The Meadows

May was a great month for us and a beautiful end to the spring season. Join us in praise as we reminisce on what God did last month!
 

We're SO excited to announce that God has helped us reach our support goal for our short-term visiting trip to Japan! Our goal was to raise $5,000 before June 1st, and our prayers were answered! We were a little over halfway to our goal at the end of May when we got a call from Connection Christian Church with the news that they were sending $3,000 to meet our needs and then some. We are so thankful for the gifts that led us here. More than that, we are thankful for all the prayers, spiritual guidance, and emotional support that have helped us keep moving forward toward God's mission. This trip (which we are now able to take as soon as Japan's borders open) will be a major stepping stone in our progress to moving to the field full-time. We're excited to meet the team in Ishinomaki, see the city, and learn up close what God has been doing on the front lines of his coming Kingdom in Japan.
 

In our last update we asked for prayer for four kids that we began intentionally discipling: G'yonnah, Bella, Deacon, and Xavier. We got to meet together and study the Bible more before the school year ended, and we were blessed to see these kids learn about God's character through scripture. Working through Jesus' sermon in Matthew 5, we have seen that God cares for those who mourn, those who are poor in the world's eyes, and those who suffer for doing good. We have seen the need for Jesus' followers to stand out — in word and in action — and be light in this dark world. Josh shared the story of his relationship with God and how God has healed the confusion, pain, and loneliness that entered his life when he was a kid. We are thankful for a God who continues to write our stories with new mercies and testimonies each day, and we long for these kids to meet him the way we have.

Since the school year has come to a close, Bridges Outreach has kicked off our Summer Slam program. Discipleship has continued there as well, although not every kid has been able to attend so far. Please keep G'yonnah, Bella, Deacon, Xavier, and our other students in your prayers. Ask God to stir up a spiritual curiosity and longing in their hearts, and please ask him to give us courage to speak and act when he gives us opportunities to share his good news.
 

Remember Rentaro, the Japanese exchange student we met a while back? Last fall we had the beautiful opportunity to gift him the bilingual Bible that we'd bought during our internship in Okinawa. We didn't get to see him for a while after that, but he has continued to voraciously read that Bible for months now. His host family made the most of their time with him and discipled him with great intentionality. As his curiosity grew, he decided that he would attend a Christian university after he graduated high school. Our friends saw increasing participation and enjoyment in Rentaro as they attended worship services together. Last month, to our surprise and joy, Rentaro told his host family that he understood the Gospel of Jesus and wanted to follow him! We are amazed at the power of prayer and discipleship in this young man's life. Raise a hallelujah with us and the hosts of heaven!

Please, please continue to pray for Rentaro as he transitions back to his life in Japan. We don't yet know how his family and community will react to his decision to follow Jesus. Ask Jesus to put his hand on Rentaro's shoulder and speak words of comfort and courage to him as he grows his faith in what will likely be a challenging context. Ask God to send his angelic and human servants to surround Rentaro with support and protection. Ask for God to open Rentaro's eyes to see spiritual harvest all around him. God, please give Rentaro the same sense of boldness and urgency to multiply disciples that you gave his host family!