Sittin at Taka's feet

These pics are actually from when the summer team was here. Taka & the praise team were praticing for the service & one of the summer team members came early w/2 kids from her host family. The girls take lessons w/our English school but they had never been to a worship service before & were quite intrigued. Soon after entering the room, the younger girl - with no hesitation- walked straight up to the front & sat on the floor in front of Taka to watch & listen. I loved her sense of wonder & that she felt comfortable right away to go up & just sit & listen. Her older sister joined her after the practice ended & Taka showed them the songs & what was on his podium.

The Power of Your Love

During our worship service I sometimes like to just listen to praises being lifted up to God in song by the Japanese believers here...here's a sample of what I hear. This is the chorus of "The Power of Your Love" sung in Japanese, of course. For God so loved the WORLD....

Kitani-san's Baptism

On Nov. 18, Mr. Kitani was baptized at the beach, in the wind and the waves. The weather was kinda crazy, and sand was blowing everywhere (and getting into everywhere!...Taka discovered some in his pen later that day!), but Mr. Kitani didn't seem to notice it at all, as he was enjoying his baptism day. We gave thanks for the day & the Creator of the wind and the waves:) The sun peaked out of the clouds as Mr. Kitani & Tony came back from the water. Mr. Kitani became a Christian back in July & started a first step study for new believers with Taka soon after. Taka's been very encouraged by his sincere heart & his growth. Here are some photos from that day, along with a photo of Mr. Kitani on the 25th sharing his testimony at church.

Engagement Ceremony

On Friday, the 23rd (Labour Thanksgiving Day here), we had a small engagement ceremony for one of our church members Sayuri. Her fiance, Dai, came from Kansai (a 2 1/2 hr. bullet train ride from here) for the ceremony. Taka has been doing a Bible study with Sayuri & another young lady, Yoko, since we've been in Japan. Dai often stays with us whenever he comes to visit. We love this couple & are so excited for them. They have such big hearts for God & the hurting. Taka's been teaching Sayuri, but we've both learned so much from them. It is common to have an engagement ceremony in Japanese culture, with the parents often meeting for the first time. There is usually an exchange of gifts. This was a "Christian version" and Sayuri and Dai exchanged Bibles. The ceremony was a reminder that God & His Word are the foundation and to continue walking with Him. We will all be keeping them in our prayers as they prepare to marry next year. (I was working the audio/visual system so the pictures are a bird's eye view.

Typical Sunday Morning

Just thought we'd post some photos of our tea time that we have after our service on Sundays. 3 Sundays per month, Taka preaches at the Shimonoseki Christian Center, which is like a church plant. We average about 15 people in attendance, most staying afterwards for fellowship. On this Sunday, we were happy to have Kumiko and her son Kaikei back with us. Kumiko became a Christian last year & studied the Bible with Taka. In Jan. '07,she moved to L.A. It was nice to have them back and hear how she is growing in the States. We've had a man from Hong Kong worshiping with us while he's here on business for a few months. There is also a non-Christian Chinese woman who has been working in Japan for 8 years + who sometimes comes to our services, and regularly comes to our events. One Sunday, among the 15 people in attendance at church, there were 5 countries represented! (New Zealand, USA, Japan, China, and the Philippines!)

International Cafe

The second Saturday of Nov., we had our monthly International Cafe outreach. We had chicken/stuffing "casserole", green bean casserole, mashed sweet potatoes (Japanese sweet potatoes, which have purple skin), and pumpkin pie. It was an adventure getting everything ready by serving time, but in the end, it was all good. About 25 people came. In these pics, you can see what it looks like. We are doing a series on the "Love Languages" now. This month, it was "gifts" and that ties in with our THANKSGIVING to God for His gifts and love. Miraculously, Taka was able to have a clear mind to translate for the Cafe after spending 9 hours straight before that helping someone translate a message. ....and preach the next morning.

October Baptism

On a Friday afternoon church members gathered for the baptism of Ayako Doi. Baptisms are usually done at the beach, which is 5 minutes away by car, but due to a skin condition she has, it was a bathtub baptism. Ayako took English classes from the summer missions team that came. Hearing the Good News, she believed. I couldn't get a good pic of her actual going in the water, but perhaps you can see it on the camera screen of the person in front of me:) OH, & the last shot is of the entryway. These days I'm into showing how many people are somewhere by the amount of shoes in the entryway:) (Taking off your shoes before entering a house in Japan is a must.)