September 2008

Prayer Requests

Dan & Carol Iverson

• Please pray for guidance as we make hard decisions about what we need to stop in order to take on new responsibilities (country coordinator) and be more diligent with the existing ones (family, team, church, etc).

• Please pray for our upcoming HMA (mid September—mid November) which promises to include, not only the wedding of our second daughter, Martha, and her precious life-mate, Ian, but a whirlwind of visits to churches and individuals who continue to faithfully "hold the ropes" for us in the U.S. Thank you for doing the same through your prayer on our behalf!

Team Overall

• Pray for the team, while our team leader (and new country coordinator), Dan Iverson, is on a two-month HMA in the USA. Pray for God to strengthen and sustain the team in his absence, protecting our unity and blessing the work. Pray for God to use the Iversons’ church visits in the USA to mobilize people, prayer and finances for ministry in Japan. Continue to pray for God’s financial provision for the team, and for wisdom as we are stewards of what He provides.

Oyumino Church

• Please continue to pray for elder/staff Nobuaki Nagata’s recovery. He is beginning to work a little each week now. Please pray for this dear brother’s full recovery.

• Please continue to pray for us that we seek to do a better job discipling believers and leaders. God is answering, as we are seeing progress with servant/leader training three times a month.

Oyumino HONDA Congregation

• Please continue to pray for the formation of the Honda leadership team, pastoring team, and worship team under Dan and Mr. Uchida’s leadership as they raise up leaders and identify Honda's vision.

Oyumino ALIVE Congregation

• Pray that the leadership would have wisdom as they pray and make plans.

• Pray also for “impactful” ways to reach out into the community.

• Praise for the warm friendly atmosphere that continues here.

Olymino TOKE Congregation

• Continue to pray for this congregation to find affordable location for public worship.

• Pray for physical, spiritual and emotional strength for the church planter as he and his family has been under a lot of stress.

Just a couple of stories of how God is working in Japan:

“It seems like a dream!” I have seen Mrs. I. every Tuesday morning for the past year. We study English and Bible together and then she stays for a second Bible study in Japanese. Over the year I have seen her countenance and confidence change. As she became more and more sure of her belief in God as her Savior, she began studying with a pastor to prepare for baptism. But her husband was not in favor of her becoming a Christian. She has continued to come to church, even bringing her grown children with her, but she has been postponing her baptism until her husband is more favorable. This morning she was beaming as she said her husband now thinks it is a good idea for her to be baptized! As she relayed this information to me she said, “I’m so happy, it seems like a dream!” And her beaming face gave testimony to the joy she felt. Please pray for the rest of her family to soon experience the joy that comes from knowing Jesus as Lord.

“I wish you were never born!” Mrs. H. gave a testimony after the sermon today. She told of growing up with a mother who was never pleased with her. In fact her mother told her “I wish you never been born!” Mrs. H shared of her pain and how she had often just wanted to die and leave this world. When she finished high school she went to the furthest university she could attend. She married after college and never returned to live in her childhood home. But the pain of her upbringing continued and even though she was a wife and mother she wondered sometimes if it would be better if she were not here.

Not long ago, because of her interest in singing, she started practicing with the Oyumino Church gospel choir. She said that as they sang of a wonderful God and studied the Bible and prayed together, that the love of God became more and more evident to her. She was baptized on Good Friday. After her baptism she went home and called her mom. She wasn’t able to ask for forgiveness for her part in their terrible relationship but they did have a civil conversation and that is progress. She says that God’s love is transforming her. She cannot yet completely forgive her mother but she sees God changing her heart and enabling her to forgive, and love, and pray for her mom step-by-step. Please pray for Mrs. H. and her family.