Lifted Vision Ministry

The giver and the receiver of a gift are connected through their exchange, however, both parties undergo two completely different experiences.
The giver of a gift at some point in time might forget about the gift that they have given. The giver very well may habitually give to others often and therefore have made giving a second nature way of their life. They give, because God calls them to give, and they do so without second guessing or thinking about it any other way. It is truly more blessed to give than to receive as the scriptures say!

–Acts 20:35 NKJV–
“I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

However, the same cannot be said for a receiver. The receiver of the gift, never forgets the gift that they have been given. They can never forget what was given to them and how much it meant to them, helped them and impacted them. I know this because it is the same with the homeless population that I work with in my ministry. They never forget how they were helped, and no matter how seemingly small the gesture was towards them. Even through a warm cup of tea given to them, they truly never forget how much they were cared for.
Similarly, maybe you forget their faces after a time… but on the contrary, I never forget their faces, not even once. I live among them and have for the past 1.5 years, so the homeless here are truly my neighbors, brothers, sisters and friends. I have a reputation here as the, “American missionary” and people have come to know me just as much as I have come to know them. With 9 people professing Christ since the inception of this ministry in Japan, many people have come to trust me and understand me and my purpose here. Many people are turning to Christ and seeing my constant presence gives them faith and trust that I am not simply, “passing by.” The homeless here know I am invested in them, see my constant presence all the time and have grown to trust me because of it (though it was not always easy and had very slow beginnings at first). Glory be to God!

Honestly, I feel the homeless’ burden and know them better than anyone. I am able to sympathize with them so well because I too, am also poor and broken. Since I know their situation and live under the same circumstances as them in Nishinari, I really understand just what they go through on a day to day basis and my heart is broken over their lives.

You may forget sometimes, but I never forget their faces. So, maybe you don’t realize how much your support means to me; the donations given to the ministry aren’t just donations; to me, it is the power of God over Nishinari. It is the provision that can help them come to know Christ and live a full life alive in Him. Just as Christ first knew us, before we knew Him, He also knows every single Japanese brother and sister in Nishinari. You all have helped me in showing them the gospel and through your sacrifice you will get back more than you think. These rewards are manifest not only on this Earth but also in heavenly places as well!

Allow me to share a story my friend told me once…. there was a homeless man that he passed by every day outside of his home. Although he had money, he felt that he didn’t have any extra to give the homeless man.. he walked by everyday, but never gave any aid to him. At that time he thought, “I don’t have enough money this time to give to him.” So he never helped the man. Later on, my friend had an “extra” $100 and went to give it to the homeless man. To his surprise the homeless man was no where to be found. When he couldn’t find the homeless man in his usual spot, he asked around to find out where he could be. To his great dismay, it was reported to him that the homeless man had been hit by a car the night before and died. My friend thought, I want to give him money now but I cannot… I want to help him now, but I cannot! The opportunity passed me and now I never can give to him forever. I could have before, although it would have been uncomfortable, but now there is no more chance forever. My friend said that he deeply regret this for the rest of his life. If he had just helped that man, ministered to that man, before it was too late…
I’m here to tell you today that Sacrifice is always inconvenient and always hard at the time. It’s always the harder decision to make, and requires a great amount of faith and trust in God.

On the flip side, most of us have the choice to pay something or not in our lives, if we have a job or are more fortunate than those around us. However the disabled homeless here in Nishinari are desperate and don’t have a choice. They cannot decide whether to buy something, choose something – they have literally no earthly possessions or money for food even. We should help them because we should give them the chance to make the choice themselves, whether to believe on Christ or not. That is exactly what each and every donation goes to for this ministry.
Therefore, we should give boldly into the Kingdom of God so that God’s blessing can rest upon those less fortunate than us.

-Mark 11:24 NIV-
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

As the God’s Word intercepts their hearts, we soon see what we thought were walls turning into open doors right before our very eyes! I will continue to report the Good News of what God is doing in Japan! I thank you and bless you for being the most important part of this ministry and allowing Lifted Vision Ministry’s to be used by God as He fully intends! God bless you and your sacrifice!

Support Raising: If you would like to give, please do so here. God bless you!
Need: $2,000 for visa processing fees to stay and minister in Japan
Date: Due by January 18th

How to Give:
1. Venmo: @Liftedvisionministry
(Last four digits for Venmo confirmation: 2485) (fee-free)

2. Direct Giving Link, pay by card: https://liftedvision.org/donate/