RJC World

Japan's Heat

2010-09-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

Japan News: The average temperature in Japan between June and August was the highest since records began in 1898, breaking the previous record set in 1994 and exceeding the average between 1971 and 2000 by 1.64 degrees C (about 3 degrees F).

May the Holy Spirit give a great heat within the Japanese churches, that they might be on fire for Him.

Global 30

2010-01-29T08:06:00.000-08:00

One very interesting development these days is an emphasis by the Japan government to increase the number of international students in Japan, doubling the number from 150,000 to 300,000 by 2020.

This should provide a great opportunity for Japanese returnees to reach out to these new students coming to Japan.

Reaching Japanese for Christ

2010-01-28T11:37:00.000-08:00

Many things have happened within RJC since I started this blog. Here are a few:

Conference multiplication: This fall we had our first Midwest RJC Conference. We are now planning for the fourth Southern California Conference and the second (third?) Northern Cal Conference. The Ninth International RJC Conference will take place, Feb 18-20.
RJC Academy: We are thankful for the basic course Japan 101 which has been of help to a number of people.
The RJC Emails continue to be helpful to about 1,000 people.

We have much for which to thank the Lord!
www.rjcnetwork.org

Japanese Americans- A Powerful Potential

2007-10-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at the Asian American church we attend in the afternoon I again glimpsed at the potential. The person came up to me and asked about our recent trip to Japan. He expressed his interest in going to Japan again with his young family.

I asked him about his Japanese roots and he said that his father's side connects with Kumamoto and his mother's with Niigata. His interest in going to Japan stems from his Christian faith and Japanese heritage, but didn't seem to connect with at interest in either Kumamoto or Niigata.

So I started my usual sermon, challenging him to 1) become familiar with his family roots; 2) pray for the towns where his parents came from; and 3) try to visit those areas in his trip to Japan.

Sadly, many Japanese Americans have even less interest in their roots than my friend has. But what a potential! There are over 1,200,000 Japanese Americans. That means there are at least 1,200 Christians among this group, probably two or three times more than that. Just think what a powerful force it would be if Japanese Christian Americans would 1) become familiar with their family roots; 2) pray for the towns, and churches in that area, from which their ancestors came; and 3) try to visit those areas to express Christian interest.

Here is the challenge. Whenever you meet a Japanese American Christian, use my three point sermon to turn their eyes and hearts back home.

Don

RJC is about networking

2007-10-02T13:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was in Los Angeles for a planning meeting with RJC Southern California. That was on Friday, September 28. Then on Sunday I visited two different Japanese church in the area. In all these meetings I was impressed again of how reaching Japanese for Christ is a team task, a network of many people sharing Jesus and love. Here are a few examples:
1. A Korean American young man who attended one year at Waseda University in Tokyo to learn Japanese. Now he is back in Los Angeles attending a Japanese church in the afternoon, burdened for Japanese. He plans to return to Japan to share Jesus through English teaching.

2. A Japanese who came to L.A. for college, met Jesus through the Korean Campus Crusade for Christ ministry on her campus. Now she is on staff with KCCC reaching out to Japanese students in Southern California.

3. A Japanese student who has recently become a Christian in a Japanese church here. He has never attended a church in Japan.

All around the USA and Canada good people are reaching out to Japanese students, business people and their families, and short-term visitors. And together we participate in God's Kingdom work.

Japanese and American Church Culture

2007-09-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

At our recent trip to Japan I heard Pastor Katsuhiko Seino of Tsuchiura talking about the problems that new Christians have when they return to Japan. He shared an extremely important insight. He said that we must remember and teach that the basic Japanese and Western church cultures are different!

1. At times we hear North Americans say that most Japanese churches are dead and not healthy.

2. However, the truth is that there are sick North American churches as well as Japanese churches.

3. The main issue is that there is a basic difference in church cultures, which take the characteristics of the broader culture.

4. I don't remember all the differences, but here are some of them.
1) North American culture (and church culture) tends to be horizontal; Japanese is vertical.
2) NA is informal; Japanese tends to be formal.
First names or honorific titles
3) Those who experience large active churches come back to smaller churches with fewer activities.
4) Western learning tends to be by discussion, but in Japan lectures are the accepted method.
5) The Western method of debate and speaking the "truth" no matter what is different from the Japanese desire for group consensus.

5. It is important to prepare the Japanese as he/she returns. Perhaps they will remember the general cultural differences, but if they have never experienced Japanese church life, they will expect a Western church culture.

Lets toss away the idea that the Japanese church is dead. It is alive and well! Lets remember to prepare people as they return to Japan.

What do you think?

Japan Trip

2007-09-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

JoAnn and I just got back from Japan yesterday. After a good night’s rest we are just about able to pick up a pair of chopsticks or a fork and quickly determine which end to use.
I was able to attend a 24 hour long Japan Evangelical Association Missions Forum. One of the components was a discussion group called the Diaspora and The Church. “Diaspora” here means the Japanese who are spread around the world.

Here are some of the highlights that relate to RJC.
At the JEA Mission Forum there were 60 or so leaders. I was surprised and please that many were aware of RJC.
I was able to see a number of leaders who have spoken at RJC: Pastors Seino, Watanabe, Saoshiro, Gushiken; Setsu Kuroda, Masahiro Takata.
I was able to see several who will be coming to RJC. The newest one is Ichimura Sensei who represents VIP. He will be presenting the VIP ministry and principles for reaching Japanese men. Pastor Seino will be the main speaker at the Southern California RJC Conference in January.
After the JEA meeting I was able to visit the JEMA (Japan Evangelical Missionary Association) Executive Committee. We talked a little about RJC and also presented the Operation Japan CD project. This is to put on CD all of the material that has appeared in the Operation Japan book, plus pictures and internet connections. They were very positive about this project.
Masahiro Takata also volunteered to be more active in the RJC Academy preparations. If you have not joined the Yahoo Discussion Group, I would encourage you to do so. Go to Yahoo.com, open a free account, and then go to RJCNetworkTraining, and sign up.

Reaching Japanese is a team event

2007-08-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

Today I came across a letter from Gordon Kaneda, pastor of the Lynnwood Japanese Church in Washington. He very clearly shows how English speaking people and Japanese churches can work together.

A high school exchange student - Yuka - was brought to our church by her host mom last Sunday.
The host mom said, "She recently accepted Christ!"
She had been to Westgate Chapel with her host family, and even though she didn't understand she liked going to the church.
The host mom shared the Gospel with her, and when she asked Yuka about receiving Christ, Yuka said, "Yes."
The host mom also showed her the Jesus video in Japanese. At the end of it, as the narration led the viewer to prayer, Yuka simply mumbled because the narration was telling her to do so.
As the host mom saw that, she was so excited. "You just prayed the prayer!!!!"
The host mom was very excited again that Yuka had accepted the Lord.

Well, before the service when my wife was talking to Yuka, she said, "I'm a Buddhist."
After the service, I asked her about what I had heard from her host mom.
Yuka said, "I couldn't understand what she was saying, so I just kept saying 'Yes'."
She also said, "I was a Buddhist, but I didn't think much about it, so I thought it was okay to change my religion."
So...she didn't understand the Gospel. What she understood was that she was asked if she wanted to "change her religion."

I went through "Knowing God Personally" with her and explained what Christian faith is all about, and her eyes grew large.
And at that point, SHE ACCEPTED THE LORD!!!!

The host mom did exactly what she needed to do for Yuka.
She took her to church.
She shared the gospel with her.
She showed the Jesus video in Japanese to her.
She did everything she could to communicate Christian faith and love to her.
Then, SHE BROUGHT HER TO A JAPANESE CHURCH.
These were all very crucial. As a result of all of these acts of love and passion, Yuka was very open and ready to hear the Gospel in Japanese when she came to our church.
It would have never happened without the host family playing this important role in the whole process.
Yuka later emailed me and said, "Thank you so much for explaining in a very understandable way. I enjoyed so much, and I'd like to come to the church again."
The host mom was so happy to hear the news, and she is really looking forward to bringing her to our church again next Sunday.
Now it is our responsibility as a Japanese church to guide her to baptism and help her to grow as a Christian before she returns in July 2007.

Connecting the Returnee

2007-07-24T07:49:00.000-07:00

Making sure that Japanese find a good fit into the Japanese Christian fellowship is crucial as they return to Japan.
You will find good help at our www.RJCNetwork.org. Look at the articles and audio section.

You can also find lists of churches in Japan that are eager to help the returnee. Dale & Liz Halligan have several church suggestions at https://www.isiwebnet.net/sites/dhalligan/International%20Friendly%20Churches . Liz Godwin at also is continually adding churches to her list. I also have reference books that list every church in Japan, and you can contact me. But remember to give me your email address directly at don_wright@comcast.net .

However, my strong advice is to first contact Japanese Christian Fellowship Network (JCFN) at http://www.jcfn.org/english.htm, then click the "Follow Up Request" link. Most likely they can not only get a good church fit, but they can also connect the returnee with former returnees and returnee fellowships that will greatly help.

Japanese Western Weddings in Japan and Elsewhere

2007-07-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was working on the new "Operation Japan" Prayer Book which will come out as an expanded CD only edition. Here is what we had in the 2004 edition, pg 52:
--------
Some missionaries say that the wedding ministry in Japan is the most effective mass evangelism method today. Here is the reason they are saying that. Of the 750,000 weddings performed yearly in more than 3,000 wedding chapels and other locations, up to 75% or 562,500 are Christian or Western services. With an average of 50 guests per wedding, this means that in a year up to 268 million people come in contact with God’s Word. They sing two Christian hymns, hear two prayers and a short Bible message.
---------

There are at least four levels of Western (Christian) weddings for Japanese taking place in Japan, Hawaii and elsewhere.
1. Pure secular business weddings. These take place in wedding halls, hotels, etc. and are often conducted by non-Christians.
2. Secular business weddings conducted by Christian missionaries, pastors. These ceremonies often allow 10 minutes with the couple before the wedding in order to explain something of the meaning of the ceremony.
3. Western weddings, conducted by Christian ministers with counseling. Those getting married may or may not have had previous contact with Christianity. During the counseling there is opportunity to explain the gospel. In some cases there is follow-up after the wedding.
4. Western weddings conducted only under the authority of a Christian organization, like a church, only for Christians.

My personal feeling here is that we need to pray for those getting married at each of these levels. Even #1 weddings conducted on the beaches of Hawaii allow the name of Jesus to be used, the Bible is read and a hymn is sung. May God use these unprecedented opportunities to bring many to Himself!

What do you think?

DW

Remember.

2007-04-16T08:45:00.001-07:00

Just a reminder that if you would like my personal response from your questions or comments, you must send your email directly to my account at don_wright@mac.com .

Thanks,
Don W

Where are Japanese?

2007-04-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

Today I was reminded of the amazing work of the Joshua Project in compiling the information concerning people groups of the world. Where are Japanese? And what other language groups are in Japan? The answer? Check out Joshua Project!

Because our primary interest is concerning the Japanese in different parts of the world, I went first to:
http://www.joshuaproject.net/peoples.php?rop3=104189 . They list Japanese in 41 different countries. They range from 30 in the Falkland Islands to the larger countries like the USA.

And now I have another figure to toss around. In our RJC website (www.rjcnetwork.org) we say that 500,000 Japanese are temporarily in North America. These are those who are in North America as students, business people and family, and longer short-term visitors. Then we have the figure of 5,000,000. This is the figure that the Japanese government has for those Japanese who each year step on to United States soil.

At the Joshua Project web site we have the figure for USA of 1,207,000. This includes temporary people and those who are residing in the country more permanently. And for Canada the number given is 61,000.

What ever the figure we use, lets pray for the Japanese who are present in other countries around the world. They often are more responsive to Jesus there than they are back hom.

And while you are at the Joshua Project website, check out: http://www.joshuaproject.net/countries.php?rog3=JA . You will find a list of 33 people groups, including Japanese. That makes 5,741,000 non-Japanese living in Japan.

Thank you Joshua Project people for your great help!

How do Japanese come to know Jesus?

2007-04-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

How do Japanese come to know Jesus? A thousand ways with ten thousand steps of God’s divine leading! Listen to one story.

Yuko started out with some private English classes, taught by Debbie. Another lady shared about the Bible for awhile, but soon Debbie was doing both English and teaching about Jesus.

Here is how Debbie tells the story:
------------
One day I asked Yuko if she was aware of God showing His love to her.

She suddenly appeared very nervous, and her eyes filled with tears. “Yes, but I’m afraid to tell you. You will think I’m crazy or you won’t believe me!” she exclaimed.

Twyla, my friend, and I assured her of our friendship and our trust. Yuko turned to me and asked, “Do you remember that day at the grocery?”

I knew exactly what day she was talking about. The cashier was ringing up my groceries when Yuko walked in the door. I saw Yuko and called out her name, but she looked right at me but showed no recognition on her face. I continued to call out her name, and her expression changed from lack of recognition to an expression of confusion and fear.

“I don’t think she knows you,” commented the cashier.

“Of course she knows me. We see each other every week,” I responded.

Finally, Yuko blinked a few times, and then said, “Oh Debbie, it’s you!”

I had wondered about this event, but never said anything to Yuko about it. Months had passed. What could possibly be the connection?

Yuko told her side of the story to us. She had entered the grocery store and heard someone calling her name. When she looked in the direction of the voice, she saw a bright light. Finally, she said the light disappeared, and she saw me.

Twyla and I looked at each other. I felt my spine tingle; my hair felt like it was standing on end.

Yuko continued her story, telling us it wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. One day she was at the mall and saw another Bible teacher. She started to call out to her, but stopped suddenly because she saw a bright light where she had previously seen the teacher.

Yuko said she had been scared when she saw the light, and had tried to explain it away. Perhaps there had been some strange reflection of the sun. She also thought maybe she was crazy.

A third event occurred which really alarmed her. She had gone to an acquaintance’s house to return something her husband had borrowed. When the woman came to the door, Yuko said she saw a scary darkness in the woman. She stressed it wasn’t dark skin. Yuko said she knew she had to turn away from the darkness. When the woman invited her into the house, Yuko told her she had to leave.

After reviewing these events, Yuko realized something. The two people in whom she saw light were Christians, and the one person in whom she saw darkness wasn’t a Christian. Yuko thought maybe the Bible had an answer. She read the entire New Testament, making a list of all the references to light and darkness. She told us maybe God was showing her His Light was in people who accepted Jesus. We agreed with her, but we were surprised to find she still wasn’t ready to ask Jesus into her heart.

Time passed and Yuko and her family had to return to Japan. After her experiences with the light, I couldn’t believe she still was not ready to accept Jesus. Mike and I continued to pray for her salvation. We gave her some Michael Card music and the “Footprints” poem.

Yuko sometimes sent letters from Japan. Many times, she wrote that she felt depressed. One time she wrote, “Debbie, it is so dark here.”

We were happy to hear that Yuko had finally found a Christian church near her home in Japan, and was attending. But Yuko’s letters got farther and farther apart, and ach time she wrote, she sounded more depressed.

We continued to pray for Yuko and eventually, I received another letter. She wrote, “I would like to tell you my special news. I was baptized on July 8th. I’ve finally found Him I’ve been looking for. You put a seed in my heart several years ago. It is growing; you will be delighted about it I hope. Without being aware of it, I now realize that He has become a very important part of me. I will treasure you all my life. I long to see you. If it weren’t for you, I would still be wandering in my days of darkness”

How do ministries to Japanese get started?

2007-04-12T18:11:00.000-07:00

How do ministries to Japanese get started? A thousand ways with ten thousand steps of God’s divine leading! Listen to how things got started with Debbie in Bowling Green.

When I moved to Bowling Green in 1984, I had just gotten married. First Baptist in town had an International ministry to several different language groups. So I started teaching several people. The church didn't have a class specifically for Japanese people. One lady, Yuko, tried some of the classes, but decided she wanted private lessons. I was asked to do it because Yuko and I lived in the same neighborhood.

When I first began, I didn't think I could teach the Bible to Internationals. I prayed for someone else to teach Yuko the Bible and God answered that prayer through Mrs. Short, the director of a Christian preschool, who started working with Yuko. Over time I grew more confident and when Mrs. Short moved away, I became Yuko's Bible teacher. I'm not sure when it happened, but along the way I began to feel a call to work with Japanese

Before returning to Japan, Yuko recommended me to two of her friends. One lady was very closed, but the other lady, Michiyo, started asking me about Easter during her first lesson. She became a Christian that summer. In November, 1993, Michiyo told me, "God wants you to start an ESL ministry for Japanese at your church." We had just recently joined Eastwood Baptist. Michiyo called every Japanese lady in town, and asked if they were interested. Thirteen people said yes to English, although some made it clear they weren't interested in Christianity. In January of 1994, we started three English classes and one Bible study class. A couple of years later, Michiyo returned to Japan.

Since then, a lady named Yukiko became a Christian and helped lead Kei, an exchange student to the Lord. All of these ladies are now back in Japan.

Currently we have four English classes on Tuesday mornings, one Bible study class on Wednesday morning. One Japanese family attends church on a regular basis. None of these are Christians. Two ladies and I also teach private English lessons which gives us additional opportunities.

Reaching Japanese By The Centemeter

2007-03-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

Many years ago I was introduced to the Engle Scale of Evangelism. Jim Engle developed this scale to show that everyone can be classified by his/her awareness of and reaction to the gospel. Some people are a -8, having never heard of Jesus Christ. Others are at -4 in that they have an awareness of the gospel and are beginning to see the personal implications. So when a person moves to a -2 or a -1 they are ready to make a personal decision to either trust Jesus or not.

Then Engle showed that the various methods we use to present Jesus should be adapted to where people are along the scale.

I liked this scale because it always reminded me that often our ministry to Japanese was helping them down the scale toward a decision. The English classes, friendships and even just a smile and a greeting could help someone begin to be interested in Jesus.

Today I received an email from a friend who is now serving as a chaplain in a nursing home in Mid-West America. He and his wife have a special interest in Japanese, so I could sense his smile of thankfulness as he wrote that an elderly Japanese woman had recently confessed her faith in Jesus.

I know absolutely nothing about the situation and the process that led to this decision, but I can imagine that there were thousands of centemeter-sized steps that brought her to this decision. I sent a response to my friend, suggesting that she might wish to inform her relatives back in Japan that she had made this new decision. Perhaps that might result in a half-centemeter movement for someone back in Japan.

The point of this note? Be encouraged that your ministry today might only move people a centemeter or so toward Jesus. It might be the centemeter that moves the person from -6 to -5.9, or it might be that final centemeter that brings them to faith.

Obstacles to Japanese Evangelization

2007-02-24T13:03:00.000-08:00

In the Japanese Evangelization Update by the Japanese Evangelization Center in Pasadena Nobuji Horiuchi wrote the lead article with the title "Four Big Obstacles to Japanese Evangelization." He lists them as 1) Ancestor Worship, 2) Many Idols of Deities, 3) Evolutionism, and 4) The concept of the Basic Goodness of Human Nature.

The November issue dealt specifically with ancestor worship. Most helpful was Horiuchi's attempt to not just condemn ancestor worship, but by understanding its background to enter into a positive dialogue.

You may get on the mailing list for this newsletter by sending to:
Insititue of Japanese Studies
US Center for World Mission
1605 Elizabeth St
Pasadena, CA 91104

Conference, Festival, and Decisions

2007-01-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

There are several things that I have been meaning to share with you all.
1. The coming RJC Conferences.
January 27 at Torrance, California
February 16-18 at Bothell, Washington
These two conferences are going to be the best ever. Please pray. Please attend, and please register on line at www.rjcnetwork.org .

2. The Okinawa Franklin Graham Festival , November 3-5
A total of over 30,000 people attended this crusade in Okinawa. Close to 2,000 people responded to the invitation to put their faith in Jesus Christ. Please pray for the Christians as they follow up on these people.
You can find out more detail at http://www.christianpost.com/article/20061109/23069.htm

3. “Kimigayo” Court Decision
Some of you are aware of the major problem concerning the “Kimigayo” directive in Japan. Kimigayo is the Japan national anthem which has a strong nationalist emphasis, including the veneration of the Emperor. The singing of Kimigayo was central to the patriotic movement during the war, so when Japan officially made this the national anthem in 1999, Asian nations strongly protested. Japanese Christians and others also expressed their strong opposition.
This became a difficult situation as the Department of Education made it mandatory for teachers to stand and sing the national anthem during school ceremonies. Penalties included official warnings, pay cuts and suspensions.
However in September the Tokyo District Court ruled that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government could not force teachers against their wishes to stand and sing the anthem. And the 401 teachers who objected will receive about $300 each as compensation for their unfair treatment.
With many sensing a growing return of nationalism and Shinto pressure, we can thank God for this break in that trend. Pray that Japan will maintain its freedom of religion laws.

RJC Training

2006-12-09T13:27:00.000-08:00

There is a great opportunity within the Reaching Japanese for Christ movement to help train people to better communicate the love of Christ to Japanese. The following is a brief summary of where we are. If you are interested in being included int the internet discussion and planning for this, please email me (Don Wright) at don_wright@mac.com .

The Problem and Opportunity:
1. The vision of RJC is “To glorify God by partnering together, to give the approximately half million Japanese who (temporarily) reside in North America an opportunity to hear the gospel and become disciples of Jesus Christ!“
2. So the key words here are 1) glorify God; 2) partnering together; 3) Japanese in North America; 4) hear the gospel and become disciples of Jesus Christ.
3. We have rightly so emphasized that our RJC primary thrust is to connect people around a common desire to share Jesus with Japanese.
4. God has graciously blessed our feeble efforts. A number of networks have been developing that has resulted in partnering activities.
5. However, I think we have not been as effective as we should be in preparing and helping people to do this ministry.
6. People have come to conferences, been encouraged and learned a little. But we have not in any systematic way helped them to learn about Japanese culture, religion, evangelism, etc.
7. JCFN and other groups are working on training Japanese in these areas, but there probably isn’t any place in North America where there is an adequate course to prepare English-speaking people to effectively share Jesus with Japanese.

The Possibility:
1. The RJC movement and related conferences, website, etc. probably is connecting with more people concerning Japanese ministries than any other body.
2. It seems logical then to say that we have a responsibility and opportunity to better prepare English-speaking people. Perhaps we also have the opportunity to help train Japanese also.

Ways We Might Respond to These Possibilities:
1. Do a few band-aid types of improvements on the things we offer at the conferences.
2. Personally I would like to see us develop a plan that would include providing an educational/training program to prepare people to carry on effective evangelistic and discipleship ministries with Japanese.

A Few Thoughts about such an Education Program:
1. These are just thoughts that are in my head, and not a road-map for where we are going.
2. As much as possible, the program should meet the needs of the Japanese and English-speaker who is concerned about Japanese.
3. It would provide for several levels of training for people with different motivations, from the mildly interested to the one preparing to be a career missionary in Japan.
4. It would be helpful to bring a fairly comprehensive program that would include spiritual development, Bible knowledge, general leadership, missiology, Japanese culture, religion, church, etc.
5. There should be some way that one could enroll, make progress, and have a sense of finishing these levels. This could be by some kind of recognition, diploma, formal recognition by a Bible school or college.

Resources Available:
1. There are some on-line Bible courses that are available.
2. We have a number of audio files at our rjcnetwork.org website.
3. There are some schools that might be interested in partnering with us.
4. Some great people who have participated in the conference teaching.
5. The RJC conferences taking place at multiple locations.

Possible Course Work:
1. Participation in RJC Conferences and workshops
2. Reading assignments, papers and some kind of testing
3. Mentoring experiences
4. Leadership development experiences
5. Weekly or monthly classes at certain locations

Next Steps:
I hope you are still reading because here is finally the invitation. As you read over the points above, did the Holy Spirit make you excited about this (in spite of pre-Christmas overload)?
In order to move to the next level in this training, we need a group of people who first of all are willing to discuss this and help develop a plan. Perhaps several of you will say that the Lord has prepared you for such a time, that you have a burden for Japanese ministry, you have educational experience, and other gifts that would indicate that you should be helping in this.

Anyway, right now I am asking if you are interested in participating in an Email discussion concerning how RJC can improve our training of people to minister to Japanese. You don’t need to be in the Seattle are to participate.
----------------------
Just you who are interested in participating should fill in the below (And please don’t use bogus names:))
Name:
General Location:
Interest and experience that might be of help:
---------------

Thanks,
Don Wright

From "Japan Harvest"

2006-11-28T16:29:00.000-08:00

I received the latest issue of "Japan Harvest" the other day. This is the official publication of the Japan Evangelical Missionary Association. (www.jema.org). There were a number of great articles.
Gary Fujino wrote "Ukiyoe Church Planting: Layers and Evangelism in Japan." He made an analogy from Japanese woodblock prints. "The Ukiyoe prints were produced by a complicated process that required multiple successive impressions of painted wood etchings on sheets of Japanese rice paper, called washi."
The parallel is that for most Japanese to come to Christ there is a complicated process involving multiple exposures to Christ. In our missionary work in Japan we often were part of the first exposure that people had to Jesus. However, most often those who actually became followers of Jesus had already experienced multiple contacts with Christians, with the Bible and with Spirit-led life experiences.
Let me encourage you to remember this when you are sharing your lives with Japanese. You might be the first woodblock impression, or only one among many. However, most will require many contacts with the Gospel before that beautiful picture is completed.

don wright

Father's Love Letter

2006-10-29T16:26:00.000-08:00

Just today I was introduced to www.FathersLoveLetter.com . There are a number of things on their website that can be helpful. The English base form is an intimate message from God to us, quoting verses from the Bible that explain God's love, care and salvation.

The letter has been translated into many languages, one of which is Japanese, of course! So you can print out the letter, or you can also encourage your Japanese friends to view the video.

JoAnn's sister introduced this to me. She used it as a gift to friends in Okinawa. She printed it up in color, rolled it up, tied it with a ribbon, and then gave it as a gift along with other presents.

Give it a try at www.FathersLoveLetter.com

DW

Japanese Swords

2006-10-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

CRAZY ABOUT MUSASHI

Musashi was a famous Japanese swordsman who lived some 300 years ago. According to history accounts, he has been the strongest man in Japan and is a popular figure even today.

He developed the method of fighting with two swords. He was always keen to take on opponents of greater skill than he was, in order to improve his skills in fighting with swords. Musashi fought more than 60 times in his life, and he never lost. Once he even took on 70 opponents one after the other,

Recently the story of Musashi has featured in numerous movies, novels and TV shows. Why, after so many years, has he suddenly become so popular again?

"Japan is in a very gloomy mood at the moment and people are looking for a hero with spirit and individualism like Musashi," said one of the leading commentators in Japan.
Source - Japankids Web Page, 2003-07-23

What we need in Japan is not the sword of Musashi, but the sword of the Messiah!

FOR THE WORD OF GOD IS LIVING AND POWERFUL,
AND SHARPER THAN ANY TWO-EDGED SWORD,
PIERCING EVEN TO THE DIVISION
OF SOUL AND SPIRIT, AND OF JOINTS AND MARROW,
AND IS A DISCERNER OF THE THOUGHTS
AND INTENTS OF THE HEART
(Hebrews 4: 12).

(This is taken from Neil Verwey's regular notes relating Japanese stories with Biblical truth. You can receive these directly by writing Neil at jm@japanmission.org)

At the Missions Fest

2006-10-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't received any reports concerning the number of people who attended, but the first Missions Fest at Seattle on October 6 & 7 looked like an outstanding success.

Dan Brannen and I (Don Wright) had one of the seminars. There were 100s of seminars, but we were the only one with a Japan-related theme. Our title? "The Strategic Opportunity for Reaching Japanese in North America." There were about 20 people who attended. And 11 signed up to be included in our RJC EMail Network.

Here we were in Seattle. We were at the Northshore Baptist Church in Bothell, Washington. Perhaps thousands of mission-minded people had gathered. This is where we have had our six national conferences. And yet at our seminar less than half of the people had ever heard of RJC (Reaching Japanese for Christ)!

We are thankful for the new friends we made at Missions Fest. But it was another reminder of how big the opportunity and need there is to help broaden the network of people burdened for Japanese ministry.

If you are not yet connected to RJC network, please send an email to me at don_wright@mac.com, and I will connect you up. Remember don't just write a comment on this blog, but send the note to the email address.

Also, if you would like to receive a copy of the Resource page for Japanese ministry, let me know at that email address.

Don Wright

Another Note on the Gallup Survey

2006-09-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

Steve Clark shared this:

Japan Campus Crusade has provided a Highlights of the Gallup Survey document.Gallup Survey 2001 Highlights

It is amazing that 7 percent of teenagers reported following Christianity, but there is obviously a lot of confusion out there as well, and a great need to get the word out to more Japanese revealed here as well.

RJC Is Networking

2006-09-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

What power there is in helping one another! Today I am reminded of how important the Reaching Japanese for Christ ministry of networking is. There are so many good things happening around the world as people reach out in love to Japanese who are living abroad. However, often these ministries are not well connected. Good Japanese pastors and churches are ministering to Japanese in the same city where English speaking churches and interdenominational programs are doing ESL ministries, homestays, campus ministries. However, the ministries carried on by the English speakers often are not connected, neither are they networked well with the Japanese ministries.

Dave Hackett shared this quote in an early comment. "When spiders unite, they can tie up a lion."
-- Quoted by Robert Ficken, The History of Washington (State), UW Press, 1989.

Back in March, 2006 Dave H. wrote up a short article about the personal benefits he had experienced because of the RJC Conference the month before.

How Networking Flows
by Dave Hackett

A participant at a recent computer conference described his excitement about the conference, saying, "I always meet someone here who I didn't know I should know. We make a lot of connections that might take a lot of time if we didn't have this."

That is my experience attending the 2006 Reaching Japanese for Christ conference and its networking pre-conference in Bothell, Washington. Yes, I figured I would meet some new people. But I didn't figure I would meet people I didn't even know I should know! It speaks well of the serendipitious connections and connectional efficiency that happen through networks.

I'd like to paint a little picture of the web of relationships that, for me, has flowed out of my attendance at the RJC conference. Several stories illustrate how this network has been spreading ideas virally since the conference.

At the RJC networking pre-conference I shared briefly about the potential of using Internet evangelism to reach Japanese, and I passed around a flyer on that potential. Several people asked me to email copies of the flyer.
Andy Game, director of Japan ALPHA, wrote to say he was encouraged about that vision for using the Internet and other new media for evangelism with Japanese. He'll explore ways to use it in his ministry. Meanwhile, he forwarded details about it to co-workers in Japan as well as to ALPHA's Asia Pacific publishing director, Joy Yeo, in Singapore. Joy is developing new youth ALPHA resources for the Asia Pacific region. From Bothell to Tokyo to Singapore.

Judith Becker of Highland Park Presbyterian Church, Dallas, is taking this information on to her team, which might get involved in new ways because of our contact at the conference. From Bothell to Dallas and beyond.

John Mehn (Leadership Team Chair of the JEMA Church Planting Institute) and I had a chance to talk at the RJC conference. He forwarded my Internet evangelism flyer to the JEMA Church Planting Institute email group. One of those who got that group email is Wolfgang Langhans, OMF field director for Japan. From Bothell to JEMA to OMF.

Wolfgang Langhans, who got the flyer from John Mehn's post on the email group, wrote to say that the flyer on Internet evangelism "has been stimulating and encouraging." He brought the topic of Internet evangelism to his Field Council and the Council "decided to take this topic up seriously and see how we can get more involved in it." He now wants to network as much as he can to use this tool and wants to know of any Internet evangelism network in Japan. And he's looking for others with whom he can meet to discuss and learn from them about this approach. From Bothell to JEMA to a new focus for OMF Japan.

Several of the above people may attend the June 2006 conference of the Global Christian Internet Alliance in Seoul through the ongoing discussions we've been having following the RJC conference. From Bothell to Tokyo to Seoul.

These are all examples of what I like to call the "ever-expanding webs of relationships" that characterize lively and healthy networks. We call this kind of expansion and sharing of ideas and information "viral," because it is passes from one to another and often from one to many all in one fell swoop.

This is how the Gospel has spread globally for 2,000 years. And it makes a great case for maximizing the networking capacities of the RJC network. May the Lord make more connections through and between us all for His glory and so that we might reach more Japanese for Christ!

--------
Praise God for networks! And see you at the February 16-18th RJC Conference at Bothell, WA. Email me at don_wright@comcast.net for more information.

Many Opportunities and Needs

2006-09-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

I guess I call the cup half empty half the time and half full the other half.
The great opportunities for Japanese to hear about Jesus while here in North America has a reverse side that says there is a great need for many to tell about Jesus.

On Friday my wife and I attended a discussion in Los Angeles with leaders who are working to tell Japanese about Jesus in the Southern California area. Here are some things that stand out in my mind three days later.
1. We decided to plan for a one-day RJC (Reaching Japanese for Christ) conference in the LA area on January 27th. We pray that it will help to bring many people together to learn from one another.

2. At the meeting we met Akiko from Pasadena. She is heading up a fantastic outreach there, called Rice of Life. It is the only program that is seeking to target the Japanese international students there. She shares that 18 came to Christ this last year!

3. I was given a study workbook in English called "A Study of the Four Gospels." It has a unique format in that there are 300 multiple-choice questions. It looks like a good tool for Japanese who like to study. If you are interested, please e-mail me and I will tell you who to contact. don_wright@mac.com.

4. Now back in Seattle, today we got an email from Gordon Kaneda about an exciting meeting they have planned.
Ms. Haruko Morimoto is coming to town for a special meeting on September 23rd. She is an amazing woman who has pastored the homeless in Tokyo for 34 years. Her brave, fearless preaching smothered with love has brought countless Japanese to Christ. Now she will be in Seattle to help reach people here. Interested? Let me know at don_wright@mac.com.

Whether the RJC ministry is half-full or half-empty it certainly is exciting to share the Living Water!

Don Wright

Four Great Prayer Resources

2006-09-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

There are many resources to guide you in praying for Japan and Japanese.

Here are four:
1. Operation Japan (I shared this in an earlier note)
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.   This prayer guide is an invaluable resource. You can contact me at don_wright@mac.com concerning how to purchase this book.

2. "Free Japan" is a daily prayer guide. http://www.thejapannet.com/free_japan_daily_prayer_guide.htm .

3. The Japan Prayer Strategy E Mail notes that Donn and Daisy Townsend sends out are also excellent prayer resources. They send out regulary notes that have been taking one prefecture at a time with detailed information for prayer. You can receive these notes by requesting them from the Townsends. doda@certainty.net

4. God has given Tatsuo Akamine a vision for a "Japanese Strategic Intercessory Prayer Network." You may request more information at tatsuo_a@sbcglobal.net.

RJC Website

2006-09-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

This is a special invitation to check out the newly revamped RJC Network web site. It is still under construction, but one of the best resources available on the internet is the set of audio recordings of most of the workshops at the last two Reaching Japanese for Christ conferences. Take a look. The link is on the right side, "Audio files."

www.rjcnetwork.org

How Many Christians in Japan?

2006-08-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

The following was posted at http://reapmagazine.com/gallup2.htm .
It had been reported that 6% were Christian. Here George Gallup corrects that to indicate that 4% identify with Christianity. The statistics show that there are probably .5 to 1% who are actually members of a church. And only half of them actually attend a church.
So how should we respond to this Gallup poll? I think that we should be excited! This should change the way we do mission in Japan, and how we minister to Japanese in North America! Just think that there are at least 3 million Japanese in Japan who identify with Christianity, but have little or no connection with His churches! And the same percentage is true with the Japanese who come to North America as students, business people and tourists! From Don Wright
----------

By George Gallup
Japanese missiologists have been under the impression that about one percent of the Japanese population is Christian. Our study indicates that 4% of Japanese adults identify with Christianity. This shows that the proportion of Japanese Christians is higher than expected.

The correct figure for the percentage of Japanese who say they are followers of Christianity is, as indicated, 4%, not 6%, as reported earlier. This was a basic arithmetical mistake on my part, for which I take full responsibility. The fact remains, however,that evidence points to growth in the number of Christians in Japan. And the finding that 7% of teenagers say they are Christians, as previously reported, further supports the conclusion that Christianity is growing in Japan.

A final note: In interpreting survey results, it should be borne in mind that all sample surveys are subject to sampling error: that is, the extent to which the results may differ from what would be obtained if the whole population surveyed had been interviewed. The size of such sample error depends largely on the number of interviews.

Any Hope in Japan?

2006-08-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

Today I found an old article written by Russell Board in World, January 28, 2006. He said:
Masahiro Yamada of Tokyo Gakugei University, author of the book "A Society Lacking in Hope", attributed the falling birthrate to a general lack of hope about the future. Polls show a gloomy outlook afflicting all age groups in Japan, despite growing prosperity.
It is deeply ironic that the society with the longest life expectancy in the history of the world lacks the courage and desire to give life to the next generation. Awash in material goods, Japan is sorely lacking in basic spiritual necessities: hope for the future, appreciation for the gift of life, and an understanding of its meaning and purpose.

So we continue to pray and share the Hope of the World--Jesus. dw

Ideas for Sharing Jesus

2006-08-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

Recently some one wrote, asking for help about how to share with a Japanese that they would be having for a home stay.

Here are a few ideas that may be helpful:

1. Relax and share and show Jesus' love.
2. Ask questions, like: Have you ever read the Bible? Have you ever gone to a church? What do Japanese believe about God, etc. (Using a "what do Japanese believe" wording helps them to more easily answer).
3. If possible, bring them to your church.
4. If there is time, why don't you order Japanese New Testaments for them?
Check out http://www.multilanguage.com/catalog.htm
There are some good items at http://www.multilanguage.com/jap/Default.htm
The Digest Bible JPN-L22 is a good booklet for those who might not be ready to jump into the Bible itself.
It lists Bibles at: http://www.multilanguage.com/scripture2.htm: I would recommend the JPN-S25 New Testament (Living Japanese?Living English)
5. Ask them if they would be interested in trying out a church in Japan.
6. Be sure to get all their information, especially email addresses, so that you can stay in contact with them for at least 5 years.

Pearl Harbor Grace

2006-08-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

Over the years I have been thrilled to hear and read the story of Mitsuo Fuchida, the lead pilor at Pearl Harbor, and the parallel story of Jacob DeShazer, one of those who attacked Japan.

Both men came to Christ and for a period of time actually shared in evangelistic meetings. Although I never met Fuchida, I do remember attending a meeting in Tokyo when the missionary community said goodbye to the DeShazer as he retired from missionary work.

Their stories are now available on line.

For Mitsuo Fuchida see http://www.biblebelievers.com/fuchida1.html

And for Jacob DeShazer see http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/7r6/7r6034.html

Tomihiro Hoshino's Story

2006-07-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

During our recent trip to Japan we visited the Tomihiro Hoshino Museum in Gumma Prefecture. The museum is a powerful witness to Mr. Hoshino's Christian faith and strength to overcome great difficulty. At 24 years of age he was paralyzed from the neck down. That happened in 1970. Four years later he became a Christian. He paints by holding his brush with his mouth. These paintings and his poems have had a large impact on people in Japan and around the world. You can find out more about him at http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=TomihiroHoshino .

While at the museum we received a copy of his first book "Love From The Depths." I recommend reading this book.

Lessons of encouragement are many. Also, the way he came to become a Christian is very helpful.

His first contact with Christianity was during high school, climbing up the hill side near his home he discovered a small white cross, marking a Christian grave. On the cross in small letters were the words "Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads."

After his accident a college friend brought him a Bible in the hospital, and prayed for him. But he never read it until another patient gave him several books written by the Ayako Miura. Then a local pastor and a Christian from the church visited him weekly.

I have learned much from Mr. Hoshino's story. His accident happened about six months after we came to Japan to begin our missionary work. I never heard of him until at least 15 years later, and have never personally met him. Yet his life and testimony has touched millions of people.

In the prayer book "Operation Japan" there are listed many Christian hospitals. As I pray for those in the hospitals I pray that the Lord will touch those patients, and I ask that God would raise up other Tomihiro Honshinos.

First Steps

2006-07-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

Liz Godwin aat our RJC Conference in 2006 led a workshop on preparing the soil for sharing with Japanese.

She gave six important points in preparing the soil for ministering to Japanese. Here are her points:
1. Building trust
2. Finding common ground
3. Listening
4. Answering questions
5. Developing authentic relationships of love
6. Sharing a pre-evangelisc book

These are helpful points as we seek to share Jesus.

Helpful Websites for Japanese Ministries

2006-07-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

Here are a few websites that I have found helpful in our ministry to Japanese:
1. Iwa www.iwarock.org/index.html
2. The JapanNet www.japannet.typepad.com/
3. Reap Magazine http://reapmagazine.com/
4. The Christian Arts Network for Japan (CAN) www.japancan.com/Site/home_en.htm
5. Mission: Japan www.missionjapan.com/community/

English Bible Class

2006-07-05T17:18:00.000-07:00

At the Reaching Japanese for Christ Conference in February Dee Wirz spoke about "Teaching an Effective English Bible Class." She distributed a three page handout. If you are interested, please send me a note at don_wright@mac.com.

Her first point was

People who come to English Bible classes often have mixed motivation and interests.

The class is both an English class and a Bible class.
1. The “felt need” and first interest of students may initially be to practice and improve their skills in English communication.
2. A secondary interest (or at least an openness to learn) may be in the Bible and Christianity. Their “real need” is to hear the Good News and come to know God personally as Savior, Creator and Provider.

The teacher should make every effort to faithfully satisfy both of these needs.

Operation Japan

2006-06-23T13:13:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

(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

2006-06-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-15T18:06:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-05T15:21:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

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

Barriers to Becoming a Christian

2006-05-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

What are some of the barriers for Japanese to become Christians?

Gordon Kaneda (Pastor of Lynnwood Japanese Church) has spoken concerning this at several of our RJC conferences.
1. The Barrier of Ignorance: What is Christianity?

2. The Barrier of Religion: Religion?? No Way!!

3. Barriers of Pressure: What are people going to say?

If you are interested in his workshop handout, I will be glad to send it to you?
don_wright@mac.com

What is DNJ?

2006-05-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

DNJ is an important word to remember. It stands for Diaspora Network for Japanese.

DNJ has come out of the vision of the Japan Evangelical Association (JEA) to try to network the various organizations ministering to Japanese around the world. Since it is managed by JEA, you will have to know Japanese to follow this network. WWW.dnjonline.org is the address for their secured internet portal site. They are posting a variety of articles and information to help the comunication process, especially helping Japanese coming back to Japan.

The document that they published last year states, "DNJ and DNJ Online will be an impacting leverage to open local Japanese churches and coordinate with those churches for returnee and missionary support as an interdenominational gospel approach."

Even though you might not be able read their material, we English speakers need to be aware of the efforts by Japanese pastors and leaders in Japan and around the world. Please pray for them.

Memorial Day Weekend Event for Prayer

2006-05-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

Please pray for our evangelism training conference for Japanese Christians, May 25th-28th (Memorial Day weekend) sponsored by Bridges International, Campus Crusade for Christ.

The purpose of the conference is to:
Develop Japanese in their walk with Christ;

Equip them with the know-how and confidence to share the gospel in Japan;

Expose many Japanese in Seattle to the gospel.

Please pray:
Many Japanese will come to our Thursday night event (Talk Time). Pray for a good time of befriending them this first night of the conference.

Pray they will join us for weekend activities and trust will be built.

Pray for openness and a willingness to hear and consider spiritual truths. Pray they will understand and have courage to respond.

Saturday night will find the Japanese Christians applying what they have learned from the training. After dinner, one of the conferees will share her testimony (Eri) followed by small groups led by the Japanese Christians, sensitively helping the non-Christians to understand. Please pray for this important evening.

Pray for good opportunities to share the gospel one-on-one as we are in Seattle or elsewhere.

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

PS If you live in the Seattle area you are welcome to the Saturday night dinner followed by the outreach event. It is free.
You are, also, welcome to a special training for Christians ministering to Japanese/internationals. It will be held Friday and Saturday mornings during the conference - 9 am.
Please let us know if you plan to come to either of the above events.

DaVinci and Jesus

2006-05-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

Japanese are also reading the novel and will be viewing the movie.

Campus Crusade now has a good website up and running in Japanese. You might want to share that with your friends. The address is www.davincijp.com.

As has often been pointed out, the word for danger is "kiki." The last kanji character is the first in "kikai" meaning opportunity.危機、機会.

The DaVinci Code perhaps is danger (kiki), but it is an amazing opportunity (kikai) to share Jesus.

Don Wright

When They Return Part Two

2006-05-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

While serving in church planting in Japan, one day a young college student showed up in our church. He seemed to be very interested in the gospel. When we asked more, we were surprised that he already had an understanding of the gospel, and was trusting Christ.

After several weeks attending our church, he shared that he had first heard about Christianity as a high school exchange student in Northern California. His host family were believers, and he attended church quite regularly. After a very frightening experience he became serious about seeking God, and decided to trust Jesus.

He returned back to Japan, but no one helped him find a church, or prepared him for his return. It was about four years later that he "happened" to meet a Christian at school, and she brought him to our church.

We were very thankful, but sad to note that he had not been prepared. Theologically, I know that the Lord had not abandoned him, and lovingly gave him the opportunity to connect with us. And yet how much better would it have been if that family had done a better job in helping him.

I guess they should have read my blog posting from yesterday! :)

As They Go Back

2006-05-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

We are thankful for the many Japanese who come in contact with Christ here in North America. The contact level ranges from attending a church or Bible study for the first time to becoming a believer and being baptized. This is exciting stuff!

However, a large percent of those returning to Japan leave their faith experience back in North America, and never continue their faith in their home country.

Since the Christian church in Japan is so small, this fact is a tragedy. The reasons why this happens are complex, but here are a few.

1. The actual "faith" of the Japanese is connected to American cultural Christianity, more than to Christ.

Things that we can do:

1] Talk about this problem. Explain that drums and a guitar in worship might not be New Testament based, but are cultural items. Help them to see that you can worship God in silence and in high-noise level situations; in large groups and in small gatherings.

2] Explain that the main point is following Jesus, and seek to nurture their relationship to Jesus.

3] If possible, connect them with a Japanese Christiawn or church so that they will be able to process their faith in Japanese.

2. Upon returning to Japan the pressure of the society sucks them back to becoming an "ordinary" person.

Things that we can do:

1] Talk about this problem. Ask them what problems they can expect if they will be serious about their faith, and then help them process these. Issues related to family, friends, work and church attendance should be handled.

2] Pray much for them and keep in contact with them as they return.

3] Make every effort to introduce your friend to a Japanese church in Japan, some other returnee, or missionary who can help the tranistion.

3. There is also the difficulty of finding a Japanese church which will be a good fit. It often seems like there isn't a convenient church, and if there is a church, it might not be too friendly to people coming back from a foreign country.
Things that we can do:

1] That is right, talk about the problem. Be sure to be positive and encouraging.

2] Be sure to be actively involved in helping the person find a good church or small group. There are a number of organizations that can help you. One of the best is JCFN (Japanese Christian Fellowship Network).

What do you think?

There are several very helpful study guides which help internationals prepare for their return. If you are interested, let me know.

And if you need help finding a Christian church or fellowship back in Japan, drop me a note at don_wright@mac.com.

God's Fingerprints in Japan

2006-05-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

Are you familiar with "God's Fingerprints in Japan/" You can find out more about it at http://akaministries.tripod.com/aloha/index.html.

Bridges Conference May 25-28

2006-05-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

This is a great opportunity for you. Please pray and think about who you might encourage to attend. Don Wright

-------------------
There will be a wonderful opprtunity for JAPANESE CHRISTIAN STUDENTS to gather in Seattle for the purpose of Outreach Training!!!

It is Bridges Memorial Day Weekend Outreach Conference which takes place in Edmonds, WA on May 25-28.
The program will be basically in Japanese, and is focused on Japanese Christian Students although there will be a track for non-believers as well.

Some of the features are:
1. Morning Worship & Bible Talk, followed by outreach training sessions.
2. Invite local Japanese students to Japanese Dinner.
3. Sports Day, BBQ, and Games.
4. Seattle Tour

Registration forms can be downloaded at www.bridgesinternational.com .

Please encourage Japanese Christian (or non Christian) students to register!!!

Thanks and God bless,
**************************

Pastor Gordon Kaneda
Lynnwood Japanese Church
17319 Larch Way
Lynnwood, WA 98037
425-273-1224
pastorgk@comcast.net
www.jcpn.org/ljc/english.htm

RJC Fantastic DVD

2006-05-18T07:19:00.000-07:00

The RJC Conference DVD is now available.

Here is what it contains:
40 audio presentations of most of the plenary and workshop presentations from 2005 and 2006. Over 33 hours of vital information about reaching Japanese for Christ.
15 helpful handouts that can be used with the audio presentations.
Over 100 conference pictures from the 2006 sessions.

And all for amazingly low price of $15! Be the first one on your block to have this collector’s DVD! The cost includes shipping and handling.

Also, remember that if you are in need of “Operation Japan” prayer guides, I (Don Wright) have them available for the still amazing price of only $3 plus postage and handling!
Contact us at don_wright@mac.com

Helpful Websites

2006-05-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

There are a number of good websites available related to ministering to Japanese.
For those who can handle Japanese, I think http://jpnews.org/pc/ is great. Besides information concerning the contents of the Christian Shinbun (Newspaper), there is a front page which is of common interest to Christians and non-Christians.
http://www.kirisuto.info/ also has a lot of information.

BBN carries Bible centered broadcasts in a number of languages including Japanese. http://www.bbnradio.org/

Two sites that I enjoy for English speakers are:
1. The Japan Net (http://www.japannet.typepad.com/) has many good resources for Japanese work.

2. http://reapmagazine.com/ has a good collection of Japan related articles.

3. The Hayama Conference This is a great source for excellent papers on Japan and Christian ministry there. The conference itself is no longer in existence, but the website has some good stuff. http://www.mupjapan.org/hayama/ (The Hayama Conference used to be Click the “Files for Download” and for the year 2000 you will be interested in the presentation of Lonny Dufty’s “The Returnee in Japanese Society.”)

If you have found helpful websites for working with Japanese, let us know.

Japanese around the world

2006-05-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

Operation Japan, the comprehensive prayer guide for Japan, indicates that there were 911,000 Japanese living outside of Japan in 2003. This figure includes long-stay and permanent residents. the largest number is in the USA with over 330,000.

In our RJC vision statement we talk about 500,000 Japanese in North America who are here temporarily. Two years ago we tossed around the figure of 3,500,000 which included tourists. Then in February, 2006 someone reported that there were up to 5,000,000 coming each year to North America.

Thankfully the Lord does better in keeping track of the numbers than we do. He desires that all people would come to understand the Good News of Jesus. Since Japanese generally are more open to the gospel when they are here in North America, let us pray much for the 330,000 (?), 500,000(?), 3,000,000(?), 5,000,000(?) who have come this year to North America. And please pray for the many churches who are seeking to share Jesus' love.

If you are looking for an opportunity to reach out to Japanese, but don't know how to get started, drop me a note at don_wright@mac.com.

RJC Website

2006-05-15T16:24:00.000-07:00

Reaching Japanese for Christ does have a website. Although it is under construction, you can find most of the audio recordings from the 2005 RJC Conference, http://www.rjcconference.org/

Picture

2006-05-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

The First Posting

2006-05-15T13:22:00.000-07:00

Reaching Japanese for Christ began in 2001 with the first conference held at Northshore Baptist Church. Consequently four other conferences were held that have brought people together from across North America.

We thank God for His leading.

“To glorify God by partnering together, to give the approximately half million Japanese who (temporarily) reside in North America an opportunity to hear the gospel and become disciples of Jesus Christ! “