JGPNetwork

During Summer vacation Japanese love to go to the beach. The cars line the expressways on Saturday and Sunday and people don’t seem to mind sitting in their cars for 8 hours to get to spend 4 hours on the beach and play, trying to forget their daily life.

As our house church went to the beach for a baptism last month, people where everywhere along the beach as we searched for a place to baptize two new Christians. Children, who remember their own baptisms at the beach, frolic in the water and collect shells that resemble the ones they collected at their own baptisms.

At these times, just about every one who goes gets wet to one degree or another. The children who are with their families want to get in and wade around. The adults like to get their feet wet too.

We pray that as we gather and sing praises to God in the midst of these crowds of people that our actions and our words will become salt and light that will cause these people who spend their leisure time for self to realize their need for forgiveness of sin and salvation in Jesus Christ.

Also, we are praying that many other Japanese will have the opportunity to witness new Christians following Christ in baptism in the ocean at Kukujuri, Chiba.

On our trip to Niigata we drove through a mountainous area where many Japanese like to go and ski.  Our car rode up and down the mountains and through numberous tunnels. One tunnel stretched about 10 miles through the mountain!  Small towns were tucked in the valleys between the mountains. We talked about the fact that most of these towns have probably never heard the gospel!

We drove through valleys and reached the plains on the opposite side of the mountains.  Rice fields covered these farmlands.  Because it is the middle of summer the fields are bright green, lush and beautiful.  I learned that when the fields are ready for harvest, they will turn white.   Pray that the gospel would reach every mountain town and farming community. Pray for the harvest in Japan.

One of the things that I love the most about being in Japan is meeting Japanese. Part of the ministry of JGPNetwork is to distribute the Manga Bible, New Testaments, and the Hope DVD. During our day in the countryside we distributed the materials around a Buddhist temple. Shirley, a volunteer from Hawaii and I saw a group of seniors playing crockett. They each wore a hat and had a number pinned to their outfits. They were hesitant as we approached but as we began to speak with them in Japanese they opened up. They each readily accepted the Manga Bibles that we gave them. And they offered us Japanese tea.

As we continued our journey we came across a man cleaning out the incence basin in front of the temple. He accepted the Manga Bible but not without giving us a couple of hundred yen. He insisted. Sometimes it is hard for Japanese to receive a free gift. Pray that the seniors who received the Manga Bible, the man cleaning the temple, and others would receive the free gift of God; salvation in Christ!

Many people say that the Japanese are not a religious people, but traveling out to the village assured me once again that this statment is not true.  Japanese Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples dot the countryside.  They are found on hilltops, in neighborhoods, or tucked away in small yards.

On Shikoku, one of the four Japanese islands, a Buddhist priest who felt the people very sinful led them to build 88 temples.  It serves like a Mecca of Japan.  Whoever visits the 88 temples in his or her lifetime is assured a place in the Buddhist heaven.  Pray that the light of Jesus would shine in these dark places!

By Rachel Routt, summer intern missionary

Fishing villages dot the shores of the island of Awahishima in the inland sea between Kobe/Osaka and Shikoku Island. The fishermen in these villages go out early in the morning while it is not yet day to catch fish for the market. Jesus passed by some fishermen one day on the shore of Galilee and asked them to come follow Him, and become fishers on men. Will you pray for many fishers of men to come and tell the people who live in villages like this from the north to the south and the east to the west about Jesus.

As you drive along the highway in the center of  Awaji Island you will see rice farms like this. In August the farmers are out harvesting the rice. This rice helps feel the millions of people in Japan. Pray for harvesters to come and reap the harvest of souls of the Japanese who do not yet know him. In the distance you see the low lying hills. At the base of those hills are the temples and shrines that are supposed to shelter the gods that give the harvest.  Pray that the farmers and their families will know there is a living God who causes the sun to shine, the rain to fall and the rice to grow. Pray they will have an opportunity to hear that Jesus is the Way to this living God.

Today Tak and I went to Togane drove through the town and then took a wonderful ride out through the rice paddies.  We saw the carp flying beside the farm houses. We were able to share with people who were walking around the lake near the temples, with a couple who were visiting the graves, and then with a man who was planting rice by hand.

This week in Japan is Golden Week. Farmers are planting rice. Businessmen are off work and families are going on vacations and visiting family or just relaxing. Pray we will be faithful to plant the seeds of the gospel in the hearts of those we meet during this time when they may have more time to listen than usual. Pray that those seeds will be watered by the Holy Spirit and sprout into full fruit of faith. 

Rejoice with us and praise the Lord! We had a great time this morning again having worship with Mr and Mrs. Maka. They were excited when we finished and quickly set another date to meet. Only three days away on Friday! Pray for them to grow and be able to share with her mother and father as well as with their friends. Pray for a group to start soon.

In Ibaragi prefecture about two hours from Tokyo there is a huge “goddess of mercy” that can be seen from miles around.  The hand is extended as if offering help, but this stone god has hands that cannot help and ears that cannot hear. Also, no spirit to touch and heal a broken heart. 

Statues of the “goddess of mercy” like this one can be seen all across Japan. They dot the tops of hills near the ocean or on the plains. This statue has no life and cannot give life. The Bible says those who worship these will be like them. Pray for the people who see these statues to have their spiritual eyes opened to the truth that there is a living God who loves them and sent his son to die that they might live.

Here is a great update from E. Read and share with your friends.Hello! I have some good news this time. A few days after I wrote the last newsletter, Mrs.Sh and I went out for prayer walking. We saw Mrs.Naka whom Mrs.Shi knew in her yard so Mrs.Shi witnessed to her and invited to our worship service.  She came twice and enjoyed it a lot. Although she couldn’t come the last two weeks because she had a health problem, she is willing to come again. Pray that she will come to worship and be saved.  Mr.Ono emailed me and responded to my email too. He is having spiritual battles and temptations now. Pray that he can win a victory and attend worship. Azu and Izu will come to my house to worship tomorrow the Sunday. It will be the first worship with three of us.  Pray that they will worship regularly, their faith will grow and they will decide to be baptized. We will have a leaders` meeting tomorrow and on March 9. Pray that each one of us will know God’s will clearly and be obedient to Him. We have started to go prayer walking regularly. Pray that we can keep doing it. Thank you so much for your prayers. Your prayers make everything different.A lot of blessings! E

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Niigata, on the Japan Sea side of Japan is one of the areas targeted by the JGPNetwork.  Surrounded by mountains on the east and the sea on the north-west, the snow covers the ground for much of winter. It is a city where no missionary resides. However, through the perseverance of a missionary, God’s Spirit has been moving there. Mrs. K , a Christian, has experienced many personal trials, especially in recent months and has been fasting and praying, learning total trust in her Lord. Will you pray that God will show himself strong to her and that her financial and spiritual needs will be met? Ask God to speak to her daily from the Word and to give her a hunger and thirst for Him, as well as a passion for the lost and a desire to share the gospel.

Sappro, on Hokkaido Island,  is another city in the snow country. In fact, at the end of February they had some of the heaviest snow fall on record. The city was blanketed with several feet of snow in a short time. Pray that the hearts all the people living there will be melt as they hear the gospel just as the snow melts under the sun. 

You have prayed for several months for Mr. and Mrs. I from Sapporo, who became believers a little over a year ago. Would you continue to pray for them? Although they have commited their lives to Christ, they have not made a commitment to make Christ the Lord of their lives and to put feet to that commitment. Pray for that their faith would be manifested in their lives and that they would see the importance of sharing their faith with others. Pray for the times when Mr. I goes to Tokyo on business to be ordained by the Lord. When in Tokyo, he has opportunity to be discipled face to face by Tak. Please pray Colossians 1:9-11 for Mr. I and his wife, and also that they will have a vision to be used by God to spread the gospel to reach the hearts of those in their city.

On this cold February Sunday afternoon as I write this it is snowing outside.  It is a time of colds, flu, etc. For A-san who has a cold, it is also a time of job aplications and interviews.

Since A-san was baptized the third week in January either job application appointments, interview practices, or sickness has hindered getting together with her Christian brothers and sisters for worship. And her mentor has also been sick.

Please pray and ask God to move in a mighty way to open  doors for her to meet to pray, fellowship and worship with her mentors and other Christians. Ask God to give her a hunger and thirst for God, to know Him and His word. She has been witnessing to her friends and giving them copies of God’s word. Pray for fruit to come from that.

Mr. Ono who was baptized in December is also facing trials; the Christians in Okinawa and Niigata are also under spiritual attack.

Pray for God to protect these new Christians and give wisdom and guidance and health to those who are trying to nurture them in the Lord. Thanks for partnering with us in reaching the Japanese from Okinawa to Hokkaido for Christ.