The number of participates was the highest ever!

We welcomed 24 local people at Bridge International Cafe, our monthly community building and outreach event, in Kaneda, Kisarazu, on June 22. There were several students, even one elementary school student, among them. This time, we made the Cafe Chicago Version. Our participants learned not only English conversation but also Chicago. There were several new commers God sent to us.

My BI Cafe Team always wants to serve local people, become their friends, and love them. Just as Jesus became our friends and loved them first even before we were dead in sin, we would love to do the same thing to our local people. I hope that people at the Cafe saw Jesus in us.

Since Eri and I fly to Canada and the US as our mini-home assignment in the summer, it was the last opportunity to welcome them. After we return to Japan in November, so we’ll host the Cafe again!

Our youngest daughter Aki graduated from CCSI on June 15! This year, Aki was the only graduate!

Eri and I were honored to be a part of this godly school since we were sent back to Japan from Canada. Our first child Shintaro graduated three years ago, and our second one Mizuki graduated two years ago. Finally, we witnessed our youngest one graduating. Through Aki was the only graduate this year, about a hundred people attended the graduation and celebrated Aki’s graduation.

There is one thing I especially want to mention: I could invite several local people from Kisarazu and Sodegaura, who attended my English Conversation Club and Bridge International Cafe, our monthly community-building event. They heard of the gospel message and sang worship songs with us! I believe God will use this experience for their future salvation.

It was a big blessing to welcome two ladies (Chris and Kylie) from Canada and have them involved in my ministries in Japan. They were from our family’s Canadian home town, Lethbridge Alberta, and from our sending church. These two ladies participated in several ministries Eri and I are doing here such as Bridge International Cafe and my English Conversation Club in Kaneda, Kisarazu, Chiba for a new international church planting. One of the highlights was to join my ECC for my current neighbors in Chiharadai, Ichihara, Chiba. My ECC members, Kikuko and Masako, came to my house to teach Chris and Kylie how to make Japanese green tea and drink it in a proper way! Even for me, it was a first experience to do that. I hope I can continue to build friendship with Kikuko and Masako for their salvation in Jesus.

We hosted our monthly community build event, Bridge International Cafe, last Saturday, 11/25, at Kaneda Community Center in Kisarazu, Chiba. 17 local people, including seven high school students, joined it. These students were from Kisarazu Sogo High School and belonged to the Interact Club. Kota, a member of Yuji’s ECC, is an English teacher at the high school and is also in charge of the club. So, he brought his students. I believe it was an excellent opportunity for the students to experience the “English atmosphere.” We were thankful for being involved in their lives through the BI Cafe.

For Phil, one of our BI Cafe Team, it was the last time to serve. He will move back to the US soon. He helped us with the cafe for several months. I believe God continues to send people from all over the world to us to serve together our local community.

Last Saturday, my team and I welcomed an MTW Vision Trip Team from the US. They are right now traveling in Chiba and Tokyo because they plan to visit several cities in Chiba and Tokyo to meet other MTW teams. They spent four days with us so I could take the team to Kaneda, Kisarazu, our team’s church planting place, on 10/23, Monday. I took them to Costco and its headquarters office in Kaneda West, to Kaneda Community Center in Kaneda East, where we use it for our outreach ministries, and near Sodegaura Station, where many new houses were built and young families lived. Kaneda East, Kaneda West, and Near Sodegaura Station are our three target places for our church planting. Then Tom, my team leader, and I did a presentation for them there. I hope some of them can join this church planting project and live there to become a part of the community! Eri and I plan to move to this area sometime in 2024 next year. We need at least three families/people who can move there to live!

We walked around Kisarazu Station.

At the community center in Kaneda East, Tom and I explained the need for planting an international church in Kaneda, where there is no church at this point. It is growing places and many young families purchased their new houses and properties there, but they often say they have no friends in this community.

After Alive International service, we took the team for supper with us at the food court of a shopping mall.