It's tough to believe that MattyDub and I have been back more than two weeks from Japan already. We both found the trip to be an amazing experience, something that will stand out in our hearts and minds for a long time. We found the culture to be inviting and fascinating, with seemingly everything we did having already been thought out so we would be able to do it or use it most efficiently.
We found people to be unusually helpful and polite. Although language is a real barrier, more than once as we stood within the belly of the subway system, looking and pointing helplessly at maps either in our hands or on the walls, I spied someone watching and listening until they understood our plight. Then they would walk over and either tell us where we needed to be, or actually lead us to where we needed to go! Often in stores or restaurants, someone would work hard to use their little bit of English with us, sometimes being elected by the other workers. If English was not an option, an employee would use as many gestures as necessary to make sure we received what we needed. Other times the person behind the counter simply rattled on in Japanese, as if we either knew or ought to know the gist of the conversation!
As monolingual as the culture appears, there's a growing desire for English, especially among those younger. The Mustard Seed crew was ready to plant churches using Japanese as their medium of instruction until they were advised to be as bilingual as possible. They discovered churches led by Japanese pastors that had been communicating in Japanese only, but now were using English translators in their services. These congregations had experienced little or no numerical growth for some time, but upon beginning bilingual services, their numbers increased! So everything MSGF now does is done in both languages, in hopes of drawing both Japanese desiring to learn English, as well as internationals living in Japan.
And speaking of church planting, we told you that the MSGF Osaka team was preparing for a rally with professional baseball player and Christian, Matt Murton the day we left the country. The rally was held that night, with just over 300 in attendance! Most had the opportunity to hear the gospel for the first time as Matt (signing autographs on right) and Jay Greer (MSGF lead) both shared. And the team parlayed that evening into the introduction for their first church service held the following Sunday morning. 22 people gathered, many of them from the rally, as MSGF Osaka got off the ground! Please pray for them as they begin life together in this city of more than 17 million.
And pray for us as a church as we consider how best to bless and be used in Japan. We're looking to begin a partnership with the Osaka effort that will help with funding, prayer and other resources over the next 3-5 years. We're also talking with the team there about the viability of one of our Global Outreach (GO!) Teams visiting to serve for 2 weeks in late spring/early summer 2012. There is yet much to be discussed and determined as we want to be used as effectively as possible while we're with them.
Most consider Japan a difficult field of work for the Gospel. But wherever there are so many who don't know the Lord, there is so much opportunity for the message of hope and life to make significant and lasting impact in the lives of many. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers into the field...and then ask Him how YOU might be an answer in some way to that very prayer!
P.S.- thanks for following us while we traveled- between our two blogs, we had over 1,000 hits! That's a lot of you who found out the things we did, people we met, and foods we tasted on the other side of the world! And perhaps you also learned about a place that is now hopefully not as far away as it once may have been to you- I know we did.
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