God Tests Abraham/Niimi Bible Study Outreach

Today we were blessed with Yuki and her sister who joined us for Joy Time. We began today's lesson in our usual way by singing our good morning song and reviewing the previous English lessons. We reviewed greeting one another and the the days of the week. Also, we continued with our review of colors but we put them in the context of likes and dislikes. It was an enjoyable lesson with lots of laughs. Today's Bible story was about how God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac. As shown in the picture. We emphasized that Abraham obeyed God even though he didn't want to sacrifice Isaac, and that God blessed him for obeying. Ultimately, we wanted them to know that God loves us and that His plan is always the best even though we may not understand it. As shown in the picture, Setsuko read the story in English and translated into Japanese for the first time today. As the Lord leads, we are getting her prepared to do Joy Time by herself in the event that I will not be available. By God's blessing, she is becoming more comfortable and I am confident she will be able to do it. After the story we played the card game "Uno". As we learned last week, just hanging out and talking proved to be a blessing. The children asked probing questions which led to further conversation about God and His Word. Once again, it was a privilege to serve Him.

NIIMI BIBLE STUDY OUTREACH

This past Wednesday I went to Niimi College campus to reach out to students. I brought my guitar and some Japanese/English tracts and was able to share with a few students. There were mixed reactions; some friendly and some not so friendly. Nevertheless, some people heard about Jesus for the first time. One of the funny things that happened to me was being expected to play guitar for a group of girls, despite forgetting my song book. I was able to remember the song, "Jesus is the Answer," and fortunately they seemed to have enjoyed it. I invited them to the Bible study the next day, but they were all busy with night classes. Nevertheless, I told them I would be there next Wednesday doing the same thing and they agreed that we'd meet again then. May the Lord use that time for His glory.

The next day Bible study was a blessing. Shu and Darren came and thus it was a time for men's fellowship. We continued in our study of the first chapter of John studying 1:18-28. Darren has proved to be a real blessing; translating the English that Shu doesn't understand into Japanese. I am really honored to lead these men in the study of God's Word and I pray that the Lord may continue to use me for His glory. May the Lord lead us men as we seek Him together and increase the group if it be His will.

God's Promise to Abraham/Niimi Bible Study Outreach

This week at Joy Time we were blessed with the presence of three students; Yuki, Yuki, and Youka. Each of them had attended Joy Time gatherings before, so we were happy to see them return. Praise the Lord! We began our English lesson with our usual greeting and good morning song and then we reviewed the days of the week. We decided to play sugaroku again using the days of the week since Yuki and Youka had not played with us before. It was a hit and we all enjoyed it. For our story we read from the Children's Bible about God's promise to Abraham. We told them how God said to Abraham, "Leave your country and go to your people. Leave your father's family. Go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you. I will make your name great." We shared how God blessed Abraham as the father of many nations and with a son named Isaac. We summed it up to the students by telling them, when you obey God, He blesses you. Afterward we all just hung together. It has become apparent that they need time to relax since they have a busy schedule during the week. So, we will be accommodating to their need for rest in the future. While we were resting, just hanging out, the children began to ask about the children's Bible story. So, this rest time seems to be a time when they are willing to open up. May the Lord continue to guide and use this time to plant His seeds.

NIIMI BIBLE STUDY OUTREACH

This past Thursday I was blessed to lead another Bible study in Niimi. We met at Shu's house and Shu and Darren attended. It was Darren's first time attending the study and so I was thankful to have him. He is a high school teacher from Arizona. Ayano was out of town so she could not join us. In preparing for this study the Lord emphasized that by His Spirit we shall understand His Word. "But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things I said to you." (John 14:26) Both Darren and Shu are believers, so it was a blessed time of fellowship in His presence as we gathered in His name. The Lord is faithful and He most certainly did speak to our hearts and all who attended were richly blessed. Praise the Lord! I remember speaking and feeling the Lord directing my words and directing me to certain scriptures. It was such a blessing to see His Spirit in action and His Word upon our hearts! We agreed to meet next Thursday and perhaps, if the Lord leads them, more students may join us. I will be going to Niimi campus this Wednesday so we will wait and see what happens. Also, I have been attending a Monday night Bible study lead by an American lady named Jenny. Her husband is a native to Niimi named Hiroshi and they have a son named Gin. Together, the Horai family reaches out to the Niimi community via English and Japanese Bible studies and are part of Niimi church. So, as a result, after reaching out to the students, I am then able to refer them to the Horai family and Niimi church, whereupon they can also begin attending the Niimi church and get plugged in with the Niimi Christian family of believers! The Lord is working in Niimi and it is a privilege to be used. Hallelujah!

David and Goliath

Today was an interesting day. At first, "Joy Time" (the name of our Saturday Sunday School), seemed as though it was not going to take place. I sat outside on the deck of the Sumida family residence and waited. I prayed that if it was to be, that the Lord would bring the students, and so I continued to wait. I knew Nagisa was not coming today since she had already called. On top of that, Setsuko is out of town right now, so if anybody came I was going to do it by myself today. Fortunately, Setsuko had already given me the consecutive Japanese translation for the story of David and Goliath, so if anyone came I would be ready to read in English and then to read the translation in Japanese. Well, just when it seemed that nobody would come, Yuki and her mother came! Praise the Lord! Also, Setsuko's parents decided that they would join the lesson too! I was amazed. Now, there was Yuki, and three adults. The Lord had provided 4 students! Hallelujah!

We began the lesson by reviewing the days of the week. We drilled the English names and then used them to practice saying our likes and dislikes. Yuki said, "I like Monday." I was surprised, since I don't like Monday very much. Then Yuki said, "I don't like Wednesday," perhaps because of the classes at school she had that day. We all agreed that we liked Saturday and Sunday.

Then it was story time. I read the story of David and Goliath taken from the children's Bible. As I read, I was so thankful because for the first time I was not only teaching children, but I was teaching the parents too. The Lord really encouraged me through this. After the story, we all played Sugoroku using the days of the week. We all had a great time! Yuki's mother thanked me and even asked if I would be here during the summer. So, it seems there might be a need for longer summer program. I will surely be praying about this. We'll see what happens.

MAJOR DEVELOPMENT: NIIMI STUDENT OUTREACH

The past few weeks the Lord has put it upon my heart to reach out the the people in Niimi, the city where I work and live during the week days. So after work on Wednesday, I went to Niimi college to reach out to the students. I brought a basic guide for students to understand the Gospel and become saved if they should choose, and a copy of the New Testament in both English and Japanese. I spoke with a few students on campus who walked by and even shared the fundamentals of Christianity with a girl who claimed to be Buddhist and had never heard the Gospel. During this time a Japanese man approached me. His name is Shusaku, "Shu" for short, and he is a new student at Niimi college. I told him that I am a Christian and that I am here to share about Jesus and he replied, "I am also a Christian!" It turned out that Shu had accepted Christ about 6 years ago, but since then has not read much of the Bible. He said he prays and that God has helped him through some really difficult times such as with his illness. Shu has a brain disease and is prone to having seizures 2 or 3 times a year. But, he is here in Niimi studying to be a nurse to help the poor children around the world. I was amazed. What faith he must have to simply believe in Jesus without much Biblical understanding.

Then as I went home, I ran into another student named Ayano who lives in the same apartment building as I do. I recognized her from a Bible study I had attended a couple of weeks before at a local teacher's house also in Niimi. Ayano is not a Christian, but the Lord has led her to the company of other Christians through the teachers at her school, so she has since showed great interest in understanding. Therefore, upon meeting her again, and having already agreed to meet with Shu on Thursday to study the Bible (the next day), I also invited her to the Bible study and she was excited to come. So, as of now, I have begun teaching/discipling a Thursday night Bible Study. Our first study was from the book of John and it was a tremendous blessing. We began with a song, "At the Cross." First, we translated the difficult words of the song from English into Japanese and then we sang in English together. Then we prayed, in both Japanese and in English. My prayer in Japanese is pretty simple, but the Lord has blessed me with the ability that I was not sure I had. Hallelujah! Then we dug into the first chapter of John. Next week we will be studying creation and the Ten Commandments and perhaps other things if the Lord leads, since ultimately I am trying to paint a clear picture of what it means to be a Christian and how to live the Christian life. The Lord has shown me that Shu needs to be discipled and Ayano is very close to receiving Christ and I am honored to be used in the furthering of such life giving processes. Praise the Lord! I will continue to reach out to Niimi students and may the Lord bless us with more students!

The Story of Joseph

Today we taught about Joseph and how he was sold by his brothers into slavery and into Egypt. Nagisa was our only student today. Praise the Lord for her faithfulness! We began our time together with prayer for the first time. Obviously Setsuko and I pray for this time constantly through out the week, but today the Lord put it on my heart for us to pray together with Nagisa and so we did. Praise the Lord! Then we sang our usual good morning song and reviewed the English names of colors. We played the "slap" game with the color flashcards and then we read the story about Joseph. As usual, I read in English and Setsuko translated. When Joseph's multi-colored coat came up, we made reference to the colors we had studied. We told about how Joseph's brothers hated Joseph since he was Jacob's favorite son and how they ultimately sold him into slavery and told Jacob he had been killed. Then we told of the famine that came over the land and how Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to get food. Finally, we shared how Joseph forgave them despite their hatred for him and that God had allowed for Joseph to undergo such suffering so that he could ultimately be used by God to save many people. The theme was forgiveness and after we told the story, we reviewed the story and talked about how God gave Joseph the ability to forgive. Then we went to the beach. It was a beautiful day despite the usual Spring haze which made for a rather overcast sky. As we sat on the pier and looked down at the water I asked Nagisa if she remembered the story of Noah and the Great flood that we had read a few weeks ago and she did. So after some more talk about the flood and imagining the earth having such a great amount of water during the flood, I made sure to remind her of God's promise that He would never flood the earth again. It was a blessed day and am so thankful Nagisa. Praise the Lord and may the seed being planted in her begin to grow.