“Have you read a Bible before?” – “No.”
“Have you heard of Moses?”’ – “No.”
I was sitting at supper with a young man I had recently met, and the conversation turned toward the Gospel. I progressed through the Gospel story beginning with creation and sin then continuing to Jesus. His answers to the questions above showed me that he was hearing the Gospel for the very first time. We can easily take simple truths that the Bible teaches for granted, but many people here in Japan do not know them. Please pray for Hiroki to get saved.
During January, we have been able to meet several new people through language exchange. While this does not take the place of language school, it is a helpful tool especially for Rosie to get more speaking practice. Language exchange is where you spend 30 minutes in one person’s native tongue, then 30 minutes in the other person’s native tongue (Japanese, then English for example).
In our last letter, we wrote about the Christmas party that we hosted in our home. One of the ladies who came was a lady Rosie had invited from a language exchange meetup. She and Rosie connected again in January, and she said she was interested in learning more about the Bible. One Sunday morning, she even came to church with her daughter! She is from a strong Buddhist background, but says that it is not fulfilling. She will be starting a Bible study with Rosie soon. Please pray for Asami to get saved.
My phone buzzed. “I have some questions about Christianity. Can we meet up?” It was a text from another young man I have recently met. We met up later that day and I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with him. He knew of Jesus, but it was the first time he heard that Jesus died for his sins. He did not trust Christ, but we are excited that we were able to plant a seed! Please pray for Daiki to get saved.
We are working to continually meet new people and share the Gospel. Please pray for us to continue to find new ways to meet people and share the good news. Also, pray that those we have connected with already will come to church.
Yours for Japan,
James, Rosie, Silas and ???