Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu. Kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegai shimasu. Shinnen o medetoo gozaimasu. Translation: “I greet you in this New Year. Please think well of us in this year. Congratulations in this New Year.” Often in Japan these words of New Year’s greeting would be repeated constantly in January sometimes deep into the month like the 15th or even the 20th. We are expected to greet key people in our lives the first time we meet…
I just got back from the October trip and am partially recovered from travel, work, and jetlag. Many asked me after I returned how my trip was. My reply was that the travel was smooth and the impact with leaders changed paradigms and moved momentum forward, but personally as a teacher and mentor the trip was particularly challenging. Part of the challenge means more recovery on this end. But it was worth it, and I…
FOCUS ON PRAYER
September seemed like a revolving door of visitors at our home in Illinois. John’s college friend from campus crusade dropped by, then a Japanese church planter, at that time Phil and Katie Tsai, new missionaries to Japan, joined us in mobilizing for outreach to Japan, then we had our local small group over. John is off to Asia this month to flip the script and meet with people in South Asia and Japan (see below).…