JAPAN – Our Asia/Pacific Area Director (APAD) and I just traveled to Japan. We don’t report much news from this area largely because of the language barrier and the difficulties for our Japanese brothers and sisters in translating things for us. But while there, it was so clear that the Lord is very much at work.
The weekend of October 25 and 26 was one full of ministry. On that Saturday morning, I traveled with Erwin and Rowena Cabrizos and several folks from the Hakata Agape House to the home of one of the members. They provided a nice backyard and a small swimming pool for the baptisms that were planned. That morning, under cloudy skies and squatting on my knees in the shallow pool, I had the privilege of baptizing three young people.
Later in the day we traveled to Fukuoka Agape House in Chihaya for a ministry leadership seminar on relational discipleship. About a dozen leaders participated in the seminar. APAD led the first half of the seminar, walking participants through the biblical emphasis on restoration of relationships with God and others. I led the second part of the seminar, taking a detailed look at the characteristics of a disciple of Jesus.
The following day, Sunday, we went separate ways to preach God’s word in two different Agape House ministries. APAD shared from the book of Judges at the Fukuoka Agape House in Chihaya. At Hakata Agape House, I preached from the gospel of Matthew.
For more than a week, we traveled to various regions of Japan visiting our Advent Christian churches. Rev. Julius Equipado, pastor of Fukuoka Agape House and president of the Japan Advent Christian Conference, was our guide and driver. We visited some churches that are strong and healthy, and we met with others that are struggling. Size isn’t the only factor in this. As an example, Tottori Resurrection Church has only a small handful of members. Yet, a decade ago, they had only one member! Though the numbers seem so small, it’s helpful to know that Tottori Resurrection Church is the only church in the southern half of Tottori Prefecture, a geographical area equivalent to several counties in the United States.
APAD and I are grateful that we were able to spend quality time with our ministry partners in Japan. Communication is a challenge because of the language barrier, but the roots of ministry between ACGC and the Japanese churches are deeply intertwined.
