“Hi, my name is Kana.” “My name is John. It’s nice to meet you.” “It’s nice to meet you too. How old are you?” “Ummm… I’m still pretty young. How old are you?” “I’m 10.” “You’re English is very good, Kana.” “Thank you.” As Kana turned to her friends with a big smile, I could tell they were impressed. I was too.

Kana and her friends showed up at the Sone Church-Hikari Pre-School Charity Bazaar. It was Monday, Labor Thanksgiving Day here in Japan. The proceeds were not for the benefit of the church or the pre-school, but for victims of floods from some of the typhoons this fall in other Asian countries, like the Philippines.

Tomoko and I had come to help. We spent the day in the game room, where children came to try their skill at various games, and no matter the skill level, always went away with a prize. We were in charge during lunchtime, when the pre-school teachers took a break. With the help of some of the young people from the Sone church, we sang, played some games and told a Bible story with the children and parents who gathered together.

It was a different kind of Thanksgiving Day. No turkey and no football, but all the money raised was for those in need. Our prayer is that in a few weeks, they will be able to give thanks for some small blessing that comes from these gifts. Tomoko and I have much to be thankful for. We talked with Ami over the Internet using Skype today. She is busy getting ready for finals. Being a college student you might guess what the call was about. “Send money!” Alisen is playing basketball, and working hard at school, as is Andrew. He is also playing basketball, and learning the bass guitar.

We also give thanks for all the people that we have the joy to work with here in Japan. The pastors as well as the lay people, but especially we give thanks for the children and the youth.

Answered Prayer

As you may remember, I preach once a month at the Nara Saho Baptist Church, because they have no pastor right now. It is about an hour away by train. The good news is they have just called a new pastor, Mr. Toma, who will graduate from seminary in March and begin as pastor in April.

There are still several other churches in our area that are without pastors at this time. I preach about three Sundays a month to fill pulpits. Please pray that the Lord will call and lead up people to fill these important positions. Finally, we give thanks for you and your partnership in missions. We have come a long way toward our goal of full support, but if you ever watch the financial news, you may have noticed that the dollar is pretty weak against the Japanese yen. That means our goal has moved farther away even as we have gotten closer. So we are about half-way there. But we give thanks to be this far because all those gifts have been given in love and faith.

You are the ones who sent us, and the reason we can be here. Thank you, everyone!

Prayer Points

* Praise for new friends like Kana.
* Praise for the faith of even small churches like Sone Baptist, who give in faith to those in need.
* Pray for the churches of Japan, and those God is calling to ministry.

Grace and Peace,

John

Our MPT website: www.armagostjapan.org