English Ministry Glimpse

--> Our time in English ministry is quickly coming to an end, these past 7 weeks have been absolutely wonderful growing and loving on the kids. Here is a glimpse of what life with the kids has been like throughout the last couple of months. Please continue to keep these kids and their families in your prayers as we are constantly sharing our faith in Jesus with them and are showing them the love we have experienced in our own lives.

the Lord's Favor

--> Near the beginning of my time here in the Land of the Risen Son I asked for you (my followers) to pray for the Lord's favor and blessings on my life. The Lord's favor is continuously being poured out on me as I live and interact with the Japanese people. A few weeks ago I was at one of my favorite places, the soccer field at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. This is the field where I had previously met the middle school soccer players, and is also the place where I met my new friend Luqman Kimu.
--> Luqman is a young man my age who is studying abroad from his home in Malaysia. He loves soccer, video games, riding bicycles (mountain and street), and is basically my malaysian twin. Luqman also loves his god allah. Luqman is a practicing muslim who loves people and interacts very kindly.
--> Last night for the first time since we met I had the opportunity to hang out with, take tours of each other's houses and eat dinner with Luqman and his friend/roommate from Malaysia Ashrof. Both of these guys are devout followers of the muslim religion and are beautiful men inside and out. I know that their place in my life is very great and I know that by being friends with them our lives will change dramatically.
--> Please pray for my brothers Luqman and Ashrof and our relationship for the future.

War on Harajuku

-- Last night a group of us went to the world famous Harajuku area in the heart of Tokyo. Harajuku is an area known for its one of a kind fashion, variety of cheaper and more expensive shopping areas, and Japanese men and women who dress in unique and outrageous ways. On the flip side, the side not many hear about, Harajuku is known for its prostitution, exploitation of women, pornography, and sex trafficking. Sex trafficking in Japan is unfortunately big business and because it is mainly run by Yakuza (#1 mafia in Japan) nothing is done about by the authorities and women are regularly sold and used for money.
-- 5 of the DTS male staff and students prayer marched around Harajuku. We felt the Lord leading us to march around the Harajuku area/strip 3 times like in the days of Jericho. While we walked we continuously sang praises to God, and partnering with Him in prayer that He would reclaim the ground that satan has held for so long. We also felt that we are supposed to continuously return to the area to take back more area in the Lord's kingdom and to begin ministering to His children, show them His love, and speak out the gospel.
-- Please partner with us in prayer over Harajuku. Pray just as we did that the strongholds of lust, rebellion, deceit, corruption, confusion, idolatry, worthlessness, hopelessness, and materialism would begin to crumble. AND that Harajuku would be an area of the Love of Jesus Christ, that signs and wonders would begin to break out in that area and that ALL those who visit Harajuku would be touched by the Lord, have encounter with Him and would come to know His love personally.

Holy Hookups

So yesterday Sunday 5-16, I went to our local doughnut shop called "Mister Donutsu" (pronouncing it with a Japanese accent is really fun just fyi) to eat some doughnuts and work on my homework/journal for  the teaching portion of my DTS and go figure i didn't get any of my journal done but not because i was procrastinating but rather because a Japanese dad and his young boy sat down next to me and began asking me questions, In English!!!.

Talk about favor of the Lord. This doesn't happen in Japan 1) Japanese people rarely speak English and 2) Unless spoken to Japanese people rarely if ever approach foreigners first its just something they don't do.

Not only did we have an 1 hour and 30 minute long conversation at Mister Donuts in English, but then Noboru Yahata (dad age 40?) and his son Naoki Yahata (son age 10) invited me to go to the park with them and play soccer and I rode in their car to the park with them. We played soccer for 3 hours at the park (passing, kicking, shooting, playing) and also played with two African boys from Nigeria. So here it is me ( very white), with two English speaking Japanese people, and two black African boys all playing soccer in a park, God is good, is He not.

Then after we got back the night had just begun, I was planning on going back to the house to work on my journal when Noboru and Naoki invited me out to dinner with the rest of their family Miwa (mom late 30s) and Ami (daughter 13), as well as their neighbor and her daughter. The night was filled with raw fish, deep fried octopus, boiled tuna, and great, English!! conversation and I even had the chance to tell them my reason for being here and share a little bit about Jesus.

Please pray for the Yahata family (Noboru, Miwa, Ami, and Naoki) I feel as though they are going to be a huge part of my time here in Japan, and I want to see them come to know the Lord like I know Him. Please pray for more interaction with them and that i get to pour into them the love that Jesus has lavished unto me. They are a beautiful family and as soon as I have a picture of them I will post it up. Miss you all and God Bless

Breakthrough

---I met this little girl two days ago on the train system on the way home from Asakusa. I had the opportunity to give her a small gift, talk with her a little bit and play rock paper scissors. After we parted ways to go on different trains we actually found ourselves in line for the same train one more time. The entire time we were waiting should wouldn't take her eyes off me and thats when i snapped this photo. I never found out her name but her face lit up my world. It describes perfectly how my soul is feeling this week and it is a wonderful picture as to how God is looking at me/us all the time (1st Corinthians 13, Love sees no wrong, and God is love).
--Last week was very rough, but through your prayers we (YWAM group) have pushed through many of the schemes of the devil and are beginning to experience breakthrough with the Lord. This breakthrough is coming in our views of Him, His view of us, our view of ourselves, and His view of others. Because of this we are beginning to walk in power that He has destined to us from the beginning of time (Ephesians 1:3-6). Thank you so much for being committed to my mission and God's plan for me here in Japan, I pray that He blesses you in more ways than you could ever imagine. A dangerous prayer that I would encourage you to pray for yourself and for me from now on is "Lord my God, take me to the places that I cannot go to or get to without your help, the places that I cannot get to unless you take me there."
--Lastly i have put up some pictures from my 4th and 5th week here in Japan here is the link if you are interested.  Japan Week 4th/5th Album

Make War for Us

Colossians 1:9-14

For this reason, since the day we heard about you (Austin & YWAM Staff/Students), we have not stopped praying for you. 

We continually ask God to fill you (Austin & YWAM Staff/Students) with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you (Austin & YWAM Staff/Students) may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you (Austin & YWAM Staff/Students) may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you/us to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 

For he has rescued us/you (Austin & YWAM Staff/Students) from the dominion of darkness and brought us/you (Austin & YWAM Staff/Students) into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Week 2 & 3 Favorite Pictures

Japan Week 2 & 3 Faves

hey everyone here is a look at my favorite pictures from the 2nd and 3rd weeks here in Japan these pictures are from my soccer day in Ookoyama, the easter egg hunt at children's english club in Senzoku, our weekend trip to explore Yokohama, and a few pictures from a small trip to the electric city aka Akihabara. (Just click the picture to be redirected to my online album)