Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:9-11)
Dear family and friends,
Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all, we are so looking forward to this time of celebration with loved ones and sharing the joy of the reason for Christmas. The book of Philippians gives the reason we have to celebrate clearly “Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Imagine the powerful force of love and good that we could be in this world if we could learn what it really means to make Jesus our Lord.
As Christmas day approaches, even in Japan the old Carols are being sung and played all around. The familiar and sweet words to one particular song have been playing over and over in my mind “Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.” These words do a lot more than merely describe the blissful baby Jesus in his manger bed so long ago, they speak of a beautiful peace that comes with knowing that you belong to God and knowing that your soul has found what it has been searching for since the day you were born, that truly is the most peaceful rest.
Jonathan
I am thankful for the wonderful friends we have made at Horizon Chapel and think of them as family. Although we have only being there a couple of years, good-byes have become very hard, but it's something to be expected living in the city. I am also incredibly blessed by the students at HLS and the English Bible group on Fridays, I love teaching in Japan and hope that I may earn more opportunities in the future. I am also so thankful for our precious little family, I have the best wife and daughter who continue to bless me every day.
I felt God's big hands surrounding me and my family through out this year. I was constantly reminded that God is my strength in many different ways. As a result of that, God has restored peace and hope to my heart in all the aspects of my life. God restored my hope and passion toward my work. Even though it has been very busy as usual, I enjoyed the opportunity to learn new skills as an assistant director/teacher trainer. God has been pouring so many blessings into my life through my precious family. God is working in Jonathan's life intensely for His glory, it gives me hope for what He has in store for us. Also, it has been such an amazing blessing to watch Kira growing in love of God and excited about Jesus in her heart! I already witnessed Kira being a bright light for Jesus to her Ji-ji, Ba-ba and Ne-ne. This also gives me a great hope for her future.
The verses of the year for me were;
"You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its remotest parts, And said to you, 'You are my servent, I have chosen you and not rejected you. 'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'" (Isaiah 41:9~10)
“Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.” (Isaiah 40:31)
We asked Kira what she is thankful for and she said “Jesus.” We asked why and she said “because his light shines to me.” (her exact words). This year Kira has been very excited about her friends at church and at school, she also loves all her family very much and we treasure every minute she gets to spend with them on Skype.
Please continue to pray for our family as we seek direction for the future and patience for the present. Thank you to each and every one of you who are reading this, for being our friends and support. You are a treasure to us! May you have a fantastic 2013.
All our love,
Jonathan, Fumi & Kira Walker.
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