Dear Friends,I am glad to be writing you all again coming out of the storm that my wife and I had found ourselves in when I wrote you last.
I thank you so very much for your prayers for my wife's quick recovery. Though she still has minor pains in her ribs from time to time, the pain in her muscles, her neck, and her back have all left her. She has been able to return to her work and normal daily life. She sends her greetings you all and looks forward to seeing you all in December when we come.
As she has regained her health, I have been able to return to my studies and also to serving at Horizon. With graduation only a little more than a month away, I have given much time and prayer to the next step of my ministry here. And I feel God has been showing me what needs there are. It has been interesting to me that recently I have been learning a lot about seeing. I have been learning that seeing is a choice. In our ministry, we choose to see the people that we are ministering to. To open our eyes and really look at them. To see their fears, their weaknesses, their troubles, and to slowly gain better understanding of who they are, and through this, we can better understand how we can serve and minister to them. However, often we choose not to see. Either our focus is on ourselves, or we do not wish to see their problems or pain, and so we do not. And we cannot serve if we cannot see.
God has opened my eyes to the people I have been ministering to in the Shine Kids, the Children's Ministry of Horizon, and the Japanese and English Fellowships. He has been starting to show me things that I have been blinded to in the past, needs that He can use me to fill. I want to start getting more involved in the children's ministry here at Horizon. I want to start helping in the leadership here and have been in prayer along with the staff here as to how I can best help in these areas. There are so many different areas of children's ministry that I am currently involved in over here. But very little crossover has been done. I am praying as to how we can gather everything together and best bless and serve the kids that God has given us at Horizon and in the English ministries. And one thing that God has been speaking to me more and more about is events.
Shine kids has been a good program and God has been blessing it. Relationships have been built and trust has been earned. But their must be a next step. Something beyond just shine kids. And not only for them, but also for the children of the children's ministry. Times that they can spend together. Times that everyone from the shine kids and the Children's ministry can gather together. Eat together and talk. Share time. Have the children play together. Let Jesus just have the time and use it to strengthen his people in unity and also to reveal himself through them. I want to start planning events for the kids and families. There will be the Horizon Cafe that the church will be putting on that I will be inviting the shine kids to that will be on the 18th. And I ask that you pray for the Shine kids that come to that event. But I want to go beyond a yearly event, to have more times like this in the future. And I am glad that I don't have to do it alone.
We are all family. I know that I am not serving alone but am serving with you all in what God is doing all over the world. And I was wondering if you could help me and think and pray along with me during this time. And I was also hoping that if anyone had old supplies left over from events such as games, crafts, or even old schedules of events that have been done in the past, ideas, anything, that you could possibly send them my way. When it comes to the materials, I am not asking for anything new, but just things people aren't using anymore. Before I left for Japan I remember so well the time I spent in the Children's ministry department at Calvary Chapel Sonora. I remember all of the VBSs that we did during the summers as well as the children's outreaches and the blessings that came from them. I want the same for the kids here.
Thank you so much for your continual prayers and support. I pray that God would continue to anoint your eyes to see what he sees and anoint your hands in the work he gives you.
I miss you and love you all,
Your brother,
Alex
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