Going to Osaka (Soon)

Greetings from Kobe,

So next week, I will be going to Osaka for the following five weeks to work with the missionary there. It sounds like I will be helping with both international short term missionaries and local church ministries including a church plant in Osaka. Since not every knows this, from where I am in Kobe to where I am staying in Osaka is about an hour and a half away by public transport.

It will be a bit different from what I have been doing in Kobe for the last three months. For now, I have been working with the same set of English students and the church ministry not much different from the ministry in America (aside from the language and resources). In Osaka, I will be participating in various outreach and prayer walking opportunities. I was also given a bit more detail on a church plant that I will be helping with while I am in Osaka.

But what about the church here in Kobe? Fortunately, we found a young man named Collin to fill in for me during the summer. He is a student at Liberty University who is studying TESL and has a heart for Japan. I will say that hanging out with him that last two days has been refreshing, especially since he is very much a nerd like me. I can tell that he will have a good time like I have been but also that this will be a good growth experience for him.

Prayer Requests:

Safe travels: I will be traveling by public transport to Osaka, which means that I will be bringing my bags with me, which will make it obvious to all around me. While things are pretty safe in Japan, there is still a chance that I could be targeted.

The Big City: Osaka is one of the most populated Cities in the world (http://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2017/11/03/here-are-10-of-the-most-populated-cities-in-the-world.html). While Kobe is also in Japan, it is not as populated as Osaka is. It is not that I am fearful of the busy city life but it is a further change from what I was and have grown used to. There will also be other unique challenges and ways to grow while I am there.

Visa: I have filled out my Visa application so I can stay in Japan for the next year and handed it over to Pastor Taniguchi this week. He has parts of the application to fill out before he submits it to immigration. If it is accepted, I'll be able to stay in Japan for another year. While it is likely that there will not be any hiccups, I still would like prayer that the application is accepted. I'd also like pray for the continued ministry here.

Collin and the Taniguchis: While I know they will be able to survive without me, I'd still like prayer for both Colliin and the Taniguchis while I am away. That their ministry continues to grow and effectively serve the students in Kobe. Also pray that Collin will be a blessing to the Taniguchis and vise-versa.

Long-Term Requests: Please continue to pray for me as I learn the language, I was encouraged recently that it can take two years to learn to be effective in a new language, pray that I keep on studying and find opportunities to practice. I also know that I will be having a few expenses, mainly my phone is dying and my netbook is underpowered for what I want it to do (especially for the long term). Pray that I will be wise with these items, that I get just what I need and at a reasonable price.

Thank you for your prayers and support

- Carl