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Hiebert Newsletter January 2008 |
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Dear praying friend,
We had a great time with Brandon! We enjoyed special meals that he has missed, saw places he wanted to see, and had many good times together as a family and church. He arrived safely back in Canada on January 2 and then promptly went on a ministry trip with fellow students from Bethany College in northern Saskatchewan. Please pray for him as he seeks to discern God’s will for his future.
High School teacher needed
We just heard recently that the small international Christian school where Trenton is in grade eight, will not have grade 9 next year and does not foresee having the higher grades in the future! We have prayed and discussed this at length and feel God is leading us to search for a teacher who would come and teach Trenton and one other missionary kid for at least two years. Do you know a trained and experienced high school teacher that would be suited for this ministry? Perhaps a recently retired teacher would like to come and serve the Lord and meet this urgent need in our family. Please pray. Interested persons should contact us by email immediately.
Heart Surgery Update
Chiaki’s mother is improving steadily. Thanks for praying. Chiaki is busy with work and taking care of her mother. Continue to pray that her faith will remain vibrant and strong and for the salvation of Chiaki’s whole family.
Updates on Christmas Events
Dec. 22pm: Christmas Concert. The marimba concert was unique, artistic, and serene. The twin sisters, in their later 20s, shared their testimonies of how their university music professor led them to church and to Jesus! We had a good crowd out and we sensed God’s presence. Pray that some will return to church again this year and begin to pursue Jesus!
Dec. 23am: Christmas Worship Service: We had special music and a potluck meal and fellowship time in the afternoon. We ask you to pray that God will continue to speak to the new people who attended. May they understand that the Christ of Christmas is for them.
Dec. 24pm. Candle Light Service: Again, God met us and blessed us as we celebrated Christ’s coming to earth with a short program of readings and carol singing. Brandon helped with narration and Cambria played one of her original songs.
Mr. N.
Thanks for praying for this 40 year old man who suffers from depression and mental illness. He has been so moved that I pray for him and that others in church and even people like you in North America are praying for him. He credits his improved health and quicker than expected release from the hospital to the prayers of God’s people. He even wrote a letter and gave it to me. It is addressed to those who have been praying for him!
One day as I was praying for the people in our city and especially for the many who are suffering mental illness, I was crying out to the Lord for a way to help. And then Mr. N. called. He said, “Pastor, I was reading in Romans 12 and I was wondering if you could help me understand verse 20.” Wow! Was I ever excited to help him. When I study the Bible with him he usually has 2 or 3 questions – each from different passages he has been reading. He is quickly filling up his notebook with verses and notes about what he is learning. Just a few days ago he asked if it would be okay for him to be baptized! So we have begun preparing him for that! Please continue to pray.
Tomoko
She returned from China after spending time with her family mourning her father’s death. But since she has come back to Japan things have not gone well between her and her husband. It looks like their marriage could fall apart. She is a strong-willed person and he is not used to giving in and is sometimes abusive. Most interracial marriages in Japan end in divorce. Pray for God’s intervention in their lives. Pray that Tomoko will yield fully to Jesus and become a godly wife. Pray that her husband would allow her to come to church again.
For the King and His Kingdom in Japan,
Laurence and Leona (Cambria and Trenton) Hiebert
Toyota City, Japan
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