Working on getting ready

Well we are on our way...our plane tickets have been bought and now it is just reducing our inventory of 16 years of stuff to just two suit cases per person. We will move out of our place on June 15th into my moms house and go into painting mode to prepare our place for renting July 1st. Mihoko and her dad are flying to Japan for scouting purposes in April. Did you know Easter is a month early this year? I don't remember having an Easter in March. But then I don't remember a lot of things. We just had a friend invite us over to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Gotta love that gyoza. That reminds me of last November when at the Japan Pastor's conference we went to a gyoza diner and had some really tasty morsels. Thanks Travis. I just finished last week a class by Oxford seminars where I have been certified to teach ESL. I was just taught how to create a lesson with the purpose of making some forward progress in their language learning. It was fun. I am not going to Japan to teach English but teaching English is one of the best inroads to sharing the gospel with Japanese that might not otherwise give a rip to listen. My wife is a product of English classes at a church and then home-staying in the US. She became a Christian and then met a really cute guy in college and married him. Now we are going back to Japan to by God's grace to repeat the process not that we are going to become a dating service for Christians but that we'd be leading many to Christ through sharing the gospel while teaching English and friendship and ministry. I was confronted the other day with a well meaning individual who challenged me on going over with a distinct plan. His question was, "so what is the first thing your going to do?" I said, "Find a place to live." He said, "no what is your approach to ministry what are you going to do?" I said, Pray first and do what ever the Holy Spirit tells us to do. Of course, we have the plans of visiting hospitals and meeting the neighbors and making friends and going to schools to make contacts with the kids. But mostly, we will be hanging out as the Lord leads us to make friends and teach them the word of God. I think the stereotypical mindset of the Americans is that as a missionary we must be waking up at 4am and having a 3 hour quiet time with the Lord then we go out and stand on a street corner and proclaim the gospel of Jesus day in and day out. We will be visiting some of the Calvary's in the area to see what they are doing. Who knows maybe the Holy Spirit is going to use us in one of the other churches? I don't know. Many of the guys have a great mind for the things of Christ and they are doing outreach through starting a Coffee Shop or a thrift store or some of the churches plan for the City festivals and get a booth and do outreach through the city sponsored events. I am looking forward to using all the means God allows us to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with whomever wherever and whenever. Some Christians are made and gifted by God to be seeker missiles and they can go out and zero in on a victim and blast away. I am more of a stink bomb. I just hang out and the fragrance of Christ comes out and either they like it or they run away. I'd be interested to hear what sort of godly ordinance you think you are. I could see some one being a claymore mine with a trip wire that would blast away when the subject wire is tripped. Anyway, back to packing. God bless you all.

Calvary Chapel Mission Conference

Can anyone say Hallelujah? The missions conference was an awesome conference. The speakers all rocked sharing their heart for the Lord and teaching verse by verse. For me two special speakers were Dr. Richard Bennett and KP Yohannan. These two men of God have the humility to allow the Holy Spirits power to flow through their speaking. There was a tapestry woven through each speakers message to show clearly that the Spirit wanted us to realize that walking in the Spirit and Baptism of the Holy Spirit is not just to play with the gifts of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit didn't give the gifts of the Spirit for us to just sit around smoke it like an experimental drug and catch a high. The power of the Holy Spirit is to surrender ourselves to the point of a tuned in presence that moves us to the hurting and those ready to hear the gospel. We are to have a sense of the desires of the Spirit and to love on those whom he moves us to do so. There was also a lot of flesh slaying; it was a massacre.

We saw many great friends and everyone is supportive and excited about us going to the field. I am wishy washy at times. I get to thinking of logistics and timing. We need to fix the home to make it rentable. We can live with the problems and adjust but not so with a renter. So I can stress myself out especially what to do with my business. Pray with us as we make this transition. I feel like leaving right away. I am the kind of guy who gets a splinter and will rip it out with my teeth right away even if I have to sacrifice skin. So to get rid of our stuff and reduce our existence to a few suitcases and boxes is mind boggling the quicker the easier for me. Mihoko is more methodical and she forms a plan that is why God put us together. If there were a fire then that would solve everything. But I don't want that. We have stuff we'd like to keep. Pray for us to hate our stuff and just get rid of it. We have been cursed by living in Orange County California. I have talked to many of you who also have the same problems. Some of you can't even walk into your kids bedrooms for the ocean of toys that will wash over you. Your fearful of drowning in there. You just stand at the door and speak into the room, "honey are you in there it's dinner time." Your breathe a sigh of relief when your child emerges without a scratch. Yea, just try to reduce the Walmart inventory in that room to 2 suit cases. If only Ikea had a repackaging of the furniture back into boxes and then free shipping to anywhere in the world. Please pray pray pray. Thank you. Dan

Equipper Conference Eve of New Years Eve

Hey guys,
We are surrounded by about 300 or more Japanese students. They are full of energy and run constantly on caffine and laughter. We are exhausted but mostly because we are juggling workshops and counseling sessions and our Kids. The Director of MHS housing and his wife have watched our kids twice now. They are a real blessing to us. Anyway, the conference is based off of the 2 Corinthians passage of chapter 4 and the "Ministry of Reconciliation. It is an amazing passage and in the mornings we have an inductive Bible study class where we are dissecting the verses. The sad part is we are getting more out the the IBS than we are out of the preaching. Lots of stories and analogies but a depravation in the word. I am being challenged in my heart to be gracious and not judge. Anyway, there are some very dear Christians here serving the Lord and there has been much fruit in the Kingdom as many have given their heart to the Lord and renewed their commitments to Him. I was able to attend my old Pastor Itsuo Ueno Sensei's class and enjoy a brief fellowship with him. His daughter was here and it was great to see her walking in the Lord. We are constantly being reaffirmed by the Lord that going to Japan is the right thing and there is a great need to have couples teaching the whole counsel of God. We have had some precious times in small groups ministering to those the Lord is allowing us to minister to. Our kids are troupers they are bored but being very patient. It is good to have them along side us ministering. There is only 6 or 7 kids in the Child care so our kids are getting a lot of attention. For the New Year we are looking forward to the Missions Conference next week. On January 26th we are attending the RJC Conference. Then after January it is truly pressing forward onto leaving for Japan. I have already been invoicing my garage door customers under my buddy's company. We are so blessed how God has put things together. My head spins when I get overwhelmed by the complexity of all the details and issues we raise but The Lord is faithful to constantly show us that nothing is an issue or complex for him. I am excited to go to Japan. I have such a desire to teaching the word. Talk to you soon.

Figing leads to timing of travel to Japan

Hey,
I have been fascinated with the fig plant in the Bible. Used for healing of sores in the Old Testament and identifying with the leadership of Israel. In Mark 11:22 Jesus has just cursed a fig tree for showing signs of promise but failing to produce the fruit (just like the leadership). The tree died and the disciples are tripping. Jesus then says "Have Faith in God". Did you see that Faith In God is an acrostic of FIG? I have looked at this passage and even studied varieties of fig trees and plants. But as I am pondering moving to Japan I am asking God for the date. He gave me Matthew 24:32; Now learn the parable from the fig tree; when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near;

I am now looking at the spring 08 for departure time. I pray that my wife and I will be in perfect agreement when to leave. Now to sell my truck, tools, bike, business, library, and rent out my house. It's all in God's hands.

I want to plant a church in Japan

My wife Mihoko and i have been married for 16 years. The first five years was going to school and then we had the first of 4 kids Caleb. Since dating Mihoko we have always had our eyes on Japan and an intense desire to tell the gospel to as many Japanese people as we can. We wanted to go to Japan for a few years early on. Caleb was diagnosed with a heart probem. At three years old he became really sick and we watched him go real fast and we were unable to receive a heart transplant. We waited for two months in the Hospital and we were blessed to spend that time with Caleb. He was a beautiful kid and he is now completely healed in Heaven with a new body. So 10 months after Caleb goes to be with the Lord we have our third kid Rachel. Nathan was our second born 14 months after Caleb. Rachel at 10 days old is diagnosed with the same heart disease as Caleb. We were very sad. At 4 years old Rachel received a heart transplant. She is now 6 years old. We were crazy and about killed our parents but we went ahead and had another girl Jane Elizabeth. Nathan and Jane is very healthy and have no problems. Today Nathan in 9 soon to be 10 in April and Jane is 3. Rachel is two years post-transplant and doing extremely well. So well we are now thinking back to our desire 16 years earlier. This wasn't something I had even on the Radar. God has a way of letting us know when he is ready to send you. There were things in the Bible that stired our hearts. Abraham, "get thee up to a country that I will show you". Wow, Just go and wait on God as you go. Moses and the burning bush where 7 times he denys the call of God on his life. Jesus saying in John, "As the Father has sent me so send I you."


So I am two years ago after Rachel's transplant felling pretty drained. I was spiritually and physically tired. I went to a men's retreat where I was touched by God in a mighty way. The Spirit came upon me very strongly. There was some prophetic utterance as to me being given a gift of a Pastor/teacher. I was hungry for God in a way that had been void during the stay in the hospital. 4 other men and I got together for prayer and started to seek the Lord. We have so much garbage in our lives that is distracting for the Lord. We spent almost a year cleaning house in our souls. We became legalistic in many areas and had as Pastor Brian calls it a holy club. Yet out of this time the Lord ministered and spoke and we all had the sense to step out in ministry. We could not contain the joy the Lord had put in our hearts. I decided to begin a Japanese Bible Study translated by my wife. We had started a translation ministry for Pastor Chuck before Rachel went into the Hospital. When we came back some did not want us there. Rather than to fight and contend with them we took some wise counsel and separated from them and went and did what God was calling us to. It has been such a blessing. We took a year and taught through the book of Genesis. We are now starting in Exodus. We have had fruit of two receiving Jesus and others being disciples.

Last year at the CCCM missions conference we were there ministering with Mihoko performing translation. It was a Wednesday afternoon and I was hearing the message after lunch in a fog state of being. I was in and out of consciousness. I started to see a vision of me standing in a field with one door there. I was transfixed by it because I am a door man by profession. The door was in working order but it was locked and I could not open it no matter what I tried. I was questioning the purpose of the locked door when a voice behind me said. "Turn around." When I did there were millions of Japanese people standing there in front of me. I blew the vision off and didn't say anything to anyone. That Saturday we were in prayer in our holy club and one of the brothers tells me he had a vision on Wednesday about me. I was intrigued to say the least. He went on to say that he saw a door thrust open and I was thrown out and skidding across the asphalt on my tushy and my shoes flew off. When I stood up in my socks there were millions of Japanese standing in front of me. Wow, I have never had that happen to me in my life. I go home and tell my wife and I don't get a hey were going to Japan excitement, no it was I am not going to Japan if that is what you think? I was blown away and remained in prayer. Mihoko did not and still to this day doesn't have a great desire to go to Japan. But she was also spoken too. She doesn't want to miss the blessings of God. So we began 6 months ago praying for God's will. She went from maybe going over for a summer to maybe 6 months. Okay she grew to a year and lately she has been praying about a two year stay. There are other confirmations and I will post those later but right now I am very tired to say the least. God bless you.