A Note from the May's

Each of us just have to write to let you know how God has answered your prayers for us and those around us since our last May Memo.

Debbie-

Do you remember Kevin, one of our TEAM missionary kids, who was suffering from terrible sores in his mouth and throat? He was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, an allergic reaction to medication which can be fatal. After days of excruciating pain, 16 days in the hospital, and 10 kilos of weight loss, Kevin was released from the hospital. We enjoyed watching him eat and listening to him talk (two things he really couldn't do for almost three weeks) as he stayed with us for five days. Through this difficult sickness and suffering, God strengthened Kevin's spirit, giving him a vibrant testimony of God's faithfulness. We were glad we could help the Bridgman family through this crisis and see first-hand God's healing power. The doctors were amazed at Kevin's quick recovery. Your prayers along with hundreds of others from around the world no doubt made the difference.

Last Saturday I had lunch with Yumi, a 23-year-old young woman whom I met for the first time last month. Someone from Oregon introduced her to me via e-mail. Yumi speaks English fluently, having spent several years in the States, even graduating from art school in New York. She's a typical young person today, with very little ambition in life and feeling unloved by family. I was able to talk to her about some serious issues and give her a copy of a new animated version of the gospel called Manga Messiah. I'm thankful that she is open about talking about the Bible. Please continue to pray that Yumi will find that Jesus is the one that she needs, rather than the things that the world has to offer. And pray that the newly published Manga Messiah would draw people to God through the dramatic pictures and the Gospel message.

I've started teaching a Korean lady English and Bible at her home. Mrs. T. is a Christian, but has stopped attending church for a few years. She is so happy to open up the Word again and realizes that she needs to get back to church. Please pray for us both as I work with her through some personal issues. Her husband and 23-year-old daughter also need to get back into a vibrant relationship with their Savior.

Gerald-

Our Mitaka Gospel Choir's rehersals will start up again this week. We might have up to three new members, who showed interest in joining us after they heard us sing at a gym Christmas party last December. Pray that through gospel music, we will have opportunities to share our faith with these women and with those for whom we perform.

Whew! I'll be teaching my last Integrative Theology class this Thursday evening. The five students seem to have appreciated the eight classes and will hopefully use what they've learned to impact their world for Christ. I've been asked to teach this course again in the summer. Please pray for wisdom as I continue to make changes to improve the material to make it a more effective disciple-making study. Pray too, for the Christian Life Training Center's graduates this coming month. All are adults in the work place, who have felt a desire to deepen and broaden their grasp of Scripture to become more effective disciples for Christ.

Just recently Sato-san and I finished the translation into Japanese of yet another Max Lucado book, entitled "3:16." It is an in-depth look at just the one verse of John 3:16, drawing out many implications of those grace-packed words. Please pray for the final stages of editing and publication by Word of Life Press here in Tokyo. I'm already determined to make use of the book in my Theology class later this year. Please pray with us that it will strengthen and enable many Japanese Christians to be even bolder in their walk with Christ.

At Family Forum Japan we are just about ready to put out the re-release of the training DVD "Sex, Lies and the Truth." Aimed at youth, this powerful presentation lays out the lies of the world related to sexual relationships, "safe" sex, and illnesses like AIDS. With a clear presentation of Biblical principles we hope this media will be used in churches and schools to fill a woeful gap in the moral training of the youth of Japan. We're also gearing up for a series of family seminars and sexual abstinence seminars. These are the core of FFJ's ministry and take a great deal of work on the part of our handful of staff members. As you pray for those would you also pray for and consider how you might join our financial support team...we are facing a huge funding crunch and are looking to our Lord to provide funding for staff salaries, our radio ministry and publishing projects.

Finally, I've also been privileged since last fall to have an itinerant preaching ministry in several small churches in the greater Tokyo area. It's sobering and exciting to see both the struggles and God's working in these little bodies of believers. Please remember Oppama Bible Church's International fellowship, Nokendai Bible Fellowship, and Grace Bible Church, and that my rather simple Japanese will, indeed, communicate what God wants to give to each group.

Thank-you for being part of our team!