Jeremy and I made it back safely from our trip out to Washington last week. This was my first time out west and I really enjoyed it. The whole Seattle-Tacoma area is really quite beautiful.
We spent a good portion of the week involved in the various missional communities throughout the city but we also had some class time devoted to teaching the basic foundations of how to lead a missional community.
I also had a chance to connect with a few Japan contacts while I was out there. One of them was my friend Timofey who I met in Tokyo this spring. Tim is was in Tokyo this spring helping Yoshi and are trips just happened to coincide and through the course of that week we hit it off and decided to reconnect in the fall when I was scheduled to attend Soma School. I’m so thankful for how God connects people across thousands of miles to help us reach Japan with the Gospel!
Soma School is Underway
Had a great day of learning today at Soma School. Are you living out of your being or your doing?
Jeremy and I arrived safely in Tacoma, WA yesterday for Soma…
Jeremy and I arrived safely in Tacoma, WA yesterday for Soma School. After so good rest we are ready to learn! I’m missing my family already though.
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The Road Ahead
This summer has been a bit of a whirlwind for us. Starting with our trip to Japan, then Meg’s parents coming to visit, a trip to the Japanese Consulate in Chicago, and a surprise trip to North Carolina last week for my grandfather’s funeral. Takumi also seems to have grown in leaps and bounds this summer as we have watched him grow from a baby into a sweet little boy. In the midst of all of this we’ve made minor preparations for our move to Japan but still have quite a ways to go. Now as fall comes into view we are gearing up to enter full support raising mode. Coupled with support raising we’ll be taking a few trips around the country to share our vision for church planting in Tokyo with new and old friends alike. If you would like more information about our fundraising please contact us.
Soma School
In October, Drew will head to Tacoma, Washington to spend a week in Soma School. This is the last step in our preparations for our move to Tokyo. Last year, Drew and Jeremy Grove were able attend Soma One Day in Tokyo along with Yoshito. This will be a week of extended training in what it looks like to lead a missional community to make disciples in the everyday stuff of life. You can learn more about Soma here.
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Day 4 in Tokyo: One Day SOMA
Today was the first day of the One Day SOMA seminar. It’s a one day seminar that they have done in the States, Europe and Australia and now Japan. Because of the need for translation however, they “One Day” seminar is actually stretched over 2 days. Jeremy and I arrived early to help setup and get things going. I was in charge of registration which was fun and gave me an opportunity to talk to everyone and stretch my Japanese muscles. The first day was great. I feel like Jeff and Todd were really helpful in helping us to see the power of the gospel over all cultures including Japanese culture which people often have a lot of push back towards.
After the first day we headed out to Sushi with the guys and talked more about Japan and what we were learning.
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