Charnwood Road Baptist Church

Pete & Edie 2009

 December 2009 Newsletter

Click here for December Photo Newsletter

Asahi 2-13-6, Otsu-shi, Shiga-ken 520-0533, Japan
Tel: +81(0)775323210  E-mail:pews@hera.eonet.ne.jp                 

 Thank you for praying for us. More frequent information is available in our monthly e-mail. Please contact us if you would like to receive that, or if you no longer want to receive this newsletter.

 Kaori Christian Church is much the same. Our three lady members are still a big help to us, although Mrs. Niwayama has been struggling a bit lately as she gets ready for her daughter and family visiting from America. Mrs. Furuya and Mrs. Urabe are still regular attenders. Mr. Nagahara and Mrs. Endo are still with us, while the Iwata family and Mrs. Okada and Mr. Hosokawa find it very difficult to get to the service regularly. Please pray for us to have wisdom in dealing with them and how we should move forward in helping the people we don't see so often.

 Pete meets with Mr. Maeda every week for a short Bible study and then we watch Harvest Time, a weekly Christian TV programme, which can be watched online (with English subtitles).

 The special ladies outreach meetings continue about four times a year. Toddler Club has stopped for the time, as Edi looks into changing the format to more effectively reach the mothers.

 Jocelyn has contacts with ladies through her English classes, English Bible study and personal contacts. She also looks after the midweek Bible study.

 We were recently joined in the church by Kiyoun and Hyosoo Kim, two new missionaries from Korea. Including those two, we are now overseeing the language study of nine new workers.

 Edi teaches English at home to some local children once a week, and goes to the local primary school once a week to teach English.

 "Believing God together for Change, Renewal and Harvest” was the theme Edi was able to consider and engage with at a ten-day conference of missionaries in Thailand in October.

 Joanna started at middle school in April. She is going to an international Christian school, which is an hour away from our home. However, we share renting a flat with a missionary couple from Germany, so that their three children and Joanna are able to live very near the school during the week.

 John moved up to primary school in April. He and Andy are both members of the same football club. Andy is especially keen on football.

 Pete is part of the education committee for the Japanese church association (concerned mainly with how to train Japanese leaders for the churches), and we are both members of the missionary leadership committee.

 Pete had a good time in the U.K. from March to June, visiting many churches and prayer groups. His absence was made possible by Edi’s parents, Richard and Edna Owens coming to work in the church for four months.

 On Pete’s return to Japan, it was straight to work on moving house. Thanks to the kind offer of one of Edi’s friends, we moved in July to a house very near our old one, but with a nicer layout and lower rent. Please note our new phone number and new address, which is very similar to the previous one.

 Address changes to us or to: Tomi & Cath Owens, 14 Clos Lempriere, La Rue de Maupertuis, St. Clement, Jersey, JE2 6BH, U.K.           

December 2009

Hello again.
 
Thank you for continuing to remember and pray for us.
 
1. We have our usual Christmas programme coming up: putting 3000 church leaflets in letter boxes, a children's meeting on Sunday 13th and the candlelight service on Christmas Eve with Pastor Matsubara as our guest speaker.
 
2. Numbers in the Sunday services went up a bit in November, thanks mainly to some temporary visitors. At one service we had eleven people, representing seven nationalities from five continents, but please pray for continued growth.
 
3. Joanna was off school for a week with influenza, but we all seem to be alright at the moment. Please pray for the Lord's protection on our health.
 
4. Please pray for inspiration and God's leading in what we do, or should be doing with our time.
 
Happy Christmas.
 
Peter, Edi, Joanna, Andy and John Wilson

November 2009

Hello again.

Here are our prayer pointers for November
 
1. The Waku Waku Kai (ladies' outreach meeting) on 27th October turned out to be a really good time for Mrs. Iwamoto, a non-Christian. She was able to open up about her past and her search for God. She attends one of Jocelyn's English classes, so please pray that God will continue to speak to her through the Scriptures shared at the end of each class.
 
2. We have another Waku Waku Kai on 24th November, this time with a Christmas theme, making nativity scenes out of origami paper. Edi will be leading this and someone will be speaking about the true meaning of Christmas.
 
3. Mrs. Niwayama (church member) has a busy month this month. Her younger daughter is getting married and her older daughter is coming with her American husband and three small children from California for part of November into December. This will be the first time that Mr. Niwayama has ever met his son-in-law and grandchildren, none of whom speak Japanese. Getting ready for them coming has been quite stressful in the Niwayama house. The son-in-law and older daughter are both Christians, so please pray for their witness and for Mr. Niwayama, who will find himself surrounded by Christians.
 
4. Numbers in the Sunday services have been low recently, even more so than usual. Please pray for us to have wisdom in serving and helping the church.
 
Thank you for praying for us.
 
Peter, Edi, Joanna, Andy and John Wilson
 

October 2009

Hello everyone. Thank you for remembering us.

 
1. Andy caught swine flu three weeks ago but has completely recovered. We are very pleased that no-one else caught it.
2. Edi will be away in Thailand from 11th to 25th October and will attend a conference for workers from Asia in our organisation. Please pray for her to have a beneficial time there, and for Pete at home with the children.
3. We have a Waku Waku Kai (ladies' outreach) on Tuesday 27th October. It will be a short walk to the nearby lake with a short message from Edi.
 
4. Dean and Lillian Kim, new workers from Korea have moved into a flat near here. Please pray for them as they settle in and start language school and attending Kaori church. We are pleased to have their involvement in our team.
5. We want to see Kaori church grow. Please pray for spiritual growth for us all.
 
Thank you for praying.
 
Peter, Edi, Joanna, Andy and John Wilson

September 2009

Hello from Japan.

 
This is our monthly update, which should come to you quite regularly from now on.
 
Pete was away in Britain from March to June, and was very glad to meet many of you during his travels around churches and prayer groups. He was also able to have some good blocks of time with his home church in St. Austell. It was a great encouragement to see how many people are thinking about us and praying for us. He returned to Japan on 1st July and immediately we were into the business of moving house. Our new house is just a few minutes from the old one in the same area.
 
We have settled into the new house and will be getting back into a normal routine now with church activities, English classes, etc. Please pray for vision and to know our priorities.
 
Please pray for growth in Kaori Church. Some people have been in contact with us for ten years without coming to the Lord.
 
Please note our new address:
 
Asahi 2-13-6
Otsu-shi
Shiga-ken 520-0533
Japan
 
Tel: +81(0)775323210
 
Thank you for praying.
 
Peter, Edi, Joanna, Andy and John Wilson

March 2009 

Hello everybody.
 
Thank you for remembering us.
 
1. Pete is in Britain doing deputation meetings and spending time with his home church. Please pray for safe travelling, for more people to pray for Japan, and for new workers.

2. Please pray for Joanna and John starting at new schools in April.
 
3. Edi has been invited again to teach at the local primary school this year. Pray for her as she prepares and teaches there.

4. Please pray for the Easter events at Kaori, a film on Good Friday and the Easter service, also for the Easter Picnic on 26th April after the service. Pray for people to attend and for God's blessing.
 
Thank you for praying.
 
Peter, Edi, Joanna, Andy and John Wilson

February 2009

Hello again. Thanks for your prayers for us.

1. The church's annual business meeting went very well this morning. Only two of the three members were able to be there., but they came with suggestions and werem't at all afraid to disagree with suggestions that we, as a team, brought to the meeting. It was veru positive and has given us some things to think about in the team.

2. We have a meeting with te members and non-members after church on 22nd February to give feedback to everyone from the members meeting and to discuss other things. please pray for the Lord's leading.

3. On Tuesday 24th February we have a "Waku Waku Kai", one of our outreach meetings for ladies. Mrs Niwayama will talk about her recent trip to Egypt and Mount Sinai.

4. Edi's parents arrive on 27th February to work here for four months while Pete goes back to Bitain. Please pray for them as they return to working in a Japanese church after ten years away.

5. Mrs Furuya has started a monthly prayer meeting in her home for the return of several people who were abducted to North Korea around 30 years ago. A few were allowed to return to Japan about five years ago, but others are left, including one whom Mr and Mrs Furuya knew personally. Mr Furuya, a non-Christian is coming to this meeting. Please pray for his savation, also for the abductees.

Thank you for praying.

Peter, Edi, Joanna, Andy and John Wilson.