Mission Report: Mark and Jim in Japan

It's been an excellent and very eventful 8 days since Mark and Jim arrived here and now it is hard to believe that they are already home. So much has happened and we have seen God move in so many special ways and He has changed so many lives. I hope the following report gives you some sense of how this mission trip went...

Church meetings: Mark and Jim were brilliant in the churches. They were so committed to just coming to Japan and blessing people and that is exactly what they have done. They lead four meetings and every one of them was excellent and there was a real sense that God has blessed people. The guys always offered to pray for people and there was always lots of response. One highlight was when a non-Christian man asked for prayer regarding his painful legs and back. Then after the service during lunch time, he was chatting to Jim and was demonstrating his interpretation of Irish dancing! He was jumping around like Micheal Flatley and we were all wondering about the pain in his back! Was a miracle?! Another praise point is that a girl from our English school, who has just recently become a Christian, asked Mark and Jim to pay for her as she wanted to tell her mother that she was a Christian. This is a big issue for converts here in this traditional society. However, the next day she told her mother and her mother was totally fine, and in fact quite happy about it all. The girl realized for the first time that God really is indeed real!! Great!

It seems that God has made a breakthrough in so many other lives as well. Mark and Jim have really been great ambassadors for N. Ireland! They made an impression wherever they went (especially in one church where Jim was mistaken for a movie star, although the pastor who made the mistake could not remember the star’s name!) and became friends with many people. The pastors of each church have asked them to come again, prompting us to beginning thinking about a second trip from Richhill church!

School visits: We visited both a primary and junior high school and the reception we got from them was so different. Maiko and I have a connection with the primary school and we have visited them often before, but the teacher we knew well has recently left and the head teacher does not seem so enthusiastic about us doing any Christian work in the school. In total contrast to that, the junior high school (which we visited for the first time) gave us a great welcome and we actually ended up taking one of the classes! Mark played some Christian songs and we played a game with the kids. After that the head teacher made us green tea and we had a good chat. It went really well and we really feel that this visit has opened the door for us to continue visiting this school. Praise God!

Sightseeing: During free time we hit Osaka for some sightseeing and managed to take in Osaka Castle (built in the 14th century by a samurai leader), Umeda Sky Building (offering great views of the city from the 39th floor called the “floating garden”), and Namba shopping district all in one day. We also visited a Japanese garden and the famous 100Yen shop! At other times Mark and Jim thoroughly explored our area of Osaka on bicycles, often coming home with amusing tales of their adventures!

Others: Mark also did a street concert in a local train station which attracted the attention of a number of people who we got chatting to. A couple of young guys with cool hair especially liked Mark! Meanwhile Jim was busy giving out tracts to passers by. Tracts remain a popular and effective tool in Japan as people will often read and respond to this form of evangelism. Many Christian in Japan say that they first heard about Jesus through a tract. Pray that the Lord will water these seeds. We also gave out some tracts whenever we travelled by train which is the best place because people have nothing else to do but read them!
Finally, we ended the trip with a party at Maiko’s mum’s house in which we invited non-Christian children and adults. It was so great and we sang worship songs together and just had fun and fellowship. We closed the night with Jim praying for people and everyone wanted prayer even the non-Christians. It was a speacil way to finish a great 8 days.

So that is it for another year for us. Mark and Jim were the last group to visit during a busy summer. But it was a great way to finish and has energized us for the work during the winter. Many thanks to Mark and Jim for their hard work; they have inspired many people by their attitude to God and life, myself and Maiko especially. Also a big thanks to the pastors and churches that helped us in everything, especially Kohitsuji Chapel for the accommodation and amazing hospitality. Finally, praise God for all the lives he has changed and for allowing us the privilege of doing His work. Amen!