Jeff and Katie Saunders

Student Ministry / RUF 

Children: Emerie, Ezra, & Naomi 

Jeff and Katie moved to Tokyo as part of a church planting effort and to do university ministry. Jeff has started the first RUF in Japan and Katie has a ministry to the moms from the children’s playgroup. Japanese are the second largest unreached people group in the world. Outreach activities include home parties, sports outings, English classes, and Bible studies all focused on a non-Christian audience with outcomes both joyful and occasionally dark. A recent survey showed that 35% of Japanese young people felt hopeless about their futures. They share poignant stories of Christ's work in one-on-one conversations such as friendship inquiries by the wife of a Buddhist priest, "T"s excitement over the "community of God", "M"s study of Luke and questions about "who Jesus really was", "R"s blossoming understanding of God's unconditional love, and "K"s inquiry about "How do I become a Christian?" 

Prayer Requests (Updated 7/31/24):

• Pray for wisdom and direction as Jeff and Katie navigate moving their family to a new area of town, closer to their church and the university where they do most of their ministry.
• Pray for their church, Grace Harbor Church, where Jeff will begin a new assignment. Pray for the Lord to draw Jeff and Katie closer to him during this time.
• Pray for them and their kids to make new friends and adjust well to a city, school, and home. Pray they can be refreshed and replenished for a new RUF semester and continue building lasting relationships on campus.