A Different Kind of Ministry

"Then Jesus came to the disciples.  He said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  So you must go and make disciples of all nations.  Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And you can be sure that I am always with you, to the every end.'" -- Mathew 28:18-20

When people ask us why we are in Japan, we usually answer that we teach English.  While that statement is true (and the focus of the majority of our time), teaching English is not our sole purpose for being in Japan.  We are here to share the message of God's love and the possibility of a relationship with Him through the death of Jesus.  I think one reason I don't initially say that I am a missionary in Japan is because I don't feel like a missionary -- I live and work in a community of other westerners, I am getting paid well, and I am living in one of the wealthiest nations on earth, with easy access to everything I need to survive.  I feel like to use the term "missionary", I should be living in a developing nation in the middle of nowhere and being paid nothing.  I don't feel like a deserve to use the term "missionary" -- partly because I am not suffering and partly because I get distracted from sharing the gospel. Sometimes my role in sharing the gospel takes the back seat to performing well as a teacher and navigating through cultural and language barriers.


Before coming to Japan, I had these ideas of how I could share the gospel and promote Christ before myself.  I imagined being an active member of a local bilingual church, leading or participating in a small group Bible study, building relationships with Japanese people so that I could share Christ with them, and regularly sharing stories about God and about a relationship with God with my students.


Ministry seldom works out as perfectly and smoothly and idealistically as I imagine.  We occasionally attend church, but have a hard time dragging our butts out of bed on our only day off for a service that lasts 2 1/2 hours long (and I don't like to admit it but it's the truth).  Building relationships with native Japanese people has been a lot more difficult than I first anticipated, mainly because we work during the afternoon and evening and because of the language barrier, but also because we just haven't put much effort into building those kind of relationships.  And in the spring and summer, I was so worried about getting all of my curriculum in and having all my students finish all their art and writing projects, that Bible story time often got neglected.


Over the past month, God has been working at changing my heart and helping me refocus my life and my time in Japan on Him.  A few weeks ago, God gave me the idea to change story time from the end of the day to right after play time (in the middle of my 2 1/2 hour class).  During story time, I read to my students from a children's picture bible and try to ask them questions about how the Bible and God relate to their lives (and I share about my own life).  Many times, I wonder if any of the significance about God gets through to them or if they are really understanding who God is and how He is different from Buddha or the ancestors they pray to.  (That part is not too different from doing youth ministry in the States -- putting your heart out there, speaking the truth in love, and wondering if you words are making it into the minds and hearts of kids or just going in one ear and out the other).


This week, God gave me little reminders to keep on sharing the gospel with kids and let Him do the rest.  I spent a week reading about the plagues God sent to Egypt as a sign to Pharaoh that God was real and to let His people (the Israelites go).  When we got to the part where the Israelites escaped and had made it to the sea when Pharaoh and his army started to come after them, I asked my class, "What will happen next?  Do you think the Israelites will be able to get away from Pharaoh and his army?"  One girl, who does not come from a Christian home (as far as I know), said, "Yes!  Because God will help them and God can do anything!"    


As I talked about how God sent birds and loaves of bread down to the Israelites, one girl gasped, "Wow!  Cool!"  And when I talked about God sending them water from a rock, the same girl said, "Wooaaaahhhh!"  And I thought, "She is right. God sent loaves of bread raining down from the sky.  That IS amazing!!!!!"  That was a really great reminder that these kids DO need to hear the message of Christ -- even if they live in one of the wealthiest nations in the world and not in a hut in a developing nation.  And even if I can't lead a small group or talk with my 3rd graders in the same way I talked with 9th grade girls about life and their experiences with God, I can still share the gospel with them in words and in the way that I love and care for them and encourage and uplift them as their teacher.  God can and will take care of the language barriers that get in the way.
In Romans 8:38-39 it says, 

"I am absolutely sure that not even death or life can separate us from God's love.  Not even angels or demons, the present or the future, or any powers can do that.  Not even the highest places or the lowest, or anything in all creation can do that.  Nothing at all can ever separate us from God's love because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done."

I would like to add to that list that 'not even developmental age limitations or foreign languages or imperfect servants' can separate God from these kids here in Japan.  I'm realizing once again that it is not my responsibility to change their hearts; all I have to do is set my heart on God, focus my purposes on him, and share the good news of Christ with my students -- God will take care of the rest.


Thank you to all our friends and family who are supporting us in work here in Japan through your prayers, encouragement, and through reading this blog.  Please continue to pray for us -- that we would focus our hearts on God and on His purposes for us, that we would find a church home (in Japan) where we can grow spiritually and commit to serving, and that we would make the most of our opportunities here to share God's love and message of hope with the people of Japan.