We moved into our house six months ago. A lot’s been going on since then.
Our house is truly a blessing. During winter, being in a warm, dry space was great. The quality of our lives has improved immeasurably since moving in.
We started hosting our church in person in February. We’d been meeting via Zoom since mid-2020, and it’s been good having people over every week. Twice a week, actually. The worship gathering we run, the Living Room, is now also a weekly in-person occurrence.
In late spring, S. got her garden started. She had wanted to grow vegetables, and we had two raised beds put in. It’s our first garden, and she’s enjoying the learning process. We hope to have some home-grown produce later this summer—green beans, small peppers, and an assortment of herbs.
We bought our property from the builders’ parents/in-laws, who live behind us. We get along well, and I’ve started helping out with the volunteer park-beautification group they founded. The park is across the street, and the group works hard to keep things looking pretty. I’m one of the youngest people—by at least twenty years—and the addition of my so-called youthfulness seems welcome. The members are nice, and we’re making inroads into the community.
This year’s been good, but there have also been some challenges…
First, S. has been having ongoing health problems, and has endured a fair amount of pain and discomfort. She’s improved, but hasn’t returned to full health. We are praying for total healing. She’s trying to press into God during this season, as am I. We believe He’s preparing the body of Christ for a new wave of healing worldwide. We want to fully receive His healing, and also release it to others. We attended a healing seminar this past weekend run by my longtime boss, Ron Sawka. It was a powerful time of impartation and ministry. We will continue to believe for quick and complete healing.
Second, our most faithful church member/worship leader/good friend has been let go from her current position and will be leaving Tokyo soon. She has been a blessing to us relationally, and was also one of our main worship leaders. We’re trying to help her get through this difficult time and figure out what her next step should be.
Prayer Points
1. Please pray for S.’s healing. We believe the time for the full manifestation of her healing is now.
2. Wisdom in helping our friend move on. She’s got some big decisions, and we want to help her end this season well. There’s also a lot of grief she’s trying to process.
3. We hope to get a car. Until now, we’ve been entirely dependent on public transit. The train system is great, but outings are necessarily planned around station proximity and departure times. A car would help us stay closer to our greater church family, allow us to travel more easily, and might also help S. conduct some research in the future. And we may haul musical equipment around if the Living Room goes external again.
4. The future of the Living Room. For many years, the Living Room was a sizable ministry downtown. We took it over during the pandemic, after it had all but dwindled out. We kept it going—via Zoom—until this spring, when we resumed weekly meetings in our house—in our actual living room. Our friend who is leaving was a big part of that. I need vision for the future of the ministry, and wisdom on how to proceed. Regardless, it has kept us routinely worshiping in our house, which has helped set the spiritual atmosphere.
Thanks for keeping us in prayer. Many of you have really contended for us this past year and we truly appreciate it.
Also, I am very grateful to those who have supported us financially. Thank you for doing so. It’s been a blessing and an encouragement.
If you feel led to give, a tax-deductible donation can be given through EquipNet, an organization that provides funding solutions for missionaries in the field. My EquipNet page is here:
https://www.equipnet.org/missionaries/jstanislawski
If I can pray for your needs, please let me know through a personal message.
Thanks.
Justin
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Below are two pictures of our living room and kitchen, and one of our garden.
