We are so thankful to our great God for all he helped us do while on our mission trip to west Tokyo, June 23rd to July 9th. Thanks for praying for us and supporting us!
Our team consisted of 5 people: Steve and I, Jeff, Jordan and Erika.
Our work focused on 3 ministries: Helping a recently planted church called Delta Cross; Reaching out to college students and others with Tract Evangelism; and Encouraging our JCCC (Japan Campus Crusade for Christ) staff friends, former church, and my disciples with Love UnVeiled.
Delta Cross is being planted by a nearby church called Double O Cross. Delta Cross meets on Sunday evenings above a coffee shop owned by former JCCC staff. We helped the group by leading a worship song, sharing a testimony, and acting out the parable of the 4 soils. After this, the attendees discussed the parable in small groups. It was so fun to meet these people who want to learn about Jesus and study His Word. We pray the seeds planted in their hearts will grow to produce fruit 30, 60, and a hundred-fold!
The student ministry primarily involved the young ladies, Jordan and Erika. They were invited by a Christian professor into her classes at 2 different universities. They made friends there and made plans to meet again for fun and sharing their faith. We all visited Waseda University and initiated conversations with students in the cafeteria. We invited students to our 4th of July party, complete with American décor, food, games and a message about our Christian heritage. As it turned out, no students came, but we were encouraged that 2 ladies and their American father from Delta Cross Church attended.
Steve and I visited our former church where we were encouraged to see many dear friends and the children of our kids’ friends!. We loved worshiping Jesus in Japanese.
We got to visit with the Japan Campus Crusade for Christ staff after the rest of our team returned to the States. Tamayo, a JCCC staff friend, hosted a wonderful luncheon for us and many former and current staff attended. What a blessing!
Another highlight was meeting Sachiko along with her disciples. Sachiko and Fumiyo meet with me every week on Zoom and study the Love UnVeiled women’s discipleship curriculum. Sachiko and Fumiyo translated the first of 6 workbooks and Steve and I delivered 40 copies to Sachiko. God is at work in Christian women’s hearts enabling them to trust God to use them to reach others!
Steve and I also enjoyed an afternoon visit with my monthly zoom Bible study group. It was wonderful to see them again! We studied God’s Word, learned a gospel hula, and had a delicious lunch together. Please pray for Rie and Harumi who still have not accepted Christ as their Savior.
There are many more people and visits we could share about. But I want to thank all of you who have invested in our ministry to the Japanese from the beginning. It was exciting to see what the Lord has done. We were very encouraged that God is at work in Japan!
We faced a few other challenges along the way. There were 2 typhoons bringing rain for us to walk through many days, and 2 earthquakes! Also, several local staff were unable to help us because of health issues. We knew that Satan was at work to hinder our ministry, but thanks to your prayers and the grace of God, we stayed healthy and continued to plant seeds of the Gospel of Christ wherever we went.
We ask that you continue to pray for the Japanese people. We see signs of openness among the young people and know that many new churches are being planted and are thriving in Tokyo.