Answer to Prayers I want to thank you for your prayers for me in the middle of all this worldwide craziness. As I watch BBC News in my Osaka hotel room, I see that 793 Italians died yesterday. This is truly a worldwide emergency, as it could continue to take more and more lives if we do not contain the spread and find effective medical solutions.  Much to pray about. I realize I am just one of billions of people caught up in this crisis, and implications for my transition to ministry in Sydney are not all that significant, and likely will not be. Your prayers are appreciated, and the answer to those prayers is that I must return the the USA as soon as possible. While this is not the answer I wanted, a number of MTW leaders (home office, Japan leadership and Australia leadership) considered many issues, and determined this is the best solution at this time. I accept their decision and trust God is working through it. I have booked a flight for Wednesday to Sioux Falls, SD and will wait out the situation with my mom in NW Iowa (silver lining!) Please pray that my flight isn't cancelled, and for health and safety through it all.   Support Update Just since the previous update on Friday, my support has gone up to 96%. Praise God for that! The current crisis is certainly having an economic impact, and it's likely that may affect some of my financial partners as well. I certainly understand if anyone is unable to fulfill a pledge. I pray that this situation is short-lived and will not be a significant economic burden on you or our world. Follow FB Group Forward to a Friend Calendar Tuesday, March 24 Shipping company loading up my household goods to be shipped to Sydney.   Wednesday, March 25 Flying Osaka to Sioux Falls Prayer Points   Praise God for providing 96% of the needed financial support for ministry in Sydney!  Pray that not too much of that is eroded due to the current world situation. Pray for safe travel on Wednesday -- not just flight safety, but protection from COVID-19 as well. Pray that God will have mercy on this earth, and that would include relief from COVID-19. But also pray that God will use this crisis to reach the hearts of many unsaved people.

Call for Prayer for Godly Wisdom I received notification last night that the US has implemented an international travel ban, and MTW is asking me to return to the States on Sunday. I've requested permission to stay, but am asking for prayer not for that, but for godly wisdom whether that would be wise. I came to Japan earlier this week to support my friends who were married yesterday. We had a wonderful, scaled back wedding. My additional purpose here is to handle all my household things that I've had stored here for the last 16 months. The plan right now is: An international shipping company is scheduled to remove my things on Tuesday to be shipped to Australia. As things are removed from the storage unit, I will pull out everything electrical (Australia's voltage is much higher than Japan's). My friends who were married yesterday plan to claim most of these items, and have a truck scheduled to pick them up on Wednesday. The remaining electrical items, as well as several pieces of furniture and other things that I don't want to ship to Australia would then need to be sold or given away, which could take some time to accomplish. I bought a one-way ticket to Japan, and have a hotel reservation for three weeks with this in mind. Other considerations: There is no way to know how long this travel ban will last, and when I might be allowed to depart for Australia. I could get stranded here in Japan. If I were stranded here, there are many ministry opportunities open to me in Osaka. A missionary family in Nagoya who are currently on furlough in the States have offered their home where I could live (no hotel expense) for however long necessary. I don't know what kind of ministry opportunities I would have there during the current situation. If I leave Japan before taking care of my storage unit, I may lose money to the moving company, and I would then need to come back to Japan when I do have permission to travel to Australia. Support Raising Update In the last few weeks, my pledge report has gone up from 84% to 91.5%. However, I am waiting on confirmation from a couple of partners regarding their intended level of giving, so this could potentially be much higher. Please continue to lift up this need before our sovereign God. I will be sure to keep you updated as this support-raising process appears to be coming to a successful end. If you would like to make a pledge or contribution, you can do so via one of the following methods: Reply to this email with your pledge. Give/pledge online. Email Brooke Richards at MTW with your pledge. If you have any questions, please email me. If you would like a hardcopy of my prayer card sent to you, please let me know. (You can tear off the bottom half of it to mail to MTW with a contribution and/or pledge as well.) Thank you for your prayerful consideration! Follow FB Group Forward to a Friend Calendar Completely Unknown With the current travel bans, there is no way of knowing where I will be at this time tomorrow, let alone when I might be able to depart for Sydney, Australia. Prayer Points   Praise God for providing additional ministry partners and at least 91.5% of my support. Pray that he will provide the final partners -- if he hasn't already done so! Praise God for the marriage of my friends yesterday! Due to the Covid-19 situation, their wedding was scaled down to about 20 people. I'm so happy that I could be here for them, especially because the groom has been estranged from his family since he became a Christian in 2013. Please pray for Yuuki & Janelle as they begin their married life together. Pray for wisdom for the MTW leadership and myself TODAY as we determine whether it is necessary for me to evacuate from Japan due to the Covid-19 virus. If I am able to stay, there are many considerations such as whether I stay in Osaka or Nagoya, etc. And of course, Pray about this crazy situation in which there is so much fear and unknowns, loss of life, but also ministry opportunities.

Nearly There! I hate to start an update with finances, but it is finances (via God's providence) that determine when I depart for Australia. So I ask your indulgence.... In my February newsletter, I was somewhat discouraged. Support-raising can be a difficult process, and my percentage had gone down due to a revised budget. A month later and I am very encouraged. (Thank you for your prayers!) Additional ministry partners have pledged, and MTW offices found $8,000 in language funds hiding in my account; those funds have been released into my primary budget lines. That brings my support to 90%, meaning I still need an additional $894 in monthly pledges to be at 100% and able to depart for Australia. Where will those partners come from? Well, I have some people considering their level of support. A friend is hosting an event on Friday for current and potential supporters in the Jackson area. I've spoken to many people at two recent missions conferences, and connected with many other churches and individuals over the last 8 months. But ultimately it is God who provides, and only he knows from where and when the support will come in. I ask again for your prayers. If you would like to partner with me, you can do so by: Replying to this email with your pledge. Give/pledge online. Email Brooke Richards at MTW with your pledge. Thank you for your prayerful consideration! Wrapping Up for Departure Being close to fully-funded, here is what I need to accomplish in the next few weeks: Sell my Jeep (listed it online this week). File (pay) US taxes. Wrap up committee work for MTW (training revisions, and meetings next week in Atlanta that will conclude my part in the process). Get a will written up and filed (required by MTW). Work on getting a residence visa for Australia. Contract with a shipping company to move some of my things from Osaka to Sydney. Fly to Osaka March 16 for the wedding of very close friends, and to sell some of my stored household items and coordinate with the shippers for the remainder. And what am I forgetting? There's a lot to do. Your prayers are appreciated during this stressful time. Want to know more about the work of the MTW team in Sydney and my specific role? Click here to watch a presentation from last Fall. Follow FB Group Forward to a Friend Calendar Friday, March 6 Dessert Event;  7 pm Brandon, MS If you are in the area and would like to attend, please email me! You are welcome!   March 16 Flying to Osaka Japan for a wedding and to sell or ship my stored things.   April 6 Target date to arrive in Sydney, Australia Prayer Points Pray that God will provide the final 10% of my support in the next few weeks. I have a one-way ticket to Japan, hoping to fly directly to Sydney on April 6 if my budget has been met. Pray regarding the corona-virus. While the likelihood of infection is relatively low, I have some concerns about possible travel bans to or out of Japan, possible quarantines, etc. Pray for my acculturation into Australia. It may be a western, English-speaking country, but there are numerous subtle differences. Pray for my travel to and from Atlanta, and for the meetings in Atlanta to be productive and a blessing to MTW as a whole. Pray that God will provide a buyer for my car, at a fair price, and in the right timing (Sunday night, upon my return from Atlanta, and prior to my Monday morning departure for Osaka).