Hallelujah! We have our first car in Japan! God has blessed us with a beautiful, used, pearl-white, seven-seater 2017 Toyota Sienta Hybrid G. This was purchased almost entirely with the investments from a very generous anonymous donor. We are beyond amazed and grateful that God has given us this car. We made the purchase on May 2 and were given the keys on the 11th. Due to its color, passenger capacity, and fuel economy, this will be the perfect vehicle, not only for our personal use but also to use as our first church van when we plant our church. We praise the Lord that He has already given us multiple opportunities in the month of May to use our new vehicle for His work!
We were contacted early in the month by a missionary couple that had just arrived in Kyoto, Japan, on April 9, just an hour north by car from where we live. They are sent out of a like-minded local church of like faith and practice in Mexico, and they came by faith without any connections in Japan, nor the ability to speak anything but Spanish, the least commonly spoken major language of the world in Japan. We decided to try to be a help to them in every way we can, with much help from Google translate! We met for the first time on May 5 and had them stay at our apartment from the 27th through the 30th to help them with some procedures in Japan, as well as to introduce them to the ministries of the Senri Newtown Baptist Church, making them our first overnight guests! It was exciting to have the chance finally to apply what we have learned after being blessed by so many wonderful hosts during deputation. We transformed our office into a guest room and organized an itinerary to create as many opportunities for us to help them and for them to have as much exposure with the ministry here and its people. They became the first missionaries that we were able to show around the church on the 28th, and on the 29th, we were able to organize a lunch with one of the church’s teenagers, who speaks good Spanish, as well as a dinner with our Mexican contact from the Chuo Ward of Osaka, who has yet to be saved. We believe that God blessed these meetings as a chance for our missionary couple to be encouraged, the church teenager to learn the joy of serving the Lord, and the heart of our Mexican contact to be worked on for Christ.
God allowed our new car to be used in many ways leading up to us picking up the missionary couple for their overnight stay. On the 13th, we made our first visit with our car to visit the couple we have been witnessing to in the Kita Ward of Osaka, who have severely declined in health. What was intended to be a short visit to deliver a meal turned into an extended time of catching up on each other’s lives. It was encouraging that they brought up the subject of Christ before we did, and it seems like with every meeting, they have more questions and express more interest in Christ. Please continue to pray for their salvation.
On the 15th, the church was able to resume teen soul winning, where we were blessed with a great turnout. On the 19th, my wife and I celebrated our 4th anniversary. We are grateful for the amazing life that God allows us to share as we continue to enjoy the work of God together! Next month, we will be surveying our third and final place that God has placed upon our hearts to consider for our first church location. Previously, we have announced this location to be Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima; however, God closed that door to open one in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, which is in the same region. God has given us the opportunity to conduct an evangelistic meeting there, as well as one for our church here at the end of next month. As we will be promoting music, I was able to finish three new hymn arrangements on the 24th for these events! Please pray for these two enormous upcoming opportunities in June; pray that God would make His will clear to us, as we will soon be making a decision on where to plant our first church.
Danielle’s Journey
This month, I was given the opportunity to emcee the children’s church for the first time. I also led the songs and the prayer in Japanese. When we met with the missionaries from Mexico at the beginning of this month, I was able to take the wife and show her where to buy some daily necessities. When they came and stayed at our house at the end of the month, we introduced them to the church and tried to pass on what we have learned since coming. Next month, we have another big opportunity coming up. The church has asked us to lead the Grace Fellowship Meeting—an evangelistic-outreach meeting held for ladies. My husband will be preaching, and I will be giving my testimony in Japanese. We will also be providing the special music. For this meeting, we have invited the wife of the couple from the Chuo Ward, and it was so encouraging to hear her excitement, as well as her plans to bring a friend. Please pray that many would come to hear the Gospel!
Your friends and co-laborers to Japan,
Go and Danielle Oishi
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- Inside our new car
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- Boat ride to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary
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- Danielle with the missionary wife from Mexico
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- With the Chuo Ward couple and the missionaries from Mexico
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- With our missionaries from Mexico
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- Our guest room
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- Surprise Mexican dinner for our missionaries from Mexico
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- Our new car
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- Posing with our new car
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- Danielle with our contact in the Chuo Ward
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- Lunch with our church teen, who speaks excellent Spanish, and the missionary couple from Mexico