After decades of trying to get here, we at lwa are finally at the culmination of what I believe to be the fulfillment of Iwa's calling and my personal call to ministry-the launching of Iesu Chado, our Japanese tea ceremony project. But the mountain of challenges before us have seemed insurmountable.
After following the Lord and seeing him work for decades, we at Iwa are up against a seemingly impenetrable wall of unforeseen obstacles. Yet, the sea has begun to part in amazing ways. Ministry partnerships with churches, denominations and others, both here in the U.S. and in Japan, are on the horizon. The Lord miraculously provided through the passing of a major lwa donor so we could purchase all we needed so we can now actually host guests for the tea ceremony. And we are now in the process of producing a video, funded by the American Baptist Church (ABC) denomination, to introduce Iwa's view of how Christianity and Japanese Christians were instrumental in the development of the Japanese tea ceremony and to explain Iesu Chado. The video will help to orient those who will be going on the first of three pilgrimages beginning in 2024 to Hidden Christian sites in Japan led by an ABC minister, and to launch Iesu Chado in the U.S. and Japan. And in 2024, we will need more funding as we host tea regularly and take it on the road.
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