Pioneering in Japan

It was barely over a year ago that I received an email -  A Happy New year! My name is Hiro. I am a member of Victory Chapel Saipan. I have a Father who lives in Sagamihara City who wishes to visit the church. But he is a very strong Atheist. I have been talking about Jesus to him, and I am very happy that he became interested. But I am sure his interest is still Christianity as Philosophy. I really want him to be saved but I am so worried that he might not be accepted by your church. And I know it will take a time for him to be saved. Pastor. Is it possible for my father to visit your church?  Thank you very much. I pray that my parents will be saved soon. Respectfully Yours, Hiro  Some of you are familiar with the story of Hiro's father ("Mr. N"). About a week later I met with Hiro's dad, and we began what has now become a year-long journey together, exploring the Word of God. So just this past November, Hiro got in touch with me again. Between his w...

Look how close we are to the subway/train station - God is good! 181-0013 東京都三鷹市下連雀3-37-38 城西三鷹ビル3F 

This morning I left some newly printed flyers on the back table. As her family took a stack of flyers and got on the elevator, Bernice told her mother: "I have a REAL job. I work for Pastor Gary..." (Yes, we reminded her she's working for JESUS!) Sister Mitos emailed me after church: "Hello pastor Gary!! Bernice sent out all the flyers today! She did everything. I did not even get a chance to send out not even one flyer!! Here is a picture of our little miracle worker." Bernice's mother emailed: "She never felt discourage if some people rejects her flyers. She told me her exact words... 'Its ok mom, I'm just being patient...'" Don't worry, her parents are right there (taking the photo).  This is a street only 3 blocks away from our building! After service, Bernice and her parents, John & Mitos, took a detour on their way to the train station, and passed out church invitations to the crowd! The mes...

Mr N was excited to learn that there was going to be a Bible Class on Wednesday (we've had 3 already, but he hasn't always noticed the announcements). While Mr N doesn't seem to mind Sunday church services, all along his personal concept of "studying Christianity" involved sitting behind desks, perusing through worksheets, and getting assigned homework. We pioneer pastors are nothing, if not accommodating . Yes, I have worksheets. Yes, I can assign homework. Yes, I can order desks from amazon.co.jp (my wife calls them " fellowship tables ", but desks... yeah, they're desks! They sure are!). So while I'm laying the worksheets on our desk , my wife is setting out onigiri , tea cakes and barley tea on the, er, fellowship table.  I read through the first chapter of Genesis, pausing only for embellishments  comments, and emphasizing how God is merely laying the foundation and building up to the unveiling of his greatest creation: mankind ....

When my wife and I went to Mexico City in 1990-91 (we drove out of Las Vegas, NM in 1990, and didn't arrive in Mexico City until 1991), it was a whole different world, communication-wise. We didn't have a telephone, and didn't get one for several years. Telephone lines were in great demand in a city of 25 million people, and we were at the bottom of the list. A letter took from one to three months (if it even arrived at all). My mother-in-law would mail us a letter with photographs, and it would arrive over a month later, opened, stamped, sealed and re-taped. My mother would mail us a birthday card with a $10 bill tossed in, and it would arrive crisp and hermetically sealed (we called it the Mail Lottery - one just crossed his fingers and hoped!). We even went to the Telegraph Office from time to time. Suffice it to say, our interactions with our families were few and far between. They would go for months at a time not hearing from us, wondering if we were alive, dead,...

One of our Fellowship pastors wrote me, and asked if I could get in touch with his family in Japan (ok, he had my attention). Apparently his mother, like my mother, is Japanese, and they are actively in contact with their family in Japan. Happily, in this instance, the brother has names, phone numbers AND EMAIL ADDRESSES... (also, it helps that his family isn't located near the border of RUSSIA, or on the Senkaku Islands. Some people must think that Tokyo is the size of Indianapolis, and that everyone lives about 15 minutes away). He later wrote to tell me that his grandfather had suffered a stroke, and would I visit him, or at least pray for him. I was able to go visit his grandfather this afternoon. The aunt and a close friend of the family (who spoke English!) met me in the lobby of a large hospital in Shinjuku. We went up to the ICU and they took me to the grandfather's room, and introduced me to the grandmother. All three of them (the aunt, the grandmother and the fr...

I haven't mentioned Mr N. lately. A couple of weeks ago he'd told me that the trip  to church was too far (2 hours) and too expensive ($7 each way), and that he'd found a Christian Church close to his house with a pastor nearer his age. I called him today. I had planned on filling him in on what we've been doing, and letting him know we miss him, but no sooner had he heard my voice than he said "I need to come visit you at the church!" Needless to say it was a pleasant surprise ("O me of little faith"), and Mr N explained, "My son has been calling me and scolding me and telling me to go visit the church!" So he's going to be there  this Sunday ! Please pray for Mr N!  And you - call that family member of yours and scold him and tell him to go to church  this Sunday  ( because apparently, it WORKS! )