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Our family today: Amie(middle) is 22, Alisen (right) is 18, and Andrew (left) is 16.
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Shortly after we arrived in Japan in 1994: Amie was 5 and Alisen 1.
Dear Friends,
Seventeen years ago, we arrived in Japan as your missionaries. Over the years we witnessed the Lord do beautiful and amazing things around us. We count it a great privilege to be your missionaries. Thank you for your faithful support and encouragement to us over these years!
We came as a family of four, but soon became five when Andrew, our youngest, was born that first year. Our oldest, Amie, was in kindergarten, and Alisen was just one. Our children grew and things changed, often without our really noticing. For the past year, Tomoko and I have prayed about our future. We knew that we were coming back to the U.S. this summer for our regular year of U.S. assignment. However, now our children are at important junctures in their lives too. As we prayed, we felt the Lord telling us it was time to embark in a new direction in ministry and life. So, trusting that the Lord is leading us, and praying for continued guidance from the Holy Spirit, we are resigning as missionaries with International Ministries.
Looking back on these 17 years, there are many things that stand out. Just six months after we arrived, we were shaken by an earthquake that devastated the nearby city of Kobe. Four years later, we came to Kobe to serve as pastors of the Nishi Okamoto Christ Church. Now just a few months before we leave, we are shaken again by an earthquake and tsunami.
However, it is the people we came to know over the years that stand out in our hearts and minds. Pastors like Rev. Yamamoto, who welcomed us at the airport; and Rev. Masu, with whom we spent the past two years sharing leadership at “Shalom Fellowship”; and Rev. Takahashi, who we called to come and work with us at Nishi Okamoto Church and is now pastor. We think of Pastor Fujioka and Sachiko his wife, serving up in the area devastated by the tsunami. He felt the call to ministry while a member of Nishi Okamoto Church.
The lay people who we prayed with, cried with, and laughed with, are on our hearts. They helped us grow, and we trust we encouraged them on their faith journeys. I remember the first time I preached at Nishi Okamoto Church. My Japanese was so poor it must have been difficult to listen. That was Mrs. Hyodo’s first time to attend a Christian church. We know the Holy Spirit was with us because, despite my Japanese, she became the first person I baptized. Today, I am thinking of Yutaka “Richie” Mito, whom we’ve known for 13 years. Just the other day, he asked if I would do one more thing before I left: baptize him!
Tomoko reminds me of all the young people we have watched grow up. Kazuyoshi is in his second year of college and working with a Christian club on campus. Anna is off to her first year of college, and we know the Lord will use her in many special ways. Tomoko had a part in Anna’s mother becoming a Christian. There are so many others. The Lord is good to us.
Of course there have been hard times too, but we never felt we were on this journey alone. Along with our Lord Jesus Christ, we were encouraged by you and sustained by your prayers. Some reading this letter have prayed for us and supported us from the time we arrived 17 years ago. Others just recently joined us on this journey. We give thanks for each of you. We always say every story we tell is your story because of your prayers. Thank you.
Finally, we would be pleased if you would do as we intend to do after our return. That is, continue to support missions. Tomoko and I are blessed to be part of ABC’s International Ministries family. The Lord is doing some really wonderful and beautiful things through these servants. If you have a heart for Japan, consider supporting Roberta Stephens, the Hwang family, or the Turley family. Or if planting churches is something you are excited about, check out our good friends Larry and Jan Martin, missionaries in Thailand. You can learn more about these and other missionaries at: www.internationalministries.com.
If you have any questions or concerns about our decision, please do not hesitate to write to us at: tjarmagost@gmail.com
Grace and peace to you as you continue your journey of faith in Christ,
John and Tomoko Armagost
ABC International Ministries missionaries in Japan
Seventeen years ago, we arrived in Japan as your missionaries. Over the years we witnessed the Lord do beautiful and amazing things around us. We count it a great privilege to be your missionaries. Thank you for your faithful support and encouragement to us over these years!
We came as a family of four, but soon became five when Andrew, our youngest, was born that first year. Our oldest, Amie, was in kindergarten, and Alisen was just one. Our children grew and things changed, often without our really noticing. For the past year, Tomoko and I have prayed about our future. We knew that we were coming back to the U.S. this summer for our regular year of U.S. assignment. However, now our children are at important junctures in their lives too. As we prayed, we felt the Lord telling us it was time to embark in a new direction in ministry and life. So, trusting that the Lord is leading us, and praying for continued guidance from the Holy Spirit, we are resigning as missionaries with International Ministries.
Looking back on these 17 years, there are many things that stand out. Just six months after we arrived, we were shaken by an earthquake that devastated the nearby city of Kobe. Four years later, we came to Kobe to serve as pastors of the Nishi Okamoto Christ Church. Now just a few months before we leave, we are shaken again by an earthquake and tsunami.
However, it is the people we came to know over the years that stand out in our hearts and minds. Pastors like Rev. Yamamoto, who welcomed us at the airport; and Rev. Masu, with whom we spent the past two years sharing leadership at “Shalom Fellowship”; and Rev. Takahashi, who we called to come and work with us at Nishi Okamoto Church and is now pastor. We think of Pastor Fujioka and Sachiko his wife, serving up in the area devastated by the tsunami. He felt the call to ministry while a member of Nishi Okamoto Church.
The lay people who we prayed with, cried with, and laughed with, are on our hearts. They helped us grow, and we trust we encouraged them on their faith journeys. I remember the first time I preached at Nishi Okamoto Church. My Japanese was so poor it must have been difficult to listen. That was Mrs. Hyodo’s first time to attend a Christian church. We know the Holy Spirit was with us because, despite my Japanese, she became the first person I baptized. Today, I am thinking of Yutaka “Richie” Mito, whom we’ve known for 13 years. Just the other day, he asked if I would do one more thing before I left: baptize him!
Tomoko reminds me of all the young people we have watched grow up. Kazuyoshi is in his second year of college and working with a Christian club on campus. Anna is off to her first year of college, and we know the Lord will use her in many special ways. Tomoko had a part in Anna’s mother becoming a Christian. There are so many others. The Lord is good to us.
Of course there have been hard times too, but we never felt we were on this journey alone. Along with our Lord Jesus Christ, we were encouraged by you and sustained by your prayers. Some reading this letter have prayed for us and supported us from the time we arrived 17 years ago. Others just recently joined us on this journey. We give thanks for each of you. We always say every story we tell is your story because of your prayers. Thank you.
Finally, we would be pleased if you would do as we intend to do after our return. That is, continue to support missions. Tomoko and I are blessed to be part of ABC’s International Ministries family. The Lord is doing some really wonderful and beautiful things through these servants. If you have a heart for Japan, consider supporting Roberta Stephens, the Hwang family, or the Turley family. Or if planting churches is something you are excited about, check out our good friends Larry and Jan Martin, missionaries in Thailand. You can learn more about these and other missionaries at: www.internationalministries.com.
If you have any questions or concerns about our decision, please do not hesitate to write to us at: tjarmagost@gmail.com
Grace and peace to you as you continue your journey of faith in Christ,
John and Tomoko Armagost
ABC International Ministries missionaries in Japan