Konnichiwa, minnasan! (hello everybody!) Berando desu (this is Beland).
An overview of our student ministry
Today is the first day our team made a campus visitation (as the title indicates) for the purpose of evangelism through friendship-building. Our missionaries here made it very clear for us that the goal of our short-term team is not necessarily to storm the campuses and turn them upside-down with the gospel, but to be bridges that help build long-term between Hamadera Bible Church and the local unbelieving students.
An overview of our student ministry
Today is the first day our team made a campus visitation (as the title indicates) for the purpose of evangelism through friendship-building. Our missionaries here made it very clear for us that the goal of our short-term team is not necessarily to storm the campuses and turn them upside-down with the gospel, but to be bridges that help build long-term between Hamadera Bible Church and the local unbelieving students.
Our team has 14 days left in Japan; long after we are gone, it will be the Japanese Christians who will be in the most effective position to impact the students and continue sharing the gospel with them. As pastor Daisuke Okada (one of our Grace Church missionaries) likes to put it, we are "just the bait" for the relational evangelism that will go on after we return to the U.S. Whether we are just bait for the gospel or we actually get to share the gospel to the students ourselves, each and every member of our team is very grateful to be a part of the ministry here!
Morning Meeting, Monday 6/25
We had our "official" team meeting this morning since our arrival in Osaka. Everyone seemed to be slowly adapting to the change of environment: getting over jetlag and sleeping more at night, one team member defecated for the first time in a while, we were getting used to taking off our shoes pretty much everywhere, hearing Japanese all the time, and bowing a lot. Tim covered a few details of our day and assigned some responsibilities. Our team also worshipped together in music for the first time since our arrival. After an amazing 2 days of witnessing God's sovereignty over our trip/lives, it was great to be able to reciprocate with our praise and prayers.
After our devotion time, the team, well... mainly the girls, brainstormed a bunch of activities, games and skits for our upcoming event on Friday with an all-girls Christian college, (girls are probably better at coming up with things that girls like) while the guys went to the post office to exchange money for the team. We had some great ideas to fill the 1-2 hour block given to us, but there's still a lot of work to be done!
Campus Visitation #1, Seikyo Gakuen, Monday 6/25
Morning Meeting, Monday 6/25
We had our "official" team meeting this morning since our arrival in Osaka. Everyone seemed to be slowly adapting to the change of environment: getting over jetlag and sleeping more at night, one team member defecated for the first time in a while, we were getting used to taking off our shoes pretty much everywhere, hearing Japanese all the time, and bowing a lot. Tim covered a few details of our day and assigned some responsibilities. Our team also worshipped together in music for the first time since our arrival. After an amazing 2 days of witnessing God's sovereignty over our trip/lives, it was great to be able to reciprocate with our praise and prayers.
After our devotion time, the team, well... mainly the girls, brainstormed a bunch of activities, games and skits for our upcoming event on Friday with an all-girls Christian college, (girls are probably better at coming up with things that girls like) while the guys went to the post office to exchange money for the team. We had some great ideas to fill the 1-2 hour block given to us, but there's still a lot of work to be done!
Campus Visitation #1, Seikyo Gakuen, Monday 6/25
Seikyo Gakuen (Puritan Schools) is our first stop for the trip. One of the church's girls attends high school here and today we visited one of the schools special seminars.
According to one of the teachers, this seminar is designed for students who are interested in volunteer work. I heard that some of the students in this class were involved in some philanthropic volunteer work in other countries. Perhaps the school thought i was appropriate to invite some "missionaries from America," as they referred to us, to come give some insight into the English language and volunteer work. Little did they know, we consider them our "mission field."
The name of the school is a misnomer. "Puritan" reminds us of great theologians such as Jonathan Edwards and John Owne, but when I asked one of the students the origin of the school's name, he expressed that he merely understood "Seikyo Gakuen" to be a Protestant school that distinguishes itself from the numerous other Catholic "Christian" schools in Japan. Interestingly, one of the first things that caught my attention in the reception hall was this plaque/frame object....
According to one of the teachers, this seminar is designed for students who are interested in volunteer work. I heard that some of the students in this class were involved in some philanthropic volunteer work in other countries. Perhaps the school thought i was appropriate to invite some "missionaries from America," as they referred to us, to come give some insight into the English language and volunteer work. Little did they know, we consider them our "mission field."
The name of the school is a misnomer. "Puritan" reminds us of great theologians such as Jonathan Edwards and John Owne, but when I asked one of the students the origin of the school's name, he expressed that he merely understood "Seikyo Gakuen" to be a Protestant school that distinguishes itself from the numerous other Catholic "Christian" schools in Japan. Interestingly, one of the first things that caught my attention in the reception hall was this plaque/frame object....
It says, "2007 Academic Year. Seikyo Gakuen Motto. 'Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength' -Isaiah 40:31"
In addition to posting Christian sayings on its walls, the school also seemed to have built its educational philosophy on "Christian" ideologies. I skimmed through an introductory pamphlet of the school and it seemed to me that the school strongly emphasized student discipline, integrity and philanthropy, while priding itself in the school's excellent academic program. Everything about the school and the students seemed very moral and proper, but I can say without a doubt that most of the students and faculty of the schools do not claim any personal allegiance or devotion to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
In addition to posting Christian sayings on its walls, the school also seemed to have built its educational philosophy on "Christian" ideologies. I skimmed through an introductory pamphlet of the school and it seemed to me that the school strongly emphasized student discipline, integrity and philanthropy, while priding itself in the school's excellent academic program. Everything about the school and the students seemed very moral and proper, but I can say without a doubt that most of the students and faculty of the schools do not claim any personal allegiance or devotion to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
In the short time that we had with the students in the class, some of the team members were able to share the gospel (or part of the gospel) with the students. We would have loved to have more time to get to know the students a little better, but within the time allowed we were only able to share a little bit about Christ and make plugs for the church's upcoming English learning-oriented student events. The Lord is soveign and He will do what He wills with whatever was mentioned today. Please pray for the salvation of these kids. The team will return to Seikyo Gakuen on Wednesday but we will be spending our time with a different group of students. Please also pray for us, the team, to learn from today's experience and become better evangelists and conversationalists.
(this is a picture of some of the members of the soccer club getting ready to go play somewhere)
Team outing at night, Monday 5/24
After our visit at Seikyo Gakuen, the team took a little breather at the local 7-11 convenient store (they are called "Konbini" in Japanized-English). Here's a picture of some of the team members with some freshments: great Japanese tea, ice cream pouches, and red bean popsicles. mmmmmm....
Team outing at night, Monday 5/24
After our visit at Seikyo Gakuen, the team took a little breather at the local 7-11 convenient store (they are called "Konbini" in Japanized-English). Here's a picture of some of the team members with some freshments: great Japanese tea, ice cream pouches, and red bean popsicles. mmmmmm....
We also browsed around the nearby mall and finished off the night with a team dinner with some hearty food: loco moco (Hawaiian rice, egg, and meat), crepes, Japanese omelette, peppered steak, taco salad (don't ask why), green tea shaved ice, etc. Praise God for food that sustains us and praise God for delicious food that sustains us!
Tomorrow, we will be heading to Osaka Prefecture University and visit some of our old friends in the English club, ESS (English Speaking Society). Stay tuned for an update from our team leader, Tim!
Again, thank you very much for your support in prayer, finances and personal encouragements!
Tomorrow, we will be heading to Osaka Prefecture University and visit some of our old friends in the English club, ESS (English Speaking Society). Stay tuned for an update from our team leader, Tim!
Again, thank you very much for your support in prayer, finances and personal encouragements!