Jordan and Nitasha News February 2023

Jordan and Nitasha News

February 2023 Update

"If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit." - 2 Corinthians 5:13

Dear Friends,

We are so grateful for all the Lord has done in the month of February!

Thank you all so much for praying for us and sending your financial gifts through to Elim Missions. Especially because of the generosity shown to us from Elim Ireland, we are getting closer to our fundraising goal, and we're now at 56% of what we need. We're still aiming to leave for Japan in June, but we still need more regular financial support than we currently have. If you could please pray that we meet our goal of 80% of our fundraising goal before June.

This month we thank God that we’ve had the opportunity to present the goal of our mission through preaching, interviews and conversations at 4 Elim Ireland churches, and at the Limitless ONE 2023 youth event in Monaghan.

Over the 10 days we were in Ireland we met so many brilliant church leaders, who are just great examples of mission advocacy within the Elim movement!! Every one of them were so inspiring to connect with and we believe to have made new lifelong friendships with some of them. We want to say a giant thank you to all the church leaders, youth pastors and ministers who we met and took care of us during our stay. God is really at work in Ireland! Thank you so much for allowing us to share God's vision for Japan and to sow a seed of the mission-hearted gospel in the lives of your flock.

And because of the popular Irish hospitality, we were able to stay with a few families and they made us feel so at home ??. So, thank you to all those who were incredibly generous with their homes and lives for however long we needed. Thank you for making sure we were well fed, rested and encouraged in our journey to Japan - it means so much to us! A special thank you goes out to Craig Brotherston for organising the whole thing! We are so appreciative of your complete support of us as a couple, influence within the Movement and mission heart toward the lost. You and your family are something truly special.

During our church visits, we were delighted to see that many adults and young people were encouraged and inspired by what God had laid on our hearts to bring. We hope to truly have inspired what will be future missionaries to Japan and to the world - through praying, giving and going. Please pray for all the churches of Elim Ireland, for God to continue to fill them with the mission-hearted, life-changing message of the Gospel, and that we would see many churches and people commit to supporting the mission to Japan.

Coming up in the month of March, we both will be continuing our work with Encounter Church Youth and Weoley Castle Youth, serving as temporary Youth Pastor until they find someone to fill the position. We enjoy our time with the youth, the staff and the people of Encounter, and find attending the church really refreshing in this season. Please pray for our continued spiritual growth at Encounter so that we minister well to those we serve, and that they would find a suitable youth pastor soon.

We will also continue to pursue a healthy relationship with Ealing Christian Center Japanese Fellowship and their pastors. There is so much about Japanese culture that we don't know well or, how to adhere to the culture in practice. Because of this, we want to learn all that we can from Pastor Aogu, his wife and the family at ECCJ before we get to Tokyo. Currently, with Nitasha's work appointments occurring mainly on weekends, Jordan's speaking engagements and youthwork occurring mainly on Sundays, and both serving as our primary means of income, we are still finding it difficult to arrange visits to their church in London.

We know it is vital that we pursue relationships with this church; not only because it's culturally appropriate that we connect with ECCJ London to build rapport with ECCJ Tokyo, as an offshoot church plant from London, but also because it's foundationally important for the health and longevity of the work we will do with ECCJ Tokyo in Japan. Please pray for divine opportunities for us to serve and build healthy relationships with ECCJ and ECCJ Tokyo before we arrive in Japan.

Prayer Guide: Popular Religious Practices

"Can I ask what you believe in?" Carlos asked his Japanese friend Takeshi after watching him pray at the Shinto shrine. "It's hard to explain," Takeshi replied slowly. "It's been part of my life since I was young." Japanese people have gone into Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples for centuries. Many find comfort in repeating the simple rituals of purification and prayer. Such religious practices are deeply rooted in what it means to be Japanese.

They buy charms to protect themselves from bad luck or to bring in good luck. They seek blessing for important life events, enjoy festivals, or find refreshment in nature… Shinto and Buddhist influences have shaped Japanese society and identity in significant ways.

But through Christ, Japanese people can find their deepest belonging in the God who created them. Pray for wisdom to share the gospel within this Japanese context. Pray that the holy Spirit would lead those who seek salvation through various rituals to find Jesus Christ.

The last few paragraphs were an excerpt taken from ‘Beneath The Surface: 30 Ways To Pray For Japan’. It was Produced in collaboration with over 35 missionaries and Japanese Christian leaders, from 17 organisations.

We are so glad to still be meeting up with so many of you before we leave. As we now have a leaving date, we will do our best to connect with you all, whilst preparing practically for the move. As always, reach out whenever you can because we’d love to hear from you!

Thank you again for walking this journey with us!

Love and Mega Blessings from,

Rev. Jordan & Nitasha Christian