Prayer requests$B!'(B

For Tokyo Vision Church and Noah`s Ark Preschool

My friends here and those I know in Japan (Mr. Y, Mrs. M, Mr. T, Mr. N especially)

The Kangs here the missionaries I`m working with

To hear what He`s saying and do it.

My parents' walk

To finish strong

Wow! After a fairly quiet month two months ago, this last one has been fairly eventful! How

amazing is it to be a part of Abba$B!G(Bs work? Nothing is more exhilarating and exciting

than seeing Him water dry souls with supernatural refreshment, seeing these pleasant surprises

around every corner, without fail.

Last month suddenly, a new student signed up full time at our preschool! Thanks for all

your prayers! We still need more to survive, but she was necessary to continue. She still

has all her baby fat even though she$B!G(Bs 4 years old, and says everything at the top of her

lungs. But she$B!G(Bs so much fun, and best of all also comes from a non-Christian family.

Already as a result of her signing up, a family has come to a church service.

I$B!G(Bm doing just fine myself, basking in the beautiful Spring weather, enjoying great fellowship

outside work hours. Right now I$B!G(Bm writing from Iwaki, Fukushima (only about the first two paragraphs), a place along the Pacific coast where the Tsunami hit. We didn't get to do relief work, but got to meet with two of the survivors, encourage a local church, and some people in the community. In this particular bay, there were 800 people that lived there, and 180 died.

There were only two houses that were not flattened, including buildings! The one house

that survived with only relatively mild damage had a man still living in there, who was told

he needed to evacuate soon. He invited me and my two friends that I came with, my Japanese Mom (more on her later) and another. Towards the end of the visit, I mentioned God to him, and he said he wasn't interested in any god or religion. I told him I'm not a fan of religion either, and that's not what I was talking about. We explained a bit about the Father's heart for him. Then I asked if I could pray for him for anything ailment, and he let me pray for his neck. After I prayed, he said his neck wasn't better yet, but he felt like light was shining out from me, and kept complimenting me! Later he said to the local pastor that brought us, "I can't believe God gave me such a blessing today". He told us he had only ever let people into his house since the disaster two times, but felt like he had to invite us.

The church we stayed out has an amazing story. It was a pachinko parlor, and the owners' son became a Christian. The owner spent around a million dollars renovating the building, then shortly after died. Meanwhile a local pastor got an email from a friend that said, if church is just a place to meet then we should burn it down. He preached that message, and that very night it burned down, because of a fire from the neighbor. In need of a church, the pachinko parlor's son sold it to the church, who turned the first floor into a church and coffee shop, and the second two floors stayed very much as they were, high quality housing. When the disaster causing tsunami hit in 2010, people from all over the world flooded Japan for relief work. Since then, 15,000 volunteers have flowed directly through them, "Global Mission Church". They have some marks of the qualities of Christ, housing and taking in many people from difficult former lives, such as an ex Yakuza (Japanese Mafia) that apparently owes 10's of thousands of dollars. I got to sleep in the same room as him! There was a woman with a tumor and mental illness I prayed for, that said she felt great afterwards! She felt the two areas we prayed for alleviated. There was a man that works for the local "sento" or bath house that we went to, and as we were leaving I asked if there was anything I could pray for. He said he had some back issues, and as we prayed he said he felt lighter and warm. We talked to him for a few minutes, and at the end he said he would sing a hymn because of all of this.

All of a sudden while still in Iwaki, we got news that a team from Bethel church was coming to a church 2 hours away. We decided to head up there, and met a great group of young people. During the service a man stopped and called me out, saying that there was an amazing grace over my life to touch the hearts of young people. Later he asked if I was around young people, and if I was a teacher! Then another said she saw me as a white owl, with wisdom flowing out of me, and that I could see things other "animals" couldn't. Some people got healed, and it was a nice evening. More on these guys later.

I was encouraged to listen to God as I had learned once before, through faith in what he shows us in our imaginations. One man, Jonathan Welton, says that the imagination is an organ of the spirit. On faith then in a restaurant I asked The Spirit about a server, and got the impression he wanted to be a banker or a economist. So I asked him if he was studying economics, and he said yes. So I told him that there's nothing wrong with that, but that God wants him to pursue God first, that all he does may work out. He was really surprised but seemed to really receive it. Then on the train I saw a foreigner, and said if I see something for him I will talk to him, then I saw a bee on a wall of honey. Suddenly I knew what it was, and approached him. I said, you have a decision to make, and one side seems really sweet and attractive, but in the end it will sting you, so I think you should chose the safe route. He looked at me strangely and said, are you a fortune teller? I said no, actually I'm a Christian! Jesus lives in me and talks to me! I got to share for a minute with him, and he ended up saying, well I do have a decision to make so I will keep that in mind, thank you. His facial expression showed that the word was totally for him. We can all hear from "Him with whom we have to do" at some level.

I've been trying to reach out to one of my English students Mrs. M, and been sharing a bit every class about who He is. She has really given a warm reception to discussing the Faithful Friend, and some cool things have happened. For Easter she came to church, then the other day I was telling her a story about when I was with 3 Japanese friends, and we were talking about God. I asked one if she had peace, and she said no. So then I told her friends to the left and right "watch this" and told her, you can feel it now. So from across the table I spoke The Prince of Peace into her, she got a very intrigued look on her face, and to the bewilderment of her friends said "yes I feel it". When I told this story to Mrs. M, I said He can touch you too, may I pray for you? She said yes, and after about 30 seconds she told me that it was enough because the sensation was great. We also prayed for a dream. Then I got this email from her four hours later:

 Hey,Jesse!!!

 I'm still feeling GOOOOOD...Amazing:)

 My heart was beating fast suddenly.It blows my mind! 

 And I can't stop laughing (^O^) It's your fault,haha :D

I've more and more I've noticed that H.S. will really back us up, and wants a power encounter with people. "The kingdom of God is not a matter of word, but of power." If we ask Him to show up, He will. If we speak His presence, He will Manifest. I always ask people how they feel inside after prayer now, and something always happens. This sort of thing has happened many many times to people I've met and prayed for here now.

One day I was at my friend's house that is a little depressed. He said he didn't want to sleep in his room anymore because of unpleasent memories, so I just had an idea of blessing the house in the Lord's name. I spoke over it and symbolically anointed it with oil. When I did that, the atmosphere actually changed! I don't consider myself very spiritually sensitive, but I could definitely tell! When I asked my friend he said, yeah, it does, it feels different. The light drives out the darkness, and a little faith goes a long way. Then I had a dream soon after that where I was casting something out of my mom who was acting very strange. Then when we arrived home my sister and dad were there. My sister is not a Christian, so some times we have dialogs about philosophy and such, and in the dream we were discussing spiritual things. Then I had the unction to tell her, watch this. I looked in the kitchen where my mom was cooking, and there was steam that filled the room. I said something along the lines of, I command all darkness to flee, and invite you Lord, fill this place. As soon as I said that, all the steam in the room whooshed up through the ceiling and everyone was blown away (figuratively, and remember this is in a dream). We can really, actually change the atmosphere where ever we go! Wow!

Stepping back a bit chronologically, remember the ministry group from Bethel church I went to see in Sano? Well, two hours away from there, in Higashikurume where I live, I had finished playing basketball a day or two after that, and it was around 9pm. Even though I wanted to go home, I knew I should hang around and talk to a friend going through some things. Around 9:30, I saw two of the girls in that team walk by me with a friend! They just so happened to be doing a closed meeting the next day in my city, at my friend's church who I had gone with to their meeting in Sano! She didn't even know about this meeting, so I told her to ask someone if we could go. We got the nod, and though I was only there for the end since it was during working hours, I was told by one person there that it was so important that my neighbor Akiyama-san was there. She was really encouraged, and so were others, as they had training and a time of prayer and testimony. His timing is immaculate!

As for my Japanese mom I mentioned earlier, one way I've felt His seemingly immeasurable kindness is through my neighbor Akiyama-san. When I first moved into my apartment here, she introduced herself to me. I've never met someone middle-aged quite like her. She is fiery and passionate for the things of God. She has a humble child-like heart, and keeps her treasure far out of this universe. She has a son and a daughter about my age. I can't even list here all the amazing things she's done for me, but I will list a few: Very often sharing the most delightful organic healthful Japanese cuisine, warm clothing at the beginning of the cold Japanese winter, a birthday cake (that I can actually eat), and a very generous birthday present. She has very often introduced me both to those who are in a lot of need, and those who build you up in the faith. Many of my stories of my seeing Him move have come as a result of people she's introduced me to. I'm thankful forever to her. Please pray for her. She jokes that she's adopted me, and that's why I call her my Japanese mom. 

Another cool thing is that I felt led one moment during the day, to ask the Kang's daughter Rachel here (8), if she wanted to receive a blessing. She said yes, and I took her hand. In my head I asked Holy Spirit to fill her, and suddenly she had an awesome manifestation. She said she felt something go down her throat and into her heart, something good and smooth. She also felt comfort and goodness in her stomach. So much so, that with wide eyes she responded, "how did you do that? do it again!" I told her God does different things, but he always responds to us, so we prayed again, and she said "this time it felt like wind going in really fast! wow!". I told her she can bless people too by believing and asking/speaking God into someone. And the other day she did it for her friend!

We also had a church member, who's been in the church for just about as long as I've been here, decide to get baptized on Easter service. This is very rare in Japan, and she gave a testimony that was moving, barely able to finish it because of tears. I've gotten to see her transformation, from dark and dreary to bright and friendly. Amazing.

There are two basketball players that were injured recently. Both of them after receiving prayer, said the pain significantly lessened. One of them almost came to Easter Service, but said he overslept!

The preschool is still doing moderately well in terms of numbers, with several part timers and two full time students. We are really enjoying teaching them, but need more students to sign up.

I also had a great birthday. One of the basketball players I prayed for got 4 guys together to probably chip in for around $100 worth of soccer jerseys for me. I don't even know them well, but I've been irregularly seeing them, and have talked to all of them at one point or another about their Maker. Now that I think of it, I only didn't pray for one of them! Yet they are so eager to be a part of my life and show me kindness. This is His favor. Another friend of mine, Tats, that I've known from the beginning, gave me a really nice dinner, cake (also that I could eat!) and a pro basketball jersey of a player I like. The sentiment meant so much. 27 years gone...Paul Washer once said, yesterday I was born, today I live, tomorrow I die, this life is a vapor.

There are many people I get to talk to, at least briefly on the streets and in places I go about their Creator. Sometimes it's quick and they are not interested, but other times they really receive something. We've been given the "ministry of reconciliation", and I'm so thankful that we get to be a part. There are no coincidences so let's believe what's real and keep our eyes open. I didn't share all of my stories here, but I hope you were encouraged a bit, and know that He has much more amazing things than you can imagine planned for you to walk in. I want you to know that His eyes are always fixed to you, you are the apple of his eye, and if you are in the Messiah, He is well pleased with you. You are complete in Him. Great things are coming!!