What Would Lottie Moon Do?

First, we would like to thank each of you for your contributions to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. As many of you know the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering goes to support over 5,000 missionaries with the International Mission Board, including us. Without this support our work wouldn't be possible. So, it is literally because of you that we are able to be here. Thank you!

This week was such an exciting week. Dana and I were able to share the gospel with our language helper, M-san! We were running our regular errands with her on Tuesday and were on our way home in slow traffic. We were at a light and looked over at a Buddhist temple not far from our home. The temple is beautiful and there is a large stone with four sides that has writing on all sides in kanji. We asked her what it said and she told us it said,"We are all equal under one god." That started us into a conversation with Dana and I asking some questions about Buddhist beliefs. We asked her questions about what god the Buddhists prayed to and what they believed happened when they died. Now, when we first met M-san she told us she was Catholic so I asked her, as a reminder to myself, if she was Catholic and to my surprise she said,"No". So, I asked her what she believed in. She said many things and then some things that she has made up herself. I asked her what she believes happens when we die, to which she answered,"I believe you get to decide where you go." I asked her what she believed her choices were and she didn't really know how to answer. Instead, she began asking us questions. She wanted to know how someone gets to heaven and why people go to hell. Before I knew it I was explaining to her what sin was, why God sent Jesus, why Jesus died on the cross and that He died for her sins whether she decides to believe in Him or not. This just lead her to more questions, which is understandable. It was nearing the end of our time with her and she had to head home, but she thanked us for answering her questions and we told her to please ask us questions whenever she has any. Our prayer has been to be able to share our faith with someone in English. Prayer answered!

The next day I had a language lesson with my sensei, O sensei. She also works as a tour guide part time in a famous garden in the city and she invited me to go there on New Year's day because it's the only day out of the year that admission is free. She told me that she wasn't working that day so she and her family were going to go as well after they went to the temple. She went on to tell me that every year the Japanese people go to the temple to pray for the next year. She said that you  have to wait a long time to enter the temple because so many people go on this day. She said the following day she and her family will be going to another temple where they pray for their children and their education. I asked her who it was that she prayed to when she prayed. She thought for a moment and said, "God." I asked,"Creator God, or someone else?" She thought for awhile and shyly said,"I don't know. He must not be that special if I don't even know who he is." She talked for a little while longer about the temple and the tradition of it all and then I asked her if she ever noticed a difference in the things she prayed for once she prayed them. She quickly replied,"No."  I then shared with her how faithful God is and how He has answered my prayers. I then told her about how Ashton was sick and the doctors here in Japan didn't know what to do for him because they didn't know what was wrong with him. I told her how our family prayed for his health and that our friends and family back home were also praying for his recovery, and I believe it is because of Him that Ashton is better now. I also told her that I didn't have to go to a temple to pray to my God. I could pray to Him in the seat of my classroom if I wanted to. I then said, "My God is very faithful." And she quickly responded,"I believe He is." Unfortunately she redirected our conversation back to the lesson but I was so encouraged to be able to share that with her. She seemed to be very open to what I had to say.

On Friday we were able to meet with a couple in our neighboring city, Kurashiki. They have spent some time in the states and know English and are also believers. It was great to be able to encourage one another and also establish a friendship with them. At the end of our visit we took them to the train station and sat down to visit until Dana had to go to language study. As we sat around a table and talked a very old man at the table next to us seemed to want to talk to Dana. Dana turned to him and started a conversation in the little Japanese he knows. Once that ran out Dana asked our new friend if he would translate for him so he could possibly share his story with him, but surprisingly our friend was very reluctant since religious talk is a taboo here, but our friend very quickly changed his mind and dove in.  The man asked Dana what he was doing in Japan and Dana told him that God changed his life and that he came to Japan to tell the Japanese people that God can do works in their lives as well. Dana then shared with the man his testimony and the man listened very intently. At the end of his testimony Dana asked him if he had ever experienced the joy that God can give and the man answered, "Yes. I do love God. I'm a Buddhist." Unfortunately Dana had to get running to language class since he was already 10 minutes late because of talking with this man that Dana excused himself, but before we could leave the elderly man told us that the reason he wanted to talk to Dana was because he looked so happy and he wanted to know why. Encouraging........

Please prayer:

1. For our language helper, M-san. Also, for O sensei and all of our senseis that we see each week. 

2. For our attitudes and our focus.

Please praise God for the wonderful encouragement He gave us this week. We have been so excited with what has happened this week and know that this isn't it!