Dear Praying Friends,
Warm greetings from a sultry Sendai wee hours with temps up to about 31 degrees C. yesterday, Saturday. Tsuruko hosted 3 ladies in her kitchen yesterday for her monthly Bible study using the translation of Tim Keller's "The Prodigal God." I think she has used in the past her and retired Pastor Sato's translation of "Traning Hearts, Teaching Minds" by Starr Meade also (a family devotional based on the Shorter Catechism).
Our colleagues, the Lauers, found one of the ladies, S-san (names here changed; the "-san" is the suffix of respect) hiding in the entrance way of Kita Nakayama Chapel in Sendai where they lived around 1992. After years of domestic violence, early one morning, she ran for her life and found her way into the chapel. After being hidden in chapel family homes, she was spirited away past Tokyo after a tearful rendezvous with daughter working in a store. That was how S-san came to Christ. After serving in a Christian counseling center as domestic help, then a leadership training center in the kitchen (denominational name withheld), upon retiring, she returned to Sendai where she lives alone keeping a low profile, face covered when going out...in case former husband should discover her. Daughter in Sendai briefly attended a Baptist mission work on the coast.
This is a capsule picture of how the Lord brings people to himself...one by one. People with needs, scars, tears. Yet members of a new family--the worldwide family of Christ.
We cannot thank you enough for remembering Megumii Chapel and us all these years. We treasure the brief times of fellowship like during our two month home service last year, August to October passing through 23 states and speaking to as many churches. Thanks much for so graciously giving travel weary missionaries a warm welcome. I was moved rereading what friends wrote in Tennessee in the home service "guest book" we traveled with. "Don't lose heart but keep your eyes on Jesus. Our labors in the Lord are never in vain..." Those verses have strengthened hearts of believers for centuries.
We are heartened by missionary associate helpers, JB Hellman, my junior of many years at Westminster Seminary California in Escondido, Laura Baugh from the Orland Park OPC south of Chicago, and Sarah Durham, daughter of Pastor Carl in Vermont, helping the Lauers at Nozomi (relief) Center. Our associates do need to be cared for and need a much firmer financial base. But we thank the Lord for the encouragement they bring and many friends made for the gospel.
We keenly long for Japanese workers to be raised up. But instead of a baby boom like in some US churches, there seems to be a funeral boom, I was telling Tsuruko. People leave the church or get discouraged or depressed. Those caring for the flock are few. Yet the Lord does grant joy in worship and service as well as new faces in church.
One is 74 year old Mrs. Ono (named changed) who appeared "out of the blue" in January--referred by an American Christian friend she met near Mt. Shasta who found us on the Web. She may be the first person so introduced to us through the Internet. A former kimono making firm owner, she attended prayer meeting for the first time this past week, and prayed aloud with others for the first time in her life--though I gently said she need only join us in her heart. It was like hearing the first born cry of a new born infant! She says she loves reading the Psalms. She has a daughter north of San Francisco married to an American vineyard owner.
Yesterday 10,000 flyers arrived advertising the talk on July 16 by Mr. Moribe ("Mo-lee-beh") on Saigo Takamori,(died, 1867), the George Washington and Robert E. Lee of Japan rolled into one--and his appreciation for the Bible, a Chinese translation as the Bible had yet to be translated into Japanese back then. His favorite motto "Reverence Heaven, Love People" certainly evidences a biblical background.
The reverse side of the flyer advertises the 2nd creation talk of the year on July 29 by Pastor Toita, a United Church pastor who is, Lo and behold, also on the board of Creation Research Japan. We have also just received 4000 new flyers advertising our Megumi Chapel English program, featuring the faces of missionary associates JB and Laura.
We do not have exciting news about churches and presbyteries being formed. Actually we often seem to be losing ground compared to years past. Yet we know the Lord will use His Word. It will not return unto Him void, but will accomplish what He wills.
The foe is strong and subtle. It is only because we are covered by the blood of the Lamb that sinners like us have hope. Thank you so much for upholding us before the Throne of grace.
Please forgive me--and pray I will report more regularly. :) For now.
In His peace,
Murray