Dear brothers and sisters, (The picture is of the church sharing gospel with homeless in Japan)

Praise the Lord for blessing us with the privilege to share the Gospel to all the world and the command to help people in need. Sometimes we can think that we should share the Gospel only with the lost, but praise the Lord that the Bible tells us that we should start meditating in it and rejoicing in it with our own brothers and sisters. At the same time, we see many people, believers and non-believers supporting and giving donations to poor children and sick, needy people with the hope that also they will receive and surrender to the Gospel. Praise the Lord because the Bible also reminds us that we should support the poor or needy, but we are commanded to start with our own Christian family. Here in Japan it looks like a good excuse to say there are not poor people around us, but God is not commanding that the poor believers come knocking on our doors but we are to find them. God delights first when we care for the needs of our own Christian family and after also for the needs of the lost (Deuteronomy 15:1).

Through these years we have been growing in helping and supporting people in need, the homeless in Tokyo, supporting churches in Philippines to spread the Gospel, sending donations after hurricanes and earthquakes in many countries, but also what our Lord is clearly telling is to not forget about caring and loving our own brothers and sisters in need. Please help us praying so we are always on the watch trying to find around us if there is a brother that we can serve or assist. (Deuteronomy 15:7)

Praise the Lord for the power of the Gospel. About a year ago, an unmarried couple came to the church contemplating an abortion and separation. Praise the Lord that through 8 months of weekly bible studies, the couple first decided to have their precious baby, and after rejecting Jesus’ deity, they surrendered to the Lord and believed in our Savior. They decided to get married and months ago the husband decided to get baptized. His baptism was a joy, but there was always the question of many about why the wife was not interested in getting baptized together. I told them that salvation and obedience to God is personal and we do not encourage family baptisms just for the picture. After some months of my wife discipling the lady, she communicated to the church that she wanted to get baptized because she wants to obey God and please Him (Matthew 28:19). All the church is rejoicing in God’s power to transform people and not human persuasion. Please pray for the couple praising God for His mercy, patience, grace and love.

Praise the Lord for the opportunity to support Samaritan’s Purse Ministries. We have been blessed all year praying and preparing boxes with presents and Bible verses that churches in Philippines will use to share the Gospel with children and their families in need. This ministry has also blessed us with the chance to grow in our faith, patience, working together and training to work as a church, and some brothers getting trained to lead. Please pray for all the churches that will be sharing the Gospel and for salvation in Philippines.

Praise the Lord for blessing us with another mission trip to Sendai in Japan. We were invited by Operation Christmas Japan (Samaritan’s Purse ministry). We went to help in the packing, checking and processing of all the boxes that will be sent to the churches in Philippines that will support them in the sharing of the Gospel to their communities. Sometimes missionaries feel isolated in Japan because of the 0.5% Christians here, but our Lord blessed us with the chance to meet other missionaries that are serving our Lord around Japan. Please help us praying for God to send more missionaries and for God to break Japan’s hardened heart to the Gospel through the last centuries.

Praise the Lord for bringing new people to our church, please pray that the Gospel will lead us through salvation and that God will continue helping us in delivering clearly the truth and life of His word to the 5 nationalities and 3 languages that makes up our church members, bible studies and visitors.

Our Lord is leading us to contact, pray and assist a church in need of resources around Japan or outside Japan. It is hard to find churches with financial needs in Japan, but still our Lord is clearly telling us to persevere in finding a church inside or outside Japan to assist and support in the sharing of the Gospel. Please help us praying that we will hear clearly which church and that our Lord Jesus’s Gospel will be their passion, joy and banner.

Always thank you for holding the rope with all your prayers and support.

In Christ,

Luis Ramirez