Survey Trip to Kumamoto
Friday I spent most of the day in the car visiting Kumamoto with Tom and
Chris. We had a good time of fellowship with Pastor Inoue and Pastor
Matuzaki as they shared what they know about Kumamoto and churches in
the area. Later we meet with Rick Geisler, an independent missionary
working in Kumamoto. We heard bascally the same message from each of them.
Good churches can be counted on 2 hands. Even stretching out to include
everyone you probably don't make it to 30 churches. And that's in a city
of 700,000! Not a single church approaching 100 members. Easily less
than 1000 solid Christians. 4-5 small colleges but very little targeted
campus ministry. Several growing communities on the edge of Kumamoto
with no church. Friday was my 4th survay trip to different towns and
cities in South Kyushu, it is the same story in all of them, too few
churches do too little, few young Japanese pastors, few children in most
churches, few young people training for leadership in the church, few
young missionaries...
This is one of the most influential countries in the world with, I
believe, more potential to be used by God to reach the world with His
message than any other country. And, yet, Satan has it firmly in his
grasp and has so far prevented any real change in Japan.
---Hear your Macedonian call yet?---
A daily walk...
I try to walk or jog every morning with Ginger, our 1 year old beagle.
Recently the weather has been uncooperative so rainsuits are handy if
you want to stay warm and dry. However, this morning was beautiful! I
walked up the nearby mountain to a lookout point, Gyoindake. From here
you can see many small islands and a few larger ones, fishing boats
headed out for the day, the small town of Azuma, rice paddies, potato
fields, Nagashima Grace Baptist Church (you may need binoculars for this
one), and today, a nice sunrise.
I try to use this time everyday to pray and arrange my thoughts and
priorities for the day. Ginger isn't much of a conversationalist so she
doesn't mind. Today I need to send in some materials to be printed for
GRIT and... clean my room...
Cleaning my room sounds simple but for some reason it never is. I have
an office, library, computer center, workshop, music room, place to hide
from the kids, staging area for life room. If that sounds complicated
you are only beginning to get the idea. It needs to be a bedroom for
Merilee, Susan's sister, for the summer... right...
A quick glance around shows me a wall of books, computer and printer,3
rc airplanes, 4 airsoft guns, 3 guitars, a keybaord, 2 bins of GRIT
supplies, 2 toolboxes, a box of books to take to church for GRIT, a judo
uniform, videos for a correspondance seminary course I am taking, a box
of spin tops, a video camera, a backback, briefcase and a carry-on
luggage bag...that's the big stuff anyway. There is a small path from
the computer to the door...sort of...
So what's on your agenda for the day?
Summer's coming!
It is finally a warm day in Nagashima! Chloe and I walked to church this
morning, Susan and Cameron had to go to Akune to get her new driver's
license. I still have a ton of things to do to get ready for GRIT and I
am beginning to suspect that I won't get them all done. As it gets
warmer and the groups arrival gets closer, I will need to make sure I
work on the high priority items and not just the fun ones. I'm sure you
don't have a problem with that...
Susan went to Mrs. Kishimoto to pay for the after church meal on Sunday
(Easter). Mrs. Kishimoto remembered a recent conversation about English,
patted her head and said, "It's on the head!" Head, house close enough.
My office/ workroom looks like a disaster area as I am reorganizing
everything to make room for Susan's sister, Merilee to have a bed in
here for the summer. After that, we will have an intern for the next
year as long as he doesn't have any problems getting a visa. A new baby
and our first intern in the same year...hmmmm...
Rough week . . .
All of us have been sick this week, but I have had too much to do to
rest any so I am v.e.r.y. tired. I had errands in Kagoshima Tuesday -
two hour drive to get there, wednesday we left for Miyakonojo to do some
recording for Tom Carrs choir and finish a stand for his mixer, etc that
I ahd started two weeks ago. We came back late Thursday and I haven't
accomplished very much since then. Pastor Kishimoto called today and
asked if I could preach Sunday afternnoon . . . no problem, I'll just
whip something up as soon as I get over this headache . . .
Plans for GRIT are coming together well and I am excited. Not really
right now, but in general. I think we have a good plan and with the help
of Pastor Dean Graber and Pastor Lee Abuhl, we will be providing a
chance for the students to grow in their faith and gain some leadership
skills. I wouldn't cry if someone decided to come to Japan as a
missionary either. . .
