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The time has nearly come for our two-week exploratory vision trip to Japan! We head out on February 8, arrive in Japan on February 9, and leave on February 22. We are very excited to scout out project and language school locations, do research for our budget, and experience Japan for the first time.
Below, we cover our trip plans and some prayer requests we have. Because this trip takes up half of February, we will not send a February newsletter. Instead, we have something better planned: you can follow along on our trip, see photos and videos soon after we take them, and even talk with us while we host live streams from Japan.
To follow us throughout the trip and get the latest updates, please visit our website: https://shoesatthedoor.net/trip. We plan to update this page with photos, videos, and final dates/times for live streams, so please reference that page for the latest news and updates from February 5 to 22. You will also want to see our YouTube channel for live streams and videos.
Access that here: https://www.youtube.com/@ShoesAtTheDoorAdventures.
Please join us for this first step in our journey. We are excited to give you a glimpse of Japan, and we look forward to seeing how God will lead during this trip. Please pray that we will have divine appointments and that God will direct our steps each day toward the places He wants us to go. We do not yet have a long-term location for the AFM project, so please pray for us to receive that guidance, too.
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February 8 — February 9
(pre-trip livestream test: February 5 at 6 p.m. EST, 3 p.m. PST)
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We will be flying out from South Bend, IN, on February 8 and arriving in Tokyo on February 9 at 2:40 p.m. local time. Please pray that our flights go smoothly, that we remember everything we need to take, and that we get some sleep on the planes.
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February 9 — February 12
(tentative livestream: February 10 at 5 p.m. EST, 2 p.m. PST)
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After arrival in Tokyo, we will have our first experience navigating customs and the local train system. Our time in Tokyo will include budget research, visiting a Japanese language school or two, a meal with someone from the Mission Unusual: Tokyo team, and worship at the Kamakura SDA church. (Mission Unusual: Tokyo is the General Conference’s church planting initiative in Tokyo.) Please pray that we safely navigate the extensive train system of Tokyo, obtain accurate budget information, and acclimate quickly to the different time zone.
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February 12 — February 15
(tentative livestream: February 14 at 8 p.m. EST, 5 p.m. PST)
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After Tokyo, we will head to the Osaka/Kyoto area via a bullet train (shinkansen), which is how we will also travel to our other locations. We plan to visit some cultural sites here, along with more research and learning how to navigate around the country. Please pray that we will learn much about Japan’s history and religion as we spend a few days in this area.
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February 15 — February 17
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We plan to spend about 1.5 days in Hiroshima to do more cultural research. We may also do some more budget research here to get an idea of what prices are like outside of Tokyo. Please continue to pray for guidance to go to the right places with our limited time and that we will have more divine appointments.
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February 17 — February 21
(tentative livestream: February 19 at 5 p.m. EST, 2 p.m. PST)
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The last leg of our journey will be in Yamaguchi prefecture. We will stay in a hotel in Hofu, where we will attend a small SDA church and then journey up to Yamaguchi city and the surrounding area. Please pray that we will have guidance on whether this is a good project location and how living there would impact our budget.
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February 21 — February 22
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It’s finally time to pack up! We will head east from Yamaguchi back to Tokyo, spend one more night there, then leave the country. Please pray for our safe travel and that we won’t leave anything behind!
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Upcoming Speaking Appointments
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We currently do not have any speaking appointments. Would you like us to come and speak at your church, vespers, or small group and share about missions, tell mission stories, and talk about the needs of the unreached? Please let us know.
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Praises & Prayer Requests
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- We are incredibly excited to be taking this two-week trip and are so grateful to God and all the people who made this first trip possible.
- Please pray our monthly support goal will be met by April 2023 so we can attend training this summer and launch to Japan in the fall.
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We would love to hear back from you. Always feel free to reach out, ask questions or just let us know how you are doing. You can reply to this email or give us a call/text at ***.***.****. We would be happy to pray for any requests you might have.
Thanks so much for your support!
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Michael & Caitlyn Babienco