On Tuesday, the ladies left the house at 6:30 am to go to a women's fellowship and prayer meeting with other missionaries from around the country. It was a great time of worship, prayer, and encouragement from what I heard!
While the women were out in the morning, the guys had a chance to do a bible study on Jonah and pray for the women's meetup and for issues in Japan we had heard about over the past few days.
That evening we went to one of the very few Christian bookstores in Japan. It was a small store, but seemed to me like there were quite a few people in there while we were there which was awesome. Allen and I met a Korean pastor from California who was traveling to Japan to meet up with Korean ministries here.
Behind the Christian bookstore, there were meeting rooms and that is where we met JP and Bell. They told us about the LINK ministry and a dance ministry that are both targeting young adults and providing new ways to get connected with Christ. Two to three months ago JP had a disk in his neck slip so unfortunately he may not be able to dance again. Thankfully we learned that there are other people who are leading dance instruction and are continuing the relationship building efforts!
LINK is pursuing the plan to start a bible study in a train station for young Christians and seekers. The hope is that the bible study can be turned over to faithful Japanese and that more bible studies in other stations can be started. The team had an opportunity to pray for JP, Bell, and both of these ministries and we are excited to see what the Lord will do through them.
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| JP telling us about Shinjuku |
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| Can you find Godzilla in this picture of Shinjuku? |
FYI, Bell is the lady in the skirt on the right
On Wednesday, we traveled to Yokohama to meetup with the team that leads Connect. Connect is a ministry that is trying new ways to meet with and 'connect' with young families in the Yokohama area. One of their key ministries is a conversation cafe where Japanese can come to get practice using English. We spent a long time in prayer with and for them, their ministry, and Japanese people that they have been meeting with. We enjoyed a lunch together and had the opportunity to ask them about what the life of a day to day missionary looks like. (Hint: each day is different, haha)
We then blew up some balloons to give to kids and took flyers to give to parents advertising for a pumpkin party that Connect is throwing. The pictures don't do it justice, but we were able to hand out every balloon as this was a time when kids were coming home from school.
Afterwards, we prayed again with the people from Connect that joined us and headed to Minato Mirai 21. We had dinner there and went to the top of the Landmark Tower to lookout on Yokohama. It is amazing to think of just how many people are in this area and moving to think about how few of them are Christian. Please pray for
- The women missionaries in Japan, that they would be encouraged in the Lord and see fruit in their ministries
- The Link and dance ministry, that they would have success in building purposeful relationships
- JP, for his neck injury, and that recovery would allow him to dance again in the future
- Bell, as she is preparing for marriage and leading Link in starting the first train station bible study
- Connect, their ministry as a whole that they would be able to develop a great standing with the community and families there
- The members of Connect as they face a wide range of personal and external challenges. Their names are Armeen (sp?), Heike, Levi, Alex, Naomi, and Patrick (and some others we didn't get to meet)
- For the many unreached people in Shinjuku and Yokohama
- For the team, that they would receive rest today (Thursday) on our 'rest day' and that we would be open to hear God's calling on our lives
Wow. So cool.
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