Hey everyone! It's Evelyn. Today was our second Sunday at Hamadera Bible Church. We received yet another opportunity to worship with the church members, share our lives with them, and learn about our great God. It's so awesome to learn that although we all have different backgrounds and cultural lifestyles, we're ultimately the same- sinners saved by the grace of God and now brothers and sisters united through the blood of Christ. I love recognizing that, especially since this is my first short-term missions trip and I get to see God work on a global scale.
Between both morning services, Chris, Deborah, Estella, and Collin (all former Japan STM members; Tim will be sharing next week) shared their testimonies that briefly discussed how they came to salvation and also what God has been doing in their lives in the last few years. During service, Kondo Sensei gave a sermon on Romans 2:9-15. Justin McKitterick, our shepherd at Grace on Campus fellowship, spoke on this topic last year in our bible study through Romans. However, it was a sobering reminder that whether or not we know the Law, we're all held accountable for our sins and someday, God will judge us. He has written the law on our hearts, explaining why in a general sense we know what is right and wrong. Our conscience bears witness to this, and yet we tend to suppress the truth about God. We also learned that hell is not an eternal party with your friends but rather, it's a place of darkness, loneliness, and torment forever. This message was good for non-Christians as well as Christians to hear. Kondo Sensei mentioned that even as believers, we'll be judged for our motives and for whether or not we were doers of the Word in this lifetime. This message caused me to think about my Christian walk, if I am applying all the truth that I'm fed during the week. I'm sure if you ask anyone on the team, it was very profitable. It was also really refreshing to hear from the word of God and spend time with the church family after a week of ministry.
After the message, we had a brief lunch with church members and then stepped back into the sanctuary for communion. Then, our team headed out to Plat Plat, a fun shopping center several train stations away. We had fun looking at ties (the girls amused at how difficult it is to find the right tie), stationery, the PET SHOP (ferrets, cute dogs, cockatiels, and lizards!), and of course, the Japanese supermarket. We returned to church at 5pm before the goodbye party for Aaron, a staff member who teaches English to adults. However, Christina, Ophy, and I went with the Mortimers, our host family, to Korean BBQ that night because it was the only night that worked for us. We had so much fun playing games with their five little boys and getting to know Chris and Midori (the parents) better. Although, we'll probably have to go on another morning jog to burn off that bulgogi. Good night!
After the message, we had a brief lunch with church members and then stepped back into the sanctuary for communion. Then, our team headed out to Plat Plat, a fun shopping center several train stations away. We had fun looking at ties (the girls amused at how difficult it is to find the right tie), stationery, the PET SHOP (ferrets, cute dogs, cockatiels, and lizards!), and of course, the Japanese supermarket. We returned to church at 5pm before the goodbye party for Aaron, a staff member who teaches English to adults. However, Christina, Ophy, and I went with the Mortimers, our host family, to Korean BBQ that night because it was the only night that worked for us. We had so much fun playing games with their five little boys and getting to know Chris and Midori (the parents) better. Although, we'll probably have to go on another morning jog to burn off that bulgogi. Good night!