Thank you so much. You can be seated at this time. We're going to ask Joyce Oshiro to come up. Joyce, when did you graduate? 1980. So I was your teacher. All right. I never know if I go to school with people or when I saw them, but Joyce was a very accomplished musician when she was in school and has been serving on the mission field now for over 40 years. And 32 of those years, our church has supported her. So this is one of our very stalwart missionaries who has served very faithfully, and we appreciate her so much. Did you want to say a word before the video? Okay, well we're going to go right into a video presentation. It lasts about 11 minutes, and it will tell you about her ministry, and you can get to know her just a little better. Psalm 40 verse 3 says, And he has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God. Many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. How I thank the Lord for this song of praise that He placed into my heart at a young age, for the past 40 years has allowed me to share with Japanese people, both in Saitama and on the island of Okinawa. Actually, the Lord started His work in my life years before I even entered the picture. Some of you may remember my dad, Roy Oshiro, who was born and raised in Canada. When he was saved at age 27, he immediately became burdened for his relatives in Okinawa and followed God's call to take the gospel there. Meanwhile, my mother, Kimiko, was born and raised on the beautiful island of Kauai. After she was saved as a high schooler, she also heard God's call to go and serve Him in Japan. So these two single missionaries eventually met in Tokyo, tied the knot, and served him together for 24 years until the Lord called my mother home. In his goodness, God then provided my dad with another helpmate named Kiyo, and she continued to serve with my dad until he was called home as well. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I guess you could say that how the Lord brought my parents together was verse one of my life. Now we find ourselves in verse 2, where I was born, followed by my sisters June and Janice. Mother had her hands full trying to raise three young children while starting a new ministry with my dad. But they made sure we all got piano lessons, insisting that we could always use it for the Lord. Eventually, I was also able to receive vocal training as well and graduated from Bob Jones University with majors in piano and voice. Then the Lord, in His omniscience, opened the door for me to return to Japan after graduation. Verse 3 of my life found me teaching for two years at a Christian school in Okinawa. Meanwhile, I helped in various ministries at my parents' church, which gave me a greater burden for the Japanese ministry. For my second term, the Lord led me to Saitama, a little north of Tokyo, where I was able to serve at a church with missionaries Joe and Noni Mita. I also taught music and Bible English courses at Grace Baptist Bible School, and I loved working with the young people, training them to serve the Lord. Then came verse 4, with an apparent change in key and tempo. The Lord led me away from my ministries on mainland Japan to return to Okinawa to care for my aging parents. I'm so thankful for the few years I was able to be there for both my dad and stepmom until the Lord called them home. Dad in 2016 and Kiyo just last year in 2022. Both were faithful servants of God until the end, giving and serving sacrificially and joyfully for the spread of the gospel. What an example they were to everyone around them, including me. Since moving back to Okinawa, I've had the joy of serving at Gushikawa Baptist Church, which was started by my parents. We're thankful for Matt and Sachi Osteren, who came as missionaries with their four children and took over after my dad retired in 2006. The Lord used their humble leadership and service to see continued growth in the lives of our church members. But perhaps one of the biggest blessings and answers to prayer was seeing the Lord call one of our own members to become the new pastor. Takashi Nishino was raised in our church. Here's a picture of my mom holding him as a baby over 30 years ago. He continued to grow and follow Christ, received Bible school training, and was ordained into the ministry and stepped in as our pastor in 2019. In God's goodness, another young man, Shohei, a college classmate whom Takashi led to the Lord, was baptized and decided to get ministerial training in our Bible school in Saitama. He graduated after four years and returned to Okinawa to serve as assistant to Takashi. How blessed we are now to have two young men on fire for the Lord. Then last year, Saya, one of our young ladies who was saved in 2018, also headed for Bible School for training to serve the Lord. We now look forward to seeing what God will do through her life. Saya's friend, Aino, also continues to come to church faithfully, although opposed by her non-Christian family, and now serves as one of our pianists. Music continues to be a big part of my ministry, and after participating in concerts around Japan, I am now focusing more on training others to use music for the Lord. It takes creativity to arrange music for our small churches, but our people love to praise the Lord, even during COVID. The young adults especially enjoy learning new things, so we've added handbells, ukulele, and even the Okinawan snakeskin-covered samisen to our special music. Our children love to sing as well. Here they are, joining our ukuleles this past Christmas. Iza ka te mazure kakae no uta wo. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Many of my hours are spent teaching piano to believers who want to improve their hymn playing. But these lesson times often open up wonderful opportunities for personal sharing and counseling as well. I'm thankful for the times I can just listen to, encourage, and pray with these precious believers as they confide in me about the difficulties they face in their walk with Christ. I also have many opportunities to disciple women through our ladies' classes. Most of the ladies have unsaved husbands or undergone severe trials, yet, by God's grace, have remained faithful. Would you please continue to pray that they will run their race with courage and joy? We covet your prayers for our young men as well, that they may grow steadfast in their faith and someday be strong leaders in their homes. We're grateful for the Bates family who are raising four children, stay active in music and children's ministries, as well as help lead the young adults group. Our young people continue to actively reach out to their friends and we are rejoicing over three new believers who were baptized just this past Easter. Mami, Haime, and Kina. Haime is a Navy man who visited our church wanting to improve his Japanese language skills. Kina and Mami are two of a number of contacts our pastor has made through a ping pong club he belongs to. What a joy it's been to witness their initial search, then rebirth into God's family. It's hard to believe that 2022 marked 40 years of my serving the Lord in Japan with Baptist mid-missions. I can honestly say that I love and am thankful for everything God has given me to do, and it's hard to think of the word retirement in the near future. In His will, I hope to return to Okinawa this fall to continue teaching, serving, and training others for His ministry. However, I have to acknowledge that my song of praise may well be entering the fifth and possibly final verse. Many of my co-workers are now nearing retirement and we are in desperate need of more young people to step up and consider the field of Japan. Japan is still a wide open mission field with less than one half of 1% of the population even claiming to be Christians. Many young people are seeking purpose and fulfillment through career or entertainment. However, in spite of Japan's seeming self-sufficiency and advanced technology, many are empty and seeking hope. Did you know that in Japan, there were more suicides in one month than COVID deaths in all of 2020? Would you continue praying and giving that more Japanese people can receive hope and real life through Jesus Christ? Would you consider going yourself, possibly as a short-term missionary, to experience the mission field firsthand? Would you allow the song the Lord has given in your heart to spread to others? Lord of harvest, send forth reapers, Let them know the sheaves together where the harvest time pass by. We're thankful that Joyce's sister Janet is here today as well and they're able to be with us. We're going to dismiss the children at this time and let's turn to number 538 and sing the first and third stanzas of I Love to Tell the Story. Let's stand please and sing together. And on the third stanza, or a wonderful vision. All right, thank you. You may be seated. Well, it's a joy to get to know Joyce. I trust many of you in this room, if you've been here for a while, have had a chance to do so, and thank you for her ministry over these many years to our church. Now, Joyce, you started in 1992 through at least being supported by this ministry, Faith Baptist. Maybe you could share a little bit about how this church came to be at a crossroads to meet you and your ministry and how we took you on as a supportive missionary there in 1992. Of course, as Tim said, I came to Bob Jones, and when I was here during my undergrad years, I heard about the fire and the testimony that the church had at that time. And then I went to Okinawa as a missionary right after that, and it was ten years later that the Lord led me to come back to grad school. And it was at that time that I lived with a family that attended this church, and so I started coming here, and the Lord just opened up ministries for me. Tim Melton, had just started the Japanese ministry. I mean, that same summer that I arrived. And so I was able to be active in that work, and it was a real confirmation to me that neither the Lord had led me here. And so I attended here the two years of grad school. I sang in the choir, and I did all that. But I just really learned to love this church. And there were so many people that I hadn't known even missionary friends. I know you support the Alexanders in Brazil. Jan Alexander was my roommate at college. So we'd known each other for years. And now their daughter is in Japan. And so it's just been a thrill to see. And of course, the Isus, his wife, Yoko, is also a product of our ministry there in Japan. And so it's just a lot of connections that came up while I was here. And I was so thankful that I was able to be a part of your church. Now, I do have a home church in Michigan. Their connection is even longer. They supported my parents since the 50s. But this is my second home church. I feel so at home every time I come back to Greenville, and I'm thankful for your support. Well, I learned we have a connection through that church in Michigan, the pastor of our church in Florida that we left, the senior pastor and my assistant pastor, Joyce, knows from that church as he was on their staff before. So that was neat. Out of curiosity, before I ask the next question to the room here, how many remember Joyce from 1992? And you'd be courageous enough to raise your hand. There's some good friends out there. Praise the Lord. So thankful for God's continued faithfulness even there in that testimony. Now you said in your presentation video that it was made last year, but there's obviously been some updates since that time. Maybe you could update us on some of the updates since the time of the video. Yes, I came on for the last year. I mean, there were a number of years that I wasn't able to come. I mean, the last furlough that I was able to be here was 2013. And then after that, I went back to Okinawa, and I was caring for my parents. And so I wasn't able to leave as frequently, and then COVID hit. So it's been a while since I was here. But last year, I came and visited most of my churches at that time. I actually came and visited here, but Pastor, you had just arrived. I remember. So that's why the video is a year old. But it's exciting to see all the changes that have taken place even since what you saw there. You saw about Pastor Takashi, the young man that grew up in our church and is our pastor now. Well, he's getting married this July. He's 33 years old, and we're really thankful for the way that the Lord has blessed in his life. Of course, we've been praying for help for him, and the Lord has provided that. So that's a big change that's going to take place, and I'm really hoping that I can go back and be an encouragement. Does he officiate his own wedding as pastor? No, okay. No, we'll have another pastor from a nearby church. But he is just going great guns. A lot of young people are now coming to our church, so it's a lot of life. I just don't know how he keeps going with all the activities. I guess I shouldn't tell you about that. But he just keeps going, keeps going. And we're excited about that. I told you about his assistant pastor, his friend that was working with him. Well, he left us right after Easter of this year. He's gone up to Fukushima, which if some of you may remember is where the earthquake and the big nuclear power accident was. And so, but while he was in Bible school, he was able to visit that area. We have a lot of churches with Baptist mid-missions that were started there, but most of the missionaries have retired or passed on. And so we have a lot of churches that don't have pastors, and the Lord gave him a burden to go up there. And so that's where he is now, and just seeking what the Lord will continue to do in his life. I mentioned two young ladies. And one is still in Bible school. She's finishing up her second year, planning on studying one more year there. And the other young lady is really serving, like I said, as pianist in many other ministries in our church. And the two of them actually are going to be coming to the States. in just a couple weeks when they finish the Bible school year. And I'm going to take them with me around for a couple weeks so they'll get to visit some of my churches. And I'm really excited. I know that the Lord is going to continue working in their lives. So you've kind of answered this next question, but maybe you can zoom in on it a little bit more. Your current ministry, you've been a part of so many things through the years in different parts of the country, but what is your current ministry and your responsibilities? And maybe we could ask like a Children's Church student and say, what does a normal day for a missionary look like? So what's a normal day look like for Joyce? Yes, we always laugh, of course, when we get that question. It's not a normal day because you're always fitting in with other people's schedules. But basically, I mean, I'm working, of course, with children and young people in ladies' Bible studies. I do most of my music teaching on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I usually just have back-to-back lessons. But I love the music lessons because, like I said in the video, just getting to have that one-on-one time, you know, and I mean it's just really exciting to see the Lord work through that. It's really hard to explain what else I do, but I mean this time when I go back I really want to focus on really training the people that are there, especially the younger group, so that they can continue in the ministry even after I leave. You're a busy lady, and we're thankful for that. I'm going to ask this question before I do. I'm going to tell our church family a secret, and that is when missionaries come, I have them submit their questions. So I'm not putting them on the spot. And this question she submitted, and she said, do you have plans for retirement? So I'm going to ask you your question. Do you have plans for retirement? I get asked that by everybody anyway, so I just thought I might as well answer it. I really don't know if that's really my answer. I'm going to go back to the field. I still feel like there's a lot for me to do, and like I said, I want to work with the people that are there. And especially this new pastor's wife, as she comes into her new position, and she's really quite a young Christian, so I really want to have a part in mentoring and helping her as she gets into the ministry there. So I'll just see year by year, really, what I'm needed for and when I need to step back and try to let them do things on their own. So that's a big prayer request that the Lord would show me and lead me specifically what he wants me to do after this. Well, I know this church to be a praying church and maybe you brought your prayer journals with you. And so I'm going to ask Joyce to give us some further prayer requests and you can either be writing these down or take note of them. And I know our church will be praying for you. So maybe you could give us some things that we could specifically be praying for you and your ministry. Yes. Of course, I've given you several of them already. But one thing that I'm really excited about at this point is our church is looking to build an new building we need to move. You saw in the pictures it's not very large but I mean it's okay you know we have a membership about of about 20 we have about 30 usually on Sunday mornings and that is accommodated quite well in the building now but when we have special meetings and have 40 or 50 people come it really gets tight and the other thing is now that more people are coming by car we don't have parking. You probably couldn't tell by the pictures, but our church is on the second floor. And the first floor is parking. I mean, they do that a lot in Japan where you don't have that much property. And so that's how our church is. So that means we can get about six cars under there, but you have to go in there and then leave in the opposite order because there's no space between them. And so we're always calling so and so, would you please move your car? But that's the way we, and most of us members now, we park away from the church trying to leave the spaces for the visitors. So we do need a new place. And also because our church owns the building but not the land. Now that's very common over there. People don't want to sell their land so they'll rent it long term. So that's what we're doing now, but we're not able to be incorporated as a church legally if we don't have property. And so we're still under the Baptist Mid-Mission's mission umbrella, but in order to become independent. They need to buy property. And so that's what we're working on now. But I got these figures. I'm not real good at finances. But we're looking at property right now for about 3,500 to 5,000 square feet. Huge, huh? But that's what we're working on. And we want to build a building of about 200 square feet. We think that will really meet our needs. And that's going to cost 40 million yen. Which, the thing that I think is so neat is 10 years ago, when the dollar was worth 100 yen, that 40 million yen would have been $400,000. And right now with the dollar, do you know the dollar is really strong now? It's at about 150 yen. So that would cost only $270,000 at this point for the same amount of yen. So I just think maybe this is it. This is when the Lord is going to uh, provide, but we are really, uh, you know, with a membership of 20, you know, that's something that's would take a long time, but we know that the Lord is going to, uh, provide that as well. And I'm excited to see what he's going to continue to do with, with the younger membership that we have. And, um, and of course, you know, there's a lot of struggles and problems as well, but, but the Lord is, is doing wonderful things there. Yeah. Well, out of curiosity, is there a piece of property you've already looked at and targeted then? Yes. Our pastor and the group of men are looking at one. I mean, we can't, you know, we can't even go start buying it at this point. So we'll see how long it stays available. But they have looked at several and are praying that the Lord would provide in the right time. Well, I trust you've jotted those down and sought ways that we can be a blessing. I'm going to have Pastor Kurtz come and pray for our offering. And this is our normal tithing offering, just so you know. At the end of the service, right after the message, we'll be taking a love offering specific to Joyce. And you'll want to be, I trust, mindful of that. We mentioned that this morning. And we're so thankful, Joyce, for you being here. The men want to come forward, even now, and Pastor Kurtz.