I'm so excited to share this update from my friend and former seminarian, Steven Sakanashi. Him and his wife Joy are missionaries over in Japan. I'm praising God for the birth of their second son and I'm so encouraged by their faithfulness and effectiveness on a difficult mission field.
I would highly encourage supporting Steven, Joy and their growing family as well as the incredible work their doing with the Megumi Initiative, church planting and community outreach.
Love these guys!
Their news letter update is posted below and you can get on their mailing list and follow them at the link below.
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Family Update
On May 17th we celebrated the birth of our second son, Shotaro Nolan Sakanashi. We named him after one of my good friends, Nolan Roquet, who passed away from cancer when he was 24. You can learn more about the story here. Naturally, we are in the midst of a tiring season, but we are very grateful for good health and being together as a family. Please pray for us during the next few months as Shotaro grows (especially Joy as she is taking on the greater burden). |
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A few updates and prayer requests for this summer
Sekai Creator:
We will start our next batch of classes in Tokyo during the beginning of October. The focus this summer is on securing funding, building curriculum, and developing Japanese partnerships so that we will be able to increase capacity in Japan.
Recently, God has provided many great opportunities for me to serve through local partners in Japan. This spring I was asked to be a leader and mentor for two programs run by the TOMODACHI Initiative — the Global Leadership Academy and the Social Entrepreneurship Program. Next month I will travel to Tohoku, the region where the 2011 disaster struck, to help support local entrepreneurs looking to expand beyond Japan.
All of these opportunities have allowed me to serve in meaningful ways and establish partnerships which help Sekai Creator. They have also allowed me to develop valuable relationships and share about my relationship with Christ in personal settings.
Prayer
Please pray for me to be a good steward of these opportunities and serve in a way that honors Christ. Please pray for me to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading so that I can minister effectively within my relationships. And please pray that this summer’s efforts of preparation (funding, curriculum, partnerships) would be fruitful. |
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| Our church family photo from Spring 2016 |
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Soma Fuchu Church
This summer our church will welcome three new families from the US. In addition to these new families, our church will host a mission team from the Hallows Church in Seattle during the first week of August. We will host an English day camp for local elementary school kids.
Overall, it’s been a really encouraging season for our church. We’ve been able to develop meaningful relationships with neighbors as we live everyday life together and try to serve our city. Recently, it seems that more people are being drawn to our church community, and we are also seeing a few people who are open to learning more about Christ.
Prayer
Please pray for the three families who will be moving to Japan this summer. Please pray for the upcoming English day camp with our volunteers from Seattle. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to open people’s hearts to Christ and to help our church members grow spiritually. Also, please pray for me as I am in the final stages of becoming an elder in our church. Please pray that God would grow me closer to him and enable me to have his heart towards others — my family first, then my church family, and everyone God brings into our lives.
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Fundraising
Shortly before Shotaro was born I contact a few people about our financial needs and was overwhelmed by the immediate response. We received a few one-time gifts that helped to cover our monthly shortfall until the end of July, and also received some new monthly gifts. During the next 6 weeks I’ll continue to seek out new supporters with the goal of eliminating our current monthly shortfall of $1,500/month (giving link to share with others who may be interested in supporting).
Prayer
Please pray for God to provide for our needs. Please pray for this to be a season that draws our family closer to God in humble dependence and encourages us as we encounter the love and generosity of others. Please pray that my efforts in contacting people would bring greater joy to people as God grows their heart for Japan and world missions.
Thank you for your continued love, prayers, and support!
Steve & Joy Sakanashi |
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