Japan in Japan and New Zealand

J2 Combined (Auckland/Palmy) Camp Crowd! Good times!

All Nations Returnees Conference - Kids presentation
(I am sitting 1/3 of the way back... so this crowd is x3)

Mai-chan (J2 grad) meets Ayako-chan (future J2 member for Auckland)
together at All Nations Returnees Conference. Pray for Ayako as she
awaits word on being accepted for Bible College in NZ.

OHHHHH SAAAAA KAAAAA
These are also generations, who weren't all in J2 at the same time

but back in Japan are gathering often for Bible study and fellowship

and to spur one another on in love and good deeds.
The gal on the right is a NEW friend of J2 that we met briefly
in Auckland but who has become a wonderful part of the Osaka family.

TIME TO CATCH UP AGAIN... BEFORE I TRAVEL THOUSANDS MORE MILES AGAIN!

What day is it? What city am I in? What country am I in?

That’s pretty much what it’s been like since my return to New Zealand in early February. Beginning my time back in the country with a J2 retreat was DIVINE providence. It was like my Sabbath rest in Christ to prepare me for the “week” of weeks ahead.

Do you realise that while God rested on the seventh day after He created everything, the FIRST day He gave to man was a day of Sabbath rest. We are so used to thinking of Sunday as a recuperation day, that we fail to realise that God in His wisdom knew we needed to first abide in Him before we faced our next six days of labour. Pretty cool, eh?

If you have Facebook and see any of my posts, you’ll know that I’ve been travelling quite a bit. In New Zealand as well is to Japan and back. There are so many stories I could tell, but I’m not sure where to begin. It seems this year my focus has a lot to do with our Japanese ministry, including the five J2 ministry interns, my household, J2 in Palmerston North, returnees in Japan… I love how God is in control of the harvest field He asks us to labour in.

God has also been doing amazing things amongst the other international students in New Zealand, and as I’ve travelled the country and met with various interns and staff and been able to hang out with some of their ministries, one thing stands out – God is still changing hearts and lives and adding to our numbers daily those who are being saved.

Recently at a student Easter camp which included the Palmerston North OCF (Overseas Christian Fellowship) students and the “Odd Fellows” (Chinese university student ministry), eight students gave their lives to Christ! It was truly an Acts event… the main speaker was Dr. Palatasa Havea (Tonga). He’s on the ISMNZ board with me, and has been such a blessing to the Pasifik Islanders throughout NZ and many students in Palmy. Two of the students are from Malaysia, and six of students saved are from mainland China… and even though the messages were pretty deep and in English – they UNDERSTOOD the heart of God’s message to them and received His salvation! It was AWESOME!

I am so filled with praise for what God is doing here in NZ and in Japan, it’s ridiculous. Truly wild. Thanks to the Navigator students at Cal State Long Beach, I was able to travel to Japan to attend the “All Nations Returnees Conference” in March (http://www.allnations.jp/an10/index.php?lang=en)

There were many highlights for me. The best part of course was having me dear Mai-chan there for most of it. It was exciting to see God give her the desire of her heart by connecting her with young women in her area who are meeting weekly for a women’s Bible study. Two of the gals live one train station away from her station! Another highlight was worship with hundreds of Japanese Christians, most of whom are still in their 20’s. Vibrant growing believers who believe with all their heart that their homeland is their mission field! WOW! And yet another highlight was being able to lead the New Zealand returnees reunion (about 30) in a short devotion, then have small group discussion. My group was awesome, and full of vision about the future of the gospel reaching their generation in Japan. I could go on and on, but if you click on the link I gave above you can get some idea.

My time outside of the conference with returnees was just as wonderful. Staying with Mai was like old times here at Cardiff. She has been blessed with an awesome job and she and Daniel are growing as husband & wife, ministry partners and friends. They head to Thailand and Bangladesh in May to experience mission amongst the poor and hurting in those areas.
Osaka was great as well, spending time with my Sakai Eiko church family, staying with Nozomi’s mum and dad, as well as reconnecting with Shoko and Kayako Morimoto for a few nights. Then, meeting up with the Osaka returnees… generations of them.

People often ask me why I’m still doing this and what keeps me going despite the decrease in funding, and all I can say is THE FRUIT. Seeing these awesome fresh international followers of Jesus continue to grow and continuing in their faith. Knowing that God ordained that I get to have a tiny role in that for the short time they are in New Zealand… it is a privilege and these beautiful kids from around the world are my heartbeat. I can’t THANK GOD and THANK YOU enough for your prayers and encouragement and support in allowing me to be here.

This post is getting WAY too long… so I’ll sign off with this final praise report… In addition to our wonderful pastor, Richard Tien (from Singapore), God has affirmed in KELLIS BYRNE’s heart that he’s the man to shepherd our English speaking congregation. Since late 2006 we’ve all believed Kellis was ‘the one’. But, God had to take our people through the desert to teach us and discipline us and make us strong in Him, and now Kellis had heard from God’s own Spirit that he is to be our pastor. WOWIE! A Singaporean and a Fijian! GREAT STUFF!