Our first LightHouse missionary with friends at Chiba UniversityToday was a really sweet day at church. We had a visiting missionary from Japan, and were commissioning Sam, who will be heading to Burkina Faso next week.
We also had updates on Adam, who has been serving in Japan all Summer, and Sean, who will be leaving for Iraq soon.
This afternoon I went back in my blog archive and pulled out this paragraph from a previous post. It was written in July last year, during one of those points where my heart just cried out for MORE. I had been on my face, pleading with God to show us the next step.
We also had updates on Adam, who has been serving in Japan all Summer, and Sean, who will be leaving for Iraq soon.
This afternoon I went back in my blog archive and pulled out this paragraph from a previous post. It was written in July last year, during one of those points where my heart just cried out for MORE. I had been on my face, pleading with God to show us the next step.
"I would love to find a group of believers who just want to come together, read straight Scripture, and discuss what it says. I want to pray and worship together for as long as the Holy Spirit leads. I want to hear testimonies of God's amazing power, and talk about our wonderful, magnificent, indescribable GOD!!!! I want to pour our hearts out on behalf of the nations, and intercede with tears and pleading for the unreached. I want to see the Holy Spirit move in power, and rejoice as lost souls come to Christ."
It is strange to read that now, and realize those words were written three months before LightHouse Church even existed. And yet that prayer has become a reality.
In the past nine months, we have seen every one of those things come to pass. We have experienced that level of fellowship, hunger for God's Word, and worship. Three people have come to Christ, and we have experienced the joy of baptizing new believers. We sent out our first missionary and are preparing to send two more. We've prayed for hours, studies for hours, wept for the lost, and rejoiced together in what God is doing. We've watched one house church grow into two--and God raise up amazing young leaders in John and Seth to head up those groups.
And now we are witnessing a whole new stage in the church, which goes above and beyond what we had dreamed of.
A few weeks ago, Adam had asked the church to get up and pray at 5:30 a.m.--covering him and praying for his Japanese friends by name as he finally got the opportunity to share Christ with them.
God heard our prayers! Two of those girls have accepted Christ(including the shorter girl in the picture above), and one has even been baptized. I can't explain the joy of seeing the "next generation." I remember when Adam became a believer, and what an amazing journey it has been to watch God radically transform his life. Now we are seeing the fruit of Adam's life and ministry.
Sean, who will be leaving soon for Iraq, also came to a personal relationship with Christ just a couple of years ago. We have seen God grow him into a strong, faithful leader, with a heart for the Middle East. Already we have seen the fruit of Sean's life as well, and are excited about what the future holds for him.
Adam told us this weekend that he believes that he is being called to Japan permanently. We'll miss him, but are excited to watch God's plan for him unfold.
We get him back for at least a semester before he goes career. He's already told us that he wants to challenge the church with fervent, active, gut-wrenching intercessory prayer. I can't wait. Bring it on, Adam. : )
In the past nine months, we have seen every one of those things come to pass. We have experienced that level of fellowship, hunger for God's Word, and worship. Three people have come to Christ, and we have experienced the joy of baptizing new believers. We sent out our first missionary and are preparing to send two more. We've prayed for hours, studies for hours, wept for the lost, and rejoiced together in what God is doing. We've watched one house church grow into two--and God raise up amazing young leaders in John and Seth to head up those groups.
And now we are witnessing a whole new stage in the church, which goes above and beyond what we had dreamed of.
A few weeks ago, Adam had asked the church to get up and pray at 5:30 a.m.--covering him and praying for his Japanese friends by name as he finally got the opportunity to share Christ with them.
God heard our prayers! Two of those girls have accepted Christ(including the shorter girl in the picture above), and one has even been baptized. I can't explain the joy of seeing the "next generation." I remember when Adam became a believer, and what an amazing journey it has been to watch God radically transform his life. Now we are seeing the fruit of Adam's life and ministry.
Sean, who will be leaving soon for Iraq, also came to a personal relationship with Christ just a couple of years ago. We have seen God grow him into a strong, faithful leader, with a heart for the Middle East. Already we have seen the fruit of Sean's life as well, and are excited about what the future holds for him.
Adam told us this weekend that he believes that he is being called to Japan permanently. We'll miss him, but are excited to watch God's plan for him unfold.
We get him back for at least a semester before he goes career. He's already told us that he wants to challenge the church with fervent, active, gut-wrenching intercessory prayer. I can't wait. Bring it on, Adam. : )
