Dear Family and Friends,

This August, I will be leaving to go to Japan. I went to Japan two years ago with my youth group on a trip for two weeks. I completely fell in love with Japan, and God has placed a burden in my heart to go back ever since then. I will be living there for a year in a city called Sapporo. While there, I will teach conversational English. Along with teaching English, my other responsibilities will be to work with the youth ministry, serve in the outreach ministry- planning, performing, tracts distribution, etc., and also to study Japanese.

I will be living at a church with the pastor and his family. Pastor Kamidate and his wife have 4 daughters, and live at the church in an upper apartment. This church is the same that the youth group from my church has been partnering up with in the summer to do short term mission trips and that I visited before.

Japan is a country that needs God. In Japan only one out of every two hundred people is a Christian. The main religion there is Buddhist. Japan needs to hear the truth about God’s love and the relationship that is available to them through Jesus Christ. God has placed a burden in my heart to share this truth with the Japanese people, and I pray that this year in Japan will give me many opportunities to do this.

I would appreciate your prayers for the following areas.
1. Please pray for the softening of the hearts of the Japanese people. That they would see their need for Christ, and that the seeds would be planted in them.
2. Pray for my safety. I will be traveling alone, and also for safety while there.
3. Pray for me, that my relationship with Christ would ever be strengthened, and that I would grow through this experience. There will be so many times I know that I will be homesick and will need strength from the Lord.
4. Please pray that my financial needs will be met. My estimated amount would be just under 3,000 dollars; plane tickets, money to get me started in Japan, a laptop for taking classes online from Moody Bible Institute and communication back home.
5. Please pray for unity with the church, Pastor Kamidate and his family. That we will work together in Christ, for the furthering of the kingdom.
6. Pray that I will learn Japanese and be able to affectively communicate.

If you are interested in supporting me with prayer and/or financial support, please send a note to Castleview Baptist Church, 8601 Hague Road, Indianapolis, IN 46256. Checks can be made out to Castleview Baptist Church with my name in the memo.
Thank you so much, and I pray that God would show His power and love to each of you in a special way. God bless.
Love in Christ,
Laura Jarrett