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