Emily and I are excited to share that we are officially launching our funding campaign for full-time mission work in Tachikawa, Japan! We have designed a one-page summary for quick reference. It contains descriptions of our Vision for Ministry, our Calling, the Spiritual Context of Japan, an intro to Tachikawa City, and a bit about ourselves and our financial goals. Do us a favor and download the PDF version and please share it with anyone who might be interested in partnering with us for missions in Japan!
For those desiring a greater level of detail, we have also produced a 2026 Missions Prospectus. This comprehensive document provides information about our plans, our working agreement with the Tachikawa congregation, letters of recommendation, official documentation, our personal credentials, and more. It is designed to help you be fully informed as you consider partnering with us in this work. Our Missions Prospectus is available to anyone, but since it has a number of sensitive details we have chosen not to publish it on the web. Simply contact us to request a copy and we’ll be happy to send it directly to you.
Several of the website pages have also been updated or expanded. Here is a brief description of what has changed:
The page outlining Our Mission now includes more specific information about Tachikawa Church of Christ, the place we have agreed to work.
And finally, for those who are ready to partner with us financially, we have a Financial Pledge Form where you can let us know the type and amount you would like to give. Simply click the blue button to put your name down as partners in this work.
As always, thank you for your encouraging messages. They mean a great deal! Thank you again for praying for us, for Japan, and for the Kingdom work being done.
Just a quick post to let everyone know we have arrived in Tachikawa. Travels went smoothly (if not tiring!) and we woke up this morning to bright sunny skies. We started off right with a leisurely breakfast at Denny’s, and will take most of today to unpack, settle in, and manage the effects of jet-lag.
Thank you to everyone who is praying for our trip! We really feel like we aren’t here by ourselves, but that you all are along for the ride as well. These next six weeks will be great!
We gotta set our clocks early for this one. Monday morning (June 2) we will set out for the airport in Memphis at 4:30am. I’m yawning just thinking about it! We have a 6:30am flight to Detroit, then we will hang around a little over 4 hours before getting on board the flight to Haneda Airport (Tokyo). We should be in the air about two hours for the first leg, and then 13 hours for the big jump across the Pacific. After passing customs, we’ll have a bus ride of about 1.5 hours to get to Tachikawa where we will meet our ride. By the time we arrive, it’ll be Tuesday evening local time. Sounds easy, right?!
We are grateful for all of you who have mentioned you’ll be praying for safe travels. It is through the grace of God that we are able to make such a trip, and we hope that everything we do will ultimately glorify Him alone. We look forward to encountering people and showing them a glimpse of how much God loves them. Thank you to each of you who have helped fund this trip and for those of you who continually pray on our behalf.
The next post should be from the land of the rising sun!
Emily and I are honored and happy to share that our trip to Japan this coming Summer (2025) is officially happening! We have purchased our plane tickets, so it’s feeling a bit more real all the time. We had such a wonderful trip last Summer. You can see the reports by visiting the Blog Index if you would like to know more or simply read again back through the exciting ways that God worked through us in 2024. Since last year’s trip was received so well, we are planning a very similar six-week trip for this upcoming Summer too. We hope to build on the momentum that we experienced and broaden Tachikawa’s exposure in the community through English conversation and family music classes.
Last year, we took some time to visit with a number of long-time Japanese ministers in order to more fully learn the history and particular culture of the church in Japan. It was a valuable time renewing friendships and gaining perspective about the various methods used in ministry in the past. I think it will valuably inform our efforts in the future and building on these relationships will be impactful going forward. This year, we hope to reach out to some current missionaries and explore practical topics such as moving to Japan, finding living arrangements, navigating the mountain of government paperwork, and learning how to best setup daily life in Japan as a foreigner. We also hope to nail down some concrete particulars about working with a Japanese church full-time in Fall 2026. With that in place, we can work towards finding a church Stateside willing to partner with us as a sending congregation. Lot’s of big things happening!
We have again prepared a PDF version of our trip presentation, which you can download here. We are actively seeking partners in this work, and your help is greatly appreciated. Most importantly, we eagerly desire prayer warriors who will commit to remembering these efforts through regular prayer. We believe prayer is both essential and effective, and we are deeply encouraged by the many people who are already doing so on our behalf. If you would like to take the additional step of helping support us financially, we would love to partner with you in that way as well. Simply jump over to the Support Page and learn how. May God bless you as you seek to bless the people of Japan!
Currently, it is about two weeks since Emily and I returned to the USA. Knowing what to write has been a challenge! There are many in-between moments right now. I have wrapped up my summer HST course by submitting the final assignments, and it is a couple of weeks until the Fall semester’s class gets started. This week I am busy getting ready for the start of another year in the library at Parkway Village Elementary here in Memphis, but to be honest I don’t have near the amount of preparations needed as the homeroom teachers do. Jet lag is done, but the days of setting early alarms and getting off to school each morning are right around the corner. It seems like a brief moment to just breathe.
And yet, in many ways we have experienced an “in-between-ness” within as well. This past Summer was a very meaningful time connecting with precious people in Japan, and now we are back here in the US with family and friends. We miss our friends in Japan deeply, and enjoy reconnecting with those here. Even mundane things have an effect on you when you experience them differently. Case in point: taking out the trash. After six weeks of figuring out the various ways of categorizing and processing our trash in Tachikawa, it feels a little weird going back to putting a few items in recycle and the rest in the main garbage bin. A second area might be getting used to cars again. American cities are so spread out and car-focused that I can’t imagine trying to adapt them to a high-capacity public transport network like we enjoyed in Tokyo. It was certainly convenient to just hop on the monorail and zip down to another part of town. And yet, we do enjoy the urban forest that Memphis moves through daily. Although I question it each time I pull out the lawn mower, having the space for all of that greenery to thrive is a luxury in itself.
We find ourselves in an in-between space in life, too. Emily and I are in those peculiar years of transitioning from parenting full-time to launching our two babies into the wider world around us. In many ways, we are learning to start again and figuring out what our roles are as parents of young adults. After all, since our youngest turned 20 in June, this Summer was our last one with teenagers! Considering long-term mission work in Japan adds a layer to these transitions as well.
This Summer’s work in Tachikawa was a blessing to us as much as it was to the people there. Several people told me that our presence was encouraging and energizing to the church members there. I feel like our English readers were beginning to ask meaningful questions as we slowly made our way through the book of Luke. Our music class families found a place where they could enjoy community and space to explore and experience new things together. In many ways, we felt like we were just getting started when it was suddenly time to leave. We are looking forward to returning next Summer and building on the momentum gained from what God did through us this year. Ultimately, we hope that each of these avenues of building relationships have planted seeds of faith. May those seeds sprout strong and healthy and, in time, grow to become fruitful parts of God’s kingdom in Japan!
One of our objectives this Summer was to evaluate our internal responses to life in Japan. We have an eye on long-term missions in the future, and it is important to consider our own ability to adjust to life in another place. Although six weeks is not sufficient to start the process of culture shock or get a deep understanding of how we will adjust to life in Japan, it is long enough to start imagining ourselves there. These six weeks went by very quickly and I believe that is partly because we had a sense that we were where we were called to be – and enjoying the process! Often when traveling far from home, many feel like a fish out of water. We both realized that wasn’t the case for us. Even with language being a challenge (more so for me than for Emily!), in some ways that are hard to explain, Japan started to feel a little like a second home.
Most importantly, these six weeks confirmed that God is alive and working in Japan. Although they are small, the churches in Japan are tenaciously faithful. In many places, particularly places like Africa and South America, mission work can feel like working with a river. In Japan, it can feel more like working with a glacier. You know that the glacier is moving, even if it is hard to perceive day-to-day. Try as we might, there is not a lot we can do to influence something as immense as a glacier when viewed as a whole. Yet, when you get up close, there are many cracks, crevices, and ice caves to explore and we find opportunity for the Gospel of Jesus. Glaciers reshape the landscape powerfully, as rivers do, if we can exercise the patience to work with them. This Summer showed us that Japan desperately needs kingdom workers. It also confirmed that Emily and I have unique experiences and gifts that could be very useful there as well. We ask for prayers as we work through this discernment process.
God desires that everyone comes to know the blessing of living life in community with Him. Emily and I desire this as well, and we want to be in the place where God can best use us toward that end.
Tired, but glad to be through customs and immigration. Welcome to Tokyo!
Greetings from Japan, everyone! It hardly seems possible that it’s already been a week since we arrived. Emily Rachel and I are grateful to each of you who have been praying for our safe travels, and we are happy to report that God directed us AND our luggage through all of the planned connections. That’s always a great start to any trip, but especially one with several steps along the way. We got up super-early the morning of Monday, June 3rd, and made it to the airport in plenty of time to get everything checked and secured. Our son, Ben, was there to see us off as well as Emily’s parents, Dwight and Josephine Albright.
Ben, Emily, Dwight, Clay, and Josephine at Memphis International
It was particularly sweet to be there with Emily’s parents because we have done this very thing for these seasoned travelers on a number occasions over the years, and it was finally our turn to swap places! The flight from Memphis to Detroit turned out to be uneventful. For a little while, we weren’t sure because there was very heavy fog in Detroit and the pilots opted to circle in a holding pattern for about 20 minutes hoping it would clear off enough to land. There was even mention of diverting to Toledo, Ohio, if conditions didn’t improve in time. Thankfully, visibility opened up just enough for us to go on and land in Detroit without issue. Whew!
After exploring the terminal for a few hours in Detroit, we finally boarded the plane and settled in for the longest portion of the trip. Due to favorable winds, the estimated time between takeoff and touchdown was only 12 hours and 40 minutes. Before we left, a number of you asked about which direction the flight goes, and I tried to describe how much the flight path goes to the North. We took off and headed through Canada and Alaska before coming back down through (or near) Russia toward Japan. It sounds pretty round-about when picturing it in my head, but in truth it’s a pretty straight shot. I grabbed a picture of the in-flight map on the plane and it looks much straighter from this angle! I imagine going this way also avoids a great deal of headwind from the jet stream.
Overview of the flight to Tokyo from Detroit
Our flight landed at Haneda airport in Tokyo a little ahead of schedule, but we didn’t really notice. Since we crossed 10 time zones and the international date line, our Monday morning had become Tuesday evening! Overall, it was a pretty smooth trip. We are thankful for the ways God has gone ahead of us.
Our first couple of days consisted of taking it slow, adjusting body clocks, setting up housekeeping here, and generally trying to make preparations for when English and music times start up. The brothers and sisters here at the Tachikawa church are genuinely excited that we are here, and we have felt their warmth and hospitality deeply. They have also been busy with preparations of their own for our arrival! Nao and Noriko Fukushima distributed a great many flyers advertising our ministry around the local neighborhood as well as enlarged the flyer’s front page to use as posters. There is a glass information board outside the building facing the sidewalk, and we are prominently featured.
Posters and flyers announcing our time with the Tachikawa community
The Fukushima’s are such wonderful hosts! They have seen to our every need, and we are so encouraged by their Spirit-led service to the church here as well as their heart for reaching the Tachikawa community at-large with the life-saving message of the Gospel. Not long after we arrived, we took a break from unpacking to walk the neighborhood nearby to spread the word about our offerings. We stuffed flyers into many mailboxes in the area, and visited a couple of daycare locations around pick-up time hoping to chat with some young mothers who might be interested in coming for the music classes.
Emily and Noriko walking by the monorail station while distributing flyers
Noriko also gave us a lift one morning so that we could visit the 100¥ store for some containers to use during the music classes as well as a trip to Costco to stock up on some staples. The Costco was about like you would expect it to be, and as I walked around there were a number of times I almost felt like I was back in the US. Just as soon as I did, though, there would be a little something so completely Japanese to help me remember. We enjoyed lunch, got what we needed, and then were on our way.
For the first couple of days, Nao was out of town attending the Japan Minister’s Retreat at a camp facility near Nagano, so Noriko was gracious enough to take us to their preferred conveyer belt sushi restaurant, Hama-Sushi. It was delicious! We took just one picture, and that was at the very beginning (before the plates started adding up!). It was a pleasant chance to chat and catch up over a splendid array of sushi options (and more!).
Noriko, Emily, and Clay enjoying table fellowship (and sushi!)
June 9th was our first Sunday at Tachikawa, and we were blessed by the faithful members who gathered for worship. Nao preached and led singing, and though the congregation gathered might seem small to many back home, there was an eagerness to worship God and an anticipation to hear the Word that encouraged me very much. I was able to follow the songs a little better than I was the sermon, due to my limited language ability, but it was a blessing all the same knowing that the same Spirit moves among these people as it does back home. Nao formally introduced us to the congregation during the service, and several were eager to come chat with both Emily and me afterward.
Nao introducing Clay and Emily during worship
Speaking of after worship, the congregation planned a potluck meal in our honor as a way to welcome us to Tachikawa. We all adjourned up to the 2nd floor fellowship space where a delicious spread was prepared. There is a Chinese group of believers who meet in the Tachikawa building one Sunday afternoon per month, and they joined in the potluck meal as well. We ate and laughed and enjoyed time together, and eventually we each went around the room and introduced ourselves. The atmosphere was homey and genuine, and we loved every minute (and the food was great, too!). Afterward, a number of takeout trays were filled with food ready for everyone to take home for later.
Just how church potlucks are supposed to be!
Our first official activity for this trip occurred later that evening at 5pm. We hosted a come-and-go orientation meeting for everyone who had signed up for the English conversation times or for the family music classes. A number of individuals came and we were able to greet them in person, answer any questions they might have, and confirm their preferred time of the week for coming back to study or have class. Emily also had a selection of instruments from the music class available as a “petting zoo” for anyone interested to get a taste of what she uses in her classes. The kids who came really had a good time checking it all out!
Checking out the instrument “petting zoo”
Near the end of the evening, there was one really sweet moment that touched us. One of the young girls who came with her mother started off very shy. She was wary of the people around, hesitant to be more than an arm’s length away from mom, and just not sure what to make of it all. But by the time things were starting to wind down, and just before she and her mom headed out the door, she came right up to Emily and gave her a big hug! It truly is amazing what effect being around Spirit-filled people can have.
Our second week will see the start of English reader sessions as well as the first family music classes, so we are looking forward to telling you all about how they go in the next edition. We also have some opportunities while we are here to make a couple of day-trips to see other ministers in Japan and encourage them in the Faith and be encouraged in return. In the meantime, we highly value knowing that you are thinking of us and praying for these individuals. May the seeds we are planting today one day produce healthy, vibrant Spiritual fruit in the future.
View from the monorail platform at Izumi-Taiikukan station
As a parting note, I leave you with an image. This photo was taken facing North from the platform of the nearby monorail station. The red brick building is the Tachikawa Church of Christ and next to it is a free-standing tower with a red cross on top. After dark, the cross is outlined with bright white lights. It is a landmark clearly visible from both the street below and the monorail above. God is present, though He sometimes feels far away. We simply look to the cross and follow Jesus, wherever that may lead.
We gotta set our clocks early for this one. Tomorrow morning (June 3) we will set out for the airport in Memphis at 4:30am. I’m yawning just thinking about it! We have a 6:30am flight to Detroit, then we will hang around a little over 4 hours before getting on board the flight to Haneda Airport (Tokyo). We should be in the air about two hours for the first leg, and then 13.5 hours for the big jump across the Pacific. After passing customs, we’ll have a bus ride of about 1.5 hours to get to Tachikawa where we will meet our ride. By the time we arrive, it’ll be Tuesday evening local time. Sounds easy, right?!
We are grateful for all of you who have mentioned you’ll be praying for safe travels. It is through the grace of God that we are able to make such a trip, and we hope that everything we do will ultimately glorify Him alone. We look forward to encountering people and showing them a glimpse of how much God loves them. Thank you to each of you who have helped fund this trip and for those of you who continually pray on our behalf.
The next post should be from the land of the rising sun!
Tomorrow will be two weeks left until we hit the skies for this Summer’s trip to Japan! The suitcases are laid out in the spare room and Emily is already well ahead of me in the packing department (as usual!), so things are starting to get a little more real around here. We are grateful for our many friends and family who have asked about this trip and have committed to pray regularly that God will be glorified by our activities in the Tachikawa community. Thank you one and all for the way you encourage us!
I wanted to provide a brief update now that we have a few more details pinned down. At the Tachikawa Church of Christ’s invitation, Emily and I will be providing outreach to the surrounding neighborhood in hopes that new people will discover this steadfast community of faith and connect with the Japanese Christians there. We will be doing this primarily through two efforts – English conversation for adults and family music classes for those with young children.
Friends Speak English
Between Emily and I, we will be offering about 36 different time slots each week for individuals to experience a 45-minute, one-on-one conversation based around an easy-to-read version of Luke or Acts. Through interaction with the powerful word in Scripture, it is our hope that these readers are prompted by the Spirit to want to know more. Although we aren’t officially conducting a Let’s Start Talking campaign, this effort will be very similar. These individuals will initially be coming to simply practice their English a little, but we believe that they are created in the image of God and their hearts will recognize His presence in the text and prompt them to consider more.
Family Music Classes
As a licensed Kindermusik® Master Teacher, Emily brings over two decades of experience teaching music classes to young children, so I am personally very excited that Tachikawa has asked her to bring that expertise to Japan. We will be offering two different mornings per week for young families to come and spend some time together learning music and movement concepts in a fun, creative way. Though they won’t be Kindermusik classes in a formal sense, many of the underlying principles and universal concepts of music and early childhood learning will carry over into her custom class sessions. We are hopeful that a number of young families will come.
…and Then We Mingle!
Each week on Sunday afternoon, we will be hosting casual fellowship times for everyone to come back and enjoy party games, light refreshments, and a chance to make new friends and get to know each other better. More importantly, it is an opportunity for Tachikawa church members to gather with those coming from the community in hopes that new friendships might be kindled which could continue after Emily and I return to Memphis. We think this is a critical part of short-term missions. While interactions with Emily and I may serve to plant some seeds, it will really only be fruitful to the extent that our activities are integrated in some way with the local church.
Oh, and There’s That Too
We do have a few other items on our agenda as well. I’ll be preaching during the Tachikawa morning worship three of our six Sundays present. We are hoping to take some history classes with Japan School of Evangelism faculty members in both the Tokyo and Ibaraki areas highlighting past missionary efforts and landmarks. We are also eager to renew and deepen some existing friendships with brothers and sisters in Christ and welcome new ones as well.
Above All…
As Paul writes, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess 5:16-18) We love and appreciate each of you, and may God receive all of the glory.
This little corner of the web is all about our efforts to bring the Gospel to the people of Japan. We hope that you find the information within encouraging and insightful, and we would love to connect more deeply if you are interested in knowing more.
Fowlers in Japan 