This will be the final update for the Japan 2014 Missions Trip, it is a
personal reflection of each of the team members. Thank you again for all your
support and prayer and we hope you've enjoyed the pictures and updates!
Christy:
Our time in Japan was truly amazing! Through the summer English camp with Otawara Christian Church, God has really opened my eyes to see how His kingdom is growing across the world. Before going on the trip, some of my fears and doubts were similar to those of previous mission trips. Being somewhere for such a short time, I wondered if I would be able to see any fruit and witness any miracles. In reflecting on the mission trip, I want to speak briefly about the culture in Japan, which I have really grown to admire. There is only a small percentage of Christians in Japan (only 1.5% of the population), while others identify themselves as Buddhist, another religion, or non-religious. The church we teamed with was located several hours from Tokyo, and there are very few churches planted in that area. One of the members told me he drives 1.5 hours to church on Sundays. The people are very polite and friendly, but at the same time they have a very private side, so it is not common to make home visitations or openly share about struggles and faith. This was the third year of the English camp, and I was able to see that the work there has been making a huge impact on the community and that hearts are gradually being opened to God.
Two things really stood out to me. Ohashi-sensei, the pastor in Otawara told us about a vision they had to eventually plant 7 new churches. For one of their church plants years ago, he shared with us the difficulty they had in trying to find a piece of land for a "religious organization", especially because a lot of the open land is reserved for farming. They persistently asked the city, and after 6 years, were granted a piece of land. The land not only came at an affordable price, but it just so happened that a neighboring company had somehow accidentally built onto part of the church's land, and owed them a large sum of money, which they were able to use to help finance the church. Such faith in God's timing (6 years!), and persistence in serving Him were very inspirational to me. Something else that stuck out to me has to do with the parents in Otawara. As I had mentioned, it is not common for parents to open up their house for visitations. It was amazing to see how grateful some parents were, and how appreciative they were that a group of volunteers would come from America to put on an English camp for their kids. Although we weren't necessarily able to communicate with the parents, we could see their appreciation expressed through the smiles, body language, small gifts, and some invitations to their houses! In that week, we heard one of the parents had asked a church member questions that expressed interest in God. She wondered how lives are changed after becoming Christian and how it would affect her family. I know that what was behind the sparked interest of these curious and appreciative parents had to be God's love. He is the one that brings people together, and His amazing grace and abundant love leaves people wanting more. Yes, the parents could have brought their kids to any other English camp over the summer, but I believe that what set this camp apart from any other camp was that God was working in the lives of these families to bring them there, supporting and leading everyone from the beginning.
Nariko:
It has been a really,
really good trip! It was amazing to see God working not only in the hearts of
the kids and parents, but also in my own heart.
Going into the missions
trip, I didn’t really have expectations nor did I really know how it would turn
out. In my head I thought, I really don’t know how this is going to work when
we can’t speak the language and communicate with people. Don’t get me wrong,
communicating was still one of the most challenging things and I’m no Japanese
expert now, but God definitely opened up my eyes to not be so focused on how we
were lacking but on the actual mission. I was really reminded of how sinful I
was and how much I needed God’s grace to cover over me. In the midst of
struggling with wanting things to turn out a certain way, God revealed His
power and faithfulness. The reason why I was in Japan was not because of
myself, but because God was choosing to use me – the work was through God’s
hands, not mine. God taught me how to let go of my own plans, rely on His
strength, and allow Him to do the work.
I really enjoyed getting
to know the kids, though the first week was a lot easier than the second week,
it was still really fun! I was so surprised to hear the kids singing our
singspiration songs outside of singspiration. I was also really encouraged by
the Ohashis and the church on how they came together collectively to help out
with the program. I felt an overwhelming sense of love they had for God, the
kids and parents, the team, and even people who do not yet know Him (people all
over the world!). This is how I want to be. Having this gospel message and
knowing this great news, I want to filled with God’s love to have such a great
desire to share this good news.
God is truly powerful.
God wanted to teach me to not doubt His power and to truly believe in Him and
His power. He’s able to do anything, including changing hearts of people – there’s
no what ifs or questions, He’s able to do it. Three different families opened
up their home to us and provided us dinner and fun. Going to each of these
houses was truly amazing and I knew that God was opening doors in crazy ways.
One mother in particular, Manami-san was super generous and nice to us. She has
had many questions regarding God and why people choose to be Christians. During
this trip, she was able to have a lengthy conversation with one of the church
members regarding her questions about Christianity and she asked how Will,
Stephanie, and I became Christians. Even though it seemed like the things that
were said were very little, God is planting seeds and growing them. I felt so
fortunate to be able to experience this.
I’ve been surprised by God so much during this trip and the more surprising thing is how my heart for Japan has grown. Something that I didn’t really think about has become something that I feel strongly about. I’m so thankful for all the circumstances that happened to allow me to come to this trip - to be able to experience God in such an amazing way.
Stephanie:
Before coming to Japan, I didn't know what to expect for my
first mission trip.It was
such a joy to share the bible with the children through songs, bible studies
and loving conversations. The mothers, pastor, and church members were so
appreciative about us volunteering our time to help out the English Camp. God
really showed me the purpose of this trip through their appreciation.
With Christianity accounting for only 1% of the Japan, I'm glad
many kids could hear the Gospel for the first time at the English Camp. I'm
fortunate to be apart of this mission trip
and I'm grateful God could use me to share his love. I pray that my friendship
with Manami-san, the mother of Momoka and Fumiya, will continue and that
she may come to know Christ. I also pray that she will continue to share God's
love to other parents.
Will:
I am thankful that God has given me
the privilege to go to Japan for the 3rd year. When I look back on this year, I
am ever reminded of His grace and love for us. One of the things I noticed when
I was reflecting back was just how much God truly cared for us during the trip.
Starting from the unusual situation of having to fly there separately,
everything went much smoother than I had thought it would. After that it was
the abundance of love people showered on us. From giving us a welcome lunch at
church, to taking us to a bakery and then a festival in another city, it was
awesome to see God’s love in that community of believers. What surprised me
even more was the house visits to the families of the children the second week.
I really enjoyed the time we had with them and with the children at their
houses. It isn’t very common in Japan to be invited to someone’s place so it
was surprising that they opened their homes to us like that. I was pretty
nervous about visiting the homes at first, since I suspected that language
would have been a sizable barrier, but we were able to communicate and things
went smoothly. I am really amazed at God’s love for us, that in this service He
called us to, He also provides the means and the ways, and shows us that the
work at hand is not only work, but also a joyful blessing.
There were a lot of surprises on
this trip, one of which was just the interest the parents and kids showed in the
program. When I was thinking about the continuation of this program before it
began, I wasn’t sure if this was something God had in mind to continue forward.
The city itself is pretty small and when deadlines had closed we had 30 kids
signed up. (Which was a little less than last year’s 40-50.) But by the time we
got there, that number had increased to 38, and throughout the week the Nasu
program also gained momentum. What was most joyous to me was seeing the kids
singing worship songs, and hearing the Bible stories throughout the week. This
might have been said before, but many of the Christians in Japan were exposed
to Christ at an early age and later in their lives found the call to go to
church. I think God’s heart is really in Japan, and in this program I’ve seen
His provision and grace provide abundantly for our needs. Through His work,
Christ is being planted not only in the hearts of the children, but also the
parents, and He is calling his people back home. I sincerely believe that God
is actively using and will continue to use this church to reach out in Japan. I
think this children’s program is a part of that, and God will work through it.
Every year at the end of the trip a verse in Matthew pops into
my head.
37 Then he said to his disciples,“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” - Matthew 9:37-38
I worry here and there
(everywhere) about being able to find a team to go there, especially as the
Nasu program is growing and they are considering a third church plant, at times
it seems impossible. But this year through some coincidental circumstances God
provided exactly what was needed to go. I struggle with this verse because I
worry and doubt, but Christ has always proven faithful against my unbelief.
Please pray that God will send workers to the harvest fields, not only in
Japan, but wherever hearts are hungry to hear the Gospel.
And a final note about
the third city. So since last year the church has been trying to plant a church
in Sakura City, a place about 30 min south of Otawara. They were going to try
and do it this year, however they weren’t able to find an actual location to
plant the church, so are currently looking around and waiting for God to
provide the means to do that.
A second final note haha sorry. At the conclusion of our program
and when the next school year begins, they will start biweekly Bible study
programs where the kids and mothers can attend. These programs will include both
Bible stories and English lessons, so please keep that in your prayers as they
continue to minister to the children and families in Japan.
