http://www.colliersinjapan.com/index.htmlOur Updatesenalice.collier@crmleaders.orgCopyright 2007 The Colliers2008-02-21T20:43:53-06:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:39:18 -0500alice.collier@crmleaders.orgHome Page2008-02-21T20:43:53-06:00http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-15http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-15“We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.” (1 Thessalonians 2:8)

I (Alice) come from Mississippi, the Hospitality State, where inviting people to your home is a natural way to build a friendship. Usually, the invitation is reciprocated and friendships between families grow, by sharing life together. But, here in Japan, there seems to be an invisible cultural wall built around people’s homes and private lives. Seldom are you really invited inside.

Between the two of us, we’ve lived in Japan for nearly 20 years. Over this time, we’ve learned that breaking through these barriers to build heart connections can be very challenging, and can sometimes lead to disappointment. When the breakthroughs do come however, relationships in Japan can be wonderfully deep and often last a lifetime.

We’ve gone through some lonely and tearful seasons, as we’ve slammed into this “wall,” when some friends have withdrawn, afraid to be transparent and move deeper into relationship. Recently however, we have seen some exciting glimmers of hope in several of the relationships that we have been investing in…

Sharing Christ by Sharing our Lives

We’ve grown close to two special families with whom we’ve shared many meals in our home. Our kids are the same age, and we enjoy spending time together. In fact, all of our two-year-olds are in the same swimming class right now. But, they seemed guarded, only willing to share their lives with us from a distance. Until recently…


Suddenly, it seems that the Holy Spirit is tearing down these walls! In two weeks time, we have been invited as a family to share a meal at BOTH of these family’s homes. They are beginning to trust us enough not only to let us into their homes, but into their lives.

One of the wives opened up to me about her struggles in communicating with her husband. The other couple has been vulnerable with us about the stress in their marriage because of his job and their difficult financial situation.

They are watching the way we raise our kids and our marriage relationship, and are starting to ask questions about our faith. Would you hold up these precious families in prayer? Pray that they would hunger for Jesus and that He would shine His love through us into their hearts?

A Safe Place

Another bright spot for us right now is our friendship with a young Christian couple at our church. We’ve been blessed to share our lives with them and to be able to coach and mentor them through some pretty big life decisions.

Recently, the husband said something to Sean that really encouraged us in our desire to truly touch people’s lives.

“I am indebted to many people in the ministry for helping me grow in my faith. But, in most of those relationships, it was very clear that they were the “sensei” (teacher), and I was the student.

But, you have been my FRIEND. You don’t talk down to me, or try to “teach” me, although you do give me advice when I ask. You see me as a brother in Christ. I can talk to you about any thing. I feel safe with you.”

Thank you for being a part of our ministry to the people of Japan. Without your love, support and prayers, we couldn’t be here!

]]>alice.collier@crmleaders.orgHome Page2008-01-31T22:27:20-06:00http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-14http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-14Pregnant with a Promise

While many of us may never experience pregnancy in the natural, we all know what it’s like to wait longingly on the Lord for a promise to be fulfilled. As a mother must endure a long pregnancy and the intense pains of childbirth before she finally can hold her baby, we too need patience and perseverance in order to receive the Lord’s promise.

About a year ago, I (Alice) felt called to join our church’s intercession team. Ironically, around the same time, I found out I was pregnant. As our intercession team began praying together, we sensed God’s call on our little church, and ultimately, on the church in Japan. While I was pregnant in the natural, I also felt pregnant in the spirit with a longing to see God’s plan of salvation fulfilled in Japan.

Besides our regular prayer times, some of us felt such a burden to pray that we would go to the church early in the morning to pray, as well as prayer walk in our neighborhoods.

These times of “laboring” in prayer could get intense! Words cannot express the yearning we felt to see God pour out His Spirit afresh on our body. We longed for God to prepare our church for the harvest!

As my pregnancy progressed, I rejoiced when I began feeling our little girl move inside me. In the same way, as our team sought the Lord in prayer, we began to see things happen that confirmed God was moving in our midst.

One day during our prayer time, the Lord touched us with a deep sense of His presence, bringing us to our knees in worship. (I had never felt God’s presence like this in Japan!) The Lord also began to do a deep work in our church and in our worship services. The church truly seemed to be “pregnant” with a move of God!

Enduring the Wait

Of course, the Lord doesn’t always move quickly. Sometimes the waiting can be quite painful, and we can lose hope.

In my case, after our little girl’s due date had come and gone, I grew weary of waiting. I was tired of being pregnant! When the labor pains finally started, we rushed to the hospital, only to wait 48 more hours before Rylee was finally born.

During that time, the Lord taught me about waiting on His promises. In the midst of pain and frustration, I struggled not to lose hope. “God, did you forget about me? I don’t even feel your presence right now…” I prayed.

Then, I had a revelation… enduring the pain and waiting for Rylee’s arrival was like laboring in prayer and waiting for a breakthrough. Through the process of waiting, God refines our character, which in turn brings glory to God. Then, when God does fulfill His promise, we can rejoice knowing that it was God who made it happen.

Now, when I look at Rylee, the fruit of His promise, I think, “She was worth the wait and the pain! And the Lord reminds me of His promise for a breakthrough in Japan.


Our prayer in 2008: that we might run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, believing in His promises, and remembering that He is faithful! Our times are in His hands (Psalm 31:15).



To view Rylee's slideshow click here.





]]>alice.collier@crmleaders.orgHome Page2008-01-15T00:07:09-06:00http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-13http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-13
Happy New Year! We are excitedly looking ahead at what the Lord has in store for us this new year! And, we are also reminiscing about what the Lord did for us in 2007. The last twelve months went by in a whirlwind, full of many exciting developments and changes. We look back at 2007 with much gratitude to the Lord. Take a walk with us through memory lane…

We celebrated the birth of our second child on November 9th. It’s hard to believe that in 24 months we’ve gone from childless to a full house. Joy, joy, joy!


Growing pains seems to be an appropriate theme for our lives and ministry. Growing is never painless and requires a mix of faith and perseverance. In the natural, our family has grown. And in the spirit, we are pregnant with expectation as God is giving new depth to relationships we’ve been sowing into over the past four years here in Japan.


Something about having children on the mission field… far from taking away from ministry, has added depth to existing relationships and provided opportunities for new ones. It’s as if people suddenly think, “They must be serious about their love for Japan if they’re willing to have kids here!”


Kadin at 3 months with Meg at 20 days. Growing up together... Meg and Kadin today

Some things we celebrate…

*Our church is growing and hopes to purchase land in order to build a multi-purpose center where we can minister to the community in a variety of ways.

*God is using Alice’s passion for prayer through her involvement in CRM’s global intercession team and through mentoring intercessors in our church.

*Sean coached CAJ’s soccer team to their 2nd Far East Championship in three years.

*Alice obtained her professional certification as a video editor and produced her first professional video for the Japan Cell Church Mission Network.

*Sean completed a professional coach-training program that has helped him to more effectively empower, equip, encourage, and support leaders.


*New relationships with families as opposed to relationships only with moms and their children.

We celebrate all of this and much more. We praise God for you and thank Him for the part each of you have played in sowing into God’s harvest in Japan. May the Lord bless you richly!!!
]]>alice.collier@crmleaders.orgHome Page2007-12-14T23:53:09-06:00http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-12http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-12
Even though it’s the end of the year already, we’re still rejoicing over the great ministry opportunities we had this past summer. For example, we took what has become an annual trip to Sean’s “hometown” of Fukui in the countryside, where he lived and worked between 1995-1998.

In seven days, we reconnected with more than 25 friends (primarily non-Christian), many of whom we’ve prayed for more than 10 years! We long for these precious friends to know Jesus.

In addition, Sean preached at his former church, Alice sang, and Sean shared at a meeting for junior high school students from the school where he used to teach.

While we enjoy spending time in Fukui, we also experience a heightened sense of spiritual warfare. The grip of the Enemy there is strong, many people are spiritually oppressed and intercessory prayer is intense. Please remember to pray for the rural areas of Japan like Fukui, where there are very few churches and many people who don’t know a single Christian.





Other News

*Alice led a workshop at an elementary school teaching kids the art of card-making and stamping. The school (and the kids!) are eager for her to do another workshop this winter!

*Sean is mentoring one of the CAJ middle school soccer coaches in his first season of coaching. Sean is also helping to develop a mini soccer program for elementary school students.

*Alice joined CRM’s newly established Creative Services Team. Now she’ll be using her passion and gift for video editing not only for CRM-Japan, but also for CRM worldwide. We’re excited about this new opportunity!

]]>alice.collier@crmleaders.orgHome Page2007-10-15T23:38:20-05:00http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-11http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-11It’s hard to believe it’s already fall! We had a terrific summer and hope that yours was a blessed one as well!

We’re expecting the arrival of Kadin’s little brother or sister on November 6th. We can’t wait! We covet your prayers for Alice and the baby’s health, and for a safe and timely delivery.


Summer Highlights

*I (Sean) spent time at a soccer school/ministry connected with a thriving church here in Tokyo. The head of the school, Coach Ortega, is a former member of the Argentina National Soccer Team. He is a phenomenal coach and a passionate follower of Jesus Christ.

In five years, the school’s enrollment has increased to over 250 children! I’m looking forward to learning lots more from Coach Ortega this year on how to more effectively minister through soccer in Japan.

Check out this amazing soccer ministry's website! Click Here!

*We had an awesome time of fellowship at our church’s annual family camp. We spent much time discussing and praying for God’s vision for the church over the next five years. God gave us greater unity and continued to stir up passion among the body to hear His heart for our church.

A huge highlight was seeing four children get baptized! All of the kids are elementary or middle school students. We were touched by their simple faith and love for Jesus. Please pray for their spiritual growth and that they’ll shine for Jesus in their schools.

Alice prepared a video of camp highlights that we’ve posted on our ministry section. Click here to view!













*We have prayed for a long time for relationships with couples where both wives AND husbands are open to friendship. Through Kadin’s swimming and gymnastics classes, God has provided two such couples! One of the husbands is even a soccer coach! Please pray that God will use us as a light in the lives of these two families (Mommies pictured below).




]]>alice.collier@crmleaders.orgHome Page2007-08-20T21:03:00-05:00http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-8http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-8A Shocking Revelation

Recently, we were coming back from a morning walk, and witnessed an event that really shook our hearts. An older man walking on the other side of the street started weaving straight towards us. He made eye contact with us, then clutched his heart, and fell to his knees in the middle of the street.

The next few moments seemed to move in slow motion. The man cried out in pain, and continued to fall face down, flat on the pavement. He was struggling to breathe, and his body was shaking all over.

I thought, “Oh, God, please don’t let this man die!” Kadin sat in his stroller, staring at this man with fear in his eyes. All I knew to do was pray…

Sean asked a woman walking by to help us call for an ambulance. At first, she seemed unwilling to get involved, but when Sean shoved his cell phone in her face and pleaded with her, she couldn’t say no.

We waffled for a minute, trying to decide if we should turn the man to his side so that he could breathe better. Sean tried to turn the large man over, but couldn’t move him alone. At this point I realized that we had several interested spectators who had stepped out of their houses to see what all the commotion was. But, no one was willing to offer help. They stood at a safe distance shaking their heads. Others passed by looking indifferent.

“How can they just walk by and not be affected by this man who desperately needs help?”

Bicyclists passed by, with no more than a curious glance at the foreigners trying to help this poor man. Several cars weaved around us on the narrow road, only slowing down long enough to make sure they didn’t run over the man’s legs as they passed by.

Finally, the ambulance arrived, and the man received the care he needed. Apparently, he had had an epileptic seizure. We’ve seen him around since and know he is safe, but we don’t think he remembers us.

While we are thankful that this man is still alive, this experience has opened our eyes even more to the spiritual apathy of this country.

If a person isn’t concerned with his neighbor’s physical well being, how can he be concerned about their spiritual condition?



God continues to stir our hearts through this shocking experience, and has drawn us to our knees to pray even more for a spiritual awakening in Japan.

We know that Japan is not alone in its condition of spiritual poverty. Around the world we read stories in the news like this every day. That is why we are so thankful for you, who ARE interested in the heart conditions of those around you. Would you continue to pray with us for a spiritual awakening in Japan?

On a lighter note...

God continues to open new doors for us in relationships with those hungry to grow in Christ.

Kadin eats lunch with pals after swim class. The pool has been a great place for relationships with other young moms.

Many gathered at our home recently to celebrate Sean's 36th birthday







]]>alice.collier@crmleaders.orgHome Page2007-07-21T20:58:29-05:00http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-9http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-9“It is possible to move men, through God, by prayer alone.”
--Hudson Taylor

Earlier this summer, our church held a men’s retreat several hours west of Tokyo in the Japanese Alps. It’s not the sort of retreat that Christians in North America are used to, with lots of activities, a popular speaker, and so on. Most of these men are far too exhausted from working 70-80 hour workweeks for anything intense.

Instead, there’s lots of down time, where the men can be alone with God outdoors and just hang out with each other. It’s sad, but for most, this will be one of the few times this year where they will have an extended time with the Lord.

As you can imagine, years of working long hours and time away from family takes it’s toll. Many Japanese men, inside and outside of the church, will struggle with burn-out and depression. Stories abound of men who simply burn out and take extended leaves of absence from their jobs in an effort to cope.

It’s heart-breaking to see how the burnout and exhaustion can cause men to lose sight of their purpose and calling in Christ. One of the men at the retreat—a leader in our church-- when asked about his calling replied:

“I don’t know. I’m too tired to think about it. I’ll figure it out when I retire in six years. I just want to survive until then. After that, I can think about how to serve God.”

I know many men like this, men trying to survive when God’s heart is for them to thrive! My desire is to come alongside and support the men of Japan, the many who are tired, who have lost hope and are stuck in a spiritual quagmire. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest…”

Would you take some time this month to pray for the men of Japan? Pray for those who already know the Father, that God would touch their weary souls and bodies, refresh their spirits, and give them renewed vision to live out their calling in Christ.

Pray also for the many men who don’t yet know Christ. Pray that the Lord would stir up a spiritual hunger in them to know their Maker and the lover of their souls. Pray that the seed of the Gospel would fall on fertile hearts and they would be transformed by the life-changing power of Jesus..

Finally, please pray for me, (Sean) that God would provide more opportunities to come alongside and encourage these men whom God has called to be pillars for the church, their families and a nation.

]]>alice.collier@crmleaders.orgHome Page2007-06-14T20:25:43-05:00http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-6http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-6CAJ Wins Far East Soccer Championship in Overtime!

Thanks for all of you who prayed for CAJ during the Far East Tournament in Okinawa. We're going to save the details for our July newsletter but here are a few tidbits. After playing to a 1-1 tie through overtime, we won the championship after penalty kicks. It was a tremendous game that put an exclamation mark on a fabulous week and season of soccer.
CAJ finished the season undefeated (a first for the soccer team) and won the Far East Championship for the 2nd time in three years. We give glory to God for everything the guys accomplished this year and believe that many of the lessons they learned this year will pay off for years to come. 


Alice Goes Pro...

Thank you so much for praying for me, Alice, during my 5-day intensive video-editing class. It was very hard to be away from Sean AND Kadin, but our dear friends in Austin, the Grigsby's, took very good care of me while I was away! The training was very advanced, but SO helpful! 
I was the youngest in the class, and felt a little intimidated being surrounded by true professionals in the film and media world. (One guy was flying out the very next week to shoot the music video for a well-known pop artist! ) I guess I had my own David and Goliath experience!   
Thanks to all of your prayers, I was able to pass the certification exam! It was very difficult. I was one of only two in the class to pass the exam.  I am now an Apple Certified Professional!  May God use the skills and the training He allowed me to gain at the film school to spread His glory even more in Japan!
]]>alice.collier@crmleaders.orgHome Page2007-05-14T20:57:55-05:00http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-7http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-7
“Pro”-Bound!

Some of you now about my (Alice’s) background in editing… that I worked at a local television station in Mississippi producing commercials before I became a missionary. Since joining CRM, God has used my experience in the media world to enable me to live out one of my passions: to create short videos that capture God’s heart for Japan.


From May 18th to 22nd I will be attending a week-long course at Austin Film School to become professionally certified in the Final Cut Pro video-editing software.

Why now? Independent film-makers, Hollywood editors, and corporate video and event producers use this professional-grade software and it is an industry standard. Although the learning curve is very steep, I have already produced a few projects with this software, and have reached the point where professional training is necessary for further advancement.

Some of you have seen some of the videos we’ve created to help supporters see what God is doing in Japan. This training will help me to do that even better, and open more doors for ministry. I have already been asked to produce several short projects for the church in Japan. Internationally, I will be working with CRM’s “visual storyteller,” Andy Silk, to shoot/produce promotional videos about Japan for the CRM website.

We pray that God will anoint this time of training in Austin and that God will continue to use these videos to open people’s eyes to the spiritual poverty in Japan, and that they would be moved to pray for Japan.

Here are some other exciting things happening:

Kadin is going to be a big brother! Mommy and baby are both healthy, and we praise God for another easy pregnancy. The due date is Nov. 6th. Please pray for us and for the baby as we prepare for this new addition! Click here to check out Alice's pregnancy blog, updated each month.

Church growth: Our church, Kiyose Grace Chapel, recently moved into a larger space as we were bursting at the seams. God continues to open new doors of ministry, especially with young couples.

Coaching at CAJ: From May 21 to 25, Sean’s soccer team from the Christian Academy in Japan will be participating in the Far East tournament in Okinawa with teams from all over Asia. This year’s team has bonded more than any other Sean has coached up until now, spending significant time with each other on and off the field.

Please pray for traveling mercies; that the guys will draw even closer to God and each other; and that they will have a memorable finale to a great season!






]]>alice.collier@crmleaders.orgHome Page2007-04-10T19:00:51-05:00http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-5http://www.colliersinjapan.com/page26/page11/page11.html#unique-entry-id-5What 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!]]>