At the end of January, the Omicron variant began spreading rapidly in Japan. Aichi prefecture (our state) requested for special prevention measures to be put in place. These measures allow the local governments to place restrictions on businesses and the measures went into effect on January 21st. The government is also calling on people to refrain from unnecessary and non-urgent trips outside the home.
Originally, this was going to be a three-week measure, but they have just extended it until March 3rd. Thankfully, there are not any legal restrictions on holding church services, but it does seem like people are more hesitant to go new places.
Meanwhile on February 3rd Rosie gave birth to our third son, Ezra. There were no complications. My (James’) parents were able to come and help us while Rosie was in the hospital. That was a very big help since Rosie and Ezra were in the hospital for 5 days after delivery (this is normal practice in Japan). Both of them are now home.
We are about 2 months into our church plant and have been making adjustments as we go. Since we are not having to deal with a full lockdown, there are still places we can go to continue trying to meet people. We also are able to get tracts and flyers out.
In our last letter we shared how we learned about school gyms being open to the public for sports on some weekdays. While the city has restricted the use of some facilities (including an outdoor basketball court), school gyms are still open for use. We are thankful that this door for meeting people is still open for now.
Please continue to pray with us as we work here in Nagoya. We will need wisdom getting adjusted to having 3 kids and navigating the weeks ahead that are being affected by covid.
Yours for Japan,
The Miyashita Family