New Relationships

Some people have asked us about how we found this church, Kokubunji Baptist Church in Los Angeles.  Well, the Reader’s Digest version is that our home church in LA (EBCLA) sent their Missions Pastor, Rev. Sharon Koh, to Japan last winter to find a ministry that EBCLA could partner with.

Well, in the course of time Pastor Sharon and others discerned that SOLA was the ministry that God was leading us to support. However,  it was also at this time that God was working in our family’s calling as well.   So we approached the Pastor of Kokubunji Baptist Church about our family being a relational bridge between the two church communities in Japan and L.A. while serving with Asian Access.

We are not asking KBC for any support, but to learn from them as they continue their ministries through SOLA, and that we can partner with them going forward. 

( Geneva and Emi in Sunday school with a KBC teacher Megumi)

This past Sunday was Easter Sunday, the biggest Sunday in our Christian Faith. While there may be more traditions at Christmas, it is really Easter which signals why we have hope. Even with the brokenness of this world in war, poverty, death, pollution, and destruction that God’s love is bigger than that. The sacrifice of the cross and the empty tomb of Jesus’s resurrection prove that God is bigger than all that darkness.  This is why when we serve in Tohoku or in the worlds’ biggest city, we know that God is enough.

 (Yonai sensei and his wife Rieko after first service on Easter Sunday)

So we want to say Thank You to our new church for welcoming us into their community at KBC.  As they do that they also welcome all of our donors, not to just serve out of obligation but out of joy. Here’s a couple pics of our emerging friendships. Rieko serves the youth on Sundays, and was surprised to see Geneva leave her parents side and boldly play with new people in a new language.

Rieko-san said “She is very….. confident”

So desu ne (Yes indeed.) – but Geneva gives us some confidence to be bold in making new friendships too.