But as for me it is good to be near God" Ps. 73:10: August 2016

The words from Philippians 4:19 have been a good reminder as I have considered certain needs in my own life. Paul writes, "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." How glorious is God? His glory is incomparable, therefore, how can we doubt the richness of His provision! Through the reading of several Christian biographies this summer including Richard Wurmbrandt and Brother Andrew and I am continually amazed at how God met their physical and spiritual needs through persistent prayer. As we continue through this year let us continue to offer to God our praise, thanksgiving and prayers!

Joy Bible Camp

After CAJ let out and we had our end-of-year meetings for staff we had our JBC staff training on a Saturday. The training went well and it was encouraging to see the energy and excitement of the staff before they headed into two weeks of children's ministry. At Okutama Bible Chalet I co-direct with my dad and one of my responsibilities is to also take photos. In total I took more than 4,500 photos of which only several hundred were used in a link for each of the campers. Both our speakers were named Mark and they shared the gospel message clearly and understandably for all the kids. We had a number of kids accept Christ for the first time and others who wanted to re-dedicate themselves to the Lord or be baptized. I am so thankful for the work that the Lord does each year in these camps and for how he changes lives each year.

Trip to the U.S.
This summer I spent most of the time in Rochester, MN where my aunt lives and I was able to see all my cousins during the time that I was there. Most of the days were spent running, resting, berry picking, and enjoying good conversation. We also took a trip up to Lake Vermilion where my classmate's parents now live. The Ellisons let us stay with them for a time and we enjoyed time at their church as well as great conversations with them and their extended family. Philip, their son was the one that I traveled with in Rome, Italy and so it is always fun to re-connect and see what the Lord has been doing in his life. During our time there I was able to run in a July 4th 10km run at Ely, MN and after that we went to my uncle and aunt's cabin in Wisconsin. We did a lot of fishing and caught some blue gill and croppies and Dad even hooked a Northern Pike! After returning to Rochester, MN I then joined Caleb and Amy and their family to Neilsville, WI and went to visit two college friends on separate days in Eu Claire and Winona. After that it was back to Dubuque where my college town is and I had such a blessed time of fellowship with friends from college and friends in ministry.

Nojiri
At Nojiri I've been running regularly in the mornings and was given the opportunity to preach on July 31st using the Colossians 1:15-23 passage which has to do with the supremacy of Christ. What a tremendous letter the book of Colossians is and the what an encouragement it is to read it! So far I've run in the NLA run (2.7 mi) and also the Lake Run (9 mi.) in preparation for the Saitama Marathon that I will be running on November 13th.

Prayer Requests

Car License - Though I have my U.S. license I need to get my Japanese Drivers License and I'd appreciate prayers for this process
Teaching - This will be my 5th year of teaching at CAJ and my second year of teaching 3rd graders for which I am very excited
Preaching -Please pray for opportunities to speak both at my church and others in the Tokyo area.
Youth Group - We have had 2-5 students coming to the KCC youth group and I'd love to see these youth grow in their love for the Lord and their understanding of his word
Marathon Training - Between now and November 13th I will need to run about 477 miles if I stay on track with my running schedule.
Language Study - Work at CAJ is all in English so continuing to learn Japanese is always a challenge. I plan to take free classes offered by the Japanese teachers at CAJ but also to continue study on my own.
Master's Project - Since 2012 I've been taking graduate classes through Buffalo State University, NY in order to obtain a Multidisciplinary Master's Degree with a focus on technology integration in the classroom. The first half of the program was a certificate and I chose to continue the program but I am now needing to do my Action Research Project and hope to do it in the spring of 2017. Please pray that I will have wisdom (and patience!) to know how to finish strong.