September Ministry Update 2021
Dear Friends and Ministry Partners,
I am continually amazed at how God has provided for me and blessed me in ways that I couldn't have imagined before. The last few months have been full, and I mean that in every possible way! My schedule has been full of activities and travel, my brain has been full of thoughts and ideas and plans for the future, and my heart has been full from all the encouraging connections and opportunities I had to see friends and supporters.
One of the reasons I was excited to move to Michigan was because of the people I knew out here. At the end of July I had breakfast with Andy Gilbert who was a missionary in Japan with his wife, Lorna, for many years and currently serves as a pastor to missionaries for me and other ReachGlobal staff in Japan. He's been a big encouragement to me. A few weeks later I had lunch with the Landenbergers who organize a prayer group and collect prayer requests from missionaries across Japan to be sent out every week. I love their prayer ministry and their heart for Japan. It's been great getting to know them more. That same week I spent a day with the Stoddards, who were my previous Tokyo team leaders and the leaders of the team when I first went to Japan on my Apex trip. I hadn't seen Rob in person since I got back to Japan in the spring of 2018 and I hadn't seen Jill or the rest of their family since my trip in 2016. I was so happy to see them again.
Near the end of August, the week after seeing the Stoddards, I drove to Lanse, Pennsylvania to spend the weekend with a church that supports me. On Saturday, the day after I arrived, they put on an event called the Good News Cruise which is a car show they have every year to reach out to the community. I was given a table and talked to many people at the event. The next day, on Sunday, I shared about my ministry with the congregation and got to meet a lot more people. I had previously only met some of the church members online over Zoom, so it was great to see them in person and they are already looking forward to hosting me again the next time I come back for home assignment.
After visiting the church, I drove straight out to Iowa for the rest of the week where I met up with my teammates the Nakazawas and the Lees. The Nakazawas got to Iowa for their home assignment this past July, and the Lees have been back in Iowa since 2019 and are just waiting for the borders to reopen. While it was a long drive, I'm so glad I did it because my time with them was so restful and encouraging. After a busy couple months in Grand Rapids, it was just what I needed. It had been nearly a year since I had last seen the Nakazawas and even longer since I last saw the Lees in person.
I was grateful for the time away because I have been pretty busy since arriving back in Michigan. I've been a part of a lot of meetings and done a lot of planning for future ministry such as hosting an Apex team in Tokyo and the Challenge Conference next summer. I'll share more about those in another update. In the midst of all of my running around, my car also started overheating last week to add yet another stress onto my life. You can be praying about my car situation because I've had to put a lot of work into the car in the last couple months and I really need it to get around.
This coming Friday (9/17), I will be driving down to Virginia where I'll be in Lynchburg at Liberty University for the next week. So, I'm hoping my car is fixed by then. I'm looking forward to stopping on my way down to see my sister at Cederville University in Ohio on Friday and then spending some time with my college friends in Virginia over the weekend before my time in Lynchburg. Next week is Global Focus Week at Liberty and I'm going to be helping Apex run a table to promote their short-term trips for students. I went on an Apex trip while I was still at Liberty which was a huge part of my calling to Japan, so it's special for me to be on the other end and encourage students to go on a trip.
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My table at Lanse EFC's Good News Cruise in August!
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It feels like I haven't been able to put as much effort into my partnership development efforts recently, but amazingly my support has continued to increase and I now have about 69% of my monthly needs. I am grateful for my new partners who joined my support team recently and for everyone else who have been so committed and encouraging.
The new opportunities I've had to connect with individuals and churches here in Michigan has also been exciting, and I'm hopeful that they can propel me that final 31% to the finish line. Please be praying for these connections and for God to provide more people who would have a desire to partner with me.
With all this, one of the big questions that remains is when I will return to Japan. I hate to keep pushing back my departure date, but it is September already and we have still heard nothing from the Japanese government about when they might reopen. I haven't fully raised my support either. So, I'm going to set my new goal to January 2022. We will see in the coming months what will happen with my support and the borders, but January is seeming more likely. If God suddenly provides and all the doors open to go, then I'll jump on that opportunity, but I'm setting my expectations to going early next year.
As I've talked about my potential departure date with people at my church here in Grand Rapids, some have jokingly responded that they hope I'm delayed a little longer so that I can spend more time with them. I've struggled with God's timing for my return to Japan, but in these discussions with my church I've come to realize that even if the delays aren't ideal for me, they are for others, and I still have a lot that God can do through me here. There's a lot more I can learn too so that I am better equipped for my ministry in Japan. It's been encouraging to know that this time isn't being wasted which has allowed me to say to myself and others, "If I go to Japan, it is good, and if I stay here a little longer, it is good as well." God is good and He will complete the good work he started in me. I know He will bring me to Japan, but I don't want to miss what He's teaching me in the meantime.
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I'm currently on draft three of my ministerial license paper and I think I am nearly done. The process of working through the paper has been really good, but the hard part will come in defending what I wrote before a council. While I think I mostly know how to defend my theology, I'm not as good at remember the Scripture references to back up my arguments. You can be praying for good memory and the ability to defend myself well before the council.
It's looking like I'm going to be coming back to Vermont at the end of October and spending some time in New England in early November. I'm trying to plan my time at home around the EFCA New England District Conference which is October 29th and 30th. If you are an EFCA pastor or church member in New England, I'd love to see you there!
I'm hoping to have my council before the 29th and then see if I can connect with more New England pastors and churches while I am at the conference. I recently talked with Sam Huggard, the New England district superintendent, about licensing and the conference so I am excited about both!
I'll keep you all updated about when I will be in Vermont as the dates get closer and if you are in the area I'd love to see you! I'll probably be back around Christmas time as well but I'm hoping to be heading back to Japan soon so my opportunities to see people before I'm gone for the long-term is running short.
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I love the mountains, but the sunset over the fields of corn and alfalfa in Iowa was really beautiful too.
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Prayer Requests
- Pray for my travels. I will be in Virginia next week and I'm hoping to get back to Vermont at the end of October. Both those trips involve a lot of driving so pray for safe travels, for my car to last, and for productive times while I am there. Pray for rest during these trips as well even though they are work related. I have a lot going on in Michigan so I want to make sure I'm coming back energized and ready to get to work here.
- Pray for my time in Michigan. Things are just as crazy here in Grand Rapids which is great, but tiring. Pray for wisdom and discernment in what opportunities to move forward with and what to say no to. Pray for rest during the stressful times and effectiveness in my ministry while I am working with my church. Pray as well that I could learn a lot about ministry and church planting and be better equipped for my future ministry in Japan.
- Pray for my support. Currently I have 69% of my monthly support and about 103% of my start-up costs. I still need about $2,000 in monthly commitments to reach 100%. My goal is to have 80 partners. Right now I have 57. Pray that God would place people and churches in my path that would partner with me and that these needs would be met in miraculous ways.
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Thanks for reading!
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me at adam.bailey@efca.org or by phone at 802-461-4771. You can also go to my website at adamintokyo.com. Thanks! - Adam Bailey
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