Nov 23 min read

A Mission Trip Story from the McEachrons

A Mission Team went to Japan during the Summer! Thank you for praying and supporting the work and mission of Glow!

Our warmest konnichiwa and hisashiburi to you! We hope your transition from summer to fall rhythms is filled with bright moments of experiencing God’s goodness and grace. With your prayers and support, we (Rachel and Eric, with Micah and Silas) had a fruitful trip to Japan in June-July, with three goals:

Encourage Glow returnees to follow Jesus in Japan
Rekindle relationship with our friends in Azumino (where we lived as English teachers before we were married)Introduce
Micah to all that has captured our hearts about Japan--the people, the culture, and the opportunity to share Jesus with people who have never heard of His love.

These goals meant our two weeks in-country were packed, crisscrossing Japan on trains, meeting with people every day, and trying to squeeze in as many memorable “Japan experiences” for Micah as we could. We were stretched physically, emotionally, and spiritually--but in the end, the time was everything we (and you!) had prayed and hoped for.

The time in Japan felt so sweet, but just too short! I really appreciated the chance we had to listen to the Glow returnees, share encouragement, and pray for them. Our first stop in Japan was to Shizuoka prefecture.

We met Rachel's 1:1 partner when I first started with Glow and Micah became close with her boys. We were able to spend the day with her and another dear friend, in her home (served delicious food cooked by my 1:1 partner!). We shared testimonies (including Micah--see his story below) and challenged the boys, then went deeper with the ladies and we were able to pray together. It was a sweet time with precious friends who are also believers.

Our “big event” was a camp gathering in Tokyo. We could see God working out the details because over 40 moms and kids were able to attend without anyone being sick, changing plans, or travel troubles. One Glow member even flew from Osaka for the retreat! We were thankful to have extra help from our ministry partners/mentors from when we lived in Azumino, the Junkers.

One of the activities we did a camp was “warm fuzzies” --writing notes of encouragement to each other.

Everyone got to read all their notes from others and even share one out loud with everyone. I think this was impactful. One of the moms shared in our group text, that looking for each others’ good points and sharing them helped her realize there were good points about herself that she didn’t notice.

She also shared that she wants to implement praising her sons in her parenting style. Another mom shared that she started using sticky notes to leave encouraging notes for her boys (the boys weren’t able to attend the camp).

It seemed like several of the ladies were thinking about the scripture that was shared and applying it to their lives. So thankful that God continues to work in these Glow returnees’ lives. We saw over and over that God is answering prayers as we listened to their stories and prayed together.

Check out Micah's Story!