Posted by: okasafa | December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas from Japan!

Dearest Friends,

With grateful hearts we wish you the merriest Christmas from Japan! Thank you for your prayers and support so that we can be here. There is not a day we don’t thank God for you. May God bless you as you celebrate Christ’s birth. I want to leave you with a verse that has meant more to our family since we’ve been here from Isaiah 9:2, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, ON THEM HAS LIGHT SHINED!” Pray with us that God would do this in Japan!!!

grace and peace,

Matt, Carly, Liam, and Hudson

Posted by: okasafa | November 16, 2009

Arrival in Japan/CPI Conference 2009

We are so delighted to be writing you from Japan! God has been so good to get us here, and there is not a day that goes by we aren’t thankful for your prayers and support. So much has happened in the last couple weeks since we arrived and we wanted to share with you what we’ve been experiencing.

We arrived November 2nd, pretty exhausted, and still sick (Matthew with a stomach virus, Carly with a sore throat, Liam with two ear infections- we discovered them the night before we left!). It took us the first week to get over being sick, and sadly Liam still isn’t over his ear infections, he is now on some Japanese medicine. This has made for a very difficult two weeks, and we have had to rely on Jesus all the more to be our strength and comfort. Please join us in praying for Liam, as we pray the ear infections will end soon.

The day after we arrived we joined the rest of our team at a church planting conference about 3 hours away, close to the base of Mt Fuji. It was very clear as the temperature had dropped the night before, and the views of Mt Fuji were amazing. A few of the missionaries commented they had not seen a clear day like this in years! We were blessed to view such awesome scenery in the first 24 hours of being in the country. We thoroughly enjoyed the conference, especially since a team from our home church was there! They sacrificially gave of their time and energy to encourage us, watch the kids, and ask how we were doing with the transition. Thank you, Jesus, for these servants!

At the church planting conference I, Matthew, was able to hear a testimony of one of the Japanese guest speakers. He had become a Christian at a young age and his father beat him up when he found out about his faith. He was disowned and kicked out of his house. He continued to love his father, and tell him about Jesus, even though his father said time and time again “You are not my son anymore”. On his death bed, his father was able to confess faith in Christ, and in tears ask for forgiveness for all that he had done and said. His father passed away and was buried at the plot of land where all the rest of the family was buried. He buried his father and mourned the loss, but praised God for his profession of faith before he died. Then, he changed the symbol on the tombstone from a false idol, to the words “God is love” with a cross high and center. This Christian tombstone can be seen among the other Buddhist and Shintoist tombstones. God is moving in Japan, changing hearts and minds for Him!

Since returning from the conference we have been trying to adapt to life in Japan. Simple things are all of a sudden so much more work, like getting insurance, buying a car, paying bills, setting up immigration stuff, and even doing a simple load of laundry! It has been overwhelming, but our family has been drawn closer together by it. We have had to rely on Jesus all the more. There is still so much to do, and we find ourselves on an adventure everyday, still not believing that we are here and this is now our home. Carly and I are so excited to be experiencing the food, culture, and smells of Japan again. We are truly so grateful to be back here.

There is much more we could share with you, but feel this update is long enough already. Thank you so much for your love and support, your prayers and many encouragements, we would not be here without them. We are praising God for you and would love to be in prayer for you specifically, please let us know if we can be praying for you in any way. May God bless you richly.

with much love and thanksgiving,
Matthew and Carly

Posted by: okasafa | October 14, 2009

We’ve bought our tickets!

It gives us great joy to announce that we have bought our tickets for Japan! We are flying out October 30th to begin our new adventure as a family, with your prayers backing us. We are so thankful for your prayers and support to get us there. We are overwhelmed by God’s faithfulness to us, despite our lack of faith in Him. We are still working on several things, that we would like your prayer for.

1) Our visas still need to be approved, pray the paperwork goes smoothly so they approve it in time for us to leave.

2) There are a lot of little logistics we’re wrapping up before we go, pray that God would multiply our time to get it all done, all while honoring Him.

3) Praise God for all our passports approved, and for finding us a home in Japan! Another family on the field is leaving, so we’ll be living in their old house.

Some of you have pledged to us, but haven’t contacted MTW (Mission to the World) or started giving on a monthly basis. Please start giving NOW, as we will need your support every month in order to live. Call MTW @ 1-678-823-0004 to start giving.

Rejoicing in God’s Faithfulness,

The Chases

Posted by: okasafa | August 5, 2009

Meet the Chases Video!

Thanks to our friend Jeff at CabinOne Productions, we have a short intro on our family and ministry in Japan. Share it with everyone you and your friends and family know! Click on the link below to watch.

Meet the Chases from Jeffrey Butler on Vimeo.

Posted by: okasafa | July 17, 2009

Jesus is Alive!

This is taken from my devotional time this morning. It encouraged my heart so I thought it should be shared.

Let me beg you to remember that Jesus Christ is alive. Simple as that truth is, you need to be reminded of it. We very often estimate the power of the church by looking at her ministers and members, but the power of the church does not lie here, it lies in the Holy Spirit, and in an ever living Savior. Jesus lives today as He did when that anxious father brought his son to Jesus. We have neither the power to work natural miracles or spiritual miracles. Christ has the power to work any kind of wonder, and He is still willing and able to work spiritual miracles. I delight to think of my living Christ to whom I may bring every difficulty that occurs in my own soul and in the souls of others” – Charles Spurgeon

Posted by: okasafa | July 15, 2009

Encouraging News!

We had some encouraging news today. I found out we had three more people commit to supporting us! This means that our monthly support is at 70%! I also found out that our one-time amount needed was at 100%! God is so good to us! We are really praying and hoping to leave by Sept 2009, so there is still much work to be done on our part, but I wanted to share how God is at work!

We are praying this month for 10 people at $50 per month, so please pray God would raise them up. We are visiting several churches as well, so please pray for their support and commitment.

We are so thankful to God for your partnership in the gospel.

Grace and peace,

Matthew, Carly, Liam, and Hudson

Here is a recent picture of us at a Japanese garden in Richmond

DSC_0131_2

Posted by: okasafa | June 23, 2009

Advance09 Conference

I (Matt) had the opportunity to attend the Advance09 conference in Durham, NC featuring John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Bryan Chappell, and many other great men of God. It was a great time of worship, fellowship, repetance, and challenge. I was very encouraged to see many young men there, eager to serve the Lord in church planting. I came away with a better understanding of a true Biblical definition of the church and why God uses to local church to impact the world for the gospel. This was one of my favorite messages during the 3 day conference, I hope you are blessed by it as I was.

Click Here to See Video Message of John Piper-Let the Nations Be Glad Part 2

Posted by: okasafa | June 23, 2009

Pray for 38%…

I’ll tell you why; we have that much more financial support to raise before we can leave for Japan! We have watched God grow the first 62% in a couple years since we’ve been approved. Please pray for us, as it is discouraging at times, but we know that Japan is where God continues to lead us. Maybe He is growing us in ways to prepare us for some trials once we get there? I know through this support process my faith has been strengthened seeing what God can do through a weak sinner like me. I hope I can carry this attitude with me to Japan, because this is HIS work, not mine, HIS kingdom, not mine, HIS glory, not mine. Praise God through who’m all blessings flow!

Here are some pictures from our recent family life…

1. Carly and Liam’s art on the driveway through the beauty of colored chalk

2. Liam learning how to wash the car

3. Handsome Hudson-no more words are needed to describe him

Posted by: okasafa | April 2, 2009

Hudson Paul Chase 3/13/09

We are so pleased to announce the birth of our second son, Hudson Paul Chase, born 3/13/09 @ 2:45pm, 8 lb 10 oz, 17.5 inches long. Carly is recovering well, and we thank everyone for their prayers and support. Praise God for this wonderful blessing!

dsc_01811

Just saw this on CNN this morning and thought I would share. In these economic hard times, the Japanese need the hope that only Christ can bring. This is just a small glimpse of the problems in Japan. Lord, may you get us there soon to bring a gospel of hope to those that need to hear.

Click here to see the Video

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