Jill and Mike work with the Baptist Community of Congo (CBCO), continuing the efforts that American Baptists began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo more than a century ago.

This year we were asked to put up Christmas decorations for the Debrecen Baptist Church. This was a wonderful opportunity to invite people from all over the world to create a Christmas ornament that says “Joy to the World.”

At many stores in December, we hear Christmas carols in Japan. Amazing! But, many do not know the true story of the Lord’s birth and saving work. Some Japanese people think Christmas is Santa’s birthday! So, at our Bible study Christmas party we shared the account of Jesus’ birth by lighting Advent candles, reading scripture and singing Christmas carols. Each year I learn (or re-learn) something new. Here are my top 3 lessons I’ve learned this Christmas 2020:

Are YOU Listening? and Karen’s stories for God’s glory are two special devotional booklets available to volunteers seeking to reflect on God’s mission in all corners of the world. The reflections are in English, Burmese, Karen and Spanish.

Our prayer is to return to Japan in 2021 to serve for 5 more years. Recently, we received some generous funds for a matching gift. This will help us toward reaching 100% of our support which is required before we can return to Japan.

We give thanks to God for all He has done for us in Jesus Christ. And we praise God for all of you and your partnership with us. In Japan, they have a “thanks for labor” holiday, on November 23rd.  We usually celebrated American style Thanksgiving near that day. For the last 15 years, we invited our fellowship group students and friends to our home for food and stories. The food highlight was our barbecued turkey!