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Dear Family and Friends,
Thank you for your prayers for me, for my coworkers, for Komyo Christian Church. We have especially felt the power of your prayers over the past two months as Paul Ewing has been hospitalized in two countries and had three operations. We are thankful for God’s healing hand as Paul’s body fought off infection and he was able to have a new pacemaker put in which seems to be working well! Praise God! Our church members have stepped up to help in a variety of ways using the gifts God has given them to build up and encourage the body of Christ. Another praise to God!
Komyo Christian Church
On March 31st Komyo Christian Church celebrated our 10th anniversary. What a blessing to celebrate together as the family of God and remember all the ways God has guided, protected, encouraged, and challenged us over the past ten years. Thank you for the part each of you have had in the growth of Komyo Christian Church. Your prayers, encouragement, gifts, and love have helped to carry us to this wonderful celebration!
Two events that have been part of the life of our church almost since the beginning are our annual Easter sushi lunch and our quarterly Live Gospel Café. In March we enjoyed gospel music from Kumiko Hisano and one of her choirs. She was happy not only to share God’s love through music with our guests, but also with her choir since most of them are not Christians. We were also excited because it was the first time for several of the guests to come to church. I was encouraged by the help of many church members since Melissa and Paul were in California following Paul’s first surgery.
Ladies’ Seminars
In my last update I had asked you to pray for our two ladies’ seminars planned for February. The first seminar was held at Komyo Church. We studied how God has created us with the capacity to make choices and the things we can and cannot choose. It was another good day of study and fellowship. Later in the week Yuri and I traveled to Nagoya to lead the first ladies’ seminar with the three Japan Baptist Conference churches in the area. Together we learned about our love languages and how to use this new understanding to love one another more deeply, to love God, and how God loves us. We were thankful for the wonderful response and look forward to going back again later this year to continue studying together. Although it will be a challenge while Yuri is on home assignment this year, with God’s help, I am planning to continue this ministry.
Youth
Spring Youth Camp is always fun because we welcome the new junior high students as we prepare for a new school year. This year our theme was truth vs lies. Yuri and I taught about the lies Adam and Eve believed and the signs that point us to the Truth. We also enjoyed games, praise and worship led by the students, and making takoyaki together. As I have said before, it is always encouraging to spend time with these students as they learn about Jesus together, as they learn how to love one another, and as they learn how to be lights for Jesus in their schools and neighborhoods.
Thank you for continuing to partner with me as we shine the light of Jesus around the corner and around the world. May you continue to be filled with hope and joy as you serve Him daily.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Shan in Japan