The question, “When are you going to Japan?” has been coming up a lot lately.   To be honest, we don’t really know when.  It may sound like the cliche Christian response, but our answer truly is: “In God’s time.”  Or, maybe a more helpful way of saying it, “When God brings enough of the right people on board to send us.”  Or, even more to the point, “When we have the financial and spiritual support to sustain our life and ministry in Japan.”

That being said, the picture has been clearing up in recent months. We need to reach 100% of out monthly support goal and initial sending costs (for things like airplane tickets, training, buying a car, going to language school, etc.).  Good news–we’re currently at about 25% of our monthly support and 4% initial sending costs.  We thank God for the generosity that our family, friends and church have shown so far.  Like Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians 8:3, some of you have committed to giving according to your means and even beyond your means.  If the Lord continues to move things along at the same pace we are going, we expect to be in Japan sometime around the summer of 2016.  Some of us (Jamison) would like to be there sooner; others (Kathryne) are ok taking things slower.

In the meantime, we’ll be spending our days training for missions, learning Japanese, meeting with Japanese exchange students here in Minnesota, inviting more people to partner with us in ministry and praying for God to prepare the way for us (in addition to working full-time/caring for two rowdy children full-time, being involved at church and occasionally sleeping).  Needless to say, it’s a busy season.  Yet, we can testify that God’s grace is more than sufficient for such seasons.  He has been abundantly good to us…and so have many of you.