It was sad when the day actually came for me to finally pack my bags and leave Japan. Who knows the next time we'll be back again (of course, God knows). At least Crystal and Caia can stay another week and continue to build on relationships and friendships we have made during our time here.
Japan Mission is such a wonderful community of believers and it's been great to be a part of that community again and to see how the Lord is working out His purposes through each person there.
Just before I left, I had a great opportunity of connecting with Alex Verwey, who is essentially doing what his dad used to do in managing the English evangelism program, and looking after a the teachers, making sure classes get covered, text books get ordered, and seeking direction from the Lord about other areas of service and ministry that He might want JM to be involved in.
It was really refreshing to hear about Alex's thoughts about a vision for the future as Japan continues to change demographically and thus the needs of the people are changing too.
Japan is a country in many ways, steeped in tradition and change is not something people like to think a lot about.
However, with the ageing population and the growing burden on the economy as these people retire, it is bound to make the dynamics very interesting indeed.
The Japanese have a history of being able to deal with austerity and the 'stiff upper lip' of the older generation is what enabled the recovery after the devastation of World War II.
However, Alex was sharing how he feels that the younger generation is largely being ignored, not just by society, but also by the church.
Just as society finds it hard to change, so to the church, continues with it's programs and services that may not be meeting the real needs of those around them.
This is why it was really exciting to hear about a project that's been going on for the past year or so, where JM went to help a pastor and a new church plant in a rural area of Japan known as Toyama.
If you'd like to watch a short video that the team made when they went to Toyama, click here.
Please pray for Japan Mission as they seek to follow the Lord's direction for the future and as they try to position themselves to be ready for whatever challenges and opportunities lie ahead for it's workers.
If you'd like to read more about the work of Japan Mission and find out ways in which you can prayerfully support what the Lord is doing through them, you can check out their web-site at: www.japanmission.org
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