Nakahara News Nakahara Mission
December, 2016 P.O. Box 54842
Lexington, KY 40555
Merry Christmas,
I hope this finds you well and filled with excitement for the celebration of the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ! We are so thankful for each of you for your faithful support both financially and in your prayers. Let me take a moment to share what has been happening in Shizuoka, Japan. Lynn, our younger son will start his season of College Entrance Examinations exactly a month from now. “Preparatory Schools for College” is a very lucrative business in Japan. Many students who are in high school preparing for the exam enroll in prep school as well as those students who didn’t get into their choice of college will take a gap year just to study for the next exam. It is more desirable for the latter because they really need to have motivation to study. However, Lynn opted not to enroll in the prep school. While we were relieved because the tuition is extremely expensive , we were also concerned that he may feel too isolated and may get discouraged. The Lord sustained Lynn with steadfastness and perseverance. He has done everything he could, and now we give it all to God. Of course, we are praying that Lynn will get into the university of his choice.
We celebrated Christmas last year without Kazuma for he was studying abroad at Dallas Baptist University. We are so happy to be able to spend Christmas together this year. As many of you have experienced with your own children, when they go away to college, they realize what they had at home and become more appreciative. That is where Kazuma is now. He is thankful for so many things around him. His desire to be in a full-time ministry is just as strong. His immediate goal is to finish college, and is seeking God’s direction beyond that. Please pray that God will make it very clear to him what to pursue after graduation.
Tomoko & I turned 51-years old this year. We are beginning to feel that! However, Tomoko’s work as a kindergarten teacher continues to be more demanding both physically and time-wise. They still want her to be the next principal of the kindergarten. Tomoko believes her priority is to support me in our ministry here, and taking this role will take more time away from the ministry. Japanese kindergartens are operated differently than those in the U.S., and kindergarten principals are constantly traveling to various conferences, conventions in addition to managing the school and teachers. I started a part-time job beginning November working three days a week. With the exchange rate dropping so low, we had to do something to supplement our income. We are grateful that this work became available and I am adjusting and balancing my time.
God continues to bless our little church. The plan for relocation continues to evolve. We have found and met with a construction specialist (earth quake proofing). We just had our congregational meeting to share the information we have gathered so far. Some members strongly feel that we should rebuild here since the Lord blessed us with the extra property five years ago to use for a parking lot. We are praying fervently for God to give us wisdom and show us whether we should rebuild here or find less expensive property and relocate. We trust God will give us a clear picture in His perfect time. We also pray that the next earthquake, which is predicted to be severe, will never happen. Please pray with us! “Because of the tender mercy of our God, the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79) We give our ultimate praises to God the Father, our Lord, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who dwells in us! Maranatha!
Michiya and Tomoko Nakahara
Michiya Nakahara is the son of native missionaries in Japan who trained at Christian schools in the U.S.