Here are our most recent prayer letters. Enjoy!
Carter Connection- September 2014
Family Camp Every year in the month of August, our church gets together with several other independent Baptist churches in the Tokyo area for Family Camp. This is a time of much needed Christian fellowship and preaching. This year we were able to have several ladies attend, as well as a man named Mr. Hanagaki, a noodle restaurant owner who was saved recently. Because of his busy schedule, he and his wife (who is still unsaved) were only able to attend one day. However, while they were there, their hearts were touched by the time they were able to spend with other Christians. This year I was able to teach several young adults throughout our time at camp. Please keep these young people in your hearts as you pray for us. They are among the next generation of Japanese who will win their country for Christ. Akigawa Baptist Church Family In our church, we are constantly praying for and reaching out to the families of our Christians. Currently, we do not have any Japanese families in which the entire immediate family is saved. Therefore, the reality of unsaved husbands, wives, parents, and children is constantly in front of us. There are two ladies ...
Read moreCarter Connection- July 2014
Home Church Visit As missionaries, one of the obstacles that is difficult to overcome is the disconnect that naturally happens between home church (or supporting church) and missionary. For many missionaries, it is very difficult to explain living conditions, the culture, spiritual obstacles, and the people to whom you are ministering, simply because there is often no frame of reference that can be used to adequately explain those things without actually being there. Last month, we had the privilege of having our pastor and several members from our home church come to visit us for a week and a half. They came specifically for the purpose of ministering to us and understanding how we live and minister so that they could better pray for us and our people. Words cannot describe what an encouragement this was, and still is, to us. Not only because of the encouragement that we personally received, but also because our church family in America was able to build ties with our church family in Japan. We are very thankful for the sacrifice that they made, both financially and in their time away from home, to come to be such a blessing to us. Annual Church Cookout While our ...
Read moreCarter Connection- March 2014
English Class Visitors (Continued) In our last prayer letter, I mentioned several English class ladies, who had started to come to our Sunday afternoon Bible class. I am happy to say that Mieko, Sumie, Yoshiko, and Yuechin have been continuing to come faithfully, studying God’s Word, and learning more and more about who God is. Thank you so much for your prayers over them. There is still a long road ahead of them as they continue to learn more fully their need for salvation, and the gift of redemption offered to them by Christ Jesus. So please continue to keep them in your prayers! The “Blizzard of 2014” In February, we experienced similar weather to what many of you back in the States are “enjoying.” In Tokyo, there is very little snowfall. We usually get a few inches of snow in February or March, which clears up after a few days. But this year, in mid-February we were hit with the biggest snowfall in 45 years which accumulated over a foot of snow on one weekend, followed by the biggest snowfall EVER RECORDED (over a foot and a half) the next weekend! Our area shut down for several days because traffic just couldn’t ...
Read moreCarter Connection- September 2013
Mission Board Transition Process If you recall in our last prayer letter, the mission board of our sending church, Shawnee Baptist Missions has been discontinued, and so we have been in the process of finding a new mission board to go out under. Since our mission board is a VERY important part of our lives as missionaries, this transition CANNOT be done without due diligence, and prayer, and following the leading of the Holy Spirit, both on our part AND on the part of the mission board that will be taking us in. That being said, we are very thankful for God’s provision and for his direction. There is a possibility that another great independent Baptist church in the area will take us in through their mission board, so please pray for wisdom, and guidance throughout this potential transition. We have been involved in weekly meetings with the pastor of the church’s mission board for the last couple of months as part of their vetting process. So we covet your prayers for the decisions that need to be made in the days ahead. Because of this long transition process, it has taken a while to get this letter out. We ...
Read moreWhere We Live
Japan is a unique country that seamlessly meshes centuries-old tradition with cutting edge tech. It is truly a culture that is all its own. My hope is that you will be able to get at least a small glimpse of that uniqueness here.
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