One politician famously explained that it takes a village to raise children. The implications and influences of that idea are best left for people with more experience in politics than I have. However, the quote still came to mind as we visited the town and church where we had our one-year internship.
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Eight years ago, we worked at a Japanese church started by Baptist Mid-Missions missionaries. One of our primary responsibilities was English ministries, where we taught English conversation classes and helped start a children’s Bible and English club.

One of the students from conversation classes found our lifestyle to be counter to the typical American culture of materialism and wanted to know why. The sowing of gospel seeds in his life began a three-year journey of many other Christians pouring time and energy into both sharing about the Bible and showing him God’s work in their daily lives. He is now a growing Christian, faithfully serving at that church.

​The children’s class was successful in bringing in students, but again, only provided planting of seeds. Though averaging over six neighborhood children coming each week, it ended a few months after we left due to a lack of helpers. Over time, some church families said they missed the club and stepped up to run it.  The children’s Sunday School class now uses the auditorium because it is the best room for the number of children and helpers. The club also continues though Covid has recently made meeting in-person difficult.
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Whether or not a village can or should raise a child, I appreciate God’s gift to us, the church. A loving, God-following local church can and should raise Christians to maturity, both through ministries and through daily life with others. To God be the glory, because it is His work, not ours.

Why does God allow tragedy to strike? Last month missionaries heading to Japan died in a car accident, yet we cannot help but ask, “Why?” We never met the Pals, and due to their proposed location in Japan, we might never have met them. We wanted to know about these fellow missionaries, so we began reading their blog. We were captivated by a section from their Feb 2, 2016 post:

Over the course of what must have been a decade, the brown spot on our slanted concrete slab grew.  Not only that, but the occasional dripping of water over many years was sufficient to wear away at the concrete.  A small crack grew and began forming into a mini pot-hole.  As a teenager, I came home from school on a memorable day and saw the concrete had cracked through.  The brown spot was divided in two.  Through the crack, I could see dirt.  Surprisingly, something green was already sprouting up.

At some point, the final drop fell and split the concrete.  More than a decade of dripping–perhaps millions of droplets–prepared the way.  As soon as the concrete was thrust aside, life began growing...  In places like Japan, it seems that God works like a slow, persistent drip.  I believe there will be a day when the final drop lands.  Concrete will crack open.  Laborers will be surprised to find a soil that yields growth, instead of the persistent hardness that has characterized Japan for decades.  God may do a new thing among the Japanese people.
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That is my prayer for Japan.  Perhaps it’s already begun, and the early signs of life are already sprouting up.  Or, maybe we’ll be one of a million drops that must fall, leaving an imperceptible mark while preparing the way for others.  Would that be a waste?  Would we be better used somewhere else?  I don’t think so.  

We do not know why God would choose to take the Pals home to be with Him, yet we ask God that the Pals were not simply a drop, but instead the beginning of a torrent ready to break through and reach the Japanese people for the sake of God’s name. Right now, we travel to raise awareness and recruit missionaries, but we yearn to raise our full monthly support so we can move and serve full-time in Japan May the Body of Christ overflow the void left by this family’s death and take up the mantle of prayer, financial giving, and work in Japan. Is God leading you to pray regularly, give monthly, or dedicate your life to go?

​“I’m not sure about forgiveness and my relationship with myself. I have done many things in the past that I cannot forgive myself for,” a middle-aged man explained in English. The man, Mr. Tanaka [a fake name], participated in a lesson about forgiveness, based on the account of Peter’s denial and Jesus’ forgiveness, and then he returned a few days later with questions.  The thought of true forgiveness baffled him. The world operates through grudges and keeping track of offenses, even against ourselves, but we present the message of the Bible: restored relationships with God, others, creation, and self through the forgiveness found in Jesus.

The concept of a relational, forgiving God is difficult for Japanese people. When speaking with one woman, we hardly explained that God is the King and Creator who made the world before she looked puzzled and explained, “This is very difficult.” This difficulty originates from the animistic view of deity found in traditional beliefs. Kami, the Japanese gods, are temperamental beings in nature who are untrustworthy and require continual appeasement, which is different from the One True God. The woman could not understand the concept of the God of the Bible, which means there is no way she could understand about sin or Jesus.
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This dilemma of completely different foundations requires thought and planning to work through. Our goal in speaking with people is to discover their understanding and work on the next step in helping them intellectually understand the gospel. Once they understand who Jesus is and what He has done, they are ready to decide if they believe and trust, which is something only God can accomplish. Sometimes He uses a narrative of betrayal and forgiveness to prick a man’s heart and to develop a desire for understanding. We now pray and see if God makes the power of the gospel effective for Mr. Tanaka.

Why sit in a confined space for twelve hours? Why transition through a time zone change of fourteen hours? Why spend three weeks in a country where we are essentially illiterate? It’s for that college student wrestling with academic pressure. It’s for the young girl entering some of the most influential periods of her life without any knowledge of who Jesus is. It’s for the man whose life and existence are tied to the company he works for. Missions is about people; encouraging those who believe in the Christ and sharing God’s plan with those who do not.

On July 12, we begin a three-week trip to Japan to show a small group of young people God’s work in Japan. Initially, a student from our church will join our family. Later, another couple and more students arrive. We will have a number of opportunities, both structured and unstructured, to share our lives with Japanese people (and other foreigners). Here are some of those opportunities (with American dates), so you can pray:

English Cafe - July 16, 19, 20, 21, 22 
English Cafe is an English outreach of Bethel Baptist Church (Iwatsuki) to a local business college.  The Japanese people will converse with fluent English speakers. The goal is to introduce Biblical ideas and principles that Andrew will speak about during a chapel time.
Our team will learn to introduce specific spiritual discussions gently in conversations.

Youth/Singles Retreat – July 16-18
The retreat is an encouragement ministry. A handful of young Christians will gather to learn from God’s Word, sing, and fellowship together. Many of these young people have few Christians their own age in their churches and towns. Andrew will speak at the retreat.
Our team will learn the importance of Christian fellowship and interaction, both of which transcend cultures.

English Outreach (Joined by the second group) – July 23-28
During this time, we will join Japanese Christians to reach out to their communities through English.  Teaching classes, working with children, and street evangelism are all possible activities. The focal cities will be Koriyama, where people were affected by the aftereffects of the 2011 tsunami, and Karuizawa, which formally contained a number of thriving churches.
Our team will learn flexibility and service.
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English Camp – July 28-30
Busy Japanese schedules make traditional vacation Bible schools difficult, so Bethel does a two-day “camp,” where students spend the mornings and afternoons learning about English and God. We will take a variety of roles as we work alongside church members.
Our team will learn that ministry takes different shapes and we can fill a variety of roles depending on the needs.

We will return on Aug 2, having completed a number of events in Japan. Events, such as these, are tools used to reach people. We ask God to keep our focus on Him and the Japanese people, not necessarily on the plans and events. We pray that God will use us to bring men and women living in Japan to Himself. Please pray with us for changed lives through our time in Japan.

“We want you to play English games with the children and show them that English can be fun; no grammar, only games.”  A mid-thirties Japanese mother sat on the couch explaining what her expectations were for the English class we would be teaching. We were surprised by this idea. Why would she want to put money into classes where elementary students would learn vocabulary at best? We agreed to teach the class, but mostly because it would help the church and give chances to share the Bible.

English learning begins in middle school for Japanese students, if not earlier.  Unfortunately, it is often taught through grammar books, resulting in poor conversation skills and a lack of enjoyment. Since English is considered useful for finding good jobs and traveling, it creates an opportunity for missionaries to use English conversation as a wonderful tool for connecting with individuals and sharing about God and His works.

As we have talked with other missionaries and learned from our own experiences, we have come to the conclusion that Christian stories, specifically ones that teach a moral or principle, are most effective for impacting students.  While students might reject a direct propositional statement (“God is the One in control of your life”), their heart may be opened by hearing stories that teach the proposition (Joseph, Nebuchadnezzar, Jim and Elizabeth Elliot, etc). As they begin to learn more about who God is and what He does, the story of the Gospel becomes more than a simple American religion.

In the end, our children’s classes turned into a lot of games, ending with a story time, while our adult classes worked on using grammar in conversations and paused for a “break” to hear new and exciting stories. Don’t worry, the adults also played games from time to time, though the stories frequently held more of their attention.

Our friend, Pastor Randy Gilmore, has helped us think through teaching English to other cultures. Feel free to check out his blog and sign up for his newsletter about using ESL for evangelism.

A number of times we have been asked, "Why are you going to Japan?" Sometimes these people want to know how God showed us where He wanted us serving Him. Others want to know why we chose Japan instead of a different country. A small group wants to know why we are not helping American churches that also need help.

Japan is a beautiful country. It's a country that can allow anyone with a sense of adventure to climb a mountain and relax on a beach on the same day. It's a country where traditions mingle with modern fads.  It's a country full of wonderful people who enjoy speaking with Americans and often aid those who are staring blankly at a map trying to figure out where "here" is and yes, that is known from experience.  Despite being a wonderful country, that is not enough to justify moving to Japan.

We believe that God is the Creator and King of everything. The Bible tells us that everyone must choose to follow Him or be against Him. One day, every knee will bow before the Messiah and every tongue will proclaim that He is Lord, but right now He gives everyone the opportunity to choose Him. Many people in Japan have never heard the full story of who the God of the Bible is. If they have not heard, how can they make a choice? We want to share with them the story of the Bible so they can choose whether they will bow now and accept the gift of the Messiah, or if they will continue in their own beliefs.

Despite our plans to help American churches, God gave us multiple opportunities to spend time in Japan. He showed us the weak state of Christianity in Japan.  As a whole, only 2% of Japan's population consider themselves "Christians." (link: cia world book?)  Churches are difficult to find, even in urban areas.  Out of the churches that exist, the difficulty continues when seeking to find churches who preach the Gospel.  

We have had the privilege of attending services, meeting pastors, and talking with the people of solid churches.  God used those opportunities to show us that He wants us to live in Japan, share the Gospel with Japanese people, and help encourage the Japanese Christians.  When we shared these plans with our American church, they became excited and wanted to support the ministry. Now we move forward on the path God has shown us, completely trusting Him to continue directing us in the future.