Greetings! We pray you are enjoying the beautiful autumn season.
Hope House Ministry
Japan is a beautiful country filled with wonderful people. However, those who serve here can attest that Japan is difficult soil to cultivate. For many years, we labored in our community to reassure our neighbors that we are not a cult and that the place we worship does not require perfection before one enters. Ironically, people attend church outreach events for the community. But, due to the stigmas they did not feel comfortable attending worship.
Guest are joyful to break bread with us at our home and study God’s word. Sadly, our house is not that spacious and many times we had more guest than our house can hold. We prayed God provide a place that is not only big enough to host a large group but also informal enough for newcomers. God answered our prayer last year and we now have such a place. We have named this new ministry, Hope House.
Summer Fellowships
We hosted many events at Hope House this summer. One of the highlights was seeing families come and fellowship together. Our outreach program at church was mainly for children and mothers. Whenever we invited fathers to church ministries, most of them had excuses not to come such as “I’m too busy” and “Church is not for me.” Many children shared in times past that they are lonely because they do not have much family time since dad is “too busy.”
Family Outreach
Seeing families coming together was a huge blessing! We met several dads for the first time and they were so happy to be there! We all had so much fun and laughed a lot! It seemed like many dads enjoyed getting to know other dads as well. We praise God for answering our prayers. We use these times to build relationships as we prayerfully discern those who are open to the gospel. Here it is taboo to discuss politics, religion, the military, and even sports with those you are not familiar. We praise Him for those He is calling.
College Outreach
We also invited college students. Because it was during summer break, only two of them could come, but we had a great time with them. One of them lives away from his family and he said it was nice to have a home cooked meal. Our boys had the best time with them. It is encouraging to continue ministering to young adults in our community and encourage their walk with Christ.
Fall Events
This fall, we will a have a tea time with single moms and their children. We want them to know how much they are loved and how much we care. Please pray our time with them will be an encouragement to them. After the tea time, we will also have a flea market to help raise money for an orphanage.
