CLARA WAS AN AMAZING LADY!
Its a lie! My Clara is NOT dead! Clara is now alive with Jesus
and out of her pain and agony. Her last few weeks were hard to
watch as she fought for every breath. Then her long ten year battle
with Alzheimers was over on March 24, 2014. We said Goodbye to this
amazing lady in the Chofu Baptist Temple during the Wake and
Funeral services attended by over a hundred pastors, their wives
and the people her life impacted over the years. Pastor Mike Haley
from Hallmark Baptist Church and Steve Bender from the Missions
Office came to speak for the services in Japan. A memorial service
was also attended by hundreds at the Hallmark Baptist Church, Ft.
Worth, Texas. All three services were glorious tributes to my wife,
this lady of steel, who never quit loving Jesus, her family, and
the Japanese. I cannot say enough about this dear lady. Clara was a
strength and boost to this missionary for over 24 years. She helped
me through my first journey down the valley of tears when God took
my first amazing wife and helpmeet Evelyn home to her crown of
glory. Evelyn and Clara grew up together across the street from one
another in Abilene, Texas. They both attended
the Corinth Baptist Church where they surrendered their lives as
teenagers to Christ for service. They never quit, never. I truly
covet your prayers as I continue to follow my precious Lord and
finish my course. Thank you again for your faithful prayers and
support, especially during this time in the valley of sorrow. I
have to be honest, this valley is the loneliest place on earth but
for the One who will never leave us nor forsake us! And you, my
prayer warriors, have been there with me all the way.
Lavern Rodgers
August 2014 Prayer Newsletter
Baptist Bible Fellowship International
On Page 2: Miyota Camp Hachioji First Baptism Service
Contact information: Dr. Lavern Rodgers Ushinuma 230 3
Akiruno-shi, Tokyo-to 197-0826 Japan Cell: 81-90-4667-8877
email: [email protected]
Please pray for the All Japan Fellowship Joint Conference
on August 15-16, 2014 Theme: Back to the First Love.
This event happens every four years and this time we are
expecting around one thousand to attend. Its sponsored this year by
the Yokohama church in beautiful Hamamatsu city. The special
speakers are George King, Pastor Jiro Mochizuki, Pastor Kazuhiko
Saito and yours truly. Pray with us that we will see the fires of
revival lit in the hearts of all our people.
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NEW ACTION PROGRAM FOR MIYOTA CAMPSITE!
One big bright spot during this time has been the coming
together of my family of churches here in Japan to sponsor and
support the camp ministry in Miyota town, Nagano Prefecture. Claras
last work was helping me with this camp ministry and starting the
Miyota church. The directors of the Japan BBF are moving to open
the door to let this happen. It will allow these local churches who
share the same vision to become sponsors of the camp ministry.
Several churches already have said they would become sponsors if
the camp ministry is under local church sponsorship like Bro.
Naitos ministry to the handicapped. It will be local church
sponsored from now on and our first project is to enlarge our
capacity for lodging and build a recreation center.
We are planning special programs and activities that will appeal
to kids and young people for short one night two day camps. We are
going to launch a Kids Fellowship and we are asking God to provide
us a Recreation Center for year round activities. It will take a
miracle to achieve this project, yet God has done miracles for us
before. I ask you to please join us in prayer as we ask, seek and
knock to gain this goal. We invite you, my supporting churches in
America to join this team of sponsors and become a part of
something big that God is doing in Japan!
HACHIOJI
Pray for the Hachioji Church. We are praying and working toward
the church becoming self-support by the end of the year. Bro.
Tomohiko Nishihara and his wife, Kaoru, continue as co-workers with
me. The Chofu Baptist Temple and Bro. Minoru Ishikawa have been an
enormous backing for us in this new church plant. This past Sunday,
August 10th we had the first baptism service at Hachioji where Bro.
Toshitsune Otsuka and Sakura Hashiba were baptized. We also held
our first formal business meeting.
Lavern Rodgers August 2014 Prayer Newsletter - Page 2
Please pray for Japanese Christians, pastors and their families,
and churches resulting from our ministry in Japan and throughout
the world:
Japan Ashikaga, Atsugi,
Chiba New Town, Chofu (CBT), Hachioji, Hiratsuka, Kameoka,
Kochi, Kofu, Kohoku, Kyoto,
Minami Alps, Mishima, Miyota, Odawara, Ohira, Okinawa,
Ota, Sakura, Shimizu, Shizuoka, Tachikawa, Takabayashi,
Takiyama, Wakaba, Yokohama
Overseas Missions: Hawaii, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Nepal, Peru,
Taiwan, Uganda
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