Dearest Ministry Partner, December
2007
Precious Christmas greetings to you in the
mighty and wonderful name of our Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ. The time to celebrate is once again upon us
as we call to remembrance the words of Scripture: Luke 2: 25 - 33
“And behold there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and the same man was
just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon
him. And it was revealed unto him by the
Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s
Christ. And he came by the Spirit into
the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him
after the custom of the law, Then he took him up in his arms, and blessed God,
and said, Lord now lettest thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face
of all people: a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the of thy people
Israel. And Joseph and his mother marveled
at those things which were spoken of him.”
What an awesome experience this must have been for the
very elderly Simeon… waiting, hoping, and expecting… for many long years… to
see with his own eyes… the Savior of all mankind. He would be a Light to the Gentiles, Jews, and
all nations.
What a joy it has been to be in Japan these
last 26 years, and to present the Light of the World to many Japanese, and see
them experience their very first Christmas.
What a blessing it is to see the Holy Spirit come upon this nation of
people, who sit in great darkness… and see… just like Simeon… the true Light of
their Salvation in the face of Jesus Christ.
As Mari and I are back in the States now
on home assignment, and visiting you and your church family, we are deeply
reminded of your partnership with us, that sustains us and will enable us to return
yet again to Japan,
to share Christ with the Japanese. God
is using your sacrificial giving and faithful prayers to get us into the
harvest of Japanese hearts and lives.
And it is our express delight to work together with you and our Lord to
see Him bring about all He has planned for this needy nation. There is no way we can adequately express our
thanks for the important and vital role you play to make Christmas a reality to
the Japanese!
Since coming home from Japan on
September 6th, we have visited 15 churches in four states, in the last 11
Sundays. Only 28 more churches to visit
and 11 more states to cover. It’s a big
challenge for us, but as you pray us along, we will see you and complete our 10
months of home assignment. How we look
forward to seeing you again!
Please feel free to contact us on our cell
phone at: 267-357-1288 or through the
Mission Society at 1-800-478-8963 to confirm our visit with you or your church.
May the Lord shine His Light brightly into
your life, and the lives of your loved ones, as we continue to labor together
side by side, to see His glorious message of Light and Salvation go to Japan, and to
the uttermost parts of the earth.
God bless you abundantly this Christmas
and into the New Year!
Your Missionaries to Japan, Neal & Mari Hicks
The Mission Society 6234
Crooked Creek Rd, Norcross, GA 30092 Phone:
800-478-8963 Web: www.themissionsociety.org