Merry Christmas From Japan!

Merry Christmas  & Happy New Year Funding update: We would like to thank our old and new partners (supporters) for working with us! We wouldn't be able to stay here without your prayers and support! Thanks to increased support and a couple of new English classes we are teaching, we are approximately only $1500 a month underfunded. We see how mightily God is working here and with faith that God will provide for our needs, we are going to apply for our new visas for Japan next month.   Donate to the Olsons  (as always please click our names in the "donation to"  dropbox)     Baby Billy is here! What an amazing testament to God's blessings! Billy was born on October 9th, 2014 in Noborito, Japan. He was a week overdue and born between the departure and arrival of two typhoons. After some intense labor he arrived at 5:54pm and 7lbs. 14oz. and 20 in. long. I had an amazing support team consisting of Will, Yoshiko and many midwives. The hospital (literally a two minute walk around the corner) was top notch and fed me alot of delicious Japanese food. He is now 2 months old and growing beautifully! He now talks to us in gibberish, smiles and loves his mommy, daddy and sister! Thanksgiving We definitely had a lot to be thankful for this year with Emmaly completing a full year of Japanese school, Billy's birth, growth in the after-school program and our financial support raise. We enjoyed three Thanksgiving meals this year. The first with our missionary friends. The food was amazing! I was so grateful that I had gotten my hands on a can of yams! The sweet potato casserole was my favorite part! The second Thanksgiving meal was with our cell group and Japanese friends! We had a few new families participate and they were able to learn about why we celebrate this holiday. The third was for Emmaly’s cell group and their families. We have been teaching these kids for a little over a year now and this was a great chance to talk with the parents about who we are and what we are teaching their children. Christmas The afterschool program just completed their 2nd annual Christmas play. The kids did great! We will also be passing out flyers to the school for upcoming church events. So please stay in prayer that God will work in the hearts of the Japanese people who we come into contact with.   This last weekend we went to an Illumination at a local theme park to enjoy the Christmas lights. It's rare to see a house decorated so this helped to make it feel a little more like home! Merry Christmas everyone! Visitors from afar We were really happy to welcome Will's mom here to to Japan back in October. Soon after, we were given a nice surprise when Will's aunt flew in for a day (she's a flight attendant) and we got to visit and experience a Japanese festival in Narita. I also was able to meet up with an old co-worker and meet her daughter and new granddaughter. Such an awesome way to wrap up the year with all these familiar faces.

Needing Interns in Japan

Interns needed! The Tama Christian English Center is in need of interns who have a heart for teaching English on the mission field of Japan.    We are a Christian language program located in Kawasaki, Japan. Our focus is to provide quality English instruction to our students while also giving them a positive encounter with God.     We care about the overall wellbeing of each of our students and our top goal is to help the students learn about Jesus and the sacrifice He made for them. Many Japanese have never had a chance to learn about Christianity and their time at the center will allow them the chance to learn about our faith. We know that God has called us to excellence in all we do and we trust the He will bless the work of our hands to help the Japanese learn English and meet with Him.     Please contact us for more information! Locations  Kawasaki, Japan Requirements Must be at least 18 years old. Must be a high school graduate (or GED), university undergraduate, postgraduate, or working professional. Native English speaker (preferably from the US, Europe, Australia, or New Zealand). Have a friendly and positive attitude with strong cross-culture communication skills. TEFL certificate or a transcript of educational courses taken are preferred, but not required. Basic Japanese proficiency preferred, but not required. Agreement with Paz Japan declaration of faith. Duration of Program Duration 90 to 180 days. What to Expect Assistant teaching in the after school program with children ages 6-9. Assisting with AEKA with children ages 3-6. Conducting child conversation classes with supervision. Gathering supplies for classes. Classroom maintenance. Helping develop lesson plans and scheduling. Engaging and teaching in multicultural classrooms. Volunteering with various language exchanges. Having fun living and working in Japan. Interns Room and board is provided. You will have to pay for your own food, travel and any activities you wish to participate in. For questions regarding temporary visas please contact us! olsonfamilymission@yahoo.com platonic49@gmail.com   Links to check out: Tama Christian Center English Page Tama Christian Center Japanese Page



August Newsletter

View this email in your browser News from home & abroad…..   It was cloudy outside and raining some as I peered out the airplane window. I knew where I was. I know this route like the back of my hand. We came in from the west, turned slightly north to circle around the east side of the Oklahoma City skyline, over the Canadian River, over I-35; following it down above Moore. Seeing a year old tornado path etched into the red dirt below and finally crossing another well-traveled highway before touching familiar ground. It was somewhat magical! Coming back to where I was most humanly comfortable.  I knew life didn't stop when we left which made listening to the stories of family and friends all the more absorbing. Internally, I was torn. My flesh hadn't necessarily felt ready to leave Japan but it was time to come back and give a report of the work that we've witnessed God doing in Noborito, Japan. While in Oklahoma, I was blessed to stand before four churches and give a testimony of the growing After-school English/Bible program, Emmaly's weekly lifegroup and the newly formed Sunday school for children during the FUSE worship services. Are you catching a theme here? We've certainly noticed it. God doesn't want the children forgotten of Japan or any nationality. While I was gone Emmaly began seeing a much needed Japanese tutor twice a week who helps her learn the terms specifically for her schoolwork. This has made such a difference in how she views attending school in a second language. This child is amazing. She's using Japanese naturally at school and with her friends. She's even begun asking me that repetitious question "Why mom?" in two languages. We just celebrated her 10th birthday during one of her lifegroups. All of her friends are really into "Frozen" right now since it's still fairly new in Japan. If you think I'm tired of hearing the songs, think again because I get to hear it in two languages so that gives it a little mix.                                                                           I want you to look closely at these pictures. Obviously a few of these children are missionary kids! The friendships that they are cultivating despite language barriers and culture differences have the potential to grow deep roots. During this "play" time we've now been teaching Bibical truths with the help of a translator. A group that begin with about an average of 5-6 children has now weekly averaged 20-25. It's like that one movie we all know where the most famous line is "If you build it, he will come." If Emmaly keeps inviting kids, which she will, they will come and we're going to run out of room. It's a good problem to have and gives us confidence that this is the direction God wants us to go. If you are a little skeptical that this can work, one of our awesome translators was one of these kids. Invited to a weekly get together for kids by the Japanese church; She was taught and understood God is the creator and offers an amazing gift of salvation! Years later......her mother's heart became aware of this same salvation and accepted it. In the presence of her family, friends, discipler and a band of angels rejoicing she was baptized a couple of weeks ago along with 3 other precious souls! Jesus is impacting the Japanese! Their testimonies that they shared about being lost and then found by the Shepherd were awesome!!  "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name" -  John 1:12 Speaking of children. The little wee one being carefully knitted inside of me already been showered with so much love and is almost quite ready for life on the outside. The wonderful women of Fairview Baptist and Emmanuel Baptist both threw me a surprise baby shower! Honestly, I had no clue. I was even staying at the home of my friend who made my cake. Still no clue, that the adorable cake sitting on the counter was for "my baby shower." It's understandable once you know and realize that she is a professional cake decorator! An amazing one at that! I came back to Japan with an arsenal of baby stuff. and money to purchase a crib.                                                                                                            Isn't this the cutest cake?                                                                                                                                      Since returning I've been visiting the doctor frequently. Here in Japan it appears that they are a little more cautious during pregnancy so you see the doctor more often. I get to see the baby each time on the ultrasound and get handed a beautiful little picture afterwards. I have a fantastic translator Yoshiko who helps to clarify the things that I do not understand. About a month ago they told me that Billy was still breech and they wanted to monitor me weekly. They didn't seem overly concerned but mentioned that if he doesn't turn they want to schedule a cesarean around 38 weeks. They want to make the decision at 36 weeks. So here we are a month later and he's still breech. Praise God he's growing at the right pace and all blood test are normal. I just think he's comfortable where he's at. I leave it in God's hands for how he comes into the world. We are embarking upon week 35 and he's still snuggled in the same position. The talk of a cesarean seems to be becoming chiseled in stone. With this information, we need your help! This is really the least favorite part of our newsletters. The cost of giving birth increased with the need of a C-section. We are looking to raise the extra $2,000 in medical costs. If you think you can help please let us know! As always, we are open and transparent with how our fundraising currently is. At this moment we are still $1850.00 underfunded monthly. While we do teach English classes this covers only $800.00 monthly. From our sponsors we receive $1350.00 monthly. We use our savings to make up the difference, however due to high living expenses even within our frugal family we have gone through over half of our savings. If you would like to become a monthly sponsor please contact us on how! We do have an idea we would like to share! It wasn't my idea but I love it! While I was back home, the Ladies Sunday school that I was once a part of began collecting at least $1 from each member. We have been humbled and excited by the figures that are sent each week. If you have a Sunday school class or Bible study group that would like to support a missionary in this fashion please pray about it and let us know! We will let you know where to direct the funds. As always, God bless you all! Will, Nicole & Emmaly Olson   Blog Email Facebook Donate to the Olsons When donating, please make sure to click our name in the dropbox.

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Great News!

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Right where we belong...   "Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need." The photo above gives you a glimpse of our new home. (top right/laundry included.) Looking out from our balcony we are given a view of Ikuta Park and any storm coming in from the southeast. God placed us in this apartment knowing our needs. We're close to Emmaly's school, the church, the train station, and the doctor's office. These are all literally within 2-5 minutes walking distance. Because we have an apartment that can mean only one thing......... We were granted our visas to live in Japan! Years of faithfully believing and trusting that we heard God's call to be missionaries has produced another result. Thank you for all of your prayers and encouragement to keep holding on! Now that we have our visas I will begin Japanese language school in Shinjuku next week. I'm so excited to expand my limited Japanese! Due to limited funds and Will teaching English at the church we will trade places at a later date in order to allow for him to attend school as well. Let me back up for a moment and tell you a few things about what has taken place in the last few months. In January we were preparing to leave Japan temporarily due to the anticipated visa answer in later February. We flew to Hong Kong first and were greeted by our new friend Daisy who helped us find our hotel and guide us around Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. We were able to visit her historical university and view Hong Kong's skyline from it's highest peak. We went into China just as their New Year's celebrations were beginning and thanks to our friend Lily she connected us to a friend of hers who showed us around Guangzhou. He invited us to celebrate Chinese New Year with his whole family one evening. We were fortunate enough to witness this important piece of Chinese tradition and culture. However, I couldn't help but notice the many references to "luck, good fortune, red and gold," that I heard and saw through out the night. God opened a door days later in which this young man began questioning why we were in Japan and how as an American I could go there despite events such as Pearl Harbor? Asking God for wisdom in my words, I was able to share with him about Jesus Christ and the power of forgiveness. Please pray for him to seek a stronger connection to the one Christian Chinese person he now knows, because he is seeking answers about life and how to be fulfilled. Our journey continued to the small town of Raoping. Our friend Lily (mentioned above) who lives in Japan had come home for the New Year and wanted us to visit her family and hometown in order to show them a Christian family. It was so different! From the taxi rides to the overwhelming interest in us "foreigners." After a week there, we returned to Guangzhou and was greeted by Lily's old college professor. We had the priviledge of visiting his church which later we found out was an underground church. This church was amazing with it's simplicity. They are there to talk and share about God not produce a big show. The gospel is in China, maybe not recognizable outwardly but many have salvation and hope in their hearts. The room in which the church was held began with about 20 people and throughout the entire service over 250 ended up packing it in! I was equally impressed by their desperate and heart filled prayers for their fellow countrymen and the world to hear the truth as they had. Since our arrival in China, Will caught several strange fevers and possible water poisoning. At the same time, I was beginning to feel nauseated by the smell of food and I was so fatigued by the time we arrived in Raoping. Not wanting to offend my hosts I still partook in eating but it took a lot of willpower.  After a week it wouldn't go away and as we arrived once again for a week stay in Guangzhou my appetite became more suppressed. I began to worry that I had worms. No, I'm not kidding! I researched it online trying to diagnose myself. I had to know why for almost 3 weeks I felt like a slug. Then I saw a suggestion, threw it by Will, then verified that we are expecting a Baby!!         This is such exciting news and a testimony that God is truly in control. Currently I'm in the middle of my 13th week of pregnancy and going through the various symptoms but it is well worth the blessing! Emmaly is elated and ready to be a big sister! I'm not going to beat around the bush friends! With this news it's apparent our support level needs to raise. Most of you know we came to Japan with only 30% funding. Is that reckless? We don't think so because God said "GO!" Even when we threw in the excuse to God "We don't have the money" He said "Go!" A friend brought up a great point in which she said  "If just 50 people donated a small amount to support the work of The Lord, then missionaries could focus on the main goal, making disciples and spreading the gospel, instead of fretting over financial means. In America, we can't buy a lot with $5, $10, or even $20. We could probably buy a meal or two( if that), but to a missionary, that "small" amount is actually a huge amount." I can't stress how much of a blessing even a small sacrifice means to us! We as missionaries walk by faith because we know that The Lord has called us to do such an incredible important mission. We depend on him for everything! I, (Nicole) will be returning to the United States in the latter part of May into mid June in order to bring to you the progress report that is already being made. I would love to meet with you individually and share about God's work and the missionary need in Japan. To set up a day and time to meet with me while I'm back home please email me at olsonfamilymission@yahoo.com. I ask you to pray first! This is important! If you know that you can be a monthly supporter and help us bring our focus primarily into the mission. Until then, またね (matane/see you later) God bless you all!  You can also donate through: Fairview Baptist Church c/o William & Nicole Olson 1230 N. Sooner Rd. Edmond, Oklahoma 73034

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New Years in Japan!

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あけましておめでとうございます Happy New Year! There once was a new Christian who after receiving the grace and salvation of Christ plateaued for awhile. She sat towards the back of her church and made nice friendly conversation, took notes in her Bible but rarely referenced back to them. She initially joined many ministries not because God placed the need on her heart, but just for something to do. She felt uneasy when people pried into her life and awkwardly accepted people's comments on praying for her. Then one day when she wasn't able to fix or control things within her own power she stopped and asked God to give her life direction. The answer did not come over night for there were questions she needed to answer and experiences she needed to encounter that strengthened her walk with Him. When the path became slightly visible she had to acknowledge the significance of what God was showing her. There were people in this world who have never heard the name Jesus, but you have. Talking about Jesus is meaningless without the walk with Him. "My beloved child, are you willing to commit, though it won't be easy? You will leave behind everything you have always known and loved behind. Will you take up your cross?" She said yes.              As this year begins ,we reflect on the immense changes we experienced in 2013. Our faith increased by many folds, our opinions, thoughts and responses have changed. We've made mistakes but experienced victories thanks to God! Our focus and visibility have become clearer. We have gained understanding where there was ignorance and more determination to deny ourselves and reflect more of Christ. What you need to know right now! is that Japan is fruitful! The need is great for more missionaries. Satan is successfully convincing the Japanese that depression, suicide, abortion and ancestral worship are permissible. Their ugly heads pop up everywhere! However, when the lost are able to hear about Him who gives eternal life; they become full of the life that Christ intended for them. It's crucial that they have a Christian friend who can walk awhile with them during the  beginning or they may plateau as I once did. A reality that we've come to know; is for many people groups outside of America accepting salvation is not as easy as saying a prayer and then going on with life. It's a complete life change, in which you may never be accepted by your family or peers again. They have to be willing to take up their cross. It is with that said I can share with you the burden that God has placed on our hearts. The children of Japan. So many innocent children who are lucky enough to be accepted into life fall prey to the sinfulness of our world. Soon their innocence is a faint memory and questionable at all if it ever even existed. Single handed we can't reach them all, but if we reach a few and care drastically for those few, then they will reach more and then they all can be reached. Recently over the last couple of months Emmaly's friends have been coming each week to hang out. As we've gotten to know the regular group of girls better I've can't help but mother them sometimes and it's obvious even amongst the language barriers that these girls need to be hugged! They love it! We've been blessed to know them and serve the Lord by allowing the children to come to a place of security. They are worthy to come, their needs are just as important and they are valuable to Jesus! Please continue to pray for the Japanese people and that the blindness will subside and that they will see the power of the gospel and our Redeemer.  Your prayers aren't for nothing: We are seeing fruit! We've grown comfortable and familiar with Japan and the tasks that God has set before us. Whether our time here is for 6 months or 6 years we have tried to make it worth the while. Allowing our visa situation to overwhelm us would get in the way of a life spent serving Christ. Many of my prayers begin with "God, I'm here; show me what you want me to see, show me what you want me to do....to hear....to speak.....Have thine own way Lord." Family and friends, God already has the answer to our visa status in his hands and we wait patiently for his answer.   "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." - Proverbs 16:33 God bless you all! - Will, Nicole & Emmaly Olson   Christmas Breakfast (Oiishi!)          New Years Eve!           Emmaly & Rinn          The Children's Christmas Party           The kids were able to decorate their own cupcakes!          Cupcake decorating and a film about the birth of Christ          Our fantastic translator explaining game rules

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