(The photo above is of a young gospel singer and songwriter – Migiwa – who performed on May 5th at our denomination-wide retreat.)

Dear prayer partners,

Greetings once again from Japan. As we look back on May and move forward in June we begin this correspondence with a heartfelt “thank you” for all of your special prayer on our behalf over the past few weeks.  So many of you sent notes of sympathy and words of encouragement following the sudden death of my sister Karen as she was killed by a drunk driver on May 3rd in Seattle. That meant a lot to us. We thank God for:

• smooth flights and safe travel for me (Tim) as I traveled to Seattle and then back to Japan via San Francisco.
• For God’s evident protection around Doug, Katherine, Teresa and Evan as they dealt with the pain of losing Karen.
• For a memorial service for Karen which was both a wonderful tribute to her but also a very God-centered witness and worship event.
• For a chance to spend a day and a half with my mother in Turlock, CA. on my way back to Japan.
• For protection around Andrea and our children while I was gone.

Here are just a few brief items of news and requests for prayer this month:

1.  Alpha  – Thanks for your prayer for the Alpha course which is continuing at the Isesaki Church. Because we are meeting just twice a month instead of weekly it takes a bit more time to work through the course. We began on April 14th and are scheduled to complete the course in November. We are praying particularly for the special work of God’s spirit in the hearts of:  Mrs. W, Mrs. H., Mrs. I, and Mr. S. Thanks for praying with us for these individuals.
2. ABC – our summer season at the Akagi Bible Camp is soon upon us. Our main goal of course is to have many lives changed through having many meet Jesus Christ through these camp programs. Specific areas for prayer include the following: 1. adequate staff for the kitchen  2. Wisdom and strength for Ken Tsuruki, the camp manager  3. We are praying that God will provide enough groups and users for the camp facility between July and October so that we will have adequate income to cover our budget needs.
3. Working together – Please pray for further growth in our relationship with the Point Gospel Brazilian Church. We continue to provide a Japanese worship service twice a month at their facility and remain open to other possibilities.
4. Gunma Harvest –  Please click on this link to read a bit more explanation about this work, particularly our efforts in the village of Shintomura.
5. Family –  thanks for continuing to remember Andrea in her busy teaching schedule, both at the Women’s University as well as at the Isesaki Church. She probably has more opportunities to meet new people and interact with folks than the rest of us combined!   Sammy is home from Christian Academy in Tokyo for summer vacation. Lilla and Sky who continue at the local Japanese school and don’t get to start summer vacation until July 20th are a little jealous.  We’re all doing well and looking forward to the summer. Both Sam and Lilla will be attending Joy Bible Camp in June, a camp for English speaking children.

Thanks again for taking the time to read these updates…..and then to pray. Thanks to several of you who have shared your prayer needs with us too.

Your partners in prayer and mission,

Tim & Andrea Johnson

Sam, Lilla & Sky