How to help Carl to Saturate Osaka?

UPDATE: I am no longer going to join Saturate Osaka. Most of the information should still be relevant if applied to Japan in general. You can find out more in this post: Continue?

Greetings Everyone!

I wanted to let people know a few ways that they can be helping me return to the mission field and work with Saturate Osaka. I've also posted this same information in video form on YouTube.

#1: Pray

Prayer is essential for any ministry, and having a wide network of prayer partners will ensure plenty of prayer coverage.

A few specific ways to pray before I leave and while I am in the field.

• Pray for the people of Japan and specifically Osaka, that they would be open to hearing the good news of the Gospel

• Pray for me and the other missionaries working in Osaka, that they would make their divine appointments to meet the unreached in Japan.

• Pray for the Japanese Christians, that their testimony can help reach their countrymen

• Pray for the families of missionaries, for comfort and peace for the extended period apart

And in the meantime, as I work to raise support, Pray that God leads generous people to me to support the work in Osaka.

#2: Give financial support

As I return to Japan, I will need monthly financial support to cover the costs of serving in Japan. So I will be needing ministry partners to give financial support.

"Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account."

Philippians 4:17 NASB1995

I am looking to raise a minimum of $2,500 per month, which is equivalent to the average salary of a native English teacher in Osaka, which is still on the lower end of salaries.

Monthly support pays the bills, housing, food, etc. and also other ministry expenses, especially public transportation. 

One of the self-funded missionaries was limited in how often he could visit the university campus because the daily public transportation cost was getting prohibitive. So the more funding beyond the minimum goal that is raised, the more ministry opportunities I can pursue.

Churches can partner with my mission, and set aside a portion of their budget for my financial support. But that is not the only option.

I was talking with another self-supported missionary and a majority of his support was from individual supporters, with his biggest supporter being an individual rather than a church.

You can pledge to give support, either start giving once I leave for Osaka for three years or you can start supporting me now while I am still state-side, raising support and doing local ministry.

E-mail my church at office@etbc.org and let the office know how much you are pledging to give in support each month. This way my support is tracked and I do not need to be informed about the amount you're giving.

One time gifts are also appreciated. There are going to be some startup costs, so even one time gifts can be used

Give online on my church's website at www.etbc.org/give (if registered, you can set up automatic recurring giving and receive the paperwork for a tax deduction) or Send via mail to the address on the website.

If you need to arrange an alternative, please contact me and we’ll see what we can work out.

#3: Share

This is probably something that you have heard quite often on YouTube “Please like, share, and subscribe.” and the reason is that it gives more opportunities for their videos to be viewed.

Getting the word out is going to be an important element for this support raising campaign to succeed. someone you know may also be able to contribute.

Please share my videos and blog. My YouTube channel can be easily found at YouTube.com/carlerbe and you can share this blog by copying the address above or by clicking one of the share buttons at the end of this post.

If you have the contact information for your church’s missions pastor/committee, please give them my contact information and send me their contact information also. I would like to talk with them and see if there is some way we can arrange for me to share with your church about this opportunity to partner with the ministry in Japan.

So if you know someone who cares about Missions, Japan, or even myself, please let them know about this ministry. I have known people who are willing to financially support a ministry in need, they just need to hear about it first. 

#4: Other ways to help

You can also help by providing some professional support. One of the self supported missionaries was once given free tax services from a tax professional rather than financial support. Maybe you have some skill, service, or special knowledge that could be useful for someone going into the mission field. 

If I had to ask for something specific, I could use some professional photos. Almost everything I've been using has been taken on my smartphone, and often as a selfie. So a few professional photos could be useful in the materials I share.

If nothing else, I will ask you once again to pray. I mentioned it at the start but it is a good reminder to be constantly praying for the ministries you support.

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So I would like to ask you to pray for me in these areas right now.

First, Pray for a strong prayer network to spiritually support this ministry.

Second, Pray for ministry partners to support the financial needs of this ministry.

Third, Pray God leads you to people to share about this ministry in Japan.

And Fourth, Pray the God brings plenty of helping hands to get this ministry going.

Thank you for your prayers, please consider how much you can give, like and share, and thank you for your help.