Prayer letters from the Saltzmans in Teshio, Japan. Read each one online or download a copy to share with your church.
One year in Japan! Jadon passed his driving exam (Aly's retake is still to be scheduled), and two new friendships in town have opened the door to real conversations about God and the Bible. Pray for those two men and for ways to stay involved in the community as winter closes in.
A summer of warm-weather outreach in Teshio as the Saltzmans near the end of their first year on the field.
Easter and Mother's Day brought first-time visitors to the church in Teshio, Jadon's family flew in from the States, and Aly passed her written driver's exam on the first try. Pray for Jadon's June retake and for the Easter visitors to come to Christ.
An early Hokkaido spring means more walks around town and more conversations. Aly has started a weekly Japanese and English study with two local mothers, and the long driver's-license paperwork wait is finally over.
A trip home to America for Aly's father's wedding, a bout of sickness on the way back, and growing friendships with the Mori, Tamada, and Yamano families in Teshio. Sunday School in Japanese is now part of the weekly routine.
The Saltzmans' first Christmas in Japan: posters went up around town and several first-time visitors came to the church's Christmas program. Please pray for the Kuwata family, their landlords, after a family tragedy just before Christmas.
Daikon from the neighbors, a town meet-up with about forty local foreigners, and filling in to lead services while Bro. Mansell was in the hospital. Aly has made a new friend, Yui, a young mother she met at the hospital.
Settling into a routine of Japanese classes, self-study, and church projects as winter arrives in Teshio. Townspeople are starting to recognize them, and the long Japanese driver's-license process begins.
The Saltzmans' first weeks on the field in Teshio, Hokkaido, as the family begins life and ministry in Japan.
Final preparations and farewells as the Saltzmans finish deputation and make the move from Iowa to Japan.
Cassian James arrived May 20, Jadon was ordained by Pleasantville Baptist Church on June 8, and the family began practice trips with a newborn. Cassian's passport is in hand, visa paperwork has started, and support is nearing 90%.
Looking back on 2024 and ahead to the second half of deputation: support has passed 60%, the goal is to reach Japan in August 2025, and a baby is due May 19. Alyssa will stay close to home while Jadon finishes meetings in the South.
Their busiest month yet: four missions conferences across Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, Illinois, and Nebraska, support at 43%, a baby on the way in May, and the launch of this website. Home base moves to Grand Prairie, Texas, for the winter.
Visiting churches and sharing the burden for Japan, with four missions conferences ahead in Iowa and Indiana. Alyssa is four months from finishing her degree, which will open English-teaching outreach in Japan.