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Italian Ministries
 
 

 
 

 

Italy, Here We Come!  - 11/7/2006

 

It’s official!  Next summer we will move to Italy to assist the Evangelical Christian Baptist Union of Italy in ministry including pastoral and church leadership training with English-speaking migrant churches.  I will also work with the Union to develop ministries to women who have been trafficked into Italy to work in the sex industry.  We had told many of you that we probably would be assigned to Italy, but now it is for certain. 

 

“Are we excited?”

“Si (yes)!”  We are already attending an “Italian for Tourists and Business People” course at our local arts center on Monday nights.  The class moves slowly, but at least we will be able to ask directions to the restroom when we arrive in Italy. 

 

While we look forward to this new assignment, we are enjoying meeting so many of you who support our work and the work of other International Ministries missionaries around the world.  Everyone is so kind to us!  Take, for instance, the young man who came up to me at a church’s potluck lunch just outside Detroit, Michigan.  He asked whether Belgians follow American sports.  I told him that some of them watch American basketball via their satellite TVs.   Wanting to show him how in touch I am with American culture despite having been in Europe for fo ur years, I said, “I see you’re wearing a Dodgers cap there.” 

 

He looked at me a little funny and replied, “Well, no, it’s a Detroit Tigers hat.”  He did not make a big deal of it, and I went on scooping barbecued pork onto my sandwich bun.  Later in the day, I blushed to find out that the Detroit Tigers were playing at home in the second game of the World Series that very evening!  Maybe I’m not so in touch with American culture.

 

We continue to travel and share about the important work that is being done using the money you give through the World Mission Offering (WMO).  It is fun to see how each individual church gives its own special touch to this annual offering promotion.  We have seen WMO butterflies light on walls and cut-outs of missionary kids grow arms and legs to symbolize the amounts of money that churches collect.  We appreciate that your gift is not just money, but it is a reflection of your heart’s desire to see other people around the world come to know Jesus Christ. 

 

 

Anyone who would like to contribute to the World Mission Offering but happens not to have that opportunity in their local church can do so at www.internationalministries.org or send your donation directly to World Mission Offering, International Ministries, PO Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851.

 

We are thankful for:

  • a good adjustment for Luke and Ben to American schools
  • time with family and friends in the States

 

Please pray for:

  • the new partnership between International Ministries and Italian Baptists
  • safety as we travel

 

May God bless you all in this season of Thanksgiving!

Debbie (along with Jim, Luke and Ben) Kelsey

 
 

Japan Ministries

“Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.”  Jude 3

Dear Friends,

A new year has come and we pray that words of Jude verse 3 for you in this new year.  We trust that Christmas was a time of joy and blessing for you.  It was a time of joy and rich blessing for our family. 

 Christmas Eve was a busy, full and special day for the Nishi Okamoto Church.  Starting with a special Christmas worship service in the morning, in which we had several first time visitors.  We had a pot luck lunch followed by an all church Christmas party.  That evening we had a candle light service, led by the Junior-Senior high youth group. We did some caroling around the neighborhood after the service.  Then of course it was time for another cup of tea and a final Christmas treat back at the church before Tomoko and I locked things up at 9:30 pm.  Even though it was a long day, we had many first time guests, at both the morning and the evening services, tell how special it was to be in church for the first time on Christmas.  We believe the Spirit of the Lord was working in all of our lives that day.

 During the Christmas break we took the youth group to the church camp for a one night retreat.  Our goal has been to help them build stronger ties with each other, that they can find strength in being part of the Body of Christ.  The camp was not really winterized, but the camp manager agreed to let us come, if it didn’t get too cold before. We woke up in the morning to see the ground covered with snow.  The camp staff spent that afternoon turning off the water and clearing out the water lines so that the pipes would not break during the rest of the winter.  We praise God for the perfect timing of the cold weather, which allowed us to spend that time at the camp.  But also we praise God for the time of singing, study and play, which helped the young people grow closer together with each other and with the Lord.

 I want to share some points of praise too.  One day this fall, Mrs. Honjo, her husband passed away last June, went on a bus tour.  On the trip she was telling a lady she met on the bus about Nishi Okamoto Church, in context of her husband’s death.  The lady said, “Oh I always wanted to go to church, do you know where I could go?”  Mrs. Honjo said, “Well, why don’t you come with me?”  Mrs. Omoda has been in church almost every Sunday since.

 A neighbor stopped by last summer and asked about English classes.  Mrs. Akatsuka soon joined the Tuesday evening class, then she joined the Hand Chime choir.  She came to a worship service for the first time on Christmas Eve.

 Prayer Points

 Pray for the youth, and leaders of the group as they group in this new year. Pray for Mrs. Omoda as she grows in her faith and understanding of Christianity. Pray for Mrs. Akatsuka as she also discovers more about Jesus Christ. Pray for Mr. Mito. That he will continue to open his heart to Christ, and follow in baptism.

Finally we give thanks for you, your prayer and support.  You are a part of every story we tell, and also all those that we don’t have time and space to tell.

Grace and Peace,

John and Tomoko Armagost, International Ministries missionaries in Japan

 

 

 




  

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