KAREN & FERRIS LISKE - PART-TIME RETIRED VOLUNTEERS

It is amazing how much difference a godly retired couple can make on the mission field!

HOW WE CAME TO WORK WITH THE JAPAN MISSION

I felt called to be a Foreign missionary since I was a 9 year old boy. My involvement in church, school Bible clubs and chaplain's assistant in US Army in Germany was good preparation for missionary work.

But through events and circumstances after Moody Bible school I became pastor in churches in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio for 34 years. I continued education in college and seminary ending with a Masters of Divinity degree.

About 2 years before retirement my wife Karen and I became acquainted with Neil an Peggy Verwey of the Japan Mission. They spoke at our church in St. Marys, Ohio. In 1990 I helped build the first building Japan Mission undertook on Ikoma mountain in Japan, which became the new headquarters building.

Karen and I have been to Japan to work with the Japan Mission 19 times (2 to 3 months at a time), helping with building, maintenance and witnessing wherever God grants an opportunity.

Ferris and Karen Liske have been working as volunteers since 1990. Ferris helps the Mission in construction and Karen with office work and helping where needed.

They have been married for 51 years. Together they spent 34 years in the pastoral ministry and 19 years with the Japan Mission in Ikoma, Japan. Karen was raised in a religious family. Her father accepted Christ as his Savior late in life and then Karen also invited Jesus into her life. Karen does many things working with the missionaries, catering, office mailing, organizing etc.

Ferris knows what it is like to be made fun of as a child. At age 9 he was fearful of going to Hell. So he though that if he were real good he would be liked by God and spend eternity with Him in Heaven. But he knew that he could not be good enough and felt hopeless. But Jesus seemed to say to him, "Ferris I died for you, would you accept Me as your Savior who paid for all your sins." Ferris said, "YES!" Now there was a happy boy who wanted everybody to know that Jesus loves everyone in the world. So he would try to find ways to communicate this Good news of the Holy Bible.

One time when he was in a Hotel where they were selling time shares, He told the person that he already had a time share. The sales person asked "where do you have this time share?" He said "in Heaven". Then he began to tell the sales person why he had hope of Heaven. "I am a sinner, but Jesus is my Creator, Savior, and my friend. There is one God in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Son, Jesus made me good on the inside and now I can work it out with he power of the Holy Spirit in me."

Once he asked a Buddhist what Buddha had done for him. He said he did nothing for me. Ferris told him that religion may make you good on the outside but Jesus makes you good on the inside and then you have the power to work it out in your daily life.

Ferris spoke to a poor elderly lady at the Buddhist temple praying to a cement statue. "Don't talk to that dead statue, ask the living Lord Jesus Christ who died for your sins and wants you to live in Heaven forever. Sometimes Ferris will ask groups of people going up to the ‘Temple of the Mountain Jewel – Hozanji’. Heaven Hell which? Now he made some friends who are more ready to hear the good news that Jesus saves.

Ferris wears different hats. Sometimes it will be fixing a building or fixing lives. He also has hats with words on them like. "Jesus is my boss, Jesus Loves me, I am proud to be a Christian" etc.

When they are not in Japan, they live in Florida, are actively involved in a local church there, and seek to be a blessing to the many they come in contact with daily.

Do pray for them, that God may continue to give them strength for service and that He may use them both to bring glory to His name and souls into contact with the Savior.

Ferris carries a 'business card' while he's in Japan. On the back, he has written the following in Japanese:

Ferris and Karen Liske

If you would like to contact Ferris & Karen by e-mail, please put their names in the subject line and send your message to: jm@japanmission.org and we will make sure they receive it.