Borders Open! We're Moving!
We have wonderful news to report: Japan is opening its borders--today! We have actually already submitted our visa applications, as we were allowed to submit them to the Japanese Consulate in Seattle by email yesterday! Praise the Lord! We thought we would need to wait to get an appointment to apply in-person, but thankfully we didn't! Now we wait for 7-10 days as our visa applications are processed. In anticipation of them getting approved, we have purchased plane tickets to Tokyo. We will be departing Seattle on March 22nd for Japan!
"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." ~Hebrews 10:23
Praise God that the process was so much simpler this time around, compared to when the borders briefly opened in November last year. This time, Japan set up an easy online portal that our colleagues in Japan were able to apply and get approval in about 10 minutes! Compare this to the more than 2 weeks it took in November, and we are just amazed. While this whole journey to get to Japan has gone on much longer than we would have anticipated or preferred, we recognize that it was all in God's perfect timing. He who promised is faithful indeed! We can see the ways He was using us in the States still, and that now it is finally the time to make the move. We can't wait for you to make this journey to reach the Japanese with us! Thank you for all of your support during this season, and we can't wait to embark on this next chapter with you!
Our commissioning at our home church of Lighthouse Christian Church will take place during the worship service held on:
Saturday, March 12th at 10:00am
Eastside Christian School
14615 SE 22nd St
Bellevue, WA 98007
The service will also be broadcast online on Sunday, March 13th at 10:00am.
Please join us!
Praise:
Praise God that Japan has reopened its borders! And praise God that we were able to submit our visa applications a bit earlier than anticipated!
We took a quick family vacation to California last month as an early birthday celebration for both Kaili and Mason. Praise God that it went well, the kids had a great time, and nobody got sick.
Prayer:
Please pray for our visa applications to be processed quickly and with no issues.
Please pray for a smooth transition for all four of us, but particularly for Mason and Kaili, including saying our goodbyes well. We're going through a mix of emotions, as we're excited to finally be making the move to Japan, but sad to say farewell to family and friends.
Please pray for our housing situation. There have been some hiccups in trying to get our house rented again due to the rental cap in our neighborhood. Please pray that we are able to rent out our home again quickly. Please also pray that we would find a temporary place to live both in Washington before our plane leaves (as we pack and get our house ready to rent) as well as in Japan as we look for a permanent residence there.
Please pray for our continued partnership development. We have $204/month left to raise following a couple budget increases.
Fun family time in CA! Kaili celebrates turning 6!
We would love to hear from you, whether it be to share your prayer requests or to simply catch up. Please know that we think of you and pray for you often.
Thanks and blessings,
The Walkers
Jeff, Malia, Mason & Kaili