November 2006
November of 2006 will stand as the most significant work of our Savior to date on Okinawa. The Japanese alone saw a 15% increase of Christians who represent the hope for the future work of our Lord in the Pacific Rim. It has been a privilege for the Koza Family to be a vital part of the Okinawa Franklin Graham Festival. Following the Festival a missionary serving on island called to say, “Pastor Bo, you must be mighty proud of your people. Every time I turned around I saw someone from Koza serving in some capacity.”
Was it worth the extra time and effort for our people to be so involved? Yes! The new Japanese Christians coming forward more than merits our involvement in the Festival. But God is not through with His work on Okinawa! Since the Festival we have seen an increase of up to seventy per Sunday and our “Rebuild for Revival” kick off was perfect timing. Our sails were set for the wind of revival and we are clearly on the right course. Along with the giving coming from former members, our collective offering for the building and relocation this month surpassed $75,000 and our current member pledges are just above $305,000.
We are near making a decision on the new location and we need your prayers for this critical step. The process is as slow as some predicted, and the pastor’s patience has been tested on a daily basis. Just last week we were invited by the Goya pastor to consider a golf course they had been looking at. Pending agreement with both congregations, Pastor Tamari extended the invitation to build jointly on the same or adjacent lots. Needless to say this was overwhelmingly supported by the committee and others from Koza.
Over the next few days we visited the site and were ready to make a recommendation. First we needed to hear from the real estate agent representing the owners. At the joint meeting with Goya’s representatives, the agent calmly stated, “The principle owner wants to sell and the family members owning partials to the land are in agreement. However, they would like two years to talk among themselves about it.”
So we are looking elsewhere and are keeping open the option to join with Goya. We have sufficient funds to move forward but to date do not have a consensus on which property to recommend to the church to buy. That day is just around the corner. As we learned during our time preparing for the Festival, there is a need for three things:
PRAY - PRAY - PRAY
Our relocation committee visiting site number forty-three. On the right are our two newest members, Laura Rice (a certified architect) and Wally Dawson (a construction engineer). What a blessing from God to have these two added to our team!