As we press on in this season of preparation for Tokyo, we find ourselves returning again and again to a single question: What is it we are actually carrying there?

The answer does not come from a mission strategy or a vision document. It comes from Paul.

Ephesians 1:7–8 — "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight."

That word — lavished — stops you if you let it. It is not the language of restraint. It is not the careful measure of a reluctant giver. Lavished is the word of a God who does not hold back, who does not give the minimum, who opens the storehouses of His grace and pours out of the abundance of His character and His Kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven is not famished, because of God, the Kingdom is an abundant, lavish Kingdom.

But what has He lavished? Two things, held together in a single verse.

To be redeemed is to be purchased out of captivity. The imagery is the slave market — we were bound, indebted, held under the weight of our own sin and its rightful penalty, with nothing to offer and no way out. And into that bondage, Christ came, not with silver or gold, but with His own blood. The eternal Son of God bore our guilt, our curse, and our death — and in doing so, He paid the price that freed us. This was not a transaction that cost Him little. It was the costliest purchase in all of history.

Not merely freedom from penalty, but the cancellation of the debt itself. The record that stood against us — every trespass, every act of rebellion, every failure to honor God as God — has been wiped clean. Forgiven. Not overlooked. Not minimized. Forgiven, through the One who bore it all in our place.

And Paul says this redemption, this forgiveness, was given according to the riches of his grace. Not according to our worthiness. Not earned by our seeking. But according to riches — a word that implies inexhaustible supply, an abundance that does not diminish by being given. God is not a reluctant creditor forgiving a small sum. He is a God of riches, and He gave accordingly - measured to who He is. Lavishly.

Then Paul says He lavished this upon us in all wisdom and insight. Freely. Purposefully. Without human measure.

Not moral reform, though Japan is a culture marked by extraordinary discipline and order. Not religious curiosity — though spiritual hunger can be found. Not Western aesthetics, Christian cultural experiences, or vague talk of transcendence. Japan, like every nation, needs this: the redemption that was purchased in blood, the forgiveness that clears the debt completely, the lavish grace of a God who opens His hand wide toward sinners.

As we prepare for Tokyo, what we are carrying is not a program, a model, or a ministry brand. We are carrying the announcement that this lavish God — the God of Ephesians 1, the God who is rich in grace — has acted in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sinners. And He has commissioned His church to make that announcement to every nation, including the one we are being sent to.

That is the hope we long to see take root in Tokyo.

This past month brought with it a full measure of both busyness and grace. We are grateful to the Lord for His kindness in sustaining us, and to every church, family, and brother or sister who played a part in what took place.

Kris had the opportunity to spend a weekend at King’s Cross Church in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Lord used the teaching, sitting under the preached word, fellowship, and conversations there to both encourage and be encouraged by the saints at KCC. It was truly a joy to be among believers who love Christ, love His church, who are burdened to see what we want to see in Tokyo to happen in Las Vegas. Healthy Churches, healthy congregations, leaders raised and sent for the sake of the Name! With that shared commitment and partnership.

Gospel partnership, at its best, is exactly this: local churches seeing a need in the nations and joining themselves, through prayer and sacrifice, to the work of getting the gospel there. Kris left with a full heart.

One of the sweetest parts of this month was being in Jacksonville with family and friends we have not seen in some time. Our departure date is drawing closer, and there was something weighty and good about being present with those who have known us longest.

Kris' mom gathered her small group and Filipino community together for an informal Tokyo Prayer Night — a potluck table full of food, a room full of people who love us, and an evening set apart for prayer. We shared the vision and burden for Tokyo. Then we prayed together — specifically for the work, for the Tokyo local churches we know, our friends, and RTIM units who are already on the field in Japan, laboring in a place where faithful gospel witness is still so scarce. There is something particular about being prayed over by people who watched you grow up, who carry your family name, who know you not as a missionary but simply as a son, a nephew, a friend. We do not take that lightly.

We also had the chance to rest, be together, and enjoy one another before the season ahead changes everything. These are the moments we will carry with us to Tokyo.

We made our way to Atlanta, and as of this writing, we are still here — making the most of every day before we go.

The Lord arranged more than we expected. We were able to connect with friends at First Chinese Baptist Church of Atlanta, a congregation that holds a dear place for us and whose heart for the nations we deeply respect. We have shared meals with friends throughout the city, sitting around tables and telling the story of what the Lord is doing — and letting them ask the hard questions, the good questions, the ones that sharpen you.

We also drove up to Toccoa for a day, back to the place where Kris and Linh spent their college years, to see friends who have known them for a long time. We walked to some waterfalls, laughed a lot, and remembered together how far the Lord has brought us from those years.

Also in Atlanta, we spent several evenings meeting with longtime friends connected to churches throughout the city, sharing with them about the work in Tokyo. These times were especially bittersweet. It was a gift to catch up, exchange updates, and encourage one another, but it also reminded us that the distance between us will soon feel even greater. We will miss sharing life more closely—bearing one another’s burdens through trials and rejoicing together in life’s milestones.

And in the middle of it all, Kris was invited to preach at a Vietnamese congregation and share the vision for Tokyo. That opportunity did not feel accidental. Standing before a room of Vietnamese believers — a people whose story is bound up with the gospel crossing language, culture, and ocean — and speaking of the same God's faithfulness toward Japan was a reminder that this work is older and wider than we are.

We are spending every remaining day here close to family. The departure date is near, and we feel it. But we feel, too, the Lord's hand in each of these moments before we go.

A snapshot for our partners:

Every partner — whether you give $25/month or $500/month, whether you pray daily or join us on Discord — is part of this. We do not take that lightly.

As we look ahead to May, we would be grateful for your prayers in these specific ways:

Each month we get to write this newsletter has felt like a gift — a built-in rhythm of reflection that keeps pulling us back to something we might otherwise rush past. This month, what I keep returning to is this: our God is the God of all nations.

As Kris mentioned earlier, April brought both of us back to our home communities — the places that shaped who we are before Tokyo was ever on our horizon. For Kris, that meant time with members of the Filipino church where his family first came to faith. For me, it meant reconnecting with friends from the Vietnamese Christian community that gave me my earliest sense of who God is.

It sounds a little funny to say, but I sometimes forget that Kris and I come from different ethnic backgrounds, grew up speaking different languages, and were shaped by communities that never knew each other existed — and yet the Lord saved us both through the same gospel, in the same way, by the same grace. That is not a small thing. It is evidence that there is no soil too hard for Him to break, and no cultural wall He cannot cross.

This past April, there was a quiet picture of that reality: Kris preached to a Vietnamese congregation through an interpreter on Psalm 96, and I got to sit with his Filipino family and friends. It was a sweet reversal I didn't expect to feel so moved by.

And it doesn't stop with us. In recent decades, the Lord used a Canadian brother to awaken Kris's heart to global missions through a short-term trip serving Nepali Christians. He used Puerto Rican missionaries in the Dominican Republic to show me what it looks like to love the people of your host country. His reach is not tidy or predictable — it is gloriously scattered across cultures and corners we would never think to look.

Japan has long been called the missionary graveyard. Gospel effort there stretches back nearly 450 years, and the percentage of Christians still struggles to reach 1%. Where we bump up against cultural boundaries, He does not. And for that, He is worthy to be praised.

"Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods." — Psalm 96:3–4

- J. Hudson Taylor

On “The Missionary Call”

Founder: China Inland Mission 1832-1905

Under His Lordship,

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”

Kris: (904)729-9665 - [email protected]

Linh: (904)882-7513 - [email protected]

If you’d like more timely prayer requests, personal updates, and a closer look at our family’s journey toward Tokyo, we’d love to have you join our KOINOBORI Discord community.

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