URGENT NEED IN JAPAN
Dear Friends in Christ, The BGC Japan Mission team would like to thank you for your support of BGC mission work in Japan. We are celebrating the addition of Lori Harms to our team, and reflecting on the many years of service of the Sorleys as they head into retirement this year.
One of the passions of our mission is the education of missionary children (MKs). Jane Fischer continues to reach out to children at Christian Academy in Japan, and we are looking forward to Lori teaching at Kansai Christian School (KCS) after completion of language school. We are grateful for these ladies who have committed themselves to Christ and the lives of MKs in Japan. As you can imagine, it is a difficult task to recruit teachers for schools like these. As one of the supporting missions of KCS, we would like to send a unified, urgent request for teachers for the coming school year (beginning September 2008). KCS is searching for teachers for the following positions: Elementary Education, HS Math, English and Science. If you are willing to invest two years of your life impacting the lives of MKs, contact Debbie Castic at the BGC ( dcastic@baptistgeneral.org) and Jeff Chapman (jeff4japan@yahoo.com) for more information. Please apply soon to allow time for visa processing. Education majors in their senior year are encouraged to apply. You can learn more about the school on their website: http://www5.ocn.ne.jp/~kcs/. Kansai Christian School has been on the hearts of many of you lately as you have been praying for new facilities. We have good news for you! We have been pursuing some land in Heguri, an area about 20 minutes away from our current location. In Japan, land use is tightly regulated and often projects are stalled due to red tape. Last week, we received the following letter from the head of the relocation committee: This past week has been absolutely amazing! On Tuesday I went …to the Nara Prefectural office and met with a person in the development department. She told us what documents we needed to prepare in order to get the property designation changed…. That evening I was introduced to a retired Prefectural congressman whose first words were, ‘It would be very good to have an International school in Heguri!’
The first thing Wednesday morning the congressman…brought me into the office of the top official. The congressman explained the problem with the zoning and building situation and asked them to change the zoning to enable us to use it for our ‘Academy’. When we walked out, the congressman told us that he would handle all the paperwork and it would work out just fine. The doors ‘flung wide open’ and what appeared to be a very difficult situation will likely be completed in short order. In addition, we received assurance of financing and as if that wasn’t enough, I was introduced to a man who will help the school get official registration!
On Thursday, I signed a contract of sale and we will close the first week of June. We should have at least 12 million yen ($120,000) to renovate the place and our monthly payments will probably be 100,000 yen ($1,000) LESS than our current rent.
Every one of our concerns was dealt with in a mere 72 hours!! It was a GOD THING on a massive scale that I’ve rarely seen. Thank-you for all your prayers! I have truly sensed God’s presence in a very special way this entire week.
This is truly exciting, and we thank you for your prayers for a new location for KCS! We are still in need of financial gifts to help us purchase the land and renovate the current structures to make it a suitable place for a school. If you would like to make a donation to help KCS, please send your gift to the BGC, clearly marking it Japan-Kansai Christian School Building (Project #640699).
Although we are so grateful to the Lord for the hope of a new location, it is not enough. We need teachers for the coming school year.
Please be prayerfully considering how you can help supply the needs at KCS. Thank you so much for your prayers for the Japanese, and your love for each of us serving in Japan. We appreciate your partnership in reaching our friends for Christ.
Jeff and Barb Chapman Tom and MaryLou Ellison
Jane Fischer Lori Harms
John and Elaine Mehn Bob and Nancy Sorley
Gil and Norene Zinke
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