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 are thankful for your patience and understanding. Our furlough has been going well, as we have been trying to compress the mission board transition, catching up with family, and trying to raise some much needed support in the time that we have in the States. God has been very gracious to us, and we have been able to see several new churches indicating that they will take us on, and have been soaking every spare minute with our families, knowing the much dreaded time to say “goodbye” is drawing near.
Meanwhile, Back in Japan…
While we have been back in the States, the work in Japan has been going well as my parents cover for us while we are gone. Thanks very much for praying for them during this time, as their workload significantly increases while we are gone.
Before we left for the States, we were able to hold our annual church cookout, where we invite friends and family to spend time with our church family, and to hear the Gospel. In our last letter, we asked that you especially pray for the husbands of the ladies in our church. Praise the Lord, three of the husbands came, and we were able to continue to build our relationships with them and several other new friends and family members of our church folks.
Signs of Growth
It has been very encouraging to see the spiritual growth of the members as they not only learn more and more of what it means to be a disciple of Christ, but also as they apply what they learn in their lives. Over the past several months, we have seen several members start tithing, which is a huge step of faith for them. Of course, it helps with the finances of our church, but also, it is an incredible testimony to the other younger members of our church family. Praise the Lord!
We also were privileged to have a Japanese missionary to an undisclosed location in Asia who came to present his ministry to our church people. God really worked in their hearts, and our church voted to take him on for support! Hence, we now have our first supported missionary!
It is refreshing to see our folks who have been on the receiving side of gifts of grace, also on the giving side as well. Please continue to pray for the growth of our church family, not only in numbers, but also in spiritual growth.
Serving Him,
The Carters to Japan
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