summer, so far

Since we haven’t updated in a month, I guess you can tell we have been busy! We have already had 7 volunteer teams come to work with us since the beginning of May, and we have 14 still coming before the end of the summer. We also have almost 40 high school and college interns living in Tokyo to work with us through August. The IMB Tokyo team has been praying for years that God would send more workers to Japan, and He is certainly answering that prayer this summer… praise the Lord!

When volunteer teams come to Tokyo, they participate in activities like: street witnessing through 5 Minute English, campus ministry at Japanese universities, friendship evangelism and family outreach at local parks, prayerwalking the streets of Tokyo, and various other things that fit the team’s profile and skills. The energy and love that volunteers bring to Japan is such a blessing to us! (And to the Japanese, even if they don’t know it yet!)

Will you please keep praying for all of ministries going on in Tokyo this summer? Please pray for the literally hundreds of volunteers that are spending part of their summer sharing God’s love with the Japanese people, and pray for the all of the IMB Tokyo missionaries that are out training, leading, and helping volunteers during their time here. We can’t wait to share with you all the ways God works this summer!

At the moment we are updating from Thailand, where we are having some much-needed vacation! We’ll write more as we are able. We hope you’re having a wonderful summer!!!

public transportation

Probably the most important rule for public transportation: Don't take up more than your fair share of space!!

To help people remember this principle, this sign is currently being displayed in JR-Line trains throughout Tokyo:

Very helpful illustrations, thank you JR.

Japanese people are almost always extremely courteous, so it's rare to encounter rude train passengers. When we do, it's annoying.. but I can tell you one thing that is definitely WORSE than one or two rude passengers...

Click on this link to see what it is...
http://www.glumbert.com/media/rushhour

Happy Anniversary!

On May 14 we will be celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary!

I made a video to commemorate the occasion :) Enjoy!

[The song is "Luckiest" by Ben Folds.]

back to school

The school year in Japan runs from around April to February (with a long break in August).. so universities are back in session now for a new school year! The past few weeks we've all been going back to campuses to reunite with old friends and make new ones. Please pray for the 3 campuses Trent and I work on.. Tsuda, ICU, and SK. Especially lift up SK University as it's a new place we'll be targeting this summer! A Christian faculty member has become a true person of peace on campus, providing many connections there! He's already introduced Trent to some of his students and has invited him to come speak in his classes this term. Trent will also be bringing volunteers to the campus this summer. Please pray that God would protect and bless the new ministry on SK campus and that He would create new disciples from among the students there.

Spring is still unbelievably beautiful in Tokyo. Now that I have experienced what it's like to have four distinct season, I know what I was missing in Texas!! Even the weeds in this country are beautiful - take a look:

Those are just plain old weeds growing on the side of the road! Amazing!

Thanks for continuing to pray over our relationships with our neighbors! We feel like God is really working here in our building! Last week at a cell phone store Trent "randomly" ran into a new neighbor we had just recently met, and he asked Trent if they could get together to talk about our work! On Wednesday night I'm having dinner with Mrs. Oka.. this is the first time I will have see her since January because she has been so busy! And then on Saturday night we are having Chi-san and Hi-san over for dinner at our apartment. (They are the couple who came to our Easter brunch that we've spent time with a few times now.) God is just giving us so many cool opportunities here! Please pray for these special appointments this week :)

Thanks for everything- we love you! Check out the left hand margin of the page to see more updated prayers and praises!

a beautiful quote

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you
does, in fact, please you.
And I hope I have that desire
in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything
apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this
you will lead me by the right road,
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore, I will trust you always
though I may seem to be lost
and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear,
for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me
to face my perils alone.

--Thomas Merton