Hello from Niigata, Japan!
It was a beautiful summer day in Minamiuonuma- city. Thank you all that supported the August community outreach. Believers and non-believers ate, sang, and rejoiced. The event had people from IUJ, the local radio station, our surrounding communities, our life group, and Gunma. The day ultimately turned into a praise and worship service. People shared stories about how God impacts lives. One of the ladies talked about a horrible accident and how God healed her from blindness. Our Gunma team shared the Gospel in Japanese and one of the performers repented and gave his life to Christ. It was a heartfelt family event that filled us with joy and lasting memories.
The Minamiuonuma Community Life Group has been impactful. The core members have been meeting for almost a year. Our group meets weekly to discuss real life challenges and how through prayer and understanding scriptures we can overcome life’s obstacles as we trust, and grow in relationship with God. It has been fun watching Japanese people teach non- believers about their relationship with God and how to share the Gospel.
We received some great news about a man that we prayed for several months ago. He was diagnosed with cancer and had 6 weeks to live. He and Mie’s uncle recently came into our Café to share that Jesus healed him. The doctors said it was a miracle because he is now 100% cancer-free. We shared the Gospel and asked if they were willing to repent and make Jesus the Lord of their lives. They both said YES! We prayed together and they were both saved.
We have a new Life Group member named Riku who is going to America for college. He was coming to our group in hopes of learning about America and to practice English, but he learned about something much greater – JESUS! He was saved on 8/4 and baptized on 8/11. He will be attending College in Minnesota. Mie connected with the Church and his new Japanese pastor. Their service is in Japanese with English translation. Riku-san will be staying with a Christian Japanese host family for 10 days before starting school. His new Pastor introduced him to his host family. God is faithful.
We recently met our team in Gunma. During our trip we visited a food bank, a share house for Hikikomori men, and a business local business. The owner asked if we could do a worship a version of our Life Group in her Florist shop. Personally, I think it’s a great idea! We GO as the Lord leads.
Hikikomori also known as acute social withdrawal, is total withdrawal from society and seeking extreme degrees of social isolation and confinement. The Japanese government has estimated Japan’s population of hikikomori aged 15–64 to be 1.15 million.
Rie recently was baptized in front of Heaven’s Café. Her boyfriend Taka was Baptized 6 months prior at IUJ. At life Group she shared that her Bible never leaves her side. It is beautiful to watch her relationship grow with God. She consistently shares with her friends how God impacts her life. Her stories inspire others.
We recently had a lady visit Heaven’s Café with leg and back pain. We prayed and Jesus healed her. God gave us a word to check her right leg and her knee. We had her sit down in a chair and her right leg was shorter than her left leg. We prayed as a group and her right leg grew out. She left pain free. It was incredible because some of our life group was at the Café. It built up everyone’s faith. We were able to share the Gospel with her, but she was not willing to turn away from her Shinto religion. We all prayed and thanked God for what he had done and asked Him to give her a new heart ready to receive His love.
Are you interested in seeing the Gospel shared to the unreached people groups around the world? Would you like to invest in the great commission? Come join us in the greatest endeavor of your life that furthers the Great commission and changes lives for eternity! Let’s share the Gospel with the unreached together.
“For many are called, but few are chosen.” Mathew 22:14
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