Hi Everyone!
An update is coming soon to recap Fumika’s trip to the states, but in the mean time, we wanted to share with everyone about an exciting opportunity that we’ve been given right now.
2 weeks ago, members of last year’s Team 1 and Team 2 were getting ready to go out for an afternoon of sightseeing with Fumika. Literally 20 minutes before we were to leave for lunch, we met Jun. She was standing outside one of the Westwood apartment buildings with her suitcase, having just arrived from Tokyo. She had taken the city bus from LAX to Westwood and was supposed to move into the building that day. But because of misunderstandings in communication with the apartment manager, she was left stranded outside for the weekend. And that’s where God’s timing is so perfect. A team member from a few years ago approached her and found out about her situation. Jun was able to join us for lunch and for an afternoon at Santa Monica Beach where the rest of us were able to learn more about her story. She’s currently in LA for a month taking a language course before heading back to Tokyo to start a new job. Actually she’s only here for another 2 weeks! But in the past two weeks, Jun was able to stay with some GOCers for the weekend who also helped her get in contact with the apartment manager and get her moved in a little earlier. She came out to church with us on Sunday, came to Bible Study on Friday night, attended UCLA GOC’s Dinner for 8 event, and came out to church again the next Sunday.
What amazes me so much is that Jun had never been to church before and she had never even been exposed to Christianity, but in spite of this, Jun has been extremely open to coming to church with us, coming out to our events, meeting people, and listening to testimonies various people she’s gotten to know. From what I’ve heard, she has really enjoyed her time with us and is thankful that she was able to make friends here so quickly. When I think about our experiences last summer with many of the Japanese students, I remember how many of students either had difficulty understanding the concepts of the gospel we were sharing with them or their hearts were hardened to the message and they didn’t want to talk about it with us. So when I see Jun at church or I hear that she’s participated in Dinner for 8 or that she is engaging in conversations about the gospel when it’s completely foreign to her, I can’t help but praise God for the work that He is doing in her heart.
This has been such an awesome opportunity for us to continue the ministry here in our home town. We are not in a foreign land; we are not the ones struggling with a language barrier; you could say that we’re comfortable here. And when we’re comfortable, it can be so easy to become apathetic or lazy about being bold for the Gospel. But it feels like God has literally dropped this opportunity in our laps and we would be remiss if we were not faithful to care for and serve her.
Please be praying for her and her last two weeks here. Our time with her is limited, but we know that our God is powerful and can work wonders to bring His children to Himself. Some specifics that you can be praying for are:
Thanks for keeping up with us!
-Priscilla
An update is coming soon to recap Fumika’s trip to the states, but in the mean time, we wanted to share with everyone about an exciting opportunity that we’ve been given right now.
2 weeks ago, members of last year’s Team 1 and Team 2 were getting ready to go out for an afternoon of sightseeing with Fumika. Literally 20 minutes before we were to leave for lunch, we met Jun. She was standing outside one of the Westwood apartment buildings with her suitcase, having just arrived from Tokyo. She had taken the city bus from LAX to Westwood and was supposed to move into the building that day. But because of misunderstandings in communication with the apartment manager, she was left stranded outside for the weekend. And that’s where God’s timing is so perfect. A team member from a few years ago approached her and found out about her situation. Jun was able to join us for lunch and for an afternoon at Santa Monica Beach where the rest of us were able to learn more about her story. She’s currently in LA for a month taking a language course before heading back to Tokyo to start a new job. Actually she’s only here for another 2 weeks! But in the past two weeks, Jun was able to stay with some GOCers for the weekend who also helped her get in contact with the apartment manager and get her moved in a little earlier. She came out to church with us on Sunday, came to Bible Study on Friday night, attended UCLA GOC’s Dinner for 8 event, and came out to church again the next Sunday.
What amazes me so much is that Jun had never been to church before and she had never even been exposed to Christianity, but in spite of this, Jun has been extremely open to coming to church with us, coming out to our events, meeting people, and listening to testimonies various people she’s gotten to know. From what I’ve heard, she has really enjoyed her time with us and is thankful that she was able to make friends here so quickly. When I think about our experiences last summer with many of the Japanese students, I remember how many of students either had difficulty understanding the concepts of the gospel we were sharing with them or their hearts were hardened to the message and they didn’t want to talk about it with us. So when I see Jun at church or I hear that she’s participated in Dinner for 8 or that she is engaging in conversations about the gospel when it’s completely foreign to her, I can’t help but praise God for the work that He is doing in her heart.
This has been such an awesome opportunity for us to continue the ministry here in our home town. We are not in a foreign land; we are not the ones struggling with a language barrier; you could say that we’re comfortable here. And when we’re comfortable, it can be so easy to become apathetic or lazy about being bold for the Gospel. But it feels like God has literally dropped this opportunity in our laps and we would be remiss if we were not faithful to care for and serve her.
Please be praying for her and her last two weeks here. Our time with her is limited, but we know that our God is powerful and can work wonders to bring His children to Himself. Some specifics that you can be praying for are:
- That God would soften Jun’s heart as she is exposed to Christianity and the Gospel
- That we would be faithful to care for her, to be her friend, and be intentional about sharing the great news with her
- That language would not be a huge barrier in our communication. Akane and Izumi have been super helpful in translating what goes on at church as well as keeping up with her.
Thanks for keeping up with us!
-Priscilla