Connections

One of the great things about Japan is that everything runs on time. Yesterday David connected from our house in Hiragishi to the OMF Guest Home in the Tokyo area by subway, train, plane, monorail, subway and train, just moving smoothly from one connection to the next. The Tokyo rail and subway network is just like a maze of connections - in fact some of the stations are a bit like a maze too. But as long as you follow the right connections, you get to your destination. In many ways that's a bit like starting a church. What we're doing just now is making connections with people. Some may connect some day to our church. Many won't - but our contact with them will lead on to another connection and another and so on until some of them do in fact find their way to Jesus. David was sharing at a church yesterday about bearing fruit - often we don't see the fruit, but maybe we're just part of the grand process, just a link in the chain that leads someone to Jesus.

A 'bazaar' incident

A couple of days ago a lady was passing by our house when we were outside so we said hello. She seemed a little taken aback. Then we made another comment. She almost fell over with shock that we could even speak Japanese! We told her why we were here and that we had just started a new church. After more expressions of admiration for our (very basic) Japanese and a few bows, she was on her way. Today the postman was at the door and just at the moment she passed again! This time she had something to ask. Does our church hold a bazaar?! Well, we don't but many churches here do. She has lots of clothes she would like to donate! With a bit of quick thinking, Lorna said that we know of other churches in the area and we would ask around. God surely has been opening up contacts in this area in some strange ways. Maybe we should be planning a bazaar for next year! The lady didn't give her phone number but Lorna said to come back round some time and we'd let her know what we can do about her offer to give us the clothes. All in a day's work!

Another kind of spring

We named our church after a spring. Today was Culture Day in Japan so we enjoyed the amazing cultural experience of a hot spring. Must be one of the best things about this wonderful country. And today winter came a little early so we were able to be outside in a 40 degree bath, looking at snow-covered trees with the snowflakes gently falling on our heads. You just have to experience it to appreciate how awesome it is! Very therapeutic after a crazily busy month. In the same way, we would like Izumi Church (or 'Spring Church' - doesn't quite sound as good in English!) to be an oasis for over-tired, stressed-out, messed-up people.

Five plus two equals?

On the morning of 25th October we were delighted to welcome Dr Bruce Milne and his wife Valerie to the service in our home. Bruce shared from John 6 and spoke on the five loaves and two fishes. Just that morning he had thought of a way to apply that to the fledgling Izumi Church. We are five adults (Fergusons, Chuas and Sambi) and two children (Calum and Alistair). And look what Jesus did with such a seemingly small amount - used it to feed thousands! It was such a challenging and encouraging message as we begin the work here in Hiragishi. Bruce reminded us though that the arithmetic is not just 5+2 - it is 5+2+1. Jesus is with us. Someone wrote to us last week after the Dedication Ceremony and said they were praying the Lord would bring someone along yesterday to our service. Unexpectedly Sambi called and asked if she could bring a friend with her. God is good. And we trust he will continue to grow this church so that it becomes 10+4+1 and then 20+8+1 and so on over these coming months and years.

A special day

Sunday 25th October was a special day in the life of Hiragishi Izumi Church. In fact every year it will be a special day as we mark the church's birthday. Over 110 people (including children) crowded into 'the building below' (the kindergarten facility that sits right underneath our house) to celebrate and dedicate this baby church to the Lord. Vibrant praise, powerful prayers, and a real sense of the Lord's presence with us. People had come from many different churches around Sapporo and indeed further afield. There was a warm and joyous atmosphere which continued later into the fellowship time after the service. We are conscious though that the work has just started - the dedication service was not the goal but the beginning of the life of this fledgling church. What is our mission as a church? Quite simply to make and nurture disciples and to see a community of fruit-bearing believers established in the Hiragishi area. The task is awesome - but we serve an even more awesome God. And we go encouraged by the prayers and fellowship of many who gathered with us last Sunday, whether in person or in spirit.

A hi-tech grave?

Japan is a hi-tech country. You can get almost any gadget. Everywhere you go you see the stamp of technology. Japan is also a land where people take death and the after-life seriously. Funerals are elaborate affairs. There are important rituals to be observed at the grave. But the cost of both a funeral and a plot for the grave is phenomenal. And land is scarce. So how do you bring together the world of hi-tech and the world of the dead? You build a hi-tech 'graveyard' in a purpose-built multi-storey facility where the relatives can go and visit the altar where their loved ones' ashes are buried. You go in, swipe your ID card and the deceased's ashes (previously placed in an urn) are fetched by some automated system and brought to where you are. Photos of the deceased relative flash up on the screen. And people can pay their respects in the comfort of a special room set aside for that purpose. There are even adverts on TV for these facilities. They are becoming increasingly popular as they save space and lots of money. Even death is not immune to the advance of technology.

Don't come to school please

When you live in another country, you experience much which is different. Having our boys in local kindergartens and schools has taught us much. One thing which has happened every year is for the school or kindergarten, or certain classes within it, to be shut for a few days. Why? Because several of the children have flu. Every winter flu does the rounds here. Many people, children included, go to hospital to get an anti-flu injection. Yet still every year schools and classes have to shut down as the flu spreads its way among the children. So it's no surprise that the H1N1 flu has been cruising through schools and kindergartens. Alistair's kindergarten was shut last week. This week several classes in Calum's school (including his) have shut down as the number of children with H1N1 flu reaches the limit for class closure. Homework sheets are given out. The children are told to rest at home, not go to their friends' houses or club activities and avoid places where others are. Not easy for energy-filled boys! Calum even brought home a chart on which we are meant to record his temperature morning and night and indicate whether he's had a runny nose or a cough or whatever and hand that in to the teacher when he goes back next week. Calum is quite glad to have a few days off. Dad is not so filled with glee (Mum is in India and misses it all) !