In the entryway of our home we have this placard that says, "Faith, Hope, & Love." We are here in Japan because we so long for these words to characterize our Japanese friends.
April 14 I wrote about a missionary friend of ours who befriended a priest up north who is housing 100 evacuees. Over the weekend he went up again with meat (something they said they longed for), duffel bags (because they have no way to keep their few belongings together), and cookies (because life is always better with cookies.)
The CRASH team was welcomed warmly. The priest's wife said she wants to start reading the Bible and the priest himself said he think he'd like to become a pastor. Maybe he doesn't quite get what being a pastor is all about, but praise God for these steps towards the Savior!
This morning I was doing baptismal preparation with a friend who told me, "Japanese know there is a God. They just don't know who He is so they make offerings to idols out of a need to do something just in case that's what's required of us." She is so grateful she heard the good news and is full of faith, hope, and love.
Later today I was talking to one of Russ' therapists telling him about Easter (not a familiar term to the average Japanese.) He said, "Japanese don't have hope." I told him about my friend who had no hope until she met Jesus and how now her whole family is living in hope.
Sunday in church a Japanese man talked about his experience with a CRASH team last week. He said that Japan is experiencing a spiritual vacuum. He confessed that he didn't used to think revival could really come to Japan, but now he's living in hope that a door has been opened. He says the next 1, 2, or 3 years are a critical period.
We agree with him! Please keep praying for Japan that faith, hope, and love will become common.
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