January 2024
Dear Praying Friends,
Ex 1:8 ¶ Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
Another generation came and did not remember the great help that Joseph had been to Egypt. God did not forget Joseph and his family, people did. People and time have a way of forgetting the past. Generations come and go. We celebrate this month (10/8/2016) thirty three years ministry in Japan. We are convinced that God is not through with here. In fact, we joyfully feel that we have “a life sentence” for work in Japan from the Lord. We are so thankful for the faithful churches, pastors and believers who have prayed for us and sent financial support so that we could stay here. The majority of our supporters have been with us faithfully for that whole time. However, there have been some, for one reason or another, which have had to reduce or drop our support over the years. So we are faced with a challenging situation. We desire to see the next generation of missionary families be able to get their needed support for Japan and so have been hesitate for many years to seek new supporting churches. However, we are faced with the reality that we need to add more supporters to our ministry in the next year. Lord willing, we plan on a short furlough in March and April of 2017. We will be in the Midwest region of the US for this time period. If any of our supporting churches or friends could recommend some churches where we could give our presentation with the goal of new support, we would appreciate you contacting us. Thank you for praying about this with us.
| Contact Information: Email: mansell@worldtell.com US phone number but reaches us here: 520-303-1446 (we are 14 hours ahead of EST) |
This was an extra busy month so will go in order. David Lewis and his wife as representatives of Homer, Alaska our Sister-City, came to spend five days in Teshio. We were both involved in one way or another for interpreting, working around own schedule, from 9:00 a.m. in the morning until 9-10 p.m. at night the 12th through the 16th. While this wasn’t directly a ministry for the week of our church, this sort of event always gives the opportunity to meet new people, include Christian attitude and testimony in what we say and do, and get to know others from the city office better.
In grade school economics room
left to right-Deputy Mayor, Mayor Asada, David, Lyn, Vicki, Deputy Mayor
lunch with 4th grade class
Dinner at Mayor’s house
⊱Team-Teaching English at the high school
⊱Ken’s always tall but this really is making him feel like a giant!
At the end of that week, Ken made a trip about 3 hours south to pick up the new-to-us mini-van the Lord has provided through the help of a Christian woman and her husband who have a car repair shop. They have access to a car auction and we had giv
en them the parameters of the most we could not only spend from our car savings, but also what type of vehicle Ken could sit and drive in comfortably. The Lord blessed greatly and we now are driving an 8 year old Toyota Estima Hybrid (not available in the States) in excellent condition. We were then able to pass on our older mini-van to fellow laborers, the Randy Smiths, as they had just returned from their furlough in the States and needed another vehicle. This will give them needed time to save and look for something better when the time comes.
Two events overlapped each other: the visit of a long time Christian Japanese friend, Hiro, for Jonathan Marks and Mr. Inagaki’s 18 year old sister coming to Teshio to give a cello mini-concert. She was accompanied by her pianist and their grandparents. We were able to squeeze in an evening meal with Mr. Inagaki and the group the day before the concert. Vicki fixed a traditional Japanese meal and we had wonderful fellowship around the table until after 9:30 that evening. Both the grandparents as well as Mana-san, his sister, are Christians so that made it extra special! The city chorus that Vicki and Mr. Inagaki take part in also began the concert with three numbers! 
While we didn’t have any direct working with Hiro-san in his visit, we did enjoy having him in one Sunday service and lunch afterwards when we did a traditional Hokkaido lamb meal you cook in the center of the table at his request.
We ended this month with a trip that began in Asahikawa with a good report on Ken’s next kidney stone check. Good in that the stones that remain in the same place and haven’t gott
en any bigger. He doesn’t need to be checked until next spring. He beg
ins a new opportunity of witnessing to his doctor, as the previous one who we have dealt with for the past 7 years was transferred to a teaching post in the university hospital. Please pray that our testimony to him and to the present doctor will continue to work in their hearts. Beings we were over half way to Sapporo where we occasionally do bulk shopping, we went on with the Marks after enjoying a wonderful lunch with fellow laborers, Dean and Sue Zemke. In Sapporo we were able to meet with Dr. Mitsu and his wife. Another contact that Ken continues to labor with in English and testimony.
✩ ✫ ✬Prayer need –we still need a 2nd young lady to join the one intern coming next summer! Please pass the word! And look within your own church or family✩ ✫ ✬
Serving Christ Together,
Ken & Vicki Mansell
Just A Prayer At Night – Your evening is our daytime!
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