I Have Never Considered It By Daniel McKittrick Yokota Baptist Church sits just outside the main gate of Yokota Air Base, Tokyo, Japan. It provides a steady witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the service members, their families, and the local Japanese community. I became the missionary pastor in June 2014. The church building sits on the property of Mr. Shimizu, our gracious landowner. The church has rented from him for more than 30 years. That is a lot of rent money—and we do not own a thing! It is doubtful, but the potential is there that we could be asked to vacate should the need arise. One afternoon after a short meeting with Mr. Shimizu, I said to him, “If you ever consider selling the land, we would be interested in buying it.” He responded in Japanese and my wife, Haruna, interpreted, “I have never considered it.” I thought that was the end of it. Two weeks later Mr. Shimizu called Haruna and declared he was interested and willing to sell the land to the church. Owning land in Japan is a big deal. Owning land as a foreigner in Japan is a really big deal! Mr. Shimizu went on to tell us he was moving to central Tokyo and would let us use his house, directly beside the church, for free! I was shocked. From “never considered it,” to “let me sell you the land and you can use the house for free,” was a lot to take in. We are excited! Our folks are excited and we are doing everything we can to purchase this property. It is prime real estate. It is a 10-minute walk from a central line train station and a 10-minute walk from the front gate of Yokota Air Base. The price is honest…about one million dollars. We do not have that kind of money. Our military folks are hard working and selflessly serving their country and making sacrifices in a foreign land. The LORD God surely loves this group of people and has demonstrated His will in reaching the troops here in Tokyo by sustaining the Yokota Baptist Church for some 40 years! Would it not be great if we could actually own the property and have the permanent location? That would be a blessing. But we are going to need the help of God’s people. If you would like to be a part of what is going on in Yokota, please send your gifts to BIMI, Yokota Building Fund, Account #1302. We, along with the men and women who wear the uniform and name the name of Christ, will be grateful for anything you are able to give. It is really wonderful to sit back and watch God do His work. He is in control. Mr. Shimizu is a great landlord, but we work with the Supreme Land-LORD! It all belongs to Him and I believe He wants to give it to us. Send gifts to BIMI Yokota Building PO Box 9 Harrison, TN 37341-0009 Yokota Baptist Church has a tremendous opportunity to purchase the great facility they have been using for many years. There have been many, many souls saved and homes strengthened through this work. The church needs to raise close to one million dollars to purchase land, church building, and house. This building is in a great location, just a 10-minute walk from Yokota Air Force Base. This a wonderful opportunity for us to invest in the future of military personnel and their families.