A Realization- Update 4

Expectations vs reality is a hard pill to swallow. Going into this new adventure of family missions has forced me/us to realize a hard truth… that some things are just not possible with a (screaming) two year old and (rambunctious) six year old. That can be difficult to take since both Angelina and I are “go-getters”... trying to going over and above our goals. On the flip side of the coin, the Lord has shown us what we CAN do and are capable of doing.  I believe this is one of those hidden reasons we were sent to Japan, to curb some of our expectations and focus on what we can accomplish together with the time and resources we have at our disposal. 

Johnson and Cierra getting settled in in less than a month, has thrown us a bit of a curve ball. Granted, this is the best outcome we could have hoped for, it has left us with a void of time. Though we would love to spend time praying against the principalities of darkness surrounding various shrines in the area, we find

Johnson and Cierra Tran looking out from their new apartment balcony.

ourselves trapped between a rock and a hard place as we juggle drive and practicality with kids. In the end, we’ve had to think and act more appropriately, navigating and even experimenting with what works and what doesn't. After all, our ministry has to also accommodate our children.

Enter YWAM Takatsuki. In our updates, we’ve made mention of them and the role that they play in Japan and the role we’ve played within their community in Osaka-fu. Because our children are used to the community environment and our prospective jobs at YWAM Ozarks, they have a much easier time acclimating, thus we’ve decided to devote all remaining Tues. Wed. and Thur. to making sure all students and staff are well fed. Since we're the most knowledgeable in this field and understand the importance of this job, we truly grasp that cooking is no menial task. As stated in the last report, we are more than willing to be servants if that’s what God has called us to be. As He would have it, we found ourselves leaning that direction since the start of the month. 

Shopping for 50-70 people per meal is no easy task!

Especially when you have one rolling cart and a mile round trip to campus!

Though we missed a week at the end of May due to sickness, we pushed through and accomplished the magnanimous task of preparing lunches and dinners for the 2025 Japanese YWAM Leaders Gathering, including all the staff and student population of the Takatsuki campus. This full week of praying and fellowship saw the building up of the nearly 20 base strong community of missionaries country wide, broadening vision and strengthening relationships across the region. Cooking in the kitchen freed up staff that would have otherwise had to split their attention between cooking and leadership. Though the adage is true, that a leader must first be a servant, we’d rather see them strengthen one another during these crucial junctures. 

Our Wednesday night during Leaders Gathering 2025...

...We made a rousing Chicken gnocchi stew with garlic bread

Though we will be spending nearly half the remainder of our time at the campus serving in the kitchen, the rest will be spent working with the Trans, helping/ preparing where needed, prayer walking in their neighborhood and praying into Expo 2025, which we are planning to attend at least two more times during our stay… Then, unfortunately, we’ll be returning home.  

It’s hard to believe that it's been over two months and a week since we landed in Japan, but the journey across the sea has been well worth it. I’ll save my closing remarks for the last update and trip summary. I will say this though, everything may not gone exactly how we envisioned, but through it all, God has been at work and we’ve seen how He’s used us and the kiddos in many ways for the furthering of His kingdom. We have been blessed to be here, and others have been blessed by us being here as well. Nothing was in vain, all has been used for the glory of the father.

We’re just blessed to be a part of it all. 

Prayer requests:

*The kids are ready to be back home, and we are anxious about what awaits us as YWAM Ozarks gears up for a month of Mission Adventure summer camps. Please be praying that we can finish strong together!

*General health