Church in a house

As we are renting a house here and using it for our worship services on Sundays, there are certain things we can't do to mark it out as a church. We cannot out up a sign outside. We cannot display a cross on the building -though we posted an entry last year showing the wonderful cross someone made for us which we display inside our second floor window to be visible to passers by. We had an idea of decorating the glass panel above our front door so that it somehow reflected that our home is also the church. We are blessed to have Sambi san as our first member and she is so talented at anything artistic. You can see from the photo what she designed for above the door - complete with a cross in the middle. It looks really good after dark with a light on behind. These are just little ways of our trying to show to those in the area that this is where our church meets while at the same time remembering that our home is rented out for the purpose of a home which restricts what we can do. Holding church services in our home has many plus points. Yet it is not so easy to make our presence as a church visible in the community with no obvious building as such. We trust that passers by will notice the cross in the window by day and the illuminated cross above the door by night.

What is a church?

Yesterday David went to the dedication ceremony of a new church building in Sapporo. It is a church that was started over 50 years ago by OMF and over the intervening years God has grown this church and blessed it in many ways. The church has sent out missionaries overseas and because it has had many students attend over the years, many of these students have gone their different ways and contributed to the extending of God's kingdom throughout Japan. The new building itself is great. The church wanted a building that reflected the theme of 'light' and as soon as you enter the building you are in a place that is bright and welcoming. But of course a church is so much more than just bricks and mortar (or whatever latest materials were used for this new building). A building itself can look good and offer an ambience of peace and light, but it is the people inside who really make the church what it is. The comment was made more than once yesterday that the old building has gone and a new building has risen in its place - but the people remain. And indeed the hope is that many more people will in time be added to this church - not to a building but to the community of God's people which forms the church in that area. It was a privilege to be part of that gathering yesterday as God's people dedicated not just their new building but themselves afresh to all that God will do through them in the years to come.

Education options

One of the big issues when you work in another country as a missionary is children's education. In some countries local elementary schools are a good option; in other places it is more difficult. The larger question is often what to do when children reach secondary stage. Local options can still be there but it is often at that point that it is more necessary to transition to an education system (and language) which will be most beneficial for university entrance and also re-entry into the child's 'home country'. There is no one right answer in all of this and we, like many other parents, have had to grapple with the issues. The other day OMF held a seminar here in Sapporo where some parents (inclduing us) and some former missionary kids shared about their experiences with different options - local schooling, international schools, boarding, home schooling. There are pros and cons to any option and a child may or may not be able to thrive or cope with a particular option. It was good to be able to have time together to share openly about these (sometimes sensitive) matters and be able to support one another as different families prayerfully consider which path to follow for children's education. These days there are many more resources and the advance of technology along with faster travel helps so much. And we are thankful to be part of a mission agency which takes member care so seriously and has qualified people in place to be able to advise and listen as we make the choices we need to make concerning our missionary kids.

Gadgets and forms

Japan loves its gadgets. Shops selling electronic goods offer almost anything imaginable. Go into one of these places and it just pulsates with life (and noise!) New models appear with great frequency to satisfy the consumer's needs (well actually people don't need the latest design with the latest features to replace their 'old' model but they buy them anyway). You would think that with all this technology it would be a straightforward matter to get what you want speedily and efficiently. Ah, but that does not take into account all the attendant bureaucracy, not to mention the amount of paper shuffling. Forms abound in Japan. The other day we went to buy a new phone (one of the ones that cost zero yen) which one of our boys could use while he is on a trip next month. He was being added on to our existing contract but still we had to fill in several forms. Today as requested we went back to pick up the phone but more procedures were required. The form then needed to be faxed (still very popular here to deal with all the forms!) and 40 minutes later the matter was still not complete so we need to go back tomorrow (with our piece of paper), sign another form and we will have the phone! It's just amazing that with so much technology around things can take so long and generate so much paper. Just one of those other paradoxes which are so part of life here.

A new beginning

Exactly a month ago today David got a call from our agent to say that he had concluded a deal for an apartment for our new co-workers, JP and Nora. They moved in a few days ago and this afternoon we had a time in their new place to dedicate it to the Lord and to pray for JP and Nora's ministry as they join the team in Hiragishi. It really is a great apartment -spacious, bright and ideal for hosting guests. It is in a quiet location yet many people walk by on their way to the local station (the centre of Sapporo is only 10 minutes away by subway). Already JP and Nora have had encouraging conversations with their neighbours. It is important here to visit your neighbours for 'greetings' when you first move in and give them a small gift. We were pleased that as well as the Chuas and Sambi (the only member of church to date), a young guy called Wataru also came. He is a friend of Sambi's and comes once or twice a month to our services. He joined us later for our service too and as he left after we had eaten together he said he wants to believe in Jesus but... However that it a big step for him. We trust that God will use JP and Nora and do a great work through them in Hiragishi. It's so good to have them on board with their passion and love for Jesus. Willkommen!

Reaching the area

A couple of months ago we had a team of six here from Singapore to help us for a few days. We discovered two things at that time. One is that we still have so much work to do to make the church known in the wider community. That is not helped by the fact that we have no visible church building, just our house. The other thing was not really a discovery but something we understood afresh - that taking the gospel to an area where Jesus is not known is a very real spiritual battle. Today we were joined again by some folks from Singapore (9 this time and all giving up their holiday to come and help out in Sapporo for some days). It was cold, windy and a little rainy but undaunted we headed out in four teams to pray as we walked round the area (engaging in the spiritual battle) and to deliver leaflets with a simple story and Bible message to some 700 homes (making our church known). Who knows what the outcome will be? The fruit may be unseen, at least for a time. But it was encouraging for us just to be out and about praying for people who live in the area and in some small way offering them a chance to take a step nearer to Jesus. In many ways our emphasis in these months here has been to make personal contact with people - and we now know (and are known by) lots of people. But so many others are still quite unaware that there is a church in Hiragishi. Prayer walking and delivering tracts may be small steps, but God can use all these things to draw people in this area to himself. Thank you all nine of the guys who helped us today - we appreciate you so much.

Winter clothes

Lots of things change as we approach winter in Hokkaido. We get our winter gear out as the temperatures plunge and the snow begins to fall. However, winter clothes are not just for us humans. Smaller trees and bushes are meticulously tied up with rope and sticks in a kind of pyramid shape to protect them from the weight of the snow. And the other day we noticed something we have never seen before in Japan - a grave all dressed up in its winter clothes. As you can see from the photo, the little bushes at the front have been carefully tied up. But each part of the grave, including the large tomb stone is now enveloped in its own cover, each one presumably made to size. The graveyards here simply fill up with snow over the winter months so it is not possible to use them during that time. After cremation the bones of a deceased are placed in a casket and then later on buried in the family grave. During the winter months the bones must be stored elsewhere (often in the home) until the snow has gone and the grave can be used again. Yes, winter brings many changes to Hokkaido - in life and in death.

Reaching children

Today we went to another church in the morning. One of the good things about having the Hiragishi service in the afternoon is that we can occasionally go elsewhere in the morning for a visit. The church has an interesting name - it could be translated as 'Love your neighbour' Church though that sounds a little odd in English. Anyway, this a church which has been going for more than 20 years and has three large buildings on its land. What is impressive is that these buildings are filled with energy and life on a Sunday morning, not least with lots of children. The church has always had a particular ministry focus on children - indeed they have something on each day for children. They have a couple of buses which pick up children from further away and bring them on a Sunday morning. We attended the early morning Kids Special - around 100 children were there for an 8.45 start! It was great - fun, lively, welcoming, worshipful and an excellent Bible message by the pastor. The main worship service follows at 11am and around a third of the children stay on for that. We were impressed by the dedicated team which gives of their time and energy week by week to reach these children for Jesus. We came away with some ideas of what we might be able to do here in Hiragishi as we look to start some outreach to local kids over the coming months.

Working together

Every year there is a joint 3-day gathering of OMF missionaries in Hokkaido and the pastors of the church group with whom we work (JECA). Over the last couple of years or so JECA has been planning a new church plant somewhere in Hokkaido. It has been exciting to hear of this development and interesting to watch the way it has moved forward to this point. There have been joint church plants before but this time it is different. The local churches and pastors will take the lead, with OMF playing more of a supportive role. The group which had the task of identifying the place for this new church start (hoping to kick off in April 2012) has a vision for something bigger - seeing this first church plant as only the beginning of a desire to plant other churches in other parts of Hokkaido. While it is great to see this vision unfold, there are many issues to be worked through, in terms of the 'what' (what will this church look like?), 'who' (who will lead it) and 'how' (dealing with the many practical matters, including finances). OMF too is working through its role in all of this - what is our task as missionaries here and what should our priorities be as we work alongside a national church? Big questions that don't admit of easy answers. But God is at work in Hokkaido and we long to see him do more so that the many unreached people might have the chance to hear the gospel.