Hope House Ministry

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November 4, 2019

Greetings!  We pray you are enjoying the beautiful autumn season.

Hope House Ministry

Japan is a beautiful country filled with wonderful people.  However, those who serve here can attest that Japan is difficult soil to cultivate.  For many years, we labored in our community to reassure our neighbors that we are not a cult and that the place we worship does not require perfection before one enters.  Ironically, people attend church outreach events for the community.  But, due to the stigmas they did not feel comfortable attending worship.

Guest are joyful to break bread with us at our home and study God’s word.  Sadly, our house is not that spacious and many times we had more guest than our house can hold.  We prayed God provide a place that is not only big enough to host a large group but also informal enough for newcomers.  God answered our prayer last year and we now have such a place.  We have named this new ministry, Hope House.

Summer Fellowships

We hosted many events at Hope House this summer.  One of the highlights was seeing families come and fellowship together.  Our outreach program at church was mainly for children and mothers.  Whenever we invited fathers to church ministries, most of them had excuses not to come such as “I’m too busy” and “Church is not for me.”  Many children shared in times past that they are lonely because they do not have much family time since dad is “too busy.”

Family Outreach

Seeing families coming together was a huge blessing!  We met several dads for the first time and they were so happy to be there!  We all had so much fun and laughed a lot!  It seemed like many dads enjoyed getting to know other dads as well.  We praise God for answering our prayers.  We use these times to build relationships as we prayerfully discern those who are open to the gospel.  Here it is taboo to discuss politics, religion, the military, and even sports with those you are not familiar.  We praise Him for those He is calling.

College Outreach

We also invited college students.  Because it was during summer break, only two of them could come, but we had a great time with them. One of them lives away from his family and he said it was nice to have a home cooked meal.  Our boys had the best time with them.  It is encouraging to continue ministering to young adults in our community and encourage their walk with Christ.

Fall Events

This fall, we will a have a tea time with single moms and their children.  We want them to know how much they are loved and how much we care.  Please pray our time with them will be an encouragement to them.  After the tea time, we will also have a flea market to help raise money for an orphanage.

Categories: Hope for Japan News, Hope House, Prayer Needs.

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Autumn Approaches Sendai

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September 21, 2019

The weather here in Sendai is beginning to cool down marking the approach of autumn here in Japan.  This means that our fun summer has come to an end.  So much to share. Where to begin?

Summer Events

First, children’s ministry is one of our main ministries and we all had a great summer!  Just days after we came back from Hawaii, we hosted a children’s camp.  Children from two churches got together to have fun studying the word!  It is always a blessing to partner with our sister church to host this event and we love serving with their church members.  Our boys had a great time making new friends. Many of them came from non-Christian homes.  The pastor of our sister church led the Bible lessons and we all had meaningful conversations in small groups.  We pray the seeds planted will grow to fruition.

Second, as you may already know, we host a monthly children’s fellowship at our church.  We have worship, Bible study, dinner, and craft time.  It’s one of our boys’ favorite times of the month.  In August we changed things up a bit and had a pool party. Everyone (including adults) had so much fun cooling off in the water!  After play time, the children had a time of fellowship and bible verse memorization drills. We love seeing their smiles when they are able to recite a new verse!  Please pray they will be bold to share the truth of God with their friends.

Peace and Much Needed Healing

Next, in the beginning of August, children from 4 churches in Sendai and Fukushima got together to have a day camp.  We take turns hosting this camp and this year it was held at a sister church.  The theme “Blessed are the peacemakers” taught what it means to be a peacemaker.  Each small group looked at newspaper clippings to find photos and articles that represented “peace”.

At the day camp there were a few children from Fukushima in my small group.  They have gone through unimaginable hardships since March of 2011.  The photos they chose really touched me.  Please continue to pray for those whose daily life is still affected.

What’s next?

Finally, in closing, we thank you for praying for us and Japanese people!  Michael is busy working at Hope House (there will be a new post about Hope House soon), Yu loves her job as a teacher, and the boys are doing well at school.  Please remember to pray for us as we attend the retreat this coming Monday.  About 70 people from 13 Baptist churches in northern Japan will gather for this event.  The main speaker is a pastor from Fukushima.  Our church is hosting this retreat and is working so hard to prepare.  We are leading the children’s program.  We truly appreciate your prayers!  Please let us know how we can pray for you! Praise Him! May He continue to give the increase during this autumn season!

 

Children’s Summer Camp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Game Time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BBQ!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bible Story Time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy campers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They were so happy to make new friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day camp for children from Sendai and Fukushima.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They learned what it means to be a peacemaker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for articles and photos that represent peace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learning how to make Japanese desserts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are getting good at making “ohagi”!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pool party and fellowship at our church.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thankful for good friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories: Hope for Japan News, Prayer Needs.

Deepest Appreciation

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May 29, 2019

Dear Prayer Partners and Supporters,

Greetings from Japan.  We pray you and your family are well.

We are writing this to express our gratitude to all our prayer partners and financial supporters.  First of all, we would not have been here without each one of you.  We have faced many challenges and trials and your prayers and support kept us going.  Please know how much we appreciate you all.

We also would like to let you know that we were notified April 1 via email by FBC Arlington that they would not continue with current or future ministry in Japan starting April of 2019.  In addition, Michael’s contract with Restore Hope terminated on May 2nd.

We are sad to end our partnership with them.  We are thankful for all their support over the last 8 years.  We pray their work in other parts of the world will be fruitful.

We have spent the last month praying about our future.  We asked our family and close friends to pray with us.  Even though our future is uncertain, one thing we know for sure is that we are called to make Him known among Japanese people. So after much prayer and consideration, we decided to stay in Sendai to continue our ministry.  We are in the process of joining a new sending agency as well as finding a new home church.  We sincerely ask you all to pray with us. We want to follow God’s direction.  We praise God for all the work He has started here and pray He will continue to bless His ministry.

We would appreciate it so much if you could continue praying for us and supporting our ministry.  If you have any questions, please feel free to write us anytime.  We will continue to update you as things progress.

Thank you again for partnering with us.

Blessings,

Michael and Yu Towery

Categories: Hope for Japan News, Prayer Needs.

Prayer Request and Praise

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February 16, 2019

Greetings from Japan! We pray you and your family are doing well!

Many of you already know that we started a new ministry called “Hope House” where we gather to have fellowships and Bible studies.  God has already blessed this ministry so much and we have made new friends at this ministry house.

Recently, we had severe roof damage at Hope House because of strong wind.  We contacted several roofers but many of them said they would not be able to help because the current roofing materials were brought from America when the house was built.  We spent a lot of time praying and contacting roofers.

Thankfully, we heard from two roofing companies and they came to look at the roof to give us estimates.  One company was willing to do a temporary repair so we wouldn’t have a problem with water leak from the snow.

We praise God for answering our prayers and we would like to ask you to pray with us as we continue to pray for His provision and guidance.  We are still waiting to get estimates for repairs.  When Michael met with them this week, they said it looked like we would have to replace the entire roof which would cost a lot of money.  We want to use this house to make Him known among Japanese people.  Thank you so much for your prayers!

Categories: Prayer Needs.

Blessing Moms and Children

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December 30, 2018

Greetings from Japan.  You may be surprised I am writing a new blog post two days in a row.  This is something that has been in my heart for a while.  However, it always takes courage to write and ask for more help and support. I was not sure if this would be the right timing because of the holidays and everyone is busy around this time.  After praying for several days, God has given me peace to share.

A Growing Problem

In the last month, there were two moms who committed suicide after killing their child(children) in our city. One of these tragedies happened at a house that is about a 10 minutes drive from our church.   It’s called “Muri Shinjyuu (forced murder-suicide)” and it happens a lot here in Japan.  When a parent believes they have no hope and decides to commit suicide, dad/mom will feeling sorry for a child that will be left behind kills him/her.  The frequency of occurrence is numbing people to the point that they are not even surprised or shocked when it happens.

Every time I hear news like this my heart breaks. This time hits me really hard. It happened so close to the community we serve and the child who was killed happened to be my friend’s former student.  Just the fact that a parent believes this is the only solution is very heartbreaking.

After discussing this with my good friend/ministry partner, we wanted to take action.  We wanted to invite our non-believer mom friends and share the hope we have in Christ.  We wanted them to know they can ask for help.  And we wanted them to be the ones to offer help to their friends.  So that is exactly what we did!

All the moms that came shared that they had struggled with marriage/parenting before, and some of them said they didn’t have anyone they could trust to share their needs and concerns.  Everyone agrees with the need and share our vision for “mom’s community”. They asked if we could continue meeting more often and if they could invite their friends.

I have been reflecting and thinking a lot about this community, and there is so much more I want to do and so many more people I want to invite.

A Local Need Revealed

Right after we had one of the fellowships, we also hosted a bazaar (like an inside garage sale) at Hope House to raise money for orphans in India.  My friend, who is a single mom, came with her daughter.  She shared that she would be leaving her parents’ house to move to an apartment.  This is the step that she has been praying/preparing for for a long time.  She has worked very hard to be able to provide for her daughter.

I have been praying for them for several years and I am so happy for their new journey.  When I asked her how we can help, she was hesitant at first (a typical Japanese person wouldn’t ask for help), but she shared that she doesn’t have anything for her new apartment.  Several ladies at our church are trying to provide what we can, but I know the need is great.  This is a mom who hasn’t asked for any help.  And I know her family can’t help her much (this is one of many reasons she is leaving her parents’ house).

How You Can Help

I am writing this because we know there are many needs.  And even though I don’t like to ask for financial help, I know God has sent me here to make Him known and there are many people who love and care about Japanese people.  In order for me to continue ministering to these moms and children, I need your help.

As the end of this year approaches, you may be considering supporting ministries with a tax-deductible gift.  It is an honor that through your support the people of Japan receive the opportunity to hear the gospel and find hope in Christ.  If you would like to give a one-time gift or set up a monthly donation, please go to this link:

https://sending.org/worker/michael-and-yu-towery

We understand that you may not be able to support financially right now.  Please remember these moms and children in your prayers.  They need lots of prayers.  And please pray for those we have not even met yet.  We have many ministry goals for 2019 and we value your prayers.

Please know we appreciate each of you so very much.  May God fill your heart with His joy and peace as you continue to serve Him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories: Prayer Needs.

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Happy Fall!

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November 3, 2018

Greetings!  We pray you are all having a blessed fall season.

The colors of leaves are changing here and they are so beautiful.  We wish you could see them in person!

Michael is in America right now to share what God is doing in Japan.  He will be in Texas, Florida, and Tennessee this month.  He would love to meet with you in person or talk on the phone.  Please email us at michaelandyu@gmail.com if you can make time to talk to him!  We thank you in advance!

We have seen many photos of the fall festivals and special events held at churches over the last week.  Instead of having the annual fall festival, we decided to have the fall party which was a smaller event, but all the kids and moms seemed to have a great time.  Some of these moms started coming to the weekly “Bible Cafe” which is a small Bible study held at our church.  And these children get excited when we share the Bible stories.  Please pray these families will come to know Christ.  And please pray dads will be willing to attend our special events!

 

 

They did a great job singing songs and reading a story aloud together!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone had so much fun exchanging treats!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We enjoyed the fellowship with each other!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aren’t they cute?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Praying you have a blessed fall season!

Categories: Hope for Japan News, Prayer Needs.

Typhoon and Earthquake

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September 13, 2018

Dear Prayer Partners,

Thank you so much for praying for us and Japanese people.  As many of you know, this past week was a difficult week for Japan.  A big typhoon hit west Japan and a strong earthquake hit northern island.  Many lives were lost, people lost everything they owned, and there are those who are without power and water.

It reminded us of what we went through after the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear plant disaster in 2011.  As soon as we heard about the news, we started contacting our friends who live in those areas.  Some of our dear friends had to evacuate. Their children are still having a difficult time sleeping because of fear.  Some of our sister churches were damaged.

We are working with our church as well as churches in affected areas to help those in need.  We would appreciate your continued prayers for those who are struggling and grieving.  We know it will be a long road of recovery.  If you would like to give, please go to this link  https://sending.org/worker/michael-and-yu-towery and add instructions to the finance office so we know it’s for the disaster relief.  We truly appreciate your love, prayers, and encouragement.  We are praying for America as Hurricane Florence is approaching.

Thank you again for walking this journey with us.

Categories: Prayer Needs.

Summer Greetings!

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July 31, 2018

Hello from Japan! We pray you are all enjoying the summer.  A big typhoon just passed West Japan and it’s so hot now. Please pray for those who were affected by the heavy rain.

July went by quickly! One BIG praise is we have a new brother in Christ. Mr. Saito was baptized on July 8th. His wife and two children are believers and they prayed for his salvation for the last 18 years. Our God is so faithful!

Please pray for Mr. Saito as he begins his new journey as a follower of Christ!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went to Tokyo to renew Logan’s passport and we had a chance to see our dear friends from DBU! We enjoyed meeting their baby girl!

Thankful for good friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We partnered with another church to host the Children’s Camp. Most of these children came from non-Christian homes. It was encouraging to see their excitement as they heard the gospel.

Please pray for the seeds that were planted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our friend from our sending church came to visit us for a few days. It was so good to see him again and we had a great time together. Thank you, Joel, for coming to see us and encouraging us!

With men at our church. The man wearing a black shirt is the one who got baptized.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were all blessed by the gifts Joel brought from America! Our friends from Sunday School class are so generous and we appreciate their support!

Huge thank you to everyone who blessed us with these gifts!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have been busy working at Hope House. We will be able to share more information soon, but there is a lot to be done in order for the house to be ready to be used for ministries. We invited one of our Japanese friends to Hope House to have dinner since she will be moving to another country soon. She thought this ministry house could bless many people because of its size and warm atmosphere.

Please pray for God’s provision for Hope House.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We helped with the VBS at our sister church. About 20 children gathered from 3 different churches. All the kids seemed to have fun learning about the Bible, getting to know each other, singing, and playing games!

These children represent the future of Japanese Christians! Please pray for them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a farewell party for our Korean friend who has been attending our English Bible Study and Worship for the last 6 months. We really enjoyed seeing him every week and our boys loved playing baseball with him!

Please pray for Mr. Yu who is wearing a white t-shirt. He will be going to Korea next week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before we close, we want to share two big prayer requests. Yu and the boys were in a car accident this month. Thankfully, no one was injured. However, the car needs to be fixed and our insurance will not cover everything.  Right now, we don’t have enough funds to cover the cost.  It has been such an overwhelming process for us. We believe God is in control and He will provide everything we need. Please pray with us for His provision.

 

Second prayer request is for our dog, RT(Rat Terrier). Recently, he was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, and our vet believes he has a few months to live. Needless to say, we are all so shocked and discouraged. Luke is having such a tough time with this.  Please pray we can provide the care our dog needs and we can all feel God’s presence and peace during this time.

The one on the right is RT and the one on the left is Eli. We brought them from America 7 years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you all so much for your prayers! When we get discouraged, we think of those who are praying for us and supporting us, and we are reminded so many prayer warriors are praying for us. Thank you from the bottom of our heart! We pray for God’s peace, guidance, and provision for all of you.

Categories: Hope for Japan News, Prayer Needs.

Praise God!

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June 23, 2018

Greetings from Japan! We pray you are all doing well.

It’s finally getting warmer here in Sendai. It’s in the middle of the rainy season and all the flowers are so beautiful!

We struggled with some health issues this past month but we are all doing better. Please pray for our health as we begin this busy summer season!

We have a huge praise to share! One of the men that we have been ministering to for a while has decided to accept Christ as His Savior and he will be baptized in July. His family has been praying for his salvation for the last 20 years. Please pray for Mr. Saito as he prepares for his baptism.

Here are some photos from this past month!

We were honored to be a part of the special concert with members from 6 local churches!

Kids in our English classes love Mr. Michael!

We went to the local nursing home to deliver flowers.

Our church hosted a summer concert and there were more than 10 people who came to our church for the first time.

Yu loves leading the children’s program at church. They made Father’s Day cards for all the men at church.

Thank you so much for praying for us! We appreciate each of you!

Categories: Hope for Japan News, Prayer Needs.

Spring Memories

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May 19, 2018

Greetings from Japan!  It finally started getting warmer here and we are enjoying this beautiful spring season.  We pray you are all well.

We would like to share some of our memories from this spring.  It has been a busy season with many exciting news!  It’s hard to list all, but hope these photos will help you get to know more about us and our friends here!

We helped lead the Youth and Young Adult Retreat at our sister church. There were many students who attended for the first time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yu leads the Children’s Fellowship at our church every month. We are thankful these children are learning more about Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two children were baptized on Easter. What a blessing it was to see their joy when they shared their testimonies with the church family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michael leads the Bible Study and Worship on Sunday evening at our sister church. It’s a great group of both believers and non-believers from different countries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a BBQ fellowship one Sunday evening after the worship service. We enjoy partnering with our missionary friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yu went to South Korea to share about our ministries in Japan. She had a great time visiting several churches and meeting with friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yu enjoys leading a moms group every week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a farewell party for a family who moved to another part of Japan. We learned so much from this family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We welcomed two friends from our sending church. We are thankful for their encouragement. They helped with our English ministry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Logan turned 5! We celebrated his birthday with our friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support!  As you may already know, we have been praying and preparing to start a new ministry for families, single moms, and senior citizens.  We have some exciting updates to share soon.  Please pray for God’s guidance as we seek His will!  Thank you for partnering with us to share His love with Japanese people.

Categories: Family, Hope for Japan News, Prayer Needs.

Christmas 2017 “You are special”

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January 11, 2018

Children’s Christmas Gift

Hello. Some of you may remember for Christmas 2016 we gave bilingual children’s Bibles to the families that came to our weekly ministries.  For 2017, we decided to give Max Lucado’s “You are Special”.   Thanks to those who donated, we served 21 families with a book!  We thank those who gave and prayed for these families!

The beautiful smiles we saw as we gave them their gift was priceless!  The majority of the families who received a book are non-believers.  We pray they will understand the meaning of this book.  Some of the children and their parents did tell us how much the book meant to them.  One of them struggles with bullies at school.  We pray for her and encourage her.  She attended the Christmas worship service with her family.  She wrote us a letter saying, “Being at church is the only time I feel at peace.”

Please join us in prayer that these families will always remember how special they are and how much they are loved by God.

We will write about Luke’s baptism next week!

Christams Books!

Look at all these books!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Gift Giving!

Loved seeing these moms smile!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chritsmas Cupcakes!

We decorated and ate cupcakes!

Categories: Family, Prayer Needs.

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Thank you for your prayers!

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October 31, 2017

Thank you so much for praying for us as we hosted the Fall Festival last week.   It was a big success!  About 30 children and their moms came, and our church members had a chance to meet them.  Children who come to our weekly English classes sang some songs and did their self introductions in front of everyone.  They all did a great job and they made us proud!  After playing fun games, Michael shared the gospel through pumpkin carving and told them God gives us His light to shine through us.  Please continue to pray for those who heard the message.  We want to thank everyone who donated toys and candies for this event.  All the children (and their moms!) were so happy to receive them!  We truly appreciate your prayers and support!

 

Categories: Hope for Japan News, Prayer Needs.

Please pray!

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October 23, 2017

Hello from Japan! We pray you are enjoying this beautiful fall season!

God continues to bless our lives and ministries here.   As many of you already know, we are teaching English classes at our church every week.  Many parents want their children to learn English so having English classes opens doors for us to meet many children and their families.

We are hosting the annual Fall Festival at our church this Wednesday.  We will be having many fun games and yummy goodies, but more importantly, we will be sharing the gospel with everyone who comes.

Please pray their hearts will be prepared to hear the gospel!  And please remember us in your prayers as we prepare for this special event.  We appreciate your prayers!

 

Categories: Hope for Japan News, Prayer Needs.

Congratulations!

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October 5, 2017

Last Saturday was such a happy day for all of us and our church members.  Two young members got married.  They are a very sweet couple and our family really enjoyed getting to know them and spending time with them for the last few years.  Our boys love and adore them!   We are so happy for them as they start their new journey together, but we are also excited to witness this Christian couple making a lifelong commitment to serve the Lord together.  We have faced many challenges as we ministered to young people in Sendai, so hearing about their story and the impact this church and its members had on them really touched us.  Would you please pray for them?  They are trying to share God’s love in their workplace.  And please pray for us as we continue to minister to young adults in our city.

 

Categories: Hope for Japan News, Prayer Needs.

New follower of Christ!

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September 25, 2017

Hello from Japan!  We hope you are all doing well!

We are excited to share with you that our son, Luke, has made a decision to follow Christ.  As his parents, we are so proud of him, and we are thankful for the ways God has blessed and impacted his life.   He will spend the next few months learning about what it means to be a Christian.  Would you please rejoice with us and pray for him as he continue to learn more about God?  We know God has a wonderful plan for his life and we can’t wait to see where He leads him!

 

Luke is working on memorizing Bible verses.

Categories: Family, Prayer Needs.

Praying for friends in South Texas and West Japan

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September 1, 2017

It has been such an eventful week.  We pray for those affected by the hurricane in South Texas.  It is heartbreaking to see so many people suffering.  We are also concerned about the current situation with North Korea.  Even though at times it is hard to be hopeful, we trust in Him who gives us hope.  We are praying He sends people to help!

We want to ask you to pray for our friends, Mr. and Mrs. Fukushima.  Michael met them at the gym and we have truly enjoyed getting to know them.  They came to every single church event that we invited them to join and they also invited us to hang out with them which is rare for new friends in Japan.  We are sad they are moving to West Japan.  They came to our house right before they left Sendai.  It was hard to see them off, but we promised to keep in touch and they invited us to their new home.  Please pray the seeds planted will grow in His time.  Thank you for praying with us!

Praying for friends moving to West Japan

Praying for Mr. and Mrs. Fukushima

Categories: Prayer Needs.

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Thank you!

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August 24, 2017

Can you believe we are leaving for Japan tomorrow morning?  God has truly blessed our time in America.  Our sending church, FBC Arlington, has approved us to serve in Japan for the next two years.  We  know many of you have prayed for us, provided financial support, and made our time here enjoyable.  We want to say “THANK YOU!” to each one of you!  We will do our best to keep in touch with you and we would love to know how we can pray for you.  We trust God will continue to do amazing things in Japan and we can’t wait to share His love with many Japanese people.  We appreciate your continued prayers.  Thank you so much for walking this journey with us!

We are thankful for everyone who has prayed for us and encouraged us as we prepared for our next term.

 

 

 

 

 

Categories: Hope for Japan News, Prayer Needs.

Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year!!!

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December 28, 2016

Christmas newsletter 2016

Christmas 2016

As we share the true meaning of Christmas with our friends in Japan, our hearts are filled with gratitude for all of you because we would not be here without your prayers and support. God continued to bless our ministries this year. We had a chance to share the gospel with more than 100 people every week. This Christmas was extra special because one of our high school students was baptized. And thanks to many of you, we gave a children’s Bible to the families that come to our weekly ministries. We are overwhelmed by your continued prayers and support. Thank you so much for partnering with us to share God’s love with Japanese people. As we end this year, would you please consider giving a one time gift or giving monthly as we continue to share His good news? You may already be aware that we are self-funded. Hope for Japan is currently 20% behind in monthly support. Please give online at https://sending.org/worker/michael-and-yu-towery or send a check (Memo: Hope for Japan) to FBCA Global Ministries, 301 S. Center St. Arlington, TX 76010. Please don’t hesitate to contact us by email at michaelandyu@gmail.com anytime. We included below a link and picture of our newsletter.  We pray you have a blessed Christmas and a happy new year!

Christmas newsletter 2016

Christmas newsletter 2016

Categories: Hope for Japan News, Prayer Needs.

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Kids’ English Club

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July 30, 2015

Kids’ English Club has had a wonderful year thus far. We were growing nearly every week with a kid here and there before we broke for the spring break.  After our trip to Hawaii we were not sure what the class would be like since our American friend moved back to Florida while we were gone (we miss you guys).   It was a blessing to see that most of our students returned and they invited their friends.  We are also thankful our pastor’s wife helps every week.

We had several guests and teams and more are coming in the fall.  In May, we were so happy to welcome two friends from our home church in Texas.   These guys encouraged us in many ways.  We also received post cards from our American friend’s (she came to Japan twice already and we can’t wait to have her back here!) kindergarten class and our students wrote them back!

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We are now in the middle of summer vacation but we will resume classes in a few weeks.

Please pray that the children will have a save summer break and also that more children will come to our English classes. We are so thankful for each and everyone of the children God has brought to the ministry. We pray He will continue to bring more.

Categories: Hope for Japan News, Prayer Needs.

Spring memories

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July 30, 2015

We can’t believe July is almost over! We apologize for not updating this blog for a few months. Just like many of you, we have been crazy busy!

Some of you may be wondering why the title of this post is “Spring memories”. This post was supposed to be published long time ago. Thank you for being patient as we publish several new posts this week. This past spring and summer have been one of the busiest times ever! But that means God is doing many things here in Japan and we look forward to sharing many stories with you.

Here is the original post:

Thank you to those who prayed for us as we went to Hawaii to visit friends and their churches. We had a wonderful time sharing about what God is doing in Japan. People in Hawaii were so welcoming and we enjoyed every minute of our time. Of course, our kids loved it as well!

After coming back to Japan, we hosted the youth and young adult retreat at our church. There were several people who came for the first time. We loved listening to their life stories, learning about Jesus, and worshiping together. Please pray for their walk with Christ as some of them are struggling at school/work/home.

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This year’s Easter was very special! Two girls were baptized and many of you prayed for them in the past. We are so thankful for our new sisters in Christ. Please pray for both of them, especially for Mina, who moved to another city with her family recently.

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Thank you again for your prayers and support!  Stay tuned for more posts!

Categories: Hope for Japan News, Prayer Needs.

JBC Disaster Relief Video

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March 20, 2015

Last week was the fourth year since the 3-11 earthquake. Last July, we made a video for the Japan Baptist Convention. It is an overview of the relief work in Japan. Below is the English Version. Here is a link to the English and Japanese versions.  Thank you for your continued prayers and support for those in need.

Categories: Aid for Japan, Prayer Needs.

Hosting a mission team from Hawaii!

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May 1, 2014

We are hosting a mission team from Hawaii this week and next week.  They are from Waialae Baptist Church and FBC Pearl City.  Eight people are coming and seven of them were here two years ago.  We are excited to have them back again!  They will be serving at local churches and in the disaster area.  The following is the prayer calendar that the team has made for this trip.  We appreciate your prayers as they minister to so many people!  We also want to ask you to pray for extra strength for us and our boys!

May 1: Pray for safe travel to Sendai, second ministry area.

May 2: Pray for missionaries Michael and Yu Towery at Taitomi Church. Pray for the mothers and children as the team interacts with them. Most of them do not come from Christian backgrounds.

May 3 Pray for the Hawaiian Festival community outreach to families around Taitomi Church. Pray for good weather, a great turnout and the opportunity for the team to share the Gospel.

May 4 Pray for the Sunday Worship time at Taitomi Church. Pray for the work that missionaries Tony and Marsha Woods are involved with in Ishinomaki and for the English Bible Study and worship at Sendai Baptist Church. Pray for Lynne as she shares her testimony.

May 5 Pray for those involved with the Nozomi Project. Pray for people still living in temporary housing in Oshika. Pray for Miyuki and her daughter.

May 6: Pray for the people in the temporary housing in Ishinomaki. Pray for the team’s sensitivity to the people as they listen to the residents’ stories and as they minister through music, games, and crafts.

May 7: Pray for the Tokyo Baptist Church ministry in rest home in Ishinomaki with Tony and Marsha Woods. Pray for safe travel back to Sendai.

May 8 Pray for missionaries Tony and Marsha Woods and Michael and Yu Towery and their ongoing work in Japan.

May 9 Pray for the team’s safe return home and the ongoing work in Japan.

Thank you in advance for your prayers!  Looking forward to sharing the photos and stories!

Categories: Aid for Japan, Hope for Japan News, Prayer Needs.

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Ministry Partner Development

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April 7, 2014

PrayerCardFront3 Our time state side has been both busy and refreshing.  We are so blessed to be surrounded with so many friends and family who have showered us with love.  However, the time has come for us to go back to Japan and continue the work that God has for us.  We want to thank everyone who has joined our support team.  Your giving has allowed us to not only go back to Japan but continued the ministries that God has laid before us to do.  Your prayers have enabled us throughout the last three years to minister during even the hardest times and will continue to fuel and guide our spirits.  We are faith base supported which means no one church, organization, or individually supports us financially.  Thank you to those who have trusted God by giving.  We are also thankful for our home church, FBC Arlington.

Even though we are going home to Japan, our fund raising will continue.  If you are not a part of our support team yet, we would like to offer you an invitation to join us in furthering the work God is doing in Japan.  Below are links to our support letter, contribution fact sheet, and two videos that help to give perspective to the ministry we have been a part of the past three years.  Please feel free to share this information with others.  We would be glad to hear from them.  Thank you as always and God Bless you!

Support Letter 2014

Contribution Fact Sheet

 

 

Categories: Hope for Japan News, Prayer Needs.

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Prayer Request

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August 12, 2013

We are hosting the youth camp today and tomorrow.  Many of you have been praying for the youth ministry and God has heard and answered your prayers in many ways!   We have been wanting to host a camp at our church for a long time and God answered our prayers by sending a wonderful team of young adults from South Korea.  We visited their church in February and shared our prayers with them, and God has selected great and talented young men and women to work with our students and children here.

Please pray many lives will be touched and changed by God.  Many students are going through a difficult time and we want them to find strength and peace in Him.  Also, please pray for health of all the team members and our family.  Several team members are not feeling well and Luke has a fever.  We are praying God will heal them so that they can be a part of the camp.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.  Thanks to your prayer and financial support, we are able to host this camp.  We believe God will do amazing things at this camp!

Categories: Prayer Needs.

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Spring Events Part 2

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June 14, 2013

Here are more events from this spring!

Youth Retreat: Like last year, we had the privilege of leading the youth camp.  It’s one of our favorite events of the year.  We love hanging out with young people and it’s such an honor to love on them, to pray with them, and to encourage them as they walk with Him.  Some of the students that came are not believers but one of them told us that she would like to start praying about being baptized.  Her parents are not believers so there are many obstacles ahead of her, but we pray God will continue to work in her life and she will be able to be baptized in His perfect timing!

Worship service

Worship service

Playing games outside.

Playing games outside.

Luke had fun, too! He got lots of attention the whole time!

Luke had fun, too! He got lots of attention the whole time!

So thankful for these students who love God!

So thankful for these students who love God!

Looking forward to seeing them again next year!

Looking forward to seeing them again next year!

LIFE: LIFE is our weekly ministry on Sunday night.  We lead the English Bible study and English worship service.  Believers from various churches and non-believers from across the city gather every Sunday night to read the Bible, to learn English, and to worship together.  One of the blessings is that we have a chance to serve with our missionary friends and Japanese believers.  It’s also exciting to see the non-believers trying their best to read the Bible in English and asking many meaningful questions!  We can’t wait to see what God has in store for this ministry!

Michael preaches once a month.

Michael preaches once a month.

Fellowship time after the service.

Fellowship time after the service.

Bowling and Lunch with Youth Group: We took some of our students to go bowling and lunch.   We love to hear their daily life stories and to love on them.  It’s neat to hear them talk about God and how He is guiding them.

Luke had the best time!

Luke had the best time!

Can you tell we were all so full after having a delicious meal? These students can eat a lot!

These students can eat a lot!

Hope you enjoyed looking at these photos and reading about each event!  We are thankful for your prayers and support as we live and serve in Japan!  We thank God for each opportunity we have to share His message!  Please continue to pray for Japanese people!  It’s evident that God is working in this country!

This was the last photo of our family of three! Who knew we would be welcoming our baby two days later?

This was the last photo of our family of three! Who knew we would be welcoming our baby two days later?

Categories: Hope for Japan News, Prayer Needs.

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