Operation Japan

The new Operation Japan, 3rd Edition, contains up-to-date information on each prefecture, key prayer targets, and a system for praying through the nation in a year. 

Many find this prayer guide to be an invaluable resource for themselves and their supporters. You can contact me at don_wright@mac.com for how to purchase this book.

Fun With English

(This is a great service that Russ Baustian has had over the years. He sends out this little note for English learners. If you are interested in getting it, please contact him directly at )

Welcome to "Fun With English", a ministry of the English Classes of Minami Urawa Baptist Church.

Today's word: "neck", the part of the body that connects the head with the rest of the body. It can become sore from strain. "I have a severe pain in my neck".

Today's idiom: "neck of the woods", any part of the country; place; neighborhood; vicinity; probably where you live. "And here's what the weather is in your neck of the woods."

To think about: Jesus said, "Dear children, it is very hard for those who trust in riches to get into the Kingdom of God." Mark 10:24

http://www.church.ne.jp/minamiurawa

Mr Baustian (Russ)

Cute is cool in Japan

Here is an interesting article. Hard to know how it relates to evangelism, but....

Cute is cool in Japan

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/32BECDDF-8206-4AB2-B19F-982C2F3A9C5A.htm

Japanese Web evangelism

At our Reaching Japanese for Christ Conference in February Dave Hackett of VisionSynergy handed out a paper entitled "Internet Evangelism: A High-Potential Tool for Reaching Japanese.

He gave the following points:

The Web has incredible potential for reaching Japanese - both in Japan and expatriates around the world, because:
• Japan is an educated, highly-wired society - almost everyone uses the Web (Over 61%)
• But the majority of Japanese do not have sufficient profiency in English to access evangelistic websites in English, which in any case may not be very contextualized for Japan
• There are only a handful of evangelistic sites in Japanese - a major missed opportunity.
• Few Japanese are likely to know an evangelical personally. Since most conversions result from personal relationship, this means that few will hear the Gospel from a person they know.
• Cellphone-based evangelism also shows high promise for Japan due to high SMS and cell connection to mobile-oriented websites.

If you are interested in the full page, write me at don_wright@mac.com

Great Illustrations from Japan

Neil Verwey has for a number of years sent out illustrations from Japan and Japanese culture. Some of you might be interested in receiving these. Just send a note to Neal at jm@japanmission.org
A WISH CAME TRUE

Kota, a boy who had yet to attend his first kindergarten class, was dying of cancer. When Mrs. Yahata, his mother, was told her of son's condition, everything seem to black out.

"I couldn't look at him after I got the news," Mrs. Yahata said. "Every time I saw his face I would start crying." Friends encouraged her to do everything in her power to make her son happy for as long as she would have him with her.

So she contacted the people at Make-a-Wish, first established in the United States in 1980, but now has affiliates in 27 countries and regions outside the United States. The Make-a-Wish staff comes up with a tailor-made plan to actualize each child's dream and they also function in Japan.

Kota Yahata was ready for his journey. Clad in his favorite T-shirt, jeans, socks and shoes, all emblazoned with his favorite character 'Thomas the Tank Engine', the boy from Hiroshima was set to leave on a magic trip to Thomas Land, an amusement park in Japan.

The night before his three-day trip, Kota was so excited he did not fall asleep until 2 a.m.

When Kota and his parents arrived at Thomas Land on Sept. 6, he was the 800th child in the country to have his dream come true through the auspices of Make-A-Wish of Japan that attempts to fulfill the dreams of seriously ill children.

For Michiko, Kota's mother, the trip gave her the courage to look her son in the eye again. Source – Asahi News,.: By S. Yakushiji, 2005-09-24

In a spiritual sense, if I may wish for one thing more than anything else to see, it would be to experience and see the beauty of God!

ONE THING I ASK OF THE LORD,
THIS IS WHAT I SEEK
THAT I MAY GAZE
UPON THE BEAUTY OF THE LORD.
(Psalm 27:4)

What better can I desire than to delight in His incomparable perfections and glory?

Neil Verwey

Japan Mission

From Just One Tract

It was about five years ago that a young Japanese man (19 years old) came to the USA. A woman happened to meet him and gave him a tract in Japanese written by a local Japanese lady. He was eager to meet the Christian, and right there he decided to become a Christian.

He went back to Japan and graduated from a two year course at a Bible School there. God led him to return to the USA, and now he has started a church with 10 or 12 Japanese attending.

This is such an amazing story for several reasons:
1. It started with one person who didn't know Japanese giving a Japanese tract to one young man.
2. He quickly came to believe in Jesus.
3. He quickly entered Bible School.
4. Now he is leading others to Jesus.
5. It usually takes so much longer, and seems so much more complex.

Lets always be praying and expecting God to do it again and again and again.

As they Return

At this time of year many Japanese students are preparing to return to Japan. Perhaps some of your friends are returning also. Often it is a difficult transition because of the ways the student has changed over the last year or months. And if they have become a Christian, or become a seeker, that transition becomes even more difficult.

Please do all you can to help them. Talk with them about the possible changes can help. Ask questions about how things will be with their family, friends, school situation, and church. Perhaps some will have become Christians, and never have attended a Japanese church.

Here are a few quick points:
1. Help them to see what is Western Christianity, and what is Bible-based faith.

2. Try to connect them with a Japanese Christian or pastor before they return.

3. Make sure to you find a Christian or a church that can follow them up in Japan. You may contact me for more information on this. don_wright@mac.com.

4. Keep praying and keep connected by email. Set some kind of a promise-goal that you will send emails, letters, birthday and special cards for at least five years.

You can download "Returning to Japan," A Reentry Workbook at http://www.intervarsity.org/ism/article/3502.


Don Wright

A Request and an Opportunity

1. Pittsuburgh Help.
Robert is asking help to find a family to stay with in the Pittsuburgh area, and also a church. If you have any help, please contact don_wright@mac.com.

Here are the details:
1) She wants a first-language English Christian family to board with (home stay) near or conveniently located to Pittsburgh Ballet School (2900 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh).

2) She wants a Japanese or Japanese/English congregation similarly located near her living quarters and/or the school

This young lady is an aspiring ballerina. The school in Pittsburgh has a ballet company attached to the school and she is hoping that this will help her to eventually find employment in this field.

2. An English Teaching Opportunity in Akita, Japan

From Gini
My friend in small town Kisakata, Japan is looking for a teacher for his English school. Mr. Sloan Carlson is an American married to a Japanese lady, with a small boy. He and his wife own and run a great school in Akita prefecture several hours north of Tokyo on the sea.
The couple that have worked for him for 2 years will be returning to Anacortes soon, so he would like to find some new teachers.

If you are interested, or know someone who might be interested, please contact "Sloan Carlson"

Memorial Day Weekend Report

From John & Barbara Whitehous

Thank you for praying! Here are some of the blessing.

Over 70 international college students came to Talk Time! The largest number we had all year.

On both Friday and Saturday nights we had 35 non-Christian international students continue to come to our events.

On Saturday night, following Eri’s testimony, gospel discussions went on for thirty minutes in some cases.
Conferees shared, they had gained confidence to share Christ with their Japanese friends when they return home.
Three “seekers” at the conference publicly stated they had moved closer to receiving Christ.

Over 50 Japanese non-Christians from area schools in Seattle had the Gospel sensitively explained to them by the Japanese conferees and Bridges staff over the course of the weekend!

Thanks for helping us impact these young lives for Christ!
Partners with you,
John & Barbara Whitehouse Campus Crusade for Christ