December Praise and Prayer

Motomi in her Bible study time

Motomi requested a Japanese meal…she had never

eaten one made by a foreigner…oh the result?? She said is was very good!

Mrs. Sonoda (rt) talking to Mrs. Yajima

lt-Mrs. Tokumaru’s youngest daughter, Haruka
and her two friends

Ken talking to ex-mayor Honda and his wife

Ryo, the young man that grew up in our English classes and now visits
when he comes back to Teshio on school vacation. Ken & Brother Randy
both got to witness to him quite a bit.

lt to rt- Miss Tsuzuki, HS nurse who comes on Sunday evening
Miss Ichikawa, HS English teacher that Ken works with
HS principal who has attended 3 yrs in row

first time we have been able to sing a quartet in Japan

Rachel narrating the puppet play

another of the music numbers with Smith girls, (lt to rt), Katie, Ann, Emilie
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In December our concentration is on the Evangelistic Christmas program which we held on December 23rd, a government holiday here. Our program is attended by those that choose not to accept our invitations to other regular services so we go the extra mile for this opportunity. Missionary Randy Smith and family provided several musical specials and an evangelistic puppet play. The main theme for the whole program was the reason for Christmas. Christ was born to be the Saviour of all people. Ken’s sermon after it tied it all together with the reason for Christmas: the Cross!

God provided Japanese to attend the Christmas program this year, from children to adults. When you include the nine of us foreigners, our small meeting room was full! Three former English students returned to Teshio just in time to attend the service. Beings the Smith family was here, it was such a blessing to have the extra ‘bodies’ to talk to the various ones during the tea time afterwards. The current high school principal returned for the 3rd time. Two teachers from the high school came as well. One was a young lady who has been attending the Sunday evening English service. Although the present mayor and deputy mayor were not able to attend this year, the former mayor and his wife who have attended several years in a row came again. Mr. Honda commented on the sense of peace he experiences each year when he attends the program. This year he added that he felt like a Christian for one day a year!! Pray with us that he will take that a step further and CONTINUE to hear the gospel all year long. Please pray they would agree to start a specific study on a regular basis. Another lady who we have mentioned, Mrs. Mirei Fukuda who has been coming to the Sunday morning service also was able to attend. We praise God for the opportunity to get the Gospel to these people again.

Our opportunities did not stop there. On Christmas day evening, Dr. Nao Nishino was again able to spend the night with us before starting her weekend shift in nearby Enbetsu hospital. We had three study times with her throughout the weekend. After the last time together on Sunday evening she told us she knows that it would be good to ‘receive the message we give’ but it will affect her whole life so she needs time to consider it carefully’!! Her schedule will have her back in this area mid-January. We know your prayers are working in these various ones lives…please keep them up! That same Sunday we had both Motomi (the dentist young lady) and Mrs. Fukuda in the a.m. services. Motomi was able to stay for lunch and part of the afternoon. We had an afternoon Bible study time with her. She continues to ask questions and is a very bright young lady. Pray that the light of the Gospel will shine clear in this young lady’s heart even though she very distinctly told us when we first started up with her that she didn’t believe there was a God. She will be leaving to work in Vietnam in two weeks but we have a Christian contact for her there as well! We are praying she will be able to continue studying the Bible there! God knows!! Praise Him!

We know not what 2010 holds but we know Who holds our hand! God bless you for being a continuing part of our lives!