Friday, May 30, 2014

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

New Years in Japan!

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(Please be sure to click William & Nicole Olson in the dropbox)

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

November Update!

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There is no way back..........

It has been a little over one week since I received the answer that my visa had been denied. When the letter was read to me (it was in Japanese) I kept it together. Others seemed more effected by the results than I was. I went on my break at work soon after and turned to my little Bible I carry around. I found John 13:7, where it tells of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.

⁷Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”

That was all I needed. God always knows what I need to hear or see. There was no pity party, but deep acceptance and a mountain of trust. There was no questioning or blaming God, but relief and thankfulness for the experiences and growth I personally accrued during these last couple of months. It seems fitting that I ended the last newsletter with Philippians 4:6-7.

⁶Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

We have the exact peace surrounding our hearts and minds that this verse mentions. At this point we are preparing to re-apply for the missionary visas. We don't have all the answers, God does. We don't have the mentality of giving up. We rejoice in all things whether they are lifting us up or teaching us to lean a little firmer on Christ no matter how uncomfortable it seems. Right now, all I ask of you is to keep the faith and keeping praying!

We have been keeping busy despite this! The month began with the Family Camp Retreat at the base of Mt. Fuji. It was cold, but the view was amazing. We had a special guest speaker from Family Forum Japan and had the opportunity to fellowship and worship with all of the PAZ Japan churches. We ate a lot! Our meals were advertised as "Viking Style." We weren't sure what that meant exactly, but all in all it was another way to describe "buffet." Oh, then there was the occasional pirate (aka Pastor Yasu) roaming around chasing the kids.

Oh, you must know this! Emmaly has been attending the local Japanese school and receiving a deeper insight of the culture more than us adult missionaries. As another missionary put it, "She is getting the privilege to watch the children learn how to be Japanese." Due to the ending of my job I was able to sit in on one of her after school Japanese lessons. As our friend Chitose gave her a sentence to write I watched as my sweet little girl started writing the whole sentence in proper Japanese form using hiragana. What amazed me further was the speed and accuracy she completed each sentence in. By my nature, I briefly interrupted class to give her my proud and enthusiastic praise for her accomplishment. She's been quite the little hostess as well!

I recently begun learning Japanese as well. Actually, I've been learning since I arrived back in August, but now I'm taking formal lessons. Today Will and I learned how to order food! Yay us! What I enjoy the most is pronouncing a word and then after I've pronounced it I realize that I know exactly what it is. For example, the teacher today asked me to read the item on the menu so I pronounced out each syllable carefully "ai su ku ri mu." My eyes lit up! Ice Cream! The teachers had a nice giggle.

I want you to know that Japan and the Japanese have been such a blessing to us. We have had the privilege of meeting people from different cultures and hearing their stories has blessed us more. You may be wondering why I began this newsletter with the title "there is no way back." As I was sitting late one night with my discipler, we were talking about how much God has blessed us even during the times we are being stretched. She said "there is no way back," referring to the life that we turned from when we accepted the gift of salvation that Jesus offers everyone. The life that we lived in America with all of our things was empty. We holed up in our homes and were a little too comfortable. We failed to invest ourselves deeply in the lives of others. Watching and participating in the Lord's work is setting our hearts on fire. We don't want to go back to what we were before, even if there was a way.

May God bless you today and everyday! Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts for reading our newsletter. Please continue to pray for the nation of Japan!

Japan Update!

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Changing course..........

When our missionary visas were initially denied due to the Japanese government's judgment of our monetary backing, God granted me peace. It seems to be an ongoing theme with satan to discourage those who are focused on the Lord. Are we going to shout of our calling to our friends and family, appearing enthusiastic and troubled by nothing and then once the anticipated path disappears before us, tuck our tails and back out? While we can't get rid of satan's presence, we can tell him what to do. We can choose to bend but not break. We can choose to remain unmoved. We can choose to remain joyful and encouraged.

-"I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Psalm 16:8

The week after we came, Will and I began diligently searching for a job. God blessed me rather quickly with 3 job interviews to teach English. No job was alike, nor anywhere near each other in the Tokyo Metropolitan. It was obvious which job I wanted, so when I heard that I wasn't hired I was a little bummed out but I chose to accept it. Then as I was getting ready to accept another job something truly amazing happened, I ended up getting the first job! God deserves the praise for this! I work in the Yokohama area now as an English teacher for kids. However, I'm not allowed to be paid at this time because I'm visa-less. All train and food costs come from my own pocket which become very expensive fast! Nothing is cheap in Japan. We are waiting on word from the Japanese government if they approve of my visa application. You may be wondering, "why did you have to get a job?" It's complicated and wouldn't be my first choice, but due to the fact that we are still underfunded, we needed a visa to stay in the country and supplement the missing support. We appreciate every penny, every dime and hard earned dollar donated! You mean the world to us for your sacrifice!

Emmaly began Japanese school ! We weren't sure if not having a visa was really going to keep her out of school, so we inquired further about it! Sure enough, they were happy to allow her in. Her elementary school is just around the block behind the church. She already knows many children that attend there thanks to the Afterschool English program at the church. She's been further blessed with a language helper for 10 months/2 days a week. Usually they only work with the child 6 months. How awesome is that?

I'm excited to have a future bi-lingual child. We were so proud of her as she went to the front of the class and told her new classmates her name and where she was from in Japanese. This is where I plug Will's name in as well as Rosetta Stone for teaching Emmy some Japanese. Great job guys!

We have been experiencing the culture immensely, from eating extremely different foods (even fish eyes!), learning the language by observation, trial and error, and participating in Japan as a normal citizen would and not from a tourist perspective.

On Mondays, Will has been teaching 2 children English. He is also in charge of the After School Program which have 9 students attending from 6-8 years old. They learn English but more importantly they are being taught about God and are curious to know more! It's encouraging to see a new generation raise up for God in Japan! We are currently working on expanding the After School program to include as many students as possible to reach the children, their friends and families. Please keep this in prayer, as this is big job and can only be done with the Lord's help. Will is also discipling two men from the church. Please keep them in your prayers as they are growing as Christians and deal with many of the temptations that come with living in Japan. Please also pray for their families, as they are not believers.

When we finally surrendered to the ministry it became easier to see God's faithfulness. My constant reminder is Philippians 4:6-7
⁶Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
⁷And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

God bless you all!

Prayer Requests:

1) Reaching the Japanese and other expat people effectively,

2)Our visa application,

3)The growing After School Program

4)Our immersion into the culture

       The Tokyo Skytree Tower (the tallest tower in the world)

Trying out some raw sushi

The "dolphin" at the Imperial Palace

Emmaly showing where she is from!

Leaving for Japan!

To Donate....Click Here!
(Please be sure to click William & Nicole Olson in the dropbox)

a finish line and a starting point

What began three years ago was a gentle urging from God into our hearts. Though some of us took longer to accept it, eventually somewhere along the way God molded us into missionaries. We are extremely grateful for the sacrifices and encouragement people have provided along the way. Two days out from our initial departure date, I couldn't sleep much, mainly with thoughts of custom forms, "it's hot in this room", praising the Lord for my sweet daughter and ever patient husband.

Soon thoughts crept up about a recent issue regarding our visas. Our visa process was put on hold and not accepted. While this should signal a time for panic, God granted me peace. The current issue is that the Japanese government wants to see our monthly support go up. Finding out that they won't count our savings or one time donations was a major blow because we are uncertain now as to when Emmaly can begin school or when we will move into an apartment. Then our option for a student visa was thrown out because we have a child. There is another option which is for a work visa. We would have loved to have had a missionary visa but we recognize that God's ways are not our ways.

Our goodbyes have been hard. I have a hard time saying 'goodbye' because it's too final so my one-liner has been 'see you later.' It's amazing to feel the strength that God has given us, for when we feel our weakest he props us back up. How can we not start singing "What a friend we have in Jesus" at these points in our life? Our bags have been packed and re-packed. Material items have been evaluated and re-evaluated. It seems chaos and lack of sleep is on the horizon, but we're excited!

This is our finish line.

Narita will be our threshold, the bright lights of Japanese night life will be our welcoming banner. We pray that more missionaries will follow us into this fertile country. God has been so good and proved ever faithful, I know he'll work everything out. The hardest part is understanding his time but accepting it has become easier. It was difficult to think of dismantling our lives, but giving has become second nature. Sure, we're nervous! I believe we experienced almost every human emotion possible but we are still standing.

This is our starting point.

We need only 14 more monthly sponsors @ $30 per month. Just one month ago we needed 27. I know he'll provide those people.