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What a Joy to be used by God! Thailand Report

alice.collier@crmleaders.org — 2007-04-10T19:00:51-05:00

What a Joy to be used by God! Thailand Conference Report

For more Thailand photos click here!

In late March, over 50 CRM staff from around the world gathered on a beach four hours south of Bangkok, Thailand, to meet with God and each other.
As the onsite intercession director for the conference, Alice had no idea what to expect. When asked two months before the conference if she would be willing to fill these BIG shoes, she didn't feel capable. But, God's nudging led to her say yes, and to begin yet another wonderful journey with Jesus on the road of intercession.

Here are some of the biggest praises:

- Learning persistence and seeing the fruit of our labor in prayer. God was so faithful to meet all of our needs at the conference. At the beginning of the week, the attack was strong. There was a real heaviness amongst us. Several people were sick with fevers and unable to "engage" with the Lord or with others. Our little Kadin was up at nights with a high fever, which left Mommy worried and made it difficult to concentrate on listening in prayer. But as we persisted in prayer, God did a beautiful thing! By the third or fourth day, the heaviness AND all the fevers just broke off from us. It was beautiful to look around and see what God was doing in people's hearts through the teachings and through divine moments of conversation that He ordained for different people to have with each other... to look around and see tired and weary missionaries being refreshed and encouraged with a fresh touch of God and a fresh vision... I love this "job!"

- Being able to pray "onsite with insight" for the Thai people. The first night that we were at the resort area on the beach, three of us ladies walked around the property of the three resorts we would be using and prayed. I see idols and altars with offerings to "gods" every day in Japan, but there was definitely a different feel, a different stronghold over Thailand that I sensed when we were covering the area in prayer. A few feet outside the room that we used for most of our meetings was an altar where employees would offer fresh "offerings" of cakes, rice, beer, etc. several times a day. My spirit was so grieved every time I passed by this altar.

Before we started our meetings, I spent time praying over our room, asking God for forgiveness for anything that had ever taken place there that did not bring glory to His name. We claimed authority over that meeting room, that God's spirit alone would reign and move freely in our meetings. Something definitely "broke" in the spirit. A momentum began to build and the annointing seemed to increase every morning that we met for prayer before our meetings. By the end of the week, God's presence was meeting us so strongly in our meeting times together that I know the resort staff sensed something "different" about us. The owner even came and gave us a speech and gifts the last day that we met together, promising that when we came back, there would be more rooms and bigger beds for us to sleep in!

Probably the most exciting thing about the conference for me, Alice, was being used in prayer for a specific CRM missionary. Here's a very short version of the story that I got to play a small part in: Two months before the conference, when I started preparing in prayer, God kept putting this young pastor serving in Asia on my heart. He was to lead the worship at the conference. I sensed major oppression over this young man. When I prayed, I saw a vision of him wearing a very heavy coat that was weighing him down.

I kept asking, “God, is this really from you?” but I never got a release to stop praying.This young man emailed me a few weeks before the conference and asked if I would help with vocals for worship. He also asked if I felt that worship needed to go in a certain direction. “Sacrifice” was really on my heart, so I wrote him and told him that I felt God wanted to speak to us about sacrifice through the worship.

Once we got to the conference, my heart was still quite heavy for this fellow CRMer. Finally, on the second morning, he told me that he was stepping down from leading the worship that week. He wouldn’t even be attending the sessions at all, because he would be meeting with one of our staff development and care counselors to work through some things.

I was in contact daily with the CRM intercession team in the States to give them prayer requests, so I asked him how the team could be praying for him.

“Please write and tell them that I am a pastor who is very burnt out. God is speaking ‘sacrifice’ to me, and I don’t know what it means right now.”

At that moment I think we both remembered the email that I sent him about “sacrifice” somehow being connected to our worship time. Little did we know that that “sacrifice” was meant for HIM – not just to be giving up the worship, but to be laying every part of his life on the altar before God. It was so neat to be used to bring confirmation to him about what God was saying to Him.

By the end of the week, God had made the boundaries of “sacrifice” clear to this young man. He is taking a very big step and releasing his church to the Lord, releasing his life and ministry in the country where he serves, to go to North America and receive counseling for inner healing. This is a HUGE step for him, and it requires a whole lot of trust! I respect him so much for stepping out in faith, which is really scary right now, and giving up EVERYTHING so that God can bring healing in his life, bringing restoration so that he can bring even more glory to His name!

Getting Ready for Thailand

alice.collier@crmleaders.org — 2007-03-13T23:50:00-05:00

On March 23rd, we leave for the CRM Asia conference in Thailand. Over 50 missionaries will be gathering at this event from all over Asia. We are very excited about what the Lord has in store for us as we seek him together. Alice has been asked to represent the CRM Intercession Team as the onsite intercessor for the conference, and she has been spending a lot of time on her knees in preparation. There is an excitement in our hearts as we get ready to attend this event! Conference dates are March 23rd through March 30th. We appreciate your prayers for protection and travel mercies. Stay tuned for more after the conference!!!

Photo caption: Alice has help interceding for the conference in Thailand!

A Seed Is Watered through the Tokyo Marathon

alice.collier@crmleaders.org — 2007-02-21T22:27:22-06:00

Last week, I (Alice) had the honor of running in the inaugural Tokyo Marathon. Out of 100,000 people who applied, only 30,000 runners were chosen—what a thrill to be selected! The day I ran this race will stay in my heart as one of my best memories in Japan.

Although race-day conditions were HORRIBLE, the pouring rain and cold winds couldn’t quench the spirit of the Japanese people. The pride they had over being chosen to run in the first-ever marathon in their capital was very moving.

I get teary-eyed when I think of the moment at the starting line when the gun went off. The crowd roared with passion and excitement. We all seemed to forget that we were shivering and soaked to the core...

The most amazing thing about the race though was not the running, but how God touched my running buddy, Yuko.

We had planned to run together, but the rain and the big crowd kept us from being able to find each other at our assigned starting block.

"Lord, please put her in my path..." I prayed.    At about the 4-mile mark, to my delight, we found each other. From then on, we enjoyed talking as we ran together, and forgot about how heavy our shoes were from the puddles. It was thrilling to see the thousands of people cheering along the course.

Around the 18th mile, Yuko's pace started dropping, and I could tell she was struggling. By the 19th mile, she was really fading. "Come on, girl! We only have another 6 miles to go!" I said, trying to encourage her. All she could do was nod.

So, I grabbed her hand as we continued to run, and in a loud voice, I prayed over her in Japanese. "Lord, thank you for your strength. Please, help Yuko to finish this race with YOUR strength!" It was really a simple prayer, but in my heart, I was begging God to use this to show her who He is.   Yuko is very precious to my heart. I have been investing in her for over two years and asking God for her salvation. Even though Sean and I have shared the gospel with her many times and in many ways, something has been holding her back...  But something very encouraging happened the day after the marathon! Sean went to the Sports Center where Yuko used to work as a trainer. The new trainer asked Sean, "Hey, I heard about Alice and Yuko in the marathon! I heard that because Alice prayed for Yuko, that she had strength to finish the race!"  Sean was very surprised that a non-Christian we hardly know was sharing this with him. "How did you know that?" Sean asked.  "Everybody here knows. Yuko sent a mail out to all of her old friends here to tell them! How cool!"  It seems that Yuko is already being a witness to those around her who do not know Christ! To us, this is a very encouraging sign to NOT give up... God IS working deep down in Yuko's heart. Please continue to pray with us for Yuko and the many others here in Japan who don’t yet know Jesus.

A Prayer Answered after 45 years...

alice.collier@crmleaders.org — 2007-02-14T00:17:22-06:00

Never Stop Praying!

The weekend after we returned to Japan, our church celebrated a very tearful and joyful event – the baptism of Mr. Okui. Mr. Okui became a Christian in large part because of his wife, Mitsuko, who prayed unceasingly for her husband’s salvation for 45 years.

Mitsuko was still rejoicing when we saw her the following week. She said, “I can’t come down from this cloud I’m on. I don’t want to wake up from this dream! This week we started having devotions together. It is so wonderful!”

Mitsuko’s 45 years of unceasing prayer for her husband reminds us of Jesus’ encouragement to the disciples to always pray and never give up (Luke 18:1). It is also a reminder that the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, but is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

One reason this story is so encouraging is that, statistically speaking, the vast majority of Japanese Christians are women and very few men ever come to know Christ. In a society that celebrates hard work, company loyalty and self-reliance, it is rare to find men willing to acknowledge their weakness and need for the Lord.

Therefore, we ask you to pray specifically for Christian women here, that they would not give up praying for their husbands. And pray that God would move mightily in men’s hearts and that entire families would call on the name of the Lord.

Click here to see video of Mr. Okui's baptism!

Light Shining in the "Buddhist Belt" of Japan

alice.collier@crmleaders.org — 2007-01-21T02:13:44-06:00

It All Started in Fukui…

In 1995, I (Sean) moved to Fukui, a rural part of Japan, to teach English in the public schools. I was only 24 then and was exploring a relationship with the Lord whom I’d fallen away from. My friends and family were concerned that my “shaky” faith might not survive a move to a non-Christian country like Japan.

No one ever could have anticipated what happened next. God provided two churches nearby, a Japanese church and a small international fellowship. I got serious about my relationship with the Lord, read the Bible voraciously, and enjoyed being a part of spiritual community that I had never experienced in the U.S. God changed my life! My relationship with the Lord flourished.

From 1995-1998, God gave me many opportunities to serve in the church and I especially enjoyed leading Bible studies and preaching in the local churches. God gave me a burden for the Japanese and I knew that God had called me to serve here long-term.

You Can Still Pray…

I finished my teaching contract in 1998 and felt the Lord calling me to move on to a new work. Nevertheless, my heart ached when I thought of leaving my students, friends and colleagues, most of whom didn’t know the Lord.

I had been praying for them for three years and briefly considered changing my prayer targets when I moved away. But I distinctly remember the Lord’s response, “If you stop praying for them, they may never be prayed for again, or meet another Christian.” I made a vow in my heart never to stop praying for them.

My Father is always at His work… and I too am working.” (John 5:17)

Since I left Fukui, I’ve stayed in touch with my friends, continued to pray for them, and visited several times. This past summer, we went to Fukui as a family and spent time with nearly 30 of my friends/co-workers. We can see God answering our prayers and working in these relationships.

For example, we were able to share the gospel with Susumu, a man who is really searching for purpose. Afterwards, we prayed for him in the parking lot before he left. Even though he wasn’t ready to embrace Christ, the Lord clearly moved in his heart.

In an e-mail he wrote: Thank you very much for all your thoughts the other day. I was really moved when you two prayed over me; I was just one click away from crying. I can't forget about it.

Please pray for Susumu, and that his heart would really hunger to know the Lord. And please pray for the people in Fukui and other rural areas of Japan, many of which do not have a single church.

Our Worlds Combine

alice.collier@crmleaders.org — 2007-01-11T02:21:21-06:00

Our Worlds Combine; a story of an international wedding

Over the past few years, we’ve shared with you about our dear Chinese friend Joy, a doctor, who came to know the Lord in Japan through Setsu, one of our church members. You may also recall that Joy led several of her family members (living in China) to Christ, and last year, baptized her mother and sister!

For a season, Sean and I (and our church family) had the awesome privilege of walking with Joy and helping her to discover the rich life that God intends for all of his children. God has blessed and encouraged us greatly through Joy’s love for Him and her passion to reach the lost.

Our Worlds Combine…

When we were first getting to know Joy, one of her desires was to meet other doctors who shared her passion for Jesus. She had never worked with any Christians, and naturally, she wanted to talk about her faith with someone who could understand the unique issues she deals with in her profession.

Immediately, we thought of one of our close friends, Kris King, a chiropractor from Alice’s hometown. Not only was Kris a doctor, but he also had been actively involved in outreach to Chinese students for over 10 years and was prayerfully considering going to China as a missionary.

Soon afterwards, Joy and Kris became good friends and eventually decided to get married! Their wedding ceremony was held last month in Mississippi.

The Grand Entourage

God worked it out so that we could attend the wedding after CRM’s worldwide mission conference in California. Four Japanese women from our church in Japan joined us, including our pastor’s wife, and Setsu (who led Joy to the Lord). Also in attendance were Joy’s mom and brother (who flew in from China), and her bridesmaid, Yumi, a woman she worked with in Japan. Talk about an international wedding… Three languages were being spoken throughout the whole wedding weekend!

In Christ, We Speak The Same Heart Language

One of the highlights came on the morning of the wedding. My mom and I hosted a “brunch” for Joy and the women in her wedding party. I guess a brunch the morning of the wedding is a truly southern thing to do. We have done many, but this one was by far, the most special.

Our pastor in Japan had prepared a DVD for Joy, with photos that spanned the time of her baptism in Japan until the time that she left Tokyo for the USA a year ago. Joy wept tears of joy (most of us did!) as she watched the video of her spiritual “home” in Japan and listened to congratulatory messages from her first church family.

We rejoice with Joy and Kris as they celebrate their new life together! Isn’t it exciting that we can be a part of God’s wonderful plans and divine purposes? Thank You, Jesus!