Hi, %firstName%! I know you had asked us to send you our prayer letter individually by e-mail each time, but our last letter was a Thanksgiving letter, and an annual "ask" letter, so I thought I would skip it for you guys. But this morning, I was thinking about it and decided to go ahead and send it to you, with this preface, especially since it illustrates so well exactly what we are trying to do. Thanks again for your incredible hospitailty while we were visiting your encouraging misssions conference!—Love in Christ, Mike

Dear %firstName%:

At this season of Thanksgiving, all of us—Mike, Cindy, Emily and Luke—want you to know how very thankful that we are for you. Knowing that you are invested in us gives us determination and eager anticipation of one day sharing the results of our partnership together before the Lord.

We sincerely believe that it is because of people like you that God continues to bless and preserve our nation. People who not only believe, but obey the truth.

With all of that in mind, we would like to try to explain how God has been at work in our ministry this year and how you can celebrate with us and help us.

Mary provides a great example.

In 2007, she was a woman in a precarious situation. As an African living in Japan on a work visa, she was living with an African man who was married to another woman back in Nigeria. He was living there illegally and helping others do the same.

Unhappy with this life, Mary began looking for hope online. She came across our Jesus2020.com website and indicated that she had not yet prayed to receive Christ but wanted more information.

She started getting help right away, receiving our 30-Day-Next-Steps daily series of e-mail messages. She was connected with an Online Missionary who gave her reasons to believe. And she got connected with Mike in the weekly Bible study on Sunday evenings.

In one of the sessions, the lesson was from Matthew 13, a stern warning that ends with “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

After this lesson, Mary wrote back:

"Believing is accepting without question or doubt. To be certain. To feel him in your life. How does that happen/come about? By grace? God given? Personal effort? or...... Its strange. I have no doubt that God exists. How come i don't get this 100% certainty about Jesus Christ?

More conversations followed, and suddenly Mary visited my Thursday afternoon chat session to let me know she was ready. I was so surprised, because it was 3:00AM for her in Japan! She had broken up with the married man and kicked him out of her home.

Japan has a population of over 126,000,000, and the world's third largest economy.

It is one of the least-reached nations in the world, with less than 2% of the poplulation identifying as evangelical Christians.

She assured me after I led her in the sinner's prayer that there was no turning back. I helped her find a church, Calvary Chapel Yamoto, in her own city, and she's been attending there since then.

Earlier this year, Mary reported that in going door-to-door to share her faith, she encountered members of another church. This church had no pastor and very little understanding of the Bible. They asked Mary to come and teach them at times.

And last month, Mary graduated from our Online Missionary training. This month, she even signed up to host chat sessions herself! Mary has come full circle!

As a committed follower of Christ, Mary is in an extremely strategic position. Japan is a 10/40 window country. Though blessed with great material wealth, it is impoverished in its knowledge of God. The native Japanese people are among the least-reached people of the world, with fewer than 2% evangelical Christian. Yet Mary is there legally, with a good job and income.

You helped us win Mary, build her in her faith, connect her to a local Christian movement, and send her out to win others. In a nutshell, that’s what our ministry is all about!

%firstName%, as we move into 2012, we have discovered that we need to raise an additional $7300 of funding annually. May I ask you to specifically pray about giving a special gift of $300, $200 or $100? Thank you for considering this.

If you would like to help us, you can give using our form on the web. Just go to

http://give.ccci.org/give/0543730. If by check, please make it payable to “Campus Crusade for Christ.”

Whatever you decide, our deep appreciation for you is unwavering. We are so grateful to the Lord for you.

Love, in Christ

Mike & Cindy

“One day closer!” (Romans 13:11)

P.S. Would you share a few current prayer requests on our response form? Cindy and I would love to pray with you for those requests.
Exactly what is it that Mike does at GMO?