(A recent prayer letter received from Chris & Miranda Shirrell, Japan.)

We praise the Lord always when we remember you in our prayers, especially for the generosity of His saints toward the great commission. Through your prayers and support, the Lord continues to bless the Gospel work in Gunma, Japan.

Lately, in the Meiwa Baptist Church plant, we have been walking through 1 Peter. Though Japan has religious freedom, Christians in Japan face very unique challenges as outsiders among a polytheistic nation. 1 Peter has encouraged us to grow in unity and strength in the face of adversity. We are excited to see this group of believers grow as we get nearer and nearer to the time when we will covenant together as a local body. Some of the children in our group have yet to trust Jesus as Lord and Savior, so we have put an extra emphasis this year on evangelizing our children. Please pray for the salvation of our children.

We are honored to still be a part of the ministry of Ota Bible Baptist Church (OBBC) and continue to be encouraged by the ministry of Pastor Sato and his wife, Nozomi. As natives of Japan, they have given us mentorship and many opportunities to learn and grow in our ability to minister to Japanese people. OBBC saw a record number of visitors at this year’s kid’s Easter event and the Sunday morning Easter service. Several children and parents who the Lord has personally brought into our lives over the past couple years showed up to the events as well. They all heard the Gospel and were sent home with a tract which teaches the Gospel and how to be saved. We are still following up with some who heard the Gospel for the first time and expressed interest in future participation. Please pray for the salvation of our new friends and neighbors.

Just one month ago, I (Chris) preached at Ota Bible Baptist Church in Japanese during a Sunday morning worship service. I have preached in Japanese on multiple occasions, but this was the first time that I was able to construct a sermon on my own rather than relying heavily upon translation tools. Much thanks to my Japanese coach who has been assisting my language learning. I received wonderful feedback from church members and was invited to preach two more times over the next two months. I’m not sure that I could possibly express how big of a milestone this was and continues to be. It still continues to be EXTREMELY difficult, but not impossible as I had begun to believe before meeting my language coach.

Thank you for praying and supporting the ministry here in Gunma, Japan! May God bless you and keep you.