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Newsletter #25 – 22-12-2025
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Dear family and friends,
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Shortly before Christmas, we would like to share a few current prayer requests that we would like to entrust to you before the end of the year.
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Stopover in Frankfurt on one of our trips to enjoy some proper miso ramen again.
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Second visit to the Baltic Sea
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But first, we would like to tell you briefly about our second trip to the Baltic Sea coast. On December 4, we visited LightHouse Rostock for the second time, where we were invited to a prayer evening. We arrived a little earlier for the afternoon “family café,” where non-Christians are also welcome. We had some great conversations with the guests. In the evening, we had the prayer meeting, where we shared many testimonies from our time in Japan, which we didn't have time for during our first visit to LightHouse Rostock. Some of the young people were very interested in how we evangelize alongside Jesus in an environment that is far from God, because they themselves experience in Rostock that people no longer have a Christian foundation and often react not only negatively but also aggressively.
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On December 6, we went to the Christmas market in Penzlin with brothers and sisters from the Medrow church. There we sold cookies and distributed tracts. The market took place in the local castle, and as we were eating cake inside the castle, we suddenly got into conversation with three visitors about Japan and our work. It is very convenient that everything we do has to do with God and with trusting Him. So, the conversation moved naturally in that direction without the people feeling that we were trying to impose anything on them. They seemed to have a Protestant background, because they confirmed some of what we said. Once outside, they approached us again and we were able to connect them with the brothers and sisters from Medrow. They said that they were disappointed with their local Protestant church and might visit Medrow church sometime.
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At the Christmas market in Penzlin (we are not in the picture).
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The following Sunday, we were at the Medrow church. Julian preached, and after the service, we shared a few more testimonies from Japan and talked about our plan after we leave for Japan again in spring and where we will be working.
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Meanwhile, our OMF leadership has decided that our planned departure date will be March 31, 2025, which is three weeks later than originally planned. This gives us a little more time for meetings in Germany. So if you would like to see us before we leave or invite us to your church, there will be a few more opportunities in the new year.
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We are grateful to God for our trip to East Germany, for His protection, and for giving us a church in Medrow that supports us with great interest, both in prayer and financially.
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By the way, here is a picture of the Japanese house group in Stuttgart, which we mentioned in our last letter.
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Plans for Japan are becoming more concrete
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With regard to how things will continue in Japan, we come to the topic of our current prayer requests. As we mentioned in our last letter, we had two important feedback and planning meetings with our Japanese leadership on November 28 and December 9. Both meetings went very well. However, the second meeting, which focused on the concrete planning of our return, raised a few questions where we need God's guidance.
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The plan was to do a language refresher course in Sapporo for the first three months and then move to Asahikawa to start at the Nagayama church. Now it turns out that due to the large number of new missionaries, the language school is at full capacity in terms of both space and teachers. Therefore, it was suggested that we move to Asahikawa right away and do our language refresher course online.
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The idea of online lessons via Zoom made us shudder at first, but it also has several advantages. For one thing, it gives us the opportunity to settle into Nagayama church right from the start. For another, we were told that it would probably not be possible for Julian to get one of the few male Japanese teachers to improve his “men's language.” Therefore, he will have to look for a male language partner anyway. This way, Julian can immediately look for a language partner in the church, which will enable us to establish deeper contacts with the men in the church from the very beginning. In addition, the internet in Japan is very fast, so there should be no technical problems.
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However, as we are still not sure whether God wants our language refresher to take place in person in Sapporo or online in Asahikawa, please pray for quick guidance in this decision, which needs to be made soon.
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If God gives you an impression or insight on this matter, please share it with us.
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This sentence means “I'll take care of it” in both cases, because as mentioned above, the way men and women speak in Japan differs. In general, women use more polite words and softer sentence endings, while men tend to use a rougher and cooler tone. This has nothing to do with macho behavior, but is primarily a sign of belonging. A man who speaks too politely among his peers may be perceived as deliberately distant, naive, and untrustworthy.
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For example, men use ore (俺) or boku (僕) for “I,” while women say watashi (私) or atashi. For “delicious,” men often say umai (旨い) or umee instead of oishii (美味しい), and for “eat,” kuu (食う) instead of taberu (食べる). Women often add wa at the end of a sentence to soften it, while men often use the emphatic yo.
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Other current prayer requests
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The current field director of OMF Japan will soon be stepping down from this role, and a successor is currently being sought. Please pray for this significant transition and for a wise, people-oriented, and Spirit-led new leader.
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One level higher, the leadership position for East Asia North is also currently vacant. Please pray that a good leader will be found soon.
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Please also pray for an important meeting with our German OMF leadership that will take place soon.
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On January 11, we will be at the Youth Mission Conference in Stuttgart. Please pray for all the preparations and feel free to come by yourself.
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Thank you very much for your interest in our journey in God's mission, for your continued prayers, and for your faithful financial support!
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Julian und Karolina Tenzler serve in Japan with OMF International.
They help Japanese Christians reach their own communities and personal networks with God's Good News. In doing so, they encourage them to trust in God, to follow Jesus decisively, and to live in vibrant fellowship with one another.
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Like all OMF missionaries we live on donations.
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Donation Account
Account holder: OMF International Deutschland e.V.
IBAN: DE76 5185 0079 0350 0051 61 – BIC: HELADEF1FRI (Sparkasse Oberhessen)
Purpose: Unterhalt Tenzler, [donor's name], [address]
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Julian & Karolina Tenzler
Bodenseering 15
95445 Bayreuth
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