Jordan and Nitasha News

October 2024 Update

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

Dear Friends

We have heard so often that it is very difficult for foreigners to get settled and established in Japan, especially if they aren’t afforded the help of large organisations and businesses to get them started. Many foreigners will share their hardships and experiences in forums and online articles which either helps others practically for their move, or deters them from moving altogether.

A lot of those difficulties tend to come from not being able to speak the language, everything costing too much upfront, or, because the important things can be complicated and take a long time to process. As a result, so many foreigners turn back and go home, make regrettable compromises, or spend a lot of money making mistakes during their first few months.

Not this time.

As God would have it, He found us a detached house within 14 days and 4 viewings of us searching for a home!! Our lovely new home is in a quiet neighbourhood called Kumagawa, which is still in the Tokyo Prefecture. It has 3 bedrooms, which we were really praying for so that we can share our hospitality gifts with others. And, we signed the contract just as our time at the rental apartment was up. Not only that, we have moved from being 1hr 20mins away from the church, to a 15min bike ride away, at a hugely competitive price for the area. How amazing is that!!!

We were so excited when we signed the contract and picked up the keys - and that excitement still hasn't left us. Thank you all so much for praying us through the whirlwind of settling into a new environment! We have seen God's fingerprints all over this moving process; especially since everything has happened so quickly, smoothly and with the help of the truly helpful church family we have here.

As we write this, much of our time has been spent on visiting the ward offices to register our addresses, organising switching on the utilities, finding furniture to fill the house, installing a new sound desk and helping with admin at church, purchasing our Hanko (personal Japanese signature for important documents), obtaining a Japanese bank account and a Japanese phone number, amongst other things… But we give God all the the glory and all the praise that we are here, in Japan, serving His church, and ready to make disciples!

Last month, we had our first team meetings, church outings, street evangelism opportunities, introductions to the church and spent time with Pastor Marcel and his team. This month we will be looking forward to starting our church work schedule, learning the Japanese language on a regular basis (daily personal study and weekly classes) and catching up over video call with many of you as friends family and churches. For this month, please pray:

• For relationships. Some more good news about God’s plan for our house: we have a young couple for neighbours! Please pray that we are light and a sweet smelling aroma to them, and that God opens the doors to start a relationship with them.
• For finances. Seeing how God has supplied our needs in such a timely way and at such a tender moment in our journey, we want to ask you to give thanks to God for all that He has done for us! Please dance and sing and give Him glory for His provision, but also pray for more regular financial supporters because we have had to pay out more than was expected for our initial setup costs.
• For the work. As we begin church ministry from next week, please pray for effectiveness and fruitfulness. We believe language learning will play a big part in this so, please pray that we are a breath of fresh air to Japan Kingdom Church and that we steward our roles well.

It has been a pretty hot (between 30 and 35 degrees C!) and intense month, but God has come through for us in so many ways. We pray that He comes through for you in your lives too!

Let’s connect very soon!

Nitasha & Jordan Christian
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First team lunch with Pastor and Jimmy (other missionary); working on the sound desk; getting the keys to our house!; with Khan-san and Pastor Marcel after praying in the new house; the view from our nearest train station; the teacher of our first Japanese Language class; shopping for a fridge and washing machine; Taichi-san praying for young people at prayer night; Homeless Outreach and Worship briefing at Shinjuku station.