ICAN Year Two Update.

The school year has begun and it has already been a great year. Justin is enjoying being back in the classroom and I am enjoying being back in our home doing our daily routine.

Justin started the high school chapel this year with a bang. He spoke to the kids about getting rid of the old and starting new, and he came home with an *almost* shaved head. I am hoping the students enjoyed it and remembered the lesson because of it :)

I am really starting to meet a lot of women in the area and developing friendships with them. This is keeping me very busy as you can imagine. I have also been blessed already to share in chapel with Preschool through second grade and have enjoyed reading to the Kindergarteners as well.

Here is a couple of pictures of the staff this year at our school. Please remember to pray for all of us as we help the children here in Nagoya at our school grow not only academically, but spiritually as well:

A Week Tomorrow

Almost a Week
I can't believe it has been almost a week since the earthquake and tsunami hit. It has been quite an emotional week for us. We've been experiencing fear and sadness throughout this situation, but we have also experienced sweet joy in the fact that God is watching over us throughout this time. And our faith has been growing from this experience as well. From a late night aftershock a few days ago to a scare of a possible evacuation(which turned out to be the media hyping something up that just wasn't) we have really had to trust Christ through this whole thing and it has been quite an experience.

Perry Family Update
As of right now we are still out of harms way here in Nagoya. I know the news media is making it sound as if our area is being evacuated but this is not the case. We are well out of the way of the nuclear plant situation here. Continue to pray for us and everyone else who is here.

Pray Tomorrow (Friday) at 2:46pm
Tomorrow is exactly one week since the earthquake hit this country. It was at 2:46pm. Our school has decided to stop classes at 2:46pm tomorrow and have a time of prayer for everything going on right now in Japan. I'd like to encourage everyone tomorrow at 2:46pm to stop and take a moment to pray for this country. I have written two posts below this one with prayer points if you need some guidance of how to pray. Thank you so much for continuing to lift this country up to the Father. It is greatly needed.

picture from news.com.au

And it continues...

It has been three days since the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan. And each day that passes by we are hearing about just how bad this really was. We knew it was bad from the time we turned on the news that day. But now there are over 10,000 people missing...and that's just one city. People are suffering so much here.

And it's hard to believe I am here. I felt the earthquake happen. I wasn't sitting in my living room watching CNN in Texas or any other part of America. I feel a part of this place and these people and my heart is breaking. It is something I have never experienced before.

I wanted to give a few more prayer requests today. Please also look at the ones posted yesterday and just add these to the list:

*Please pray for the people in Tokyo, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, Yamanashi, and Shizuoka. On top of the damage they have already experienced they will be having rolling electricity blackouts to conserve energy. They estimate that there has been about a 25% reduction in available electricity because of the nuclear power plant situations.

*Pray for these nuclear power plant situations. There are continual problems with the plants. Please pray that these problems will be contained.

*Please pray for the survivors that are waiting to be rescued. Pray that they will be found quickly.

*It is still winter in Japan, and the areas most affected by the disasters are experiencing temperatures in the 20's and daily snowfall. Without electricity, the survivors and rescue workers are bearing the brunt of the winter weather. Please pray for God to give them strength as they persevere through these harsh conditions.

*There are still several small earthquakes and aftershocks going on in Japan. Please pray for the safety and the emotional health of the people who are still experiencing these things.

*There are almost 250,000 people who have been displaced. Most of these people are without adequate food and water and have relatives unaccounted for. Please pray for these situations.


For those of you who are still concerned about our family:

Justin created a map so you can see where we are in Japan. We are still OK and as of now we are in no immediate danger. We will let you know if anything happens here in Nagoya, and we appreciate all your prayers for us during this time.



Thank you for your prayers.

Please Pray for Japan

I have been sitting here for the past few days watching the death toll rise after the quake and tsunami. I have been watching the missing number of people rise as well. Now there is the concern of the nuclear power plants. I then watch the videos and pictures of cars, trains, houses and people being swept away when the tsunami hit the city of Sendai. It is unbelievable. And as my heart breaks for the people in the middle of this horrible natural disaster one thing keeps playing in my mind: Pray for Japan.

I want to encourage all of you to pray with me. Northern Japan needs all the prayer they can get. Here are a few things I can think of to pray for right now:

*Pray for the people who have lost everything from the flooding in Northern Japan.

*Pray for the people who are missing. Pray that they will be found and reunited with their loved ones.

*Pray for the rescue teams coming in from all around the world. Pray that they would be able to find those who are lost and take care of those who have been injured.

*Pray for the nuclear power plant situation. It looks like one is partially melting down already. Pray that the people who are working on the situation can find the answers to the problems and the people around the plants have all been evacuated.

*Pray that the people in Japan may come to know Christ through this tragedy. Pray that this would bring them comfort and joy in the middle of this disaster.

Thank you for lifting this beautiful country and the people who live here up to Christ. May His hands continue to be at work in this horrible disaster.

Picture from: http://www.jusrhyme.com/category/tsunami/

The Power of Prayer.

I've had many people ask me recently, "How can we pray for Japan?" or "How can we pray for Nagoya?" or "How can we pray for you?" I would like to answer those questions tonight so that we can have more prayer partners for this country, this city, our ministry, and our lives in general.

Thank you for asking such important questions.

We NEED prayer partners. We need people from all over the world lifting these three things up to the Father DAILY. Thank you to those who have consistently been praying for us. And thank you to those who are going to begin praying for us. We need you!


How to Pray for Japan

*There are over 1,700 towns and villages in Japan that have no church. Pray that God will call new leaders to share the good news of Christ in each one of these places.
*Less than 1% of the Japanese people are true born-again believers. Again, pray that God will change their hearts for Him. Pray that they might see the truth.
*The churches here are very small and usually consist of around 30 people or less. Please pray that God will bring many people to know Christ this year.
*Many professing Japanese believers fall away from the gospel within one year. Please pray that God will use the people he has placed here for ministry to continue growing new believers and disciplining them in the Word of God.
*Many people here think because they are Japanese that their identity comes from Shintoism or Buddhism. Pray that the Japanese will understand that they have freedom to choose what they believe and what they will follow, and that the culture into which they were born does not trap them in any particular belief system. This is one of the greatest obstacles to receiving of the gospel in Japan.


How To Pray for Nagoya.

*Over 400 people are homeless in Nagoya. Pray that God will bless the homeless ministry in downtown Nagoya. Pray that they will have enough food for each week. Pray that these people will find hope in the Gospel when there seems to be no hope at all.
*All Nations Fellowship is the church we attend in Nagoya. Please pray that God will continue to bless and grow this church and that many will come to Christ through this church.
*The International Christian Academy is where Justin is teaching. Please pray that this school would continue to see students come to know the Lord. Pray that they will continue to see new students every year. Pray for the teachers as they minister to the children.


How to Pray for Us.

*Life can be very busy as Missionaries/Teachers. Please pray that we will be diligent in spending some time with the Lord alone every day.
*It can be hard sometimes to raise children overseas. Please pray for us as we raise Noah in another culture. Pray that we might be the best parents we can be for him.
*Japan is one of the most expensive places to live in the world. Pray that God will help us raise the support we need every month to continue living here in Japan. Expenses continue to rise.
*Japanese is one of the hardest languages to learn in the world for English speakers. Please pray that we will continue to have patience as we learn Japanese so we can interact better with the people in our community.

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

A Sad Passing.

Yesterday at one of our sister schools in South Korea the director's wife passed away. And although I do not know this family by face, only by name, my heart is aching for them. She was a woman in her 50's, not someone who would be waiting for their time. She had a brain aneurysm suddenly and several hours and surgeries later went to be with the Lord.

This really had me thinking deeply about preparation when it comes to going to meet my Savior.

We are not promised another breath on this earth.
We could be gone today or 70 years from now.
No one knows when their time will come.

I asked myself this question last night and thought seriously about my answer:

"If I were to leave this earth today and meet Jesus Christ, would I be ready?"

My answer would be yes and no.

Yes, because by the grace of God I know Christ as my Savior. I know that one day I will be spending eternity with HIM.

No, in the sense that I would be ashamed of what little I have done with my life for Him.

This has me really thinking now about what I can do to change this in my daily walk with the Lord. I have been praying about this the past 24 hours and will continue to as I ask Christ to continue changing my heart for Him.


To this precious family who lost their mother and wife last night,

I am praying for you.
My family is praying for you.
Our school is praying for you.

May you find comfort and joy in the fact that she is now dancing and laughing in the presence of her Jesus.

No more pain.
No more suffering.
No more heartache.

Just beautiful,wonderful joy fills her now. And one day, you will see her again.

Will you join me in prayer for this family?

Psalm 71:20-21
Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.