The morning started with breakfast at
7:30 and then cleanup. This may seem like a mundane task, but with 34
people, and the kitchen so tiny and on another floor, it used to consume a lot
of time. This year they assigned cleanup detail and did it on the first floor.
It went a lot faster and we were able to finish earlier. BJ gave an
introduction for the morning which was real inspiring as he talked about how
many people would be there who had never heard the name of Jesus and those who
hearing it again would drive it deeper into their hearts. It was a great focus
to begin the day and trip with as it drove home from the people themselves how
important it is what we are doing. Erin followed with encouragements to the
girls to group in threes and discuss what they are learning in their devos (see
video montage for these two focuses). We left at 9 for a 45 min bus ride to the
facility. It is on the roof of an 8-story building and was held in three
separate futsal (small fields) courts surrounded by nets. One of the
surprises was to see Matthew there. He joined us for the tour last year and has
an amazing story. His parents are American missionaries in Japan--they
run an organization that saves babies to be aborted. His mother was a
14-year-old and part of a Mafia family whose grandmother wanted her to have an
abortion. Just prior to that, the doctor noticed a brochure that had been
left in his office and called Matthew's parents and told them about him. Not
only did they rescue him, but they actually adopted him! (That's why the
American name). I had heard but never met an abortion baby. God has a
great plan for him and it is exciting to see his love and desire to serve the
Lord (he hopes to go to Biola soon but is not sure if he can financially.)
The kids are ages 5-12 and are soooo
cute. The ladies just love them. It is very hot and humid so hydration is very important. We did "get to know" you games and various soccer skills suited to the particular age group. After the skills, there were lots of games with kids against kids, against the ladies, coaches vs ladies, etc. There was so much going on on three different courts with each mixing it up that it was impossible to keep track of making sure everyone was in the video, but you will enjoy watching how much the ladies enjoyed relating to the kids and how good they were at it. As relationship is so important in Japan, it was good to see parents there who have been there the last several years continuing to be involved. Shizuko came again too (Her daughter is Emi who is a Christian now and has played with the Seahorses in the US). She brought gifts for the team and Paul was able to connect with her once again. Continue to pray for her that she is able to get past whatever hurdle it is that is keeping her from making a commitment to Jesus.
cute. The ladies just love them. It is very hot and humid so hydration is very important. We did "get to know" you games and various soccer skills suited to the particular age group. After the skills, there were lots of games with kids against kids, against the ladies, coaches vs ladies, etc. There was so much going on on three different courts with each mixing it up that it was impossible to keep track of making sure everyone was in the video, but you will enjoy watching how much the ladies enjoyed relating to the kids and how good they were at it. As relationship is so important in Japan, it was good to see parents there who have been there the last several years continuing to be involved. Shizuko came again too (Her daughter is Emi who is a Christian now and has played with the Seahorses in the US). She brought gifts for the team and Paul was able to connect with her once again. Continue to pray for her that she is able to get past whatever hurdle it is that is keeping her from making a commitment to Jesus.
After the clinic, there
were presentation of various awards, we sang our American song after Paul
explained it's meaning in Japanese. We sang our Japanese song and then
Janae gave her testimony and did a great job. Pray for the seeds of all
these words to sink into their hearts and for the followup by Pastor BJ and
Masa after we leave.
After the clinic ended at
1:30, we went to the food court for lunch. It was great to see the ladies
not just eating together, but spread out eating with the kids and their
families. Again, pray for the impact this might have on these families as
they could obviously see there was something different about them. Pray
that they might ask Masa and BJ more about this.
After lunch it was back to
the church. 16 of us prepared to go to homestays while the others stayed
for an evening with BJ. As I was on a homestay myself, you will have to
ask the others what happened in their times.
Marg, Marty, Alexis, Dani
S. and myself were picked up by Miki, the wife of Pastor George, one of the
people who picked us up at the airport. He is the pastor of a church in
the city of Kishiwada, about 30 minutes south of where BJ is. Miki and
George met while at school in New York and eventually went to a seminary in
Japan to be a pastor. Before they could though, they moved to where
Miki's dad lived because he was ill (& not a believer). It was
because of the love that George showed for his father-in-law (putting aside his
plans) that Miki's dad became a Christian just before he died (of cancer at
64). God's timing was so perfect that the day after the funeral, George
got the call to be the pastor of the church that we are at. They told us
that their church is about 80 people, which is large for Japan as he said the
average church is 20-30. When I discussed the size of our churches, he
just couldn't believe it. He said that in his church that the people feel
sometimes that even it is too big, since a normal church here is only the
20-30. One can only imagine the faithfulness of the pastors here as they
labor and try to find a way to support themselves which such small
congregations (even though 80 is large, it would be hard to support oneself). They
seemed blessed to have us here, but I am not sure who was more blessed---them
or us. I never cease to be amazed at the sweet and humble faith of the
Japanese Christians I have met.
Apparently there is a
celebration in Kishiwada every last Saturday in July with a big fireworks show,
so they took us on a walk to the Kishwada Castle and gardens (took 10 years to
create the gardens) to see the fireworks and enjoy the scenery. What a
beautiful place! We had a great time. On the walk there and back,
we went through an old and formerly very busy covered shopping area. However,
technology and the growth of bigger cities elsewhere has made the place
somewhat deserted. Quite a labryinth of winding sidestreets. Then it was
back to the house for a dinner of curry chicken and sushi. We are looking
forward to worshipping with them tomorrow and joining the Sunday School class
too.
Pray for these Japanese
pastors. Every one I have met is so humble and so devoted to the Lord for
such a small congregation. I have always been so touched by their faith
and the fact that they seem so encouraged just to have us here. I guess
that is what the ministry of presence is all about.
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