Category — Announcement

Dear friends,

We have an urgent request as the end of this calendar year is approaching. This is the time we need to really ask you to consider partnering with us financially so that we can fulfill the Great Commission together in the least evangelized and un-churched city in the world.

The 38 days I (Kazu) spent in Tokyo this summer encouraged me in the ministry God has given us.  In Tokyo, I had many opportunities to make positive changes at the church where we will be starting our ministry. I spent most of my time there preaching, sharing the Gospel, networking with other workers, counseling, planning, and praying. I individually met with struggling church members to encourage them, and rebuked some who were causing issues within the church. I carefully, yet openly, challenged the currently practiced culture of our church, providing them with new values from God’s Word and casting a new vision of what we could become by God’s grace.

After returning to the States, I have received many e-mails of encouragement from our church people in Tokyo, including news of people being reconciled to one another, people reading the Bible more consistently, and people repenting from their personal sins. We could not be happier than this — being used by God in a full-time capacity to reach and train fellow believers living in Tokyo, for these are the results of God’s grace at work

However, not all news is encouraging.   For the past 6 weeks or so since I (Kazu) returned from Japan, we have been traveling extensively, covering six different states (NY, NJ, PA, OH, IN, MI), raising our support.  Yet many churches are unable to support us since they are struggling to fulfill their commitment to their current missionaries.  We also had two major contributing churches drop our support due to a lack of resources.

Can you be a part of God’s work in Tokyo through us?

Our target date is still November 12, 2009, as my current visa expires two days later. Yet, due to our setback, we still need $3,940 in additional monthly commitments.  That sounds like a big amount, and it is a big amount if you ask one person or few churches to provide it.  We cannot foresee the five churches we will be visiting over the next two months will be able to commit $750 each.  But we are looking for 158 people who can give $25 per month (fewer people if some can give more generously). Your monthly commitment of $25 will get us to Japan before Thanksgiving Day so that we can effectively reach the lost in Tokyo with the Gospel of Christ and train the believers unto spiritual maturity and leadership. You can confidently partner with us because many of you have witnessed our faith, life, and ability while we were with you.

Mark Twain once wrote: “Simple rules for saving money. To save half: When you are fired by an eager impulse to contribute to a charity, wait, and count to forty. To save three-quarters, count sixty. To save it all, count sixty-five.” However, I dare you to count three hundred and consider the importance of a lost soul turning to Christ by faith from God’s perspective. Just imagine how God can use your openhanded giving and allow you to effectively share the Gospel to the lost and train the younger generation to become future leaders in Tokyo through us. Allow God to let you glimpse that the spiritual compensations are so real and lasting that you come to see that giving up for His cause is inevitably receiving.

Please share the many blessings you are enjoying as God continues to bless you beyond your needs. Help us get to Japan for the work of the Gospel by making a monthly commitment today. We need enough pledges, not the actual money, before the end of October in order for us to leave on time.

To support us, all you need is:

• A voided blank check (for a checking account) or a deposit slip (for a savings account)
• An envelope and a first-class stamp (44 cents)
• A completed Authorization Agreement Form
• An email indicating that you are capable and willing to support us regularly for our organization’s record (VERY IMPORTANT),

Thank you so much for being willing to help us. Your support will allow us to effectively serve and build up the body of Christ in Japan. Please don’t hesitate to ask us questions.

Please accept our sincere thanks,

Kazu and Amy Kato

P.S.  If $25 is too much for you to pledge at this time, would you consider pledging $10 or $15 instead?

We just added a link to our new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page to the left side bar so you can find out answers to questions you most likely have. Are you interested finding out how much support we need to raise or how it is being spent? Do you want to learn about our sending church or why we chose Fellowship International Mission as our mission board? Visit our new page and find out today! Feel free to ask us other questions if they are not listed there by sending us an e-mail. Thanks for your continuous support.

Kazu & Amy