Konnichiwa ( Hello )!
Brian and I would like to share some updates on us.

We would like to thank each every one of you for sending us aloha shirts. We delivered them to a gathering of 37people of Tohoku region on 3/23.

Special thanks to the following people……

Linda- we are so glad that the Lord put in your heart to send woman’s aloha shirts. They really loved them. Please see the following article on us.
You will see Linda’s aloha shirts on the paper!
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/otona/news/20130325-OYT8T00515.htm
To me, this was a symbol of love of God that was expressed through the gifts you sent!

Kevin & Shirley- You two initiated to send us Hawaiian caps last year.
We finally got to bless people through the gift!

We also brought Hawaiian coasters, name tags sent by Pastor Mei Li last year.
May the Lord bless you all for what you have done!

When our friend, Mayumi invited us to the gathering, she warned us not to share anything about Christianity. I guess we are not allowed to share the faith of any religion at public meeting in Japan.
We were asked to give a speech, so we seek the Lord what we should share.We felt He wants them to know that they are NOT forgotten. People in Hawaii still care about them and pray for them. Even we can’t share about Jesus, if we focus on love, He abides in us (1 John 4:12)
I saw people crying during the speech given by Brian, we believed that the Lord was touching them.
These 37 people were forced to move from their homes due to a radiation or loss of homes. Many people were willing to share their pains, concerns, and fears with us.
We also asked the Lord before the meeting, “Please bring people whom you want us to connect with”… And He did!
Mr Fukuda and his family were forced to evacuate from Fukushima because his house was situated in the area of high radiation.
He approached us because he wanted to discuss about radiation problems in Fukushima. During the conversation, he mentioned a Christian pastor who is against the restarting of the nuclear plant. So we said, we are Christians, too! Then he said ” I went to a seminary school, but I couldn’t follow regulations of the denominationI used to belong to , so I stopped being a Christian.
He invited us to his home because he wanted to talk to us more. We met his wife and mother in-law. His wife, Hiroko, also used to be a Christian, but she does not want to believe in Jesus anymore.
She has been in depression since 3/11. We felt the Lord wants to bring them back to Him. He sees their pains and wants to reach out to them. We are so grateful that we can be there for them. We decided to get together time to time. Please add Mr & Mrs Fukuda in your prayer.

Ah, we finally purchased a car 2 days ago! Thank U for all your prayers. This car was 10 yrs old, but unbelievably in a good, I mean a perfect condition.
When the Lord gives us something, He does give us the best.
It was a worthwhile waiting!

We have 2 more students for English lessons.
Their names are Shizuka and Riko. We are excited for more opportunity to share about Jesus.

We were also asked to teach Sunday School and lead a small group at a local church we have been visiting. Please continue to pray for the unity among us. It has been an amazing journey how the Lord opens a door.
Brian and I are so humbled by His goodness.
Your prayer, support and love allows us to be where we are!
Until next time……

Much love,
Brian & His scribe, Yuka

It has been almost 8 months since we moved to Hachinohe. It is already September, but still very hot and humid…

We must say summer is harder than winter because we don’t have AC at our apartment.
We realized AC is such a luxury item!

We would like to thank you especially to those who sent us care packages and encouraging words through letters and e-mails.
Thank you for your continuous prayers. Brian and I always remember each of you in our prayers, too.

Brian and I started to teach private Enligh conversational classs since July. We have been praying for more opportunities to share the gospel, not the opportunity for the job. However the Lord has somethings in His mind and started to open a door for us to pray and share the gospel to our students.So far, He has brought us two students.
One of the students is physical therapist. she injured her neck when she carried a patient. She could not turn her neck.
Brian prayed for her and instantly she could move her neck. Praise the Lord!
We told her “anytime she has pain, your teacher ( Brian) will pray for you” She did not know the word of “pray”, but now she does!
BTW, her name is Yuko Nakanishi.

The other student is Rio Takada. She takes lesson with her husband.
When we prayed at home before the lesson, Brian told me that we should ask them if we could pray and bless the lesson.
I did not want to do it because I felt that is too much for the first lesson….
Then the Holy Spirit reminded me why He told me this.. while I was putting on make-up 2hrs earlier , He told me in Japanese ”恐れるな、私がついてる”（Do not fear, I am with you).
At that time I told the Lord, ” I don’t really fear anything right now”…
He knew exatly how I will feel about praying at the lesson, so I thanked the Lord and asked Him to give me His peace.
The class went well. After the class, Rio started to share her struggles in her marriage and it turned out 1hr half marriage counseling.
He allowed us to share what Bibles says about marriage, forgiveness and etc. It was amazing!
At the end we could pray again and bless our marriages.
Please pray with us that He will continue to soften their heart and open their eyes to Jesus.

We also have been keeping touch with Kumi (news reporter).
She interviewed us three times and she is trying to put the article in news paper. It has been cancelled since the article is not priority.
If this is His will, He knows the perfect timing!
Kumi has been facing some challenges in her life and started to ask us what she should do.
We have been sharing scriptures with her and praying for her.

We have been sharing scriptures more with people because we see how powerful His words ministers to believers and non-believers.
One of my friends accepted Jesus two months ago through Skype. One of Brian’s friend who drifted away from the Lord decided to come back to Him last month. Brian has been communicating with him through Facebook. Thanks to wonderful technology!
Everytime they share their problems, we asked the Lord how we can encourage them through His words.
He says in Isaiah 55:11 ” So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it”.
His words are alive and break the yokes of darkness.

And He has been pruning our hearts, too. What He has been doing for both of us sums up in this scripture..
” And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness to humble you and, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not” ( Deuteronomy 8:2)

When we face challenges and inconvinences, it really shows what we are made of.
He has been challenging us to see what is really in our hearts in everyday life. If we can’t be obedient to small things, He can’t give us bigger things. We don’t always like to face ugly side of own self, but we know He does this because He loves us.
He desires us to grow to be like His son, Jesus ( Romans 8:29).

Let’s continue to enjoy our jouney in Him and be the light to the lost as His precious children!

In Him
Brian and his scribe, Yuka

Konbanwa (Good evening).

Spring is finally here and we just  enjoyed the beautiful cherry blossoms.
Thank you for praying and fasting with us. He is definitely answering your prayers and helping us to grow in Him.

We want to share what the Lord has done last month.

4/17- We met Kumi ( a reporter of Daily news paper) for dinner and spend about 4hrs together.
The Lord led me to share about my (Yuka) testimony, how the Lord has been healing me physically and emotionally.
When I shared my struggles to forgive people who has hurt me, He opened up her heart to share her struggles.
She has been struggling not to be able to forgive someone in her life, because of this, she was hospitalized twice.
We could share why God tells us to forgive and she was listening and receiving.
Before we left, Brian asked her if he could pray for her and she said ” yes”.
After the prayer, Kumi said ” this is the first time that she experiences the power of prayer!!
She felt like we did some tricks on her?!?!?
We thanked the Lord what He has done for her and prayed that the seed continues to grow in her heart.

4/22- We have been visiting ” Hachinohe Christian Church”. This church is open to the Holy Spirit and  welcomed us to worship with them . That day, one of church members was having a stiff neck. She was in pain and unable to turn her neck.
Brian prayed for her and He healed her instantly! Praise the Lord!!

After the service, we stopped by MIharuya department store. We met Tadanori-san who was selling seafood products from Hokkaido.
He is originally from Sapporo, same as me.
We shared we are Christians and why we are here, etc. Then he told us that he met a Christian couple last year. They were very nice to help him. He felt like his life got better after he met them. They also gave him a bible.
He started to ask us about Christianity. We talked for a while and Brian asked him if we could bless him.
He said ” yes”, so Brian prayed for him.
He was the very first person whom we prayed in public. This really encouraged us!

4/23- We went back to see Tadanori because we wanted to give him a care package.
We shared about Jesus again and asked him if he wanted to receive Him as his personal Savior.
He nodded, so we asked him to pray with us.
He tried to do it, but he realized that people were watching. He did not want his co-workers and customers think he was weird…..
We told him that we could pray on the phone together.
We tried to call him, but he was unavailable. We received a e-mail from him a couple days after that he would come back to Hachinohe again, so he would contact us later.
He has an interesting job. He travels through out Japan, selling his products at department stores.
He stays at each place for about 1 week.
We will continue to pray for the perfect time for him to receive Jesus!

We have been giving  care packages to several people whom we met at stores.
A couple days ago, we went to Taiwan shave ice place and bought a bubble tea drink.
Then I realized I left my wallet at home………..
The lady was so nice and said, ” That’s ok, you can have this tea for free”.
I went back home, picked up my wallet, paid for the drink, and gave a care package to her.
We pray this will open a door for us to share about Jesus with her.
We continue to pray the Lord will bring more people into our lives, so we can share about Jesus and pray with them!

Right now, He is not opening a door for us to go to different areas like Fukushima, Iwate or Miyagi.
We believe He called us to be in Japan and be the light for the lost, but we are also realizing that He is inviting us to have deeper and more intimate relationship with Him.
We started to do bible study together everyday. His words are so powerful and ministers to our soul and spirit.
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” ( 1 Peter 3:15 )

Japan is not easy place to share the gospel, but if we continue to develop an intimate relationship with Him, they will see the differences in us. We pray that people whom we encounter will want to have what we have in Him!

Love,
Yuka & Brian

Konnichiwa!(Hello in Japanese)