I'm a sucker for dives. You know, those dilapidated old joints that are covered in grease but the food has a down-home taste that just hits the spot? I find a certain kind of ironic charm and friendliness in these kind of places. Our friend, Daiki, a contact through Let's Start Talking, is a cook at a little dive on the corner, not too far from our house. The other day, Joel, being the great people gatherer that he is, rounded up some of our guy friends to go and visit Daiki and eat at his shop. There were five of us: Joel, Michiaki Onodera, Yoshinori Hashimoto, Kazuhiro Tsubo, and me.
Since the restaurant was kind of full, the five of us ended up sitting at the counter. It's pretty much impossible for five people sitting at a counter to have a conversation, you know? So Joel was talking with Michiaki and Yoshinori, while Kazuhiro and I sat down at the end, consumed large portions of garlic ramen, and shared deeply about life and faith. No wonder Jesus often shared meals with people.
As we were slurping down our noodles (it's actually polite to slurp in this country!) Kazuhiro shared some of his dreams with me. Mostly, he just wants to be someone who helps those who are less fortunate. And he said he thinks that people need to believe in something. Kazuhiro asked some really great questions, like, "If everyone in the world were Christians, I'm sure that there would be peace and happiness. But, if everyone believed the same thing, I think it wouldn't be very interesting. What do you think?" and "Christians really like to talk about their faith. Why?" When I explained some of my thoughts and experiences with the gospel, Kazuhiro was really tracking with me and said, "That is exciting!"
God blessed us with an amazing time together that night. And I can't help but think that in that very dive, Jesus was sitting with us.
Father, what good news you have for your people! Please protect the seeds that were planted in Michiaki, Yoshinori, and Kazuhiro's hearts that night. Continue to open their hearts to your message. Continue to show your love and salvation through your servants.
Church Side
"Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." 2 Cor. 9:10,11
A/ Bible Study - Through "The Purpose Driven Life," the focus has been on the importance of being immersed in God's Word. The study and discussion has been rich, but attendance has been low. Please pray for church members to make this a real priority for their faith.
B/ Worship focus on 2 Cor. 8-10 - Continuing to read through Paul's letters together, and really striving to let the Word penetrate our individual lives and community as a whole. To me, the major emphasis in this section for us are: the generosity of God, our need to repent of "quarreling, slander, gossip, arrogance," the stimulating encouragement of "strength in weakness," and making sure that we examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith.
C/ Guests - Thankful for our guests this month.
D/ Church News/Prayer Requests - 1) Keep the guests that have attended in your prayers. 2) Please continue to pray for the Hosoi family (it was Megumi's birthday this month), and for the Nagakura's who lost their father. 3) Petition the Father for faith growth in this community.
Father, may we be Your community of wounded healers. Help us to couple faith with obedience. Teach us to worship you with our whole lives - including every creative ounce of our being.
Mission Side
"Then Jesus told them this parable: 'Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says,'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.''" Luke 15:3-6
A/ Cell Group - This month began our first ever "Cell Group," which is comprised of Rumiko and Akiko (Christians), Gaku and Yoshinori (non-Christians), and Joel and myself. During our first gathering, we ate together, had an ice breaker, some worship time, and then introduced our study. The study theme is "Seeking God." As the second week was Canadian Thanksgiving, Joel and his mother prepared a feast for the cell group members, the Strakers, and Debi and Erica. The third and fourth weeks we finally got into the study material and each person has really opened up about where they are in their faith journey. Right now we are studying who God is, and how He is searching for each and every one of us.
B/ Guys Night Out - Joel and I are now hosting "Guys" on only the first Monday of each month. Before we were putting in a lot of effort without much consistency from the guys. This way, we hope to connect all together at the first part of the month, and hang out with the different guys as much as possible during each week. Our theme for this season is, "The Noble Man," based on Isaiah 32:8. Our first class was attended by Gaku, Yoshinori, Michiaki, and Daiki.
C/ Watage - Two highlights from this month, 1) Joel's parents came to visit, bringing pumpkin pie for everyone to enjoy as we shared the things that we are thankful for, and 2) The opportunity to get close to a young guy named Shunki. He's planning to come to our Fall Harvest Party at the church building next week. Pray for him!
D/ Coffee Shop - A continuation from LST this summer, Jonathan has been running the coffee house each Friday from 2 - 10pm. People come to enjoy good coffee conversation. In the coffee house, Erica and Debi lead "English Hour" from 3-4pm and 7-8pm. At 8pm, Jonathan leads a devotional time.
E/ Singing - 1) Can you believe it?! God blessed us with the opportunity to sing in Sendai Station! Out of 54 groups who are signed up to perform at this year's Sendai Gospel Festival, we were one of three groups asked to sing ahead of time to advertise for the event. On stage for about an hour, we were able to share the gospel in song with hundreds of people. 2) Shokei College Chapel. After the concert, we read some of the comments from the students. One said, "We should have this kind of chapel every time!"
F/ Intern Classes - God's hand is evident in the work that Erica and Debi are doing. They both have 12 LST students that they are following up with, they teach a singing class and a "Ladies Night Out" class on alternate weeks, they lead English Hour at the coffee house, and organize a gathering event each month. All with all of this they continue to study Japanese diligently, and are making wonderful progress.
G/ Cooking Class - Joel's class this season is called, "Bye Bye Boring Breakfast," with the Bible study theme being, "Breakfast with Psalms." I had the opportunity to join a class for the first time and saw what great opportunities there are for bringing people together and bringing them into contact with God's Word.
H/ Meeting of the Needles - Michiko has begun a small group in her home for ladies who like to sew. During the sewing time, she is trying to incorporate spiritual conversations.
I/ Bible Studies - Besides the cell group, my only other current Bible study is with one of the church members. I feel like this is a very important study because of so many things going on in this person's life. This person truly needs a lot of guidance right now.
J/ Hachinohe - This month we celebrated the season with our "English Fall Harvest Party." 19 people attended! On the same evening, we (Joel and I) got together with Chieko, (church member) Masayo (LST contact) and Tomomi (Masayo's friend) to begin studying the Bible together. We studied for three hours! On Sunday we worshiped with the body, continued our discipleship study in the Gospel of Mark, and came back to Sendai.
Thank you for your amazing work in people's lives! Father, you are so generous and faithful. Find the lost, place them on your shoulders and bring them home.
Team Side
"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body." 1 Cor. 12:12
A/ Joel's parents and brother - Our home was blessed this month with a great visit from Joel's parents, John and Sharon. Sharon even cooked for us! When I stepped in the door one evening to a flood of delicious smells, I remarked to Joel, "Ah! It smells like a real home in here!" We (especially Joel) truly enjoyed their company and love. After they had gone back to Canada, Joel's brother, John, came for some business in Ibaraki. The two of them were able to spend a little brother time together.
B/ Strakers to Canada - The Straker crew left for Canada - a sort of mini-furlough - on the 17th and plan on coming back November 10th. Please cover their travels and health in prayer.
C/ Hiking with Jon - Mountain men. We probably don't get out there enough (try twice in four years) to call ourselves mountain men, but Jon and I took our days off to hit the mountain trails, sleep in a tent, and experience the grandeur of God's creation this month. It was one of the best things I've done in a long time -- tiring, but oh so refreshing!
D/ Dealing with Culture Shock - Erica and Debi have entered their fourth month as interns in Sendai! It's usually around this time that people start to get over the "honeymoon stage" and experience culture shock. They're doing such an amazing job, but don't forget to uphold them in your prayers. Thank you!
We praise you for your wisdom -- you have created us for community that reflects you. Please protect our team unity and may the world see how we love one another because you love us. In Jesus name, amen!
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