The latter half of our Sunday was the team’s last chance to talk to and hang out with most of the students. We were planning on hosting an American Day kind of event, filled with sports, games, and fireworks to finish the whole trip off. Initially, it did not seem like many students could show up to the event. Unlike most years, this year there was an ESS (English Speaking Society) debate that conflicted with our final weekend in Japan. Uncertain as to how many students would show up, we decided to go with the original plan and leave the rest in God’s hands!
In the end, about eight students showed up: however, eight turned out to be the perfect number. The group was a size where every team/church member could pair off with a student and have meaningful conversations with their partners. As a result, conversations were much easier and more fluid! We were very worried that not enough students would show up, and as a result there would be overwhelmingly more team members than Japanese students. In the end, all those worries were taken care of.
It’s times like these when we feel like fools for doubting God’s goodness. How can we say that He is not good? How can we say that He is not faithful? He continues to reveal more of His goodness and faithfulness to us every day! And one day, every morsel of us that doubts His faithfulness will be removed when we see His Son return to bring us home. How we look forward to that day!
After lunch with the church, we gathered everyone together and played a few rounds of our favorite game: Boom-Chika-Boom-Boom. We then embarked to a nearby park for an afternoon of fun in the sun.
In the end, about eight students showed up: however, eight turned out to be the perfect number. The group was a size where every team/church member could pair off with a student and have meaningful conversations with their partners. As a result, conversations were much easier and more fluid! We were very worried that not enough students would show up, and as a result there would be overwhelmingly more team members than Japanese students. In the end, all those worries were taken care of.
It’s times like these when we feel like fools for doubting God’s goodness. How can we say that He is not good? How can we say that He is not faithful? He continues to reveal more of His goodness and faithfulness to us every day! And one day, every morsel of us that doubts His faithfulness will be removed when we see His Son return to bring us home. How we look forward to that day!
After lunch with the church, we gathered everyone together and played a few rounds of our favorite game: Boom-Chika-Boom-Boom. We then embarked to a nearby park for an afternoon of fun in the sun.
As the sun started to set, the group went back to church. For dinner, we ate a classic American dish: hot-dogs! You can really tell we pulled all the stops to give the Japanese students an authentic taste of American cuisine.
After dinner, we once again heard Shota’s testimony of how God gradually changed his heart and brought Him to salvation. His testimony was a huge encouragement to the team, and definitely gave the students something to think about. It is our hope that Shota may continue boldly sharing the gospel and increasing in love for it day by day.
Finally, to close off the day, our group, now joined by more church members and high school students, went off to the park again to play with fireworks!
Finally, to close off the day, our group, now joined by more church members and high school students, went off to the park again to play with fireworks!
Throughout the day, the team was focused on the goal of sharing the gospel with the students for the last time. After sixteen days of ministry, there was no more fear in sharing the gospel. We could boldly share the gospel not because we trusted in our presentation or because the students were immensely interested. We were bold because God had show us that He will be faithful to those who love and obey Him. Day after day, we saw His faithfulness! We saw it when Shota started sharing the gospel with Takau. We saw it when He brought the perfect number of students to church today. We saw it when Eri proclaimed that she wants to follow Christ. How our Father is faithful! Our hope is built on that, and the only thing left to pray is that He will continue to be faithful with Hamadera Bible Church and the Japanese students. Thank you everybody for partnering with us in prayer. May your love for the church and your prayers for Japan continue, that we may see more evidences of God’s faithfulness and goodness in Japan!
Please continue to pray that:
-Michael
Please continue to pray that:
- Students would think about the gospel, and that their hearts would be changed so that they can one day accept it
- The church would continue to grow and be fed
- The team can keep up relationships with the students through Facebook and email
-Michael