Exciting Nippon Initiative News

In 2007, we launched the Nippon Initiative as part of our church's Something Greater Project. The Nippon Initiative came into existence as the result of a trip Dale and I made there, along with Elliott, in the fall of 2006. Our hearts were overwhelmed with the obvious lack of a response to the Gospel visible there at every turn. We launched the Nippon Initiative with three purposes in mind: (1) to encourage exisiting ministries in Japan; (2) to raise awareness of the tremendous spiritual need there; and (3) to recruit college students and recent college graduates for both short and long term missions among the Japanese. Over the years since our initial trip, God has blessed tremendously with numerous contacts and instances of effective ministry, along with much insight into the work still needing to be done. Today, the sad statistic remains: less than 1/2 of 1% of Japanese people are believers in Christ.

The exciting news is, we have another fantastic team assembled for our next trip later this summer. Pastor Doug and I, and our families, will be leading a group of eight students from Faith Baptist Bible College, along with their missions professor and wife, to Japan from July 13-28.

Dale and I, Elliott, Mindy, and the Baker children leave Indianapolis for Tokyo on July 13. Pastor Doug will be meeting the FBBC students in Minneapolis on July 14 and then heading out from there with them to join us in Japan. Once in Japan, we will be doing some ministry all together and some in smaller separate groups. Dale, Elliott, and I will be returning July 23, several days earlier than the rest of the team, which will be coming back on July 28.

We covet your prayers for this team of young people as we mentor and share with them our burden for Japan. We will be working in several churches and ministering on at least one university campus in Tokyo. Pray that the students' hearts will be open to the Lord impressing them with a strong burden to reach more Japanese people. I know they are excited about the trip on this end of things. They have prayed and worked hard to raise the cost of their expenses for the trip, and they have been studying Japanese culture and history. I believe the Lord is going to give us a very successful time of ministry with them.

Finally, as you pray, please also remember the missionaries and pastors we will be working with. Many of them are discouraged at the slow pace of results there in Japan. Pray that God will richly bless their ministries and that He will allow us to be a source of special encouragement to them.