Visa and Ticket

I found out today that I should wait to buy my ticket until I turn in my visa application. The visa application had been in the beginning stages and then my support came in rapidly. It makes since to wait to buy the ticket because I sure don't want to waste $700 and not have a visa.

Please pray that I will receive the items I need from Japan in about a week from now. The sooner I receive the papers and information I need, the sooner I can turn in my visa.

I am currently looking to leave on Wednesday, May 9th but this is a tentative date as of right now. In the mean time I will be focusing more on my language study, heading to South Bend for Easter, coming back to speak to the Navigators on April 13th, and then I have no idea what I will be doing. I would like to go to Grand Prix this year as my former team should do very well this year. I even received a jersey for this years team, thanks to my awesome old roommate, Gordon.

Please call me if you want to find out where I am or what I will be doing. I guess you could email me too.

The Last 5 days

I have been absolutely blown away over what happened from Thursday Night to Tuesday Night. That 5 day time period was blessed by your prayers and blessed by God to bring my support up by 28%.

During my time of fundraising, I initially was not thankful for where God had me and how slow things were going. God continued to teach me verses about being thankful always (Eph. 5:20, I Thess. 5:18, Col. 3:17, etc). Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This does not only mean when things are good or sometimes I will give thanks but ALWAYS give thanks in all circumstances. Always means Always. God started to change my view at the end of January to be thankful that I am still here with my funding going slow.

There were things he still wanted me to do here. Examples, my fathers death, continue ministry, and to be prepared more for my time in Japan. How great are the plans of God as they are always better than our own plans.

Seeing my support go up unexplainably, except by God's timing, I realize that it is my time to start to leave for Japan. While I am still here one more month, God has more things to teach now before I go to Japan and I am thankful that he cares for me and loves me and shows me his steadfast love in the mornings and his faithfulness by night.

Prayer Request for Funding

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you for your continued prayers and support as I am now at 67% (1839 of 2733) of my funding. I wanted to bring two prayer requests before you as I seek to raise the last $900/month.

1) As soon as I hit 90% monthly, I will be able to purchase my plane ticket to go to Japan. That means that I need to raise $625/month to buy my ticket. Will you please pray with me for that to come in by April 1^st?

2) I am also praying that God will bring 6 people or churches to support me for $100/month out of my last $900/month left to raise. Will you partner in this prayer with me?

Thank you so much for your prayers as I have been encouraged by those of you praying for me.

March 6 update

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you very much for your prayers and support as my funding continues to increase. God has been continuing to teach me and prepare me during this time of fundraising.

I want to share a blessing with you that happened in the middle of February. A gentleman, who met with me and discipled me for two years while I was at Purdue, came into town for Faith Baptist Biblical Counseling Training Conference. I met up with him on Sunday night and he challenged me to see if there was anyway for me to attend this conference. I told him that the conference was full and that I needed to have signed up a while ago. With his perseverance, he talked to one of my pastors and found out that there was an opening because his relative was not able to attend as he planned to. As a result I was able to sit in during the week on Monday through Friday and participate in 33 amazing hours of Biblical teaching. The thing that I love so much about Biblical Counseling is that it shows me practical ways to help people Biblically which as a result helps me evaluate myself and grow spiritually.

God’s Word is all-sufficient and is able to help us in our everyday problems. And for those who love God and are called according to His purpose, we know that all things work together for good so that we may be conformed into the image of His Son.

My support is currently at 62% (1708 of 2733) monthly and 100% one-time. If you have been thinking about sending a gift or commitment in and I have not contacted you, please do so or give me a call.

Prayer:

1) I am planning on going to South Bend for March 9-11. Please pray that God will provide many appointments and opportunities and that peoples hearts will be open to partnering in the ministry to Japan.

2) Please pray for my phone calling, as I am not able to meet with everyone in person. Ask for boldness and perseverance to make these calls.

Thank you for your prayers and may God bless you,

Alan

January 19 update

Dear Friends and Family,

I am excited to say that my one-time amount is now at 100% ($10,022 of $10,022) and my monthly is at 41% ($1123 of $2733). I am excited to see that my one-time cost has been raised and I think you all for your help and blessing in reaching that mark. Does that mean that I can’t accept one-time gifts anymore? No! What will happen is now that my one-time category is full, each time I receive a one-time gift it will be divided by 24 months and placed in the monthly category.

I wanted to remind all of you that as soon as my monthly reaches 90% I will be able to purchase a plane ticket to go to Japan. If you have thought about sending a commitment in, I would encourage you to do so because the sooner the monthly goes up the sooner I am able to leave and start ministering.

Please pray with me that God will bring in my monthly support soon because the break in the Japanese school year is from February to March and school starts a new year in April. I would love to be able to arrive in February and start my language study before the new school year begins in April.

Praise! I received a phone call from a missionary in Japan this last week who was looking to see if I wanted to teach an English class to adults on Tuesday nights. I have been desiring to teach English while I was there so that I could pay off my monthly school loans. After talking with her, I found out that I could teach 2 hours a week, a total of 8 hours a month and be able to pay off my monthly school loans. Praise God for providing answers to prayer requests.

Also, please pray for my phone calling this next week. I am trying to set up appointments in South Bend for this next weekend as well as I am trying to contact everyone that I have sent a letter to by the end of this week.

Thank you very much for your prayers and support.

God Bless,

Alan

P.S.- I wanted to let you know there has been a small change to my budget. There has been a 1% increase in my budget which will go to the Navigators. This is to try and help the Ethnic ministries in the United States be able to make more of an impact.

Psalm 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Dad's Funeral Information

Thank you all for your prayers and support. I wanted to let you know that the obituary will not go into the South Bend Tribune until Friday. My Dad's funeral is going to be on Monday at 6pm for the viewing and 7pm for the memorial service. We were not able to have it on Saturday or Sunday. The location will be at Emmanuel Baptist Bible Church in Niles, MI. Niles is an adjoining city with South Bend.

9 days on the road

This last week I was in South Bend and then on Friday headed down to Indianapolis for my works Christmas Party. The Christmas party was a lot of fun as we had a magician, a funny white elephant gift exchange, and some prizes. I stayed at my bosses house during the weekend which was a lot of fun as he has 7 adorable kids.
I am now back in Lafayette until Friday as I will then head back to South Bend for the Christmas family get together. I have received a couple more gifts this week and I am at 33% (890 of 2700) monthly and 76% (7520 of 9910) one-time. Please continue to pray that God will bring in my monthly support. I am praying that I will be fundraised by January 1st and leave by February 1st. Will you please pray with me? Thank you for all your prayers and encouragement.