The mornings and evenings are a bit cooler, but the sun still brings us its fair share of heat during the day in Nagoya (around 92F). September 1st marked one year since we arrived in Nagoya. Minus the time in quarantine when we arrived, we have been working here for about a year. It has been great to see how God is connecting us with people and allowing us to preach the Gospel.
In our last letter, we wrote about the short-term guitar class at the church. On the first Sunday in September, a gentleman who has been attending the class came on Sunday morning along with his wife. They are both unsaved, although he has some church background. We were able to talk again after the next guitar class and he has questions about the Bible. Please be praying for Mr. Terao’s salvation.
Toward the end of August, I (James) damaged the meniscus in my right knee. While the doctor at the hospital thought it might need surgery, the orthopedic doctor did an MRI and said that we would be able to proceed without a surgery. We are grateful that the healthcare system here has covered the majority of these expenses. The physical therapist says that it will be about 6 months to a year before I will be completely back to normal. However, I should be back on my feet (literally) before then.
We are currently in the process of changing things up with our midweek services. While we continue to meet and study the Bible, we are working to create a hybrid Bible study where people can also participate online via Zoom. This allows people who might be too skeptical about visiting the church at first to “attend” virtually and participate in Bible study. We are currently going through the Book of Philippians on Wednesday nights. The hybrid setup presents it own challenges when compared to a completely online or a completely in person service. We would appreciate your prayers as we work out the kinks to reach more people with the Gospel!
Yours for Japan,
James Miyashita