Missionaries Japan Josh and Alicia Crowe Uninvited Guests...
Greetings to everyone in the name of Jesus!
We are busy here in Hokkaido attending our very first Field Council meetings. We are gathering so much information that by the end of each day we have just enough energy to make it home to bed. It has been a great time seeing our dear friends. We would appreciate your prayers as we discuss the strategy and focus of our ministry here of proclaiming the name of Jesus in Japan.
On another note, we had some uninvited guests this last Saturday (10/24). We left the house around 12:30 PM to work on the Miharashidai mission center and returned around 9:30 that night to find everything in the house in disarray. Someone had broken the rear window of our living room and entered our house. They stole the TV and tried to find some cash. I guess no one told them that a missionary's house might not be the best place to look for such a thing. We were shocked as we walked through the mess. If you've been in that situation, you know what I mean. We kept thinking, "Someone has been here rummaging through our stuff. They took our stuff!"
We definitely feel violated and we're still a little nervous sometimes, but we trust that God is seeing more of the picture than we are. The writer of Hebrews says, "You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions." How much better that lasting possession is! Thank you for your prayers as we try to get that feeling of a "safe" home back. Rest assured, these attacks from the Devil are only serving to strengthen our trust in the God who is there.