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Dear family and friends,
Greetings in the vibrant summer season!
In our previous letter, we mentioned a seminary student couple who had graduated in May and were seeking ministry opportunity. God answered your prayers and led them to serve in a church that had been waiting for a pastor for many years. Our God is faithful. We continue to pray that God strengthens them, uses them, and blesses the church in His name.
We are grateful to have a family reunion with Iris’ family during a short trip of church visit and ministry sharing in Toronto before heading to St. Paul for the Triennial. Even though we were unable to meet all our friends there, we treasured every moment to listen to God’s wonderful stories in their lives.
“Becoming a People of Peace” was the theme of Triennial this year. What an inspirational message and discipline it is to practice any time in our daily living, which it is not difficult to come across interactions with hostility, no matter in interpersonal, communal, or national level. Thank you for giving us insights, comfort, and challenges as we are urged to look upon our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, in any circumstances of life. In the meantime, we are very delighted to connect with many old friends and meet new friends in various event sessions. Thank you all for your encouragement, kind words, and prayers.
Right after the Triennial, we had a very special opportunity to participate a tea ceremony taken place in a Japanese garden in St. Paul. What a privilege to experience a “pre-entry training” session of Japanese culture in North America! There are numerous unique protocols in every single part of the ceremony – in particular, the gestures and wordings from entering and sitting in the tea house, receiving the teacup, drinking the tea, returning the teacup – till leaving the place. It was well explained to follow each step, and we were able to learn its cultural meaning and significance behind. Overall, we appreciate the sincerity and attentiveness of the entire tea ceremony.
Since June, the NAB has started a partnership with TEAM Japan, and the preparatory process of our field entry to Japan was being moved forward. The ministries of TEAM Japan have over 100 years of history and are mainly developed in the east side of the country. We would be assigned to learn the language and culture in a local language school or through a language nurturer. Prior to visa application, a required document named Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) must be issued by and obtained from the Ministry of Justice of Japan. In general, it takes about one to three months for the approval and issuance of the CoE. While waiting for the process of document from immigration authority of Japan, we invite you to pray for its timely issuance, as well as successful visa application through Consulate-General of Japan in Calgary afterwards. Thank you for your continued prayers.
We are preparing ourselves to serve in the new field of Japan. While we are studying the language and its unique culture, we are always reminded to express appreciation and respect to the nation, as well as contextualize ourselves to the host culture without compromising the Gospel. As we will be adapting into the new environment and immersing into the culture, our reflection is how far, or to what extent, and/or through which way we should soak ourselves into the culture. We pray to the Lord that He molds us wholistically to be pleasing to Him in any circumstance.
Once again, we sincerely appreciate your prayers, support, and companionship in the journey of mission ministries.
Your missionaries,