Newsletter 2026 — February, March & April

 

Newsletter 2026 — February, March & April

Praise the name of the Lord.

How is everyone doing? The weather has been unstable lately, but the temperatures have grown quite warm and spring is in the air.

In this newsletter, I'd like to share about our wedding and reception, discipleship, a conference, and the state of our ministry since April. Please read to the end and pray for us.

Wedding and Reception

On February 28th, we finally had our wedding ceremony in Korea. Since it was held in Korea, I did not invite my friends from Japan — only my family attended. It was their first time in Korea, so they were a bit nervous, but I was relieved they arrived safely and were able to join us. My family, apart from myself, are not believers. The wedding was held in a worship style, so I was thankful that they had the opportunity to hear the message and be exposed to Christian values, even just a little.

Since Japanese friends could not be invited to the Korean ceremony, we are planning a wedding reception in Japan on May 16th for them. We are expecting around 80 guests, about one-third of them will be non-believers, with the rest being friends from church and CCC. Please pray that the gospel of God would be proclaimed through this time as well.

Married life has begun, and the beginning was truly difficult. We would get irritated with each other over small things, and even when one of us asked the other to change something, it didn't happen right away. For a while, home was not a place where either of us felt at ease. So many conversations would end in frustration. For about a month after returning from our honeymoon, this continued, and I found myself exhausted.

Even so, I was helped by friends who prayed for me and by fellowshipping with married couples who had walked through similar seasons. Hearing how they came to understand each other was an encouragement.

Before getting married, I thought the verse "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25, ESV) sounded wonderful and inspiring. But after getting married, those words carry a new weight. Loving unconditionally in every circumstance, with eyes fixed on Christ, is truly not easy.

We are missionaries, but we are also just human beings who need prayer. The gospel is needed in this marriage too. Please pray that the two of us would be changed in even the smallest ways — not through our own efforts, but through daily confession of our need for the gospel.

Discipleship

Chuki

This March marked the graduation of Chuki, whom I have been discipling for five years. Looking back on our time together, there were moments when I wondered whether to continue. I sometimes asked myself whether he was only doing it reluctantly because a staff member had invited him. Yet I kept sharing God's word, and I remember how he came back in God's timing.

I was not able to teach him many things, but please pray that going forward he would keep his relationship with God, become rooted in the local church, and that even while working, his stable relationship with God would influence those around him.

Caleb

It seemed he had not been spending much time with God recently, so we studied together from Genesis 3 — looking at how faithful God is toward people, and how people are led astray by the voice of Satan. He is in his second year of graduate school and very busy with his studies, but as we talked, he shared that he wants to connect with other Christian students — especially those from Christian homes whose faith is not yet stable.

There is a student named Yoshinobu who joined us last year but had only been coming to events. Caleb mentioned he wants to reach out to him and also reconnect with international students who stopped going to church after coming to Japan. It took a long time for Caleb to reach this point of wanting to engage with other Christians, but this will be his first experience of leading discipleship. I am genuinely encouraged just seeing his willingness to step out.

Please pray that disciples of Christ would be made through him, and that his daily life would be used by God. 

He is also discerning his future — whether to continue studying at another graduate school, work in Japan, or pursue a career abroad. Please pray for wisdom in his decisions and that he would continue to seek God. He is also considering full-time ministry as one of his options.

Conference

About 15 students from Nagoya were able to attend this year's National Spring Camp. Every year it is an encouragement to see so many students gather to study God's word and engage in evangelism together.

The moment that stood out most to me was the salvation of a student named Y. She had been attending church for a long time but had never come to a point of faith. At a breakout session for non-Christians, she felt drawn to believe in God. The gospel was shared with her again, and she put her faith in Christ at that moment.

For one student, it was their very first experience of evangelism. For Y, it became the moment she believed. Im so thankful that It was a Spring Camp that God used in a powerful way.

Y is still coming to our regular meetings as often as she can — please pray that she would continue to grow in her faith.

Ministry Update — April Onward

BBQ On April 16th, we held our annual welcome BBQ. The staff were grilling meat and vegetables from 10:30 in the morning until 2:00 in the afternoon — so that the students could focus on building relationships with the newcomers! About 35 people attended in total.

This time, Christian students brought non-Christian friends from their own universities. One of the newcomers mentioned that their Christian friend had already been sharing about Christianity on campus — it was encouraging to realize that the gospel is quietly spreading in different places.

A non-Christian student I had met previously also came.He shared that he is really struggling with a conflict within his club. I felt that he is walking through hardship caused by the sin of those around him, and I want to keep praying for him. Please pray that Jesus would be proclaimed to him through his Christian friend.

Evangelism Training During our regular meetings in April and May, we are planning to cover the basics of evangelism and how to share the gospel. Many students are new this year and have never been taught how to evangelize, so this will be a great opportunity. On Saturday, May 9th, we will be doing outreach in Sakae, Nagoya. Most students have never done anything like this before.

Please pray that through this training, students would be equipped to share the gospel in their own spaces — at school, at their part-time jobs, and beyond. Pray that they would entrust the results to God, understand that it is God who Sovereignly changes hearts and save people.

Singapore Short-Term Mission Team From May 21st to June 11th — three weeks — a short-term mission team will be coming from Singapore. Starting this year, Singapore teams will come in summer and Australian teams in winter.

However, one significant change from last year is that the Ohata couple (with an Australian wife), who had been a key bridge, will be taking a sabbatical and then be sent to Osaka. This means there will no longer be a native English speaker on the Nagoya staff team, and I sometimes find myself wondering whether we can care for the team well and communicate effectively enough.

The team structure has changed, but please pray that we would still be able to serve alongside them in the work of mission. Pray also that through them, new Japanese students would connect with CCC and come to know Christ, and that Christian students would build lasting relationships with the team members.

Seminary This semester I am taking an Old Testament  course. It has been a wonderful opportunity to organize things I only vaguely knew before — the stories, figures, and maps of the Old Testament. About halfway through the course, the message I keep returning to is this: despite human unfaithfulness, God is faithful to His promises — and this thread runs through the entire Old Testament.

Please pray that I would study continuously  so that this powerful message can be shared with students in our meetings.

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Thank you so much for reading to the end and for your continued support. I am deeply grateful. Please stay with me in the journey ahead. The next newsletter is planned for two months from now — I would be so thankful if you continue to pray for me and sooryeon until then!