The past few days have been so busy that we didn't have time to update each day, so here is a brief overview of what we did:
On Saturday, we had a second carnival in a nearby town to help the church there reach out to their community. It was a little smaller than the first but so much fun. We saw CUTE kids, and hopefully some contacts were made. That night, we went to a party for high school students at the Ebetsu International Center. We ate, talked, and played games with teenagers from local schools. We also got to give out some literature and invite them to the goodbye party for the team (which was right before and in the same building as the big monthly community worship service called Ebetsu Alive).
On Sunday morning, the team divided up and went to visit different churches around the island. We went with a group that took the trains to Odori...that was an experience. The church we visited was incredible. There were probably about 20 members, and they were exactly what I think about when I think about churches in the Bible. They were like a huge family; it was obvious that they loved eachother and were a huge part of one another's lives. We ate a meal, played some games, and prayed together after church. I really want to go back. We got back to town in time for some of the set up for the night's event. The goodbye party was awesome; a ton of people we'd met came...AND they stayed for the worship part. The gospel was made very clear. Please pray that God will continue to bring what the people heard to their hearts and minds, and that they will respond.
Monday was the team's last full day. We all went downtown. First, we visited a Shinto shrine and a Buddhist trail. It is so sad how the priests use fear to manipulate people into pouring more and more money into these religions. Please pray that they will see Truth and won't be afraid to break free of these traps. The Japanese people are so enslaved to fear of the spirit world.
We had lunch together and did some sightseeing and shopping. The coolest thing we saw was the olympic ski jump. It was incredibly high, and we got to ride a lift to the top where we could see the whole city.
Last night we debriefed with the team, and they flew out this morning. Please pray that they'll return safely and put into action what they've learned. Pray that they'll share a burden for Japan with those they talk to. Please keep praying for us as we try to follow up on some of the contacts that were made. Pray that God will give us grace and strength for whatever comes our way. Love you all:)
On Saturday, we had a second carnival in a nearby town to help the church there reach out to their community. It was a little smaller than the first but so much fun. We saw CUTE kids, and hopefully some contacts were made. That night, we went to a party for high school students at the Ebetsu International Center. We ate, talked, and played games with teenagers from local schools. We also got to give out some literature and invite them to the goodbye party for the team (which was right before and in the same building as the big monthly community worship service called Ebetsu Alive).
On Sunday morning, the team divided up and went to visit different churches around the island. We went with a group that took the trains to Odori...that was an experience. The church we visited was incredible. There were probably about 20 members, and they were exactly what I think about when I think about churches in the Bible. They were like a huge family; it was obvious that they loved eachother and were a huge part of one another's lives. We ate a meal, played some games, and prayed together after church. I really want to go back. We got back to town in time for some of the set up for the night's event. The goodbye party was awesome; a ton of people we'd met came...AND they stayed for the worship part. The gospel was made very clear. Please pray that God will continue to bring what the people heard to their hearts and minds, and that they will respond.
Monday was the team's last full day. We all went downtown. First, we visited a Shinto shrine and a Buddhist trail. It is so sad how the priests use fear to manipulate people into pouring more and more money into these religions. Please pray that they will see Truth and won't be afraid to break free of these traps. The Japanese people are so enslaved to fear of the spirit world.
We had lunch together and did some sightseeing and shopping. The coolest thing we saw was the olympic ski jump. It was incredibly high, and we got to ride a lift to the top where we could see the whole city.
Last night we debriefed with the team, and they flew out this morning. Please pray that they'll return safely and put into action what they've learned. Pray that they'll share a burden for Japan with those they talk to. Please keep praying for us as we try to follow up on some of the contacts that were made. Pray that God will give us grace and strength for whatever comes our way. Love you all:)
2 comments:
It's great to hear about all the cool stuff you guys are doing in Japan. I pray that God will use the relationships you are building to bring new Japanese brothers and sisters into his family.
Happy Birthday Rachel!! We are Praying for you and the prayer requests you post on your blog!
Love,
Ms. Shelly
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