Christmas Ministry Highlights

Christmas is one of our favorite times of year here in Japan. It's fun to see all the Christmas lights and hear Christmas music and even more fun to experience Christmas in another culture. But that is only part of the reason why we love this time of the year. We love it because we get to share with our community the real meaning behind Christmas.


This year we once again participated in the Christmas program at the homeless ministry that Justin volunteers at with his students. Noah and I usually do not get to go for various reasons, but this time it worked out for us to join him. We also got to bring my family along and serve with them as well. It was a wonderful experience.


The homeless tend to be forgotten in Japan. It was a wonderful blessing to us to be apart of a church service that gave them hope and also gave them some physical needs as well too.


One of the homeless men at the service gave Noah a small red toy car. He had so much joy in his eyes watching our little man play with it at the small park we had the service at. He told me in broken English that it was nice to give something to someone and that he was happy to hear a child laughing. It brought tears to my eyes.

We were also able to participate in ICAN's musical this year. Justin had a part in one of the skits about the real meaning of Christmas and little Noah got to sing a Christmas carol on stage at the end of the presentation. It was so cute to watch him up there with a huge smile on his face. To say he was adorable would have been an understatement. I know, I am his mom and I'm a little biased, but hey when your kid is cute, he's cute! ;)

Another neat blessing that came our way was the chance to spend Christmas with my family. My mom and dad and one of my brothers came to Japan and spent Christmas with us. It was a Christmas with chicken instead of turkey or ham, Japanese candy and other new experiences. It was a very different Christmas, but one of the best I've had.


All and all it was a fantastic holiday season this year. I hope all of you have had a wonderful 2012 so far!

Prayer Focus: The Homeless in Nagoya.

Today it is snowing. We are again being blessed with wonderful, beautiful snow. And I am again enjoying watching it fall from the sky. Of course I am watching it from my very warm apartment.

I must admit, last week when I was deciding on what topic to start our prayer focus Mondays on, the homeless were not the first thing to pop in my mind. I actually decided on it this morning. The snow was what changed my mind. And a comment from a friend that I remembered from the last snow in our area. The comment was about praying that the snow would go away because of all the homeless in the streets. In the enjoyment of the last snow fall I remember thinking to myself, "I would have never thought about that. I would have never wished the snow away for the sake of the people who have nowhere to go to get out of the snow." So I have decided that during this snowfall I too will remember to pray for these forgotten people. So let's pray for the homeless in Nagoya.


Prayer Points

*Pray for the health and safety of the homeless, especially during the cold of winter.

*Pray for the homeless ministry here in Nagoya that meets every other week. This ministry has a church service for the homeless; afterward they share a meal together. Pray that God will touch the hearts of these people who feel so hopeless. Pray that through this they will come to know him. Pray for the people who put this service together. Pray that God might use them to share the Good News of Christ. Pray that there will always be enough food to go around during these services.

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Hebrews 13:1-3

Photo taken by:Winnette Glasgow