Opportunities

Tim will be in Sao Paulo, Brazil for a few days attending a meeting of Nikkei christians about how to reach the Nikkei people living in South America and Japan. Please pray that this will be a insightful meeting about the Nikkei culture and that there will be a lot of information about how to reach Nikkei people. (Nikkei: people of Japanese ancestry living outside of Japan.)

We are aware of a couple of people looking for student exchange programs in the United States.
1) Marcello is a teenage boy that goes to Colegio America high school. He would like to attend school in the U.S. his 11th grade year next year (Mar - Dec 09) to improve his english. He speaks good English now but it would help him to be in an all english environment.

2) Joyce is soon to finish her 2nd of five years of her college business degree program. She would like to find a situation to work over her summer break (mid Dec - March 30). Her business degree program requires students to work out of the country for one of her summer breaks. She could do this either this summer or next. (The summer in Peru is the American winter.)

Please pray for continued cultural understanding. It strikes me more everyday that we really have to understand culture to be able to communicate at a deep personal human level to share the news of God's love. Currently I am preaching every other week in a new church. It is very humbling to try to prepare to preach anytime I think. But it is a more difficult process at this point in my language acquisition to be prepared to share the Gospel in the Spanish language in a Peruvian culture. Please pray that I will be able to prepare sufficiently so that I can properly be used of God to share the truth of His love and desire that all people would come to know Him personally in my second language of (Peruvian) Spanish.

We truly need and appreciate all of your prayers for our family and the Nikkei.

God's Blessing and Peace,
Tim and Joy Mitchell
Caleb, Jacob & Luke
Lima, Peru

Gray
Athens, GA

Nikkei ESL begins, YEA!

The ESL classes have expanded from Japanese and Peruvian students to three classes of Nikkei students. In early August, Guiilermo called and said we have a meeting with a Professional Nikkei business association. We met with them and started classes the next week. Joy teaches one beginning class and Tim teaches two advanced classes. These classes include college students and young professionals. We are excited about building these relationships and sharing the stories from the Bible in our classes.

Tim has been meeting with Jesus Loo for prayer, cultural studying and language learning. Jesus had 5 employees that within a short period of time all accepted Christ. There were two other believers at his restuarant so Jesus felt lead to start a church at his restaurant. Tim is helping with the teaching and preaches every other Sunday.

Caleb, Jacob and Luke are adjusting well. This is their second school year in Lima. It is nice to start a year and know a lot of the people. It is a lot warmer this winter. Gray has started college this fall at the University of Georgia.

Please pray that our language and cultural learning will continue!!!!! Please pray for our new Nikkei students, 13 people. Please pray for the Chifa church in Mira Flores. Please pray for our health and spiritual growth.

April 30, 2008

Pray:

• Please pray for our health.
• Please pray for the needs of our family.
• Please pray for the Nikkeis(Peruvian Japanese).
• Please pray for a new believer as he shares with his family.

We know we need your prayers and we appreciate your prayers. Please pray for various family members in the states that are having health problems.

Please pray for us as we prepare for Gray to return to the states for college.

Thank you so much,
Tim

APRIL 1, 08 Meeting and Finding Japanese

Since living in Lima we have met many people. We have language partners that are helping us with the language and the culture.

We have visited many different churches and discussed many different ways to reach the Japanese. Some of the problems with this is that the Japanese do not live in one specific section of the city. They are scattered. There is not a general business district where they work.

One thing we have recently discovered is that there is a Nikkie student group for all the Japanese college students regardless of where they go to college in Lima. There are approximately 20 college campuses in Lima. No one lives on campus. This is one of the best options we have now as a central place or way to minister to Japanese in Lima.

Every university has a language requirement to graduate. The level of the language requirement varies from college to college. We may have the opportunity to give ESL classes or some other type of help to college students to build a relationship and then the chance to share the Gospel. Either through storying or just sharing our testimony.

Almost half of the working population of Nikkei's (Japanese born in Peru) now lives in Japan so they can make more money.

Pray that as me meet people that they will be responsive to the Gospel. Pray that we find the best way to meet the Japanese people and serve there needs.

Prayer Update

Please Pray for the Japanese...

*In Japan less than 1% of the population is Christian. (that includes all denominations)

*There are approximately 150,000 Japanese people living in Lima, Peru.

*The vast majority are Peruvian Japanese people that were born in Lima and speak Spanish as their fist language.

*There is also a transient Japanese business community that has families living in Lima for 3-10 years. Their 1st (heart) language is Japanese and they speak various levels of Spanish.

*Pray that we are able to communicate with the appropriate language and culture.
*Pray that the Holy Spirit will be preparing the hearts of the Japanese people to hear the gospel.

Settling in Lima, Peru

Mitchell Moment October 14, 2007


Gray, Caleb, Jacob, Luke

The boys are doing well adjusting to a new school and culture. They are all getting tall.

Where we live? San Isidro, Lima, Peru

Lima is a large and very diverse city. There is a lot of traffic. The roads in general are in pretty good condition in the city. There is a system to driving but it is very different than the rules we follow in the United States.

Lima has a very diverse population. Over 50% of the population is indigenous. People have moved down from the mountains in search of a better life. There is a good number of Europeans that live here year round or for part of the year for the easier climate than they would have in Europe. Also, there is a great number of Chinese, Japanese and Koreans living in Lima.

The Japanese: There appears to be two distinct groups of Japanese. People that are 2nd generation for the most part speak Spanish predominantly. The Japanese that have moved to Lima short term for work only speak Spanish for business purposes and the rest of the time they speak in Japanese. There are two different Japanese high schools in Lima. One of the schools is for Japanese speakers and they have a course in Spanish. The other is for Spanish speakers and they offer classes in Japanese.

There is one Japanese church in Magdalena. This church has about 25 members. It was started by a missionary from Japan 25 years ago. There is currently a new missionary from Japan working with a local 3rd generation Japanese pastor to lead this congregation.

The Weather: So far this has been a surprise. We arrived in the winter and it is still cold. We never have experienced this type of weather for any length of time in South America. We are told that this is an unusually cold winter this year.

Praises: We are in a home and the kids are settled in school. Jacob had an emergency appendectomy and is recovering well. We are meeting Japanese people and finding them very open to talk with us.

Prayer Needs: Wisdom and discernment as we try and investigate and understand the Japanese culture in Lima and how we may best share the Gospel with this people group.

We have several first time meetings this week with new Japanese acquaintances.

We are trying to learn, understand, and adapt the culture of the city.

We survived the first semester!!!