Team introductions at Poochy.

We are now in the home stretch weekend with big events planned all day today and tomorrow. Your prayers have sustained us throughout this trip and we ask for your continued partnership in praying for our ministries. Many of the activities we have done for the past week and a half have been in preparation for what is going on this weekend: a GCI outreach BBQ, YoungLife’s Life House Club, and our special Sunday service at Hotel Otsuka tomorrow. We have built relationships to invite people out to these events so they might get plugged into GCI’s and YoungLife’s ministries after we are gone in just a few more days.

Yesterday was spent mainly on preparations for the BBQ today, but we also took an hour to go over to the Gakuen (foster home) to play with the kids who live there and bring them candy. Visiting the Gakuen is a highlight of the every trip because once the kids warm up to us (which doesn’t take too long), you can see the joy they have for us visiting them. As you can imagine, many of these kids live difficult, lonely lives, so it is meaningful to them when total strangers come to talk with them, play some ball or tag, and just give them some positive attention. My heart always breaks when I realize how short of a time we actually have to spend with them each year, yet they remember us and welcome us as if we were just here yesterday. We invited some of the older kids out to the events we are having this weekend and we asked our local ministry partners to pray about how to include these kids more in their own ministries.

Please pray for us today:

• A good turnout of new people to the GCI BBQ and Life House Club today, and quality time to spend with those who come.
• Elena’s courage to give her testimony at our special service tomorrow. We believe her powerful testimony will have a great impact on people hearing the gospel for the first time.
• Good weather for a BBQ and protection over those who are attending.
• Strength and endurance to finish the mission trip strong and stay focused on the Lord’s work.