New Ministry, New Location

After lots of consideration and prayer, we have felt God directing us to change our ministry focus in Japan. It's been an honor to serve the Japanese through Denen Grace Church in Kawasaki and Azamino Chapel in Yokohama for these past 3 years, and we've seen God's hand at work in many ways. We will dearly miss these people and churches.

However, the time is now right to switch to a new team. We will be joining a new missionary team within JVENTURE called the Church Partnership Network that provides support and community for missionaries living proximally, but working at different churches serving and supporting Japanese pastors, who often have little help to run ministries. This change necessitates a move to Tsukuba in Ibaraki prefecture, about an hour north of Tokyo (about 2 hours from our current home south of Tokyo). We move on July 3rd!

Meal with the Kurisakis // Saiwaicho Christ Church

Our new missionary team leaders, the Zodys, live in Tsukuba, as does the Kurisaki family that is leading the 2 churches that we will now be partnering with: Saiwaicho Christ Church in Chikusei and its newly-launched church plant Tsukuba Life Church in Tsukuba. Our sending church Lighthouse has a long-standing history of working with Saiwaicho, first sending a short-term missions team in the summer of 2019 to run a VBS program there that Malia helped lead. Since moving to Japan in 2022 we have continued to serve at the summer VBS programs as well as help lead various other events at Saiwaicho.

Before even moving to Japan, we thought that serving in Ibaraki at Saiwaicho could be a possibility for us in the future. In the past several months this possibility materialized into a true opportunity and prompting from God which we began to explore late last year. Through much prayer we felt God confirm this call, which brings us to our imminent move to Tsukuba. While leaving Kanagawa and our friends and teammates here is bittersweet, we are excited by what God has in store for us in Ibaraki!

Updates & Praise:

• We're moving to Tsukuba, Ibaraki on July 3rd! We will be joining JVENTURE's new Church Partnership Network of missionaries and will be working directly with Saiwaicho Christ Church in Chikusei and Tsukuba Life Church in Tsukuba!

• Malia's in-person, full-time Japanese class has been a chance for her to immerse in the language and make big strides. We're thankful she finally has this opportunity!

• Before we leave Yokohama, Malia was able to teach one last English class at Mason and Kaili's school. Praise God!

• Mason and Kaili had a great school camp in Nagano in May. They will attend a 4-day Bible camp in Tokyo later this month for the first time.

• Jeff continues to meet with H-san for English/Japanese conversation practice, and has restarted his men's Bible study.

Prayer:

• Please pray for our upcoming move, that all the packing, logistics, and ministry transition would be as smooth as possible.

• Please pray for our family as we say goodbye to the people we've gotten to know during our time in Kanagawa, including those at Denen Grace Church and Azamino Chapel. It's been a joy to serve together, and we will miss them.

• Please especially pray for Mason and Kaili as they say goodbye to friends, classmates, and teachers at their school that they have attended the last 3 years. Please pray that we can stay in touch with their friends here, but also that they would make new friends at their new school in Ibaraki.

• Please pray for Malia as she continues her Japanese class here in Yokohama for one more month before we move. She's built relationship with her teachers, and we hope to invite her classmate over to our house soon.

• Please be praying for Lighthouse's upcoming short-term missions team to Ibaraki in late July, for both the preparations of the team but also for the hearts of the kids and parents that we will be serving in Chikusei and, for the first time, Tsukuba.

Celebrating Mason's birthday! // Family sushi dinner // Making pancakes for Mother's Day

Celebrating Momma! // Ready for Japan's rainy season! // Checking out our new house

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, and Elijah