I am so thankful for all of your support for the Japan Mission Team this year! We had many opportunities to interact with people, young and old, and had a full schedule during the two weeks. I was able to see God use each of the team member’s unique talents and strength to worship, encourage, and share God’s love despite our fears and insecurities. It is through your prayers and donations that we were able to meet and encourage the people in Japan, as well as serve alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ.
This was my fourth mission trip to Japan, and each time, God has taught me something new. This time, I left Japan with a greater insight into why it has been so hard for Christianity to spread in Japan. Listening to many of the Japanese pastors and church-goers, I realized that there are deep-rooted cultural traditions and ways of thinking that make it very difficult to bring people to Christ. Christians in Japan face persecution from their peers at school and work. It is the norm to work late into the night and even on weekends, which also keep people from participating in the church community.
However, the Christians I met at Sakuragaoka, Koganei, and Yamagata understand this challenge and are dedicated to spreading the gospel despite all of the obstacles.They inspired me to not take my faith and my life for granted, because there are people around me, both near and far, that do not know the agape love of God, and the true hope that we find in Christ. It may still be an uphill battle, but I hope that you will join me in praying for the people of Japan--for those who do not know Christ yet and for those who do, so that their faith may be strengthened and renewed.
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