As we look back on 2001 and now ahead to 2002, we can’t help but feel thankful and in many ways overwhelmed by what God has been doing in Osaka.    Serving our Lord here has been more challenging than we ever imagined, but far more satisfying than we ever dared to dream.  In this newsletter we hope to give you a glimpse of our life and how God has been working and blessing His growing body in this great city.  

One of the hardest parts about being missionaries in Japan is the great length of time that it takes people to accept Jesus as their Savior and publicly confess Him in baptism.  So it was an extra sweet blessing when Chiaki Fukunaga and Sumiyo Okawa announced that they had decided to be baptized.  We (along with many of you) have been praying hard for these two for years. God had been loving them, working in their lives and drawing them to Him long before we came to Japan and met them.  Both Chiaki and Sumiyo began studying with LST three years ago during our first summer in Japan and continued to study in group classes with us over the next couple of years.  Slowly, as they studied and observed Christ working in the lives of others, they realized how much God loves them, began to fall in love with Jesus and decided to give their lives to Him.  Over 40 people came to our worship time on December 16, 2001 and witnessed their new birth.  Many people have a deep respect for Chiaki and Sumiyo and were strongly impacted by their decision to become Christians.  Please pray with us that this will lead others to think more seriously about their own relationship with Christ.  God has been blessing His Kingdom here and your prayers are a great help!

 Planting Seeds...

While our ministry here continues to expand, the main way we are reaching out is through our small group, English-language Bible classes.  We began our classes in September, enrolling 99 people in 15 classes!  A lot of prayer went into forming the classes and as the semester went on, we could see how God had intentionally brought people together. 

 Our classes study a variety of materials, ranging from the gospels of Luke and John, to Acts, the Parables of Jesus, People Who Met Jesus, Genesis and Exodus.  While many people come initially just for the English conversation practice, we read the text in Japanese as well, and we have seen hearts and minds change as people open up God as His Word works in them.  Even those who are skeptic at first often warm up over time, and those who continue their search for truth often do so through other avenues of our church, like Praise Time, Family Groups, or one-on-one studies.

 Each class meets once a week for around 90 minutes in one of our apartments.  This allows us to visit and get to know each other.  In addition to Bible study, our goal is to build fellowship, and it is not unusual for a class to share a meal together or even stay and visit as late as 11 p.m.!

This fall, we co-taught our classes.  This helped all of us get to know more people, learn from our teammates, and perhaps most importantly, share the burden of prayer with each other.  Prior to classes we met to pray for each class member, and we have seen God’s answers to those prayers.  We were also blessed to have Japanese co-teachers for four of our classes, one small step, we hope, to making this church indigenous.

 Two of our classes are Family Groups, a new venture for our church.  These groups, primarily done in Japanese, are designed to give Christians and serious seekers the teaching and tools to develop their faith.  In addition to Bible study, part of our time is spent in worship and prayer, and we have experienced the faithfulness of God in new ways together.  

 God is using peoples’ desire to speak English as a way to reach their true needs.  As our classes start up again  this month, please pray that God will continue to work through them and that the Word will grow.  Pray for us to have patience, to trust that God is at work and to remember to thank Him when we see His hand in the lives of our Japanese friends. 

...Watering Seeds

In addition to our group English and Japanese Bible classes, we try to plan events and activities that will help draw people together and give us opportunities to share some fun.  This has become even more important as our team has grown and we don’t have the opportunity to see all the people participating in our group classes each week.

 One of the highlights of the fall was our Shish Kabob Shindig held at a nearby park in October.  Over 50 people joined us for an afternoon of good food, games and fun.  Tim barely managed to beat Yoichi, Kenshi, Hiroshi and Junji in a highly entertaining pie-eating contest, but we’re not sure if he would have out-eaten the next round of grade-school boys! 

Other activities this fall included a flower-arranging class for ladies, slumber parties for high school girls and college  guys (separate, of course!), as well as meals and outings shared with many.

If you enjoy sushi with your turkey and mashed potatoes, you could have eaten your fill at our Thanksgiving Praise Time (worship service) in November!  As we all went around the circle that evening sharing what we were grateful for from the past year, Taeko’s comment summarized what many shared as she said, “I am grateful that I was able to join LST this summer so I could study the Bible and learn about God.”  Please pray with us that Taeko and others will soon begin to understand and accept the personal relationship that God is offering.

 Christmas is becoming more and more popular in Japan, giving us a wonderful opportunity to share the story of Christ with many who might otherwise never venture near a church.  Our Christmas party was the biggest we have had yet with about 80 people in attendance.  Food, games, singing and a melodrama of the birth of Christ were capped off with special singing by a chorus group made up of people participating in our Bible classes.  Everyone brought gifts, which a group of us took to an orphanage.  Our chorus group also sang at a nearby nursing home.  These acts of sharing were probably as beneficial to those of us participating as to those receiving, and we pray that our Japanese friends who shared alongside of us were able to experience the love of Christ in a new way. 

 Our Christmas activities ended with a special Christmas Praise Time during which we were again able to share the story of Christ’s birth with about 40 people, including several who joined us for the first time.  Please pray with us that hearts will open up and make room for Christ and that seeds which were planted and watered throughout this special time will begin to take root and grow!

Team Edification

One of our favorite blessings has been in answer to your prayers.  You tell us often that you pray for us and we’d like to share one way that God has heard and answered you.  At the beginning of November, we were able to attend a church-planting conference held at a beautiful lake near the foot of Mt. Fuji.  We went to learn new ways to reach out to our community and better methods for evangelism in Japan.  We also wanted ideas to strengthen the programs and activities that we already have.  We got much more!  While the conference gave us many new ideas and oodles of incredible tools, God used the time to draw us near to Him and to reaffirm His love for us.  Many times as missionaries, our greatest efforts go towards convincing others of their need for salvation.  Our goal becomes reaching the lost, and we lose sight of our personal significance to the Father.  We had three days of powerful edification.  We were encouraged to seek God and His promises first.  We were reminded to give our first-fruits to the Lord and let Him bless us and those around us through His power in our lives.  We went to the conference hoping to learn methods and systems to share Christ’s love and we did, but we found that God had called us there for something much more important.  He wanted to remind us that first and foremost we are His precious children.  What a powerful ministry “tool!”  Thank you for praying for us.  Your prayer brings a blessing of God’s power in our lives and in this ministry. 

Our Team Grows…