One book on culture described Japan as a “coconut” culture. People might seem very hard and stiff on the outside (like a coconut), but once you get past that hardened exterior, the inside is soft. We are finding this to be very true.
Recently, we have been trying language exchanges to try to meet new people. Language exchange is where you spend 30 or so minutes talking in English, then spend the next 30 or so minutes talking in Japanese. It is a good way to meet new people, and also a great way to get to know those people because your purpose in meeting is to talk.
One lady Rosie has been doing language exchange came to our Christmas party back in December. They met up last week and Rosie invited her to church. She came on Sunday morning! This is but a small step, but we were excited about it. Rosie has several ladies, and I (James) have several men that I am working with via language exchange. Our goal is to expose them to the Gospel and introduce them to Jesus. Please pray for us!
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THE ROBOTS ARE COMING…to a rice field near you. See the news section.
Praises
- New connections through language exchange
Prayer Requests
- Rosie’s Japanese studies
- Hope Baptist Church and the Hill Family
- “Bible and my ____” sermon series
- Ten Hundred Thousand Churches (details here)
From the News
Population decrease is ever on the horizon for Japan. With that in mind, there are many thoughts toward helping with the workforce. While farmland is scarce compared to the entirety of Japan, there are farmers. Kubota just announced their futuristic harvesting robot. If you’re curious what the future of farming looks like, be sure to check out this article.