"God has not forgotten about the Japanese" (Fri / Sat)

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Associate Pastor Kana
On Friday, Associate Pastor Kana said "God has not forgotten about the Japanese," while explaining where she gets the drive to continue pursuing the Japanese people for the Lord, even when progress seems slow and difficult. That phrase has stuck with us as we continue to see that God is at work here in Japan. She shared her testimony, and we had the chance to ask followup questions.

Talking to Ralph Clatworthy (Right) and members of the Chapel of Adoration
The recently translated version of the Bible into Japanese. Not even in stores yet!

Chapel of Adoration
While at the Chapel of Adoration, we also got the chance to hear stories and ask questions of Ralph Clatworthy plus a few members from the church. It was very enlightening to learn how hard it is for a Japanese person to relate to other Japanese after they become Christian. This is due to the large part that Shinto practices play in daily life here. Some have said that Shinto is not just a religion, it is the way of life for a Japanese person. We split into groups to pray for everyone at the meeting and for the Chapel of Adoration.

Mike McGinty
Afterwards, we went to the Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF) Ichikawa office and helped to make lunch for the OMF staff. (As a reminder, this is the name of the group that set up this Prayer and Vision trip to Japan. Check them out at www.omf.org) We purposefully sat at different tables in order to meet missionaries and staff filling a variety of roles. Mike McGinty stayed after the lunch in order to give us an overview of OMF's history and current efforts in Japan. Thanks to Jane, we were also able to get a tour of the office, all themed after being 'fishers of men.'

The street Senkyo church is on
On Saturday we took a train to Senkyo (means 'mission') church. We attended a prayer meeting with Pastors Irizuki and Kodama, as well as Youth Pastor / Evangelist Ken and a few other church members. We sang hymns in Japanese and English, and also were able to pray together in Japanese and English.




We shared a meal together and after we were told the story of how Senkyo church came to be (started by the Gideons!). OMF missionary Wan Jee Bay (from Singapore) who is assigned to this church, told us about her ministry to the elderly in the area. We prayed for her and the elderly ministry as well!


On the way home we were able to eat dinner at a sushi go round (surprisingly very affordable).

Please pray for:

  1. Associate Pastor Kana and the Chapel of Adoration, as they are without a head pastor until April
  2. The members of the Chapel of Adoration, that they would find great fellowship with one another, and have boldness to reach their communities
  3. The OMF staff, that they would have joy and good health as they work for the Lord
  4. OMF - P.L.O.W.
    1. Partnerships
    2. Leadership and Vision
    3. Opportunities
    4. Workers (200 OMF Missionaries in Japan by 2020)
  5. The pastors and members of Senkyo church
  6. The children's event and message they have planned for the community on Sunday
  7. Wan Jee, for her health, and for the ministry to the elderly in the area
  8. the team, that we would be seeking the Lord in this time and have joy and energy to finish out our stay in Japan

Thanks for your prayers! We are excited to tell you about the trip in person soon!

P.S. Thursday was a rest day, so there is not much to report.

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