japan that was devastated by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami remains the most unreached area by the Gospel. Huge idol statues can be found throughout the region (the cover photo is featuring Sendai, the most populous city).  Currently there is no YWAM presence in Tohoku, and we desire to be used by God to start something up there long-term. As our first step, we are taking this trip to go and pray in that region. We will be visiting the three southern prefectures of Fukushima, Yamagata and Miyagi. God has opened up contacts, and we will be sleeping in 3 different churches. We are a team of 6 people, each with a heart for Tohoku, of which half of them are Brits! Please be praying for... God to speak to us through this trip ...

Today, we just want to specifically say thank you to all of our supporters. Thank you for standing with us in prayer, for blessing us financially, and for enabling us to take part in God's work here in Japan. We have received so much encouragement through your continued prayers and generous support (some from close family and friends, some anonymous). You have no idea how much this means to us! During the spring-time as we strolled through a nearby park, we saw a cherry tree with wooden beams supporting its branches. This is commonly seen in Japan, especially when the blossoms weigh down the branches (or when the tree is too old)! You are like that for us. God is enabling us and the church in Japan, through your prayers and support, to grow and blossom for His glory. Please know we thank God for you, and we love to pray for you too! We pray that God will also let you experience the amazing joy (and excitement!) He gives as you live out your days wherever He has placed you n...

Hello! Hope this update finds you well. It has been a wonderful couple of months here in Tokyo and we wanted to update you with some of the highlights. Spring is now fully here, though it feels like summer - today is 26ºC! iDTS Things are moving along well for the September school. We have now finalised the lecture topics and speakers and have opened applications up online. Naoko and I have been made the Registrars of the school, so will are dealing with all of the applications, documentation and communicating to the applicants. We have received 4 complete applications, and have accepted all of them. So far, we have 1 Japanese student and 3 Americans. If you or anyone you know are interested in deepening your relationship with God, wanting to take time out to hear God about His plan for you, and are interested in Japan, let us know and we will let you know more info! Or go to www.ywamtokyo.org/dts Partnership with Local Church Unity in the church is something we want to see ...

Konnichiwa! We hope you are well and keeping warm! Sorry it has been a while since our last update.. but here it is finally! Christmas & New Year Firstly, we just wanted to mention we had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas and New Year here, though it's a little different than in England! Christmas in Japan doesn't really exist, besides the fact all of the shops have Christmas decorations and music - even Christian hymns! It's a bit strange, and sad, because they acknowledge the commercial side of Christmas, but don't know what it means. Not too different than England after all then! ... Anyway, Christmas Day is a usual work day in Japan so Naoko and I celebrated my birthday at home and had communion together which was nice. New Year in Japan is the big family event of the year where most people get time off work and enjoy family time at home. This starts with a rigorous cleaning of the home (and car if there is one)! Then eating lots of delicious New Y...

Konnichiwa! This is our first update from Japan! We hope this finds you well. We wanted to update you on what we have been up to during our first months back. New Home Firstly, thank you for praying that we find an apartment! God has been so faithful and has guided us to the apartment we are now typing this from! Everything went smoothly, and we were able to move in really quickly. It is a 2 bedroomed apartment with kitchen/dining area, is a 10 minute walk to the YWAM base and 15 minute walk to the train station - very convenient! Plus it was within our budget! It's so amazing to have a place to call our own for the first time since we got married. We’re settling in well and are gradually getting the things we need. We started with just our suitcases, so praise God for His faithfulness! Our new address is at the bottom of this newsletter. New Church Along with finding an apartment, we were also praying about a church to attend. We really felt that God wanted us to...

Hello! Hope this message finds you well and you've had an enjoyable summer! Just thought we’d briefly update you before we fly to Japan this Saturday (23 August). We’ve had a wonderful and encouraging time here in England spending time with lots of amazing people. We’ll miss you all very much! We’d like to especially thank everyone at the Toxteth Team of churches in Liverpool, Argyle Community Church in Reading and the Cam Vale churches in Yeovil for making us feel loved and at home with you. We really feel supported and sent out from you to do God’s work in Japan! We particularly wanted to share some answers to prayer with you. Thank you for your prayers for my Japanese Spouse Visa! We were able to apply for it at the embassy with no problems, and we had it the next week! God is good. This means I can live in Japan for a year before I need to extend. This visa will give me more flexibility in what I can do in Japan, compared with the Missionary Visa I had last time. Als...

Dear friends & family, It's been a while since our last update! We hope this finds you well. If you're wondering, the picture at the top is from Sefton Park in Liverpool. :) Anyway, a lot has happened over the past couple of months: Licensed To Drive Thanks to all your prayers, I now have a UK driving licence! I began taking lessons at the very beginning of April, and I passed the practical test first time on the 14th of May! I had a wonderful, patient instructor and though it was stressful being on the road at first, it wasn't too bad. Now that's taken care of, the plan is to transfer this licence into a Japanese one, which I should be able to do no problem. They do require I stay in the UK for at least three months though which is why we cannot go to Japan until the end of August... Back To Japan During March, we attended an encouraging Japan conference organised by Japan Christian Link where we got to meet new people who have a heart for Japan. Naok...