Since I have not had the time since welcoming in the New Year here in Japan, I need to say a belated welcome to the new year. 良いお年を！ Wow, what things have passed in the last year here and around the world! I can not even begin to describe the emotions and the changes which have come about from the earthquake, tsunami, and meltdown of last spring. In one way, it seems so long ago, and yet the effects are still clearly visible. I was noticing just the other day a photo shared by a missionary living and working in northern Japan of a bathtub filled with caked mud and debris still untouched ten months later. Sometimes the task can seem so daunting.
2012 Winter Staff
Nonetheless, God promises His presence – which is more than enough. We are called to find our confidence in Him who made the world, who set the stars in the sky, and formed us in His image. That is enough for me.
We can move forward into 2012 knowing that God’s promises will continue to be true; He will still be the Potter and we will be the clay. May you find God’s molding hand at work in your life this year. May you see His promises come true as you pray for His will and His glory to be seen in your life.
Dancing On Ice at the Nagano Olympic Skate Center
Best of 2011
Here is just a short list of the best things of 2011.
- Getting engaged to an amazing woman – Michie!
- Spending six months studying at a language school.
- Being able to help when and where possible with ministry and recovery efforts in the northeast.
- Leading a week of backpacking with boys from our local church in the Northern Japan Alps.
- Visiting friends and family for my brother’s wedding in September.
- Spending two months with one of my best friends, Cole, from Nebraska here at NORTHSTAR.
- Being able to share deep spiritual things with some of my local friends here in Nagano.
Hitting the powder with Michie
I am very pleased to announce that after many months of conversations about financial partnerships, my missions organization is applying to work with Steer Inc. as a means of supporting full time workers like me. I am truly excited for the possibilities this brings to my farmer and rancher friends who do not operate on the twelve months a year program. If you are not familiar with the Steer Inc. organization and how it works, I would suggest checking out their website first for a briefing.
As my family has been a part of this organization for many years, it only made sense that I take advantage of the services offered through partnering with Steer Inc. As my organization (formerly GBIM, newly renamed Encompass World Partners) is a new face to Steer Inc., a few prerequisites are necessary to begin a partnership. Encompass will need a minimum commitment of five ‘units’ in order to complete the process with Steer as part of the application. Once Encompass has these minimum five commitments with the application, Steer can begin processing support.
If you are interested in financial support through the Steer program or to be one of these original five to help Encompass complete the application process, please either contact me or my Grandfather, Dale Waters, at 605.879.2248. My Grandfather is a regional representative, and can therefore answer more questions about how Steer Inc. operates.
Sanzoku Cook - the Norikura mascot.
Prayer
- Pray for our snowboard kids club called NAK (Norikura/NORTHSTAR Adventure Kids). Every weekend, a group of 10+ kids join our staff for the club activities.
- Next weekend will be the first official meeting of our newly formed board. Please pray that their time together will be well spent. We are very thankful that these men are willing to take time off to travel from such distances as New York, Thailand, and from across Japan.
- Local English winter class is going once again. I am teaching another staff how to lead a class this winter for future potential English classes in the community.
- Pray that we can open the park in our front yard next weekend for further local ministry opportunities with friends we meet on the mountain.
- Pray for Michie and I as we try to do wedding planning and marriage counseling all in the middle of one of our busiest season. We do not usually have a lot of energy left at the end of a day to start discussing marriage concepts before one of us is half asleep. I find counseling turns out best when I take a nap on the car ride to meet with our local pastor.
