Month: December 2019

The New Year is a time to make resolutions. Of course these resolutions are exciting and fun to start. For this reason we put together some goals and work out how we are going to complete them. We usually start on January 1st. I particularly like the meaning of the word resolution. It means to make a firm decision to do or not to do something. Have you ever made a firm decision to do something? Most of the time resolutions are not kept, because they were never made by making a firm decision to finish. The very first time I went to Japan God placed a determination in my heart. Surprisingly this determination has led to starting a ministry and forming the Japan Reach team. The reason for having this determination is to share about the love of God […]

Sometimes we received a blessing when we least expect it. Occasionally something just happens that surprises us. A few weeks ago I went to Columbia Regional Airport to pick up a Japanese student coming in from Tokyo. I had met him through a mutual Japanese friend connecting us. He was coming to the University of Missouri to do research for one year. My Plan My plan was to take him shopping at a department store so he could purchase somethings he needed to set up his apartment. He was in need of basically everything from furniture, kitchen supplies, to household goods. I didn’t want him buying everything, because that would be very expensive. My thoughts were perhaps to find a few of us that could come up with some stuff to give him. I decided to make a Facebook post […]

Do you think it’s okay to DREAM BIG? Can God give you something so big you could not possibly accomplish it on your own? Does God want us completely dependent on Him to work through us? Will He bring others to help make this dream come true? I believe the answers to all these questions is “YES!” More than Myself My faith tends to grow more when I know I can’t make this dream happen without God leading the way. As long as my eyes stay focused on Jesus I can see clearly. When I stop focusing on Him I can begin to fill up with anxiety, fear, doubt, and inability. I have to remember the dream is not about myself anyway. It far exceeds me. It’s about what God wants to accomplish through me and others. It is for […]

I am not a fan of the way some people show “Christianity. ” One time I heard a story about a missionary in Japan fifty years ago who caused a great deal of difficulty for one of the churches in Japan. What he did has been a struggle to undo for several years after it happened. It spread into the whole community and caused people to stay away from the church he was working at. This is What Happened One day a Shinto parade was getting ready to take place near this church. They had to use a rope to block off the sides of the road. The same way we set up ropes to block off people from getting in the street for a parade in America. They stretched a rope across the front of the church. The church […]

Two weeks before one of our mission trips to Japan I received a message from a Japanese student who attended the University of Missouri. She knew of a young man from Tokyo who wanted to join our missions team. His desire was to practice his English with us so he would be better prepared for college in America for the upcoming school year. My immediate response for him wanting to join our team was a big “YES!” I thought it was quite brave of him to join our team without knowing any of us. He grew up as an only child and was getting ready to spend two weeks with several people his age and a few older people. 🙂 He was going to experience being a part of a BIG family. We Appreciate their Help Anytime a Japanese student […]