Happy Father's Day from Japan!
Hi! It's Amanda wishing all the dads out there a very Happy Father's Day! God's been doing some pretty amazing stuff here in just these past few days.
Last night we were blessed to have dinner with 7 students from OPU's English-Speaking Society, some of whom interacted with the Japan teams from previous years. What's amazing is that last year these same students were hesitant to talk about God or even to enter the church building. This year, before we've even set foot on their campus, they traveled 2 hours by train to eat with us at Hamadera Bible Church. Even more amazing is that they were willing to talk to Daisuke Okada as well; they weren't afraid to talk to a pastor, and they didn't just focus on us Americans. God has clearly been at work, building the ministry year by year.
Today was full of cool opportunities as well. This morning we joined the church service at Hamadera Bible Church and sang "Son of God" as a means of encouragement to them. Chris, Linda, Nate, and I shared our testimonies, and one of the young leaders at the church named Jun preached a challenging message to fathers based on 1 Peter 3:7.
After the service, we had a super fun cooking battle with the junior high kids at the church. The purpose was to spend time with them to demonstrate that young adults can still be on fire for Christ. We went to the grocery store (which is like a mix between 99 Ranch and Costco), bought ingredients, ate lots of free samples, and made miso soup, salad, chicken, and sushi. The judges weren't very impressed with our cooking skills, but it was still lots of fun! These church kids got to hear testimonies from Dan and Deb whose stories challenged them to consider whether growing up in a Christian environment negates the need for true repentance and submission to Christ.
Plans have changed, so tomorrow we won't be going to the school we were planning on visiting. Instead we'll be painting the church and visiting a Japanese orphanage!!!! Even though it's not what we expected our ministry to be, I'm so excited to share the love of Christ through these practical means. It reminds me of how Christ washed His disciples' feet - a service rendered, unexpected, needed, and done in humility.
Please continue to pray for us and the Japanese people! Specifically, please pray for:
-Praise for God's amazing work thus far
-Salvation of the Japanese students and the orphans we will be seeing
-Salvation and sanctification of the Hamadera Bible Church kids
-Encouragement and strength for the leaders at HBC to do God's work
-Logistics, strength, health, sanctification, and unity for our team
Many thanks, prayer warriors!
Amanda and the Japan team
Last night we were blessed to have dinner with 7 students from OPU's English-Speaking Society, some of whom interacted with the Japan teams from previous years. What's amazing is that last year these same students were hesitant to talk about God or even to enter the church building. This year, before we've even set foot on their campus, they traveled 2 hours by train to eat with us at Hamadera Bible Church. Even more amazing is that they were willing to talk to Daisuke Okada as well; they weren't afraid to talk to a pastor, and they didn't just focus on us Americans. God has clearly been at work, building the ministry year by year.
Today was full of cool opportunities as well. This morning we joined the church service at Hamadera Bible Church and sang "Son of God" as a means of encouragement to them. Chris, Linda, Nate, and I shared our testimonies, and one of the young leaders at the church named Jun preached a challenging message to fathers based on 1 Peter 3:7.
After the service, we had a super fun cooking battle with the junior high kids at the church. The purpose was to spend time with them to demonstrate that young adults can still be on fire for Christ. We went to the grocery store (which is like a mix between 99 Ranch and Costco), bought ingredients, ate lots of free samples, and made miso soup, salad, chicken, and sushi. The judges weren't very impressed with our cooking skills, but it was still lots of fun! These church kids got to hear testimonies from Dan and Deb whose stories challenged them to consider whether growing up in a Christian environment negates the need for true repentance and submission to Christ.
Plans have changed, so tomorrow we won't be going to the school we were planning on visiting. Instead we'll be painting the church and visiting a Japanese orphanage!!!! Even though it's not what we expected our ministry to be, I'm so excited to share the love of Christ through these practical means. It reminds me of how Christ washed His disciples' feet - a service rendered, unexpected, needed, and done in humility.
Please continue to pray for us and the Japanese people! Specifically, please pray for:
-Praise for God's amazing work thus far
-Salvation of the Japanese students and the orphans we will be seeing
-Salvation and sanctification of the Hamadera Bible Church kids
-Encouragement and strength for the leaders at HBC to do God's work
-Logistics, strength, health, sanctification, and unity for our team
Many thanks, prayer warriors!
Amanda and the Japan team