December 2009 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

Merry Christmas to all of you! We hope this letter finds you well and that you will enjoy hearing what the Lord has been doing in the Snow family since our previous letter.

TEAM Training Update:

In October we went through a week long training in Wheaton, Illinois. This was the last training that TEAM requires before we leave for the field. What we learned was very beneficial to inform and prepare us for our future transition and service in Japan. This training also allowed us to interact in an extended period of time with other TEAM missionaries (who are in the same stage as ours in support raising) as well as with our TEAM advisor and other staff. God gave us tremendous encouragement and necessary direction for our continued work of deputation.

Trip to South Carolina:

In October, Noriko had the opportunity to visit the first church that she ever attended in South Carolina thirteen years ago to give her testimony of her salvation and growth in the Lord over the years. The Lord granted her several more opportunities recently to share her testimony with different groups of people such as a Japanese ladies Bible study, our small group, and a Japanese ladies outreach event. We received many encouraging comments from believers and unbelievers about how it impacted their lives.

We have seen Noriko’s gift of encouragement being exercised in the lives of others through her testimony repeatedly over the years. We are confident that it will also contribute greatly to fulfilling the ministry vision that the Lord has given us for our service in Japan, which is that TEAM missionaries and Japanese Christians will become more effective and efficient in establishing reproducing churches in Japan by the support and encouragement provided through our God-given abilities and gifts.

Support Raising Update:

We have a huge praise to share with you about our financial support. Our transition expenses (the $40,103 needed to be raised to pay for our moving expenses and Chad's language learning) have reached to 100%! Another praise is that we have finally broken the 30% margin where our monthly support had been for a very long time. Words cannot express enough the gratitude and encouragement this amazing provision of God has brought to our hearts as well as our renewed faith in Him for our continued work of deputation.

Lessons from God's Word:

Noriko recently went through an inductive study of Genesis. In this study, the coming judgment of God (upon the world of the ungodly) became more real to her like never before. He revealed a deeper understanding that He is the God who judges the unrighteous, and that their destruction is sure just like during the days of Noah without the ark of safety which can only be found in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

When God revealed to Noah what He was about to do —bringing the flood of judgment upon the earth — he took God at His word and started living in preparation for that coming day. In the same way, Noriko saw her need of taking what she learned from this study very seriously and living according to it.

God's heart is that none would perish, but He waits patiently for all to come to repentance during this time of impending judgment. As we continue to go through this time of preparation for our service in Japan, please pray that our hearts will truly join in this heart of God like never before, and that we will be all the more motivated, eager, and faithful in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ until He returns.

Prayer Request:

1. Please praise the Lord for the provision of all the transition expenses and the continued growth in our monthly support.
2. In this time of preparation for our service in Japan, please pray that our hearts will truly join with God's heart, and that we will be all the more motivated, eager, and faithful in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ until He returns.
3. Please pray for our family transition with the birth of our second child in February.

Sincerely,

Chad and Noriko Snow