Today, I would like to share a few observations about my trip to Japan. Plus I will include several pictures. We may add a few more pictures as time goes by. First, I am very thankful I went on this trip. It was a great learning opportunity. I saw first hand and experienced the Japanese culture for two weeks. I also met many Nikkei who went to Japan to work, but as they found themselves outside of their home environment they began to wonder more about the world and their purpose and the purpose of life. I visited two Nikkei congregations and had a chance to speak and share my testimony. Interestingly at the Spanish speaking congregation they translated my testimony into Japanese for their children. Many Nikkei I met had a similar testimony. A co worker on the factory line invited them to a bible study or a church service and after hearing and studying the Bible for 6 months to a year they made a decision to receive Christ. One lady shared with me that she never understood for many years that she was a sinner. And finally when she did she accepted Christ.
One problem many Japanese people have in understanding sin is that the word in the Japanese Bible for sin is a very strong word. It is basically the description of a mass murderer type person a very bad criminal. Japan has a very high code of morals built into the culture. Stealing among other things is not acceptable. Therefore many people struggle with the concept that they are a sinner because they think I am nothing like that type of bad person.
By the way, very very very few Japanese speak English. But I was able to find several the did and they were very helpful. On my journeys I seemed to always find someone that could help me with directions and we always seemed to be sitting together or very close by. Therefore, I was able to engage these people in a much longer conversation. These were for the most part people who spoke a very high level of English. At first when I would broach the subject of the possibility of a Creator God and ask their thoughts about that they were speechless and a little caught off guard. At first I thought they just did not know the words in English to describe what they thought or felt. But near the end of my trip I continued to have these same type of encounters. It finally hit me. They understand what I am saying and they understand the concept. The problem is that they have never had the thought or considered the idea that a Creator God exists. For the first time in their lives they are being asked to give an opinion about the idea of a Creator God and they have never ever even considered that there is such a God. (Thus they were all speechless at first)
Japan is a beautiful place. On one hand there is a great amount of punctuality. All the trains are always on time to the second. Unless one of the 40,000 people who commit suicide a year have jumped in front of a train as it is pulling into a station. (We especially need to pray for the hoplessness that many people have in this country.)
The attention to detail is phenomenal. It is truly a culture of form. What you do and how you do it is very important. People are courteous and nice and generally friendly and helpful. People are busy and occupied with their work day all day. In general people are very quiet. On the trains they are occupied with their cell phones, read books or sleep. They generally go out of their way to help each other get along. If people meet on the street both parties are considerate of the other and move in unison to create space for both to pass.
Some of the highlights to see in Japan. The scramble, the arts, the trains, God's beautiful nature (the mountains, the ocean, rivers, rice fields, etc). And especially the people. Please pray for these people. The gospel has been in Japan for well over a 120 years. Many mission organizations have pulled out or many missionaries have had to return homw because of the expensive cost to live there. Many people have given up because the culture is so closed to the Gospel.
One huge blessing and great potential we have in Lima is that we met some Nikkei Christians in Japan that have family in Lima. These family members are not believers. We are going today to take a small gift from a Nikkei lady who has lived in Japan for more than 20 years. S married a Nikkei in Japan and has 2 children. She is the only member of her family that is a believer. We are taking some small gifts and pictures to her mother who is not a believer. Please pray that God will use these connections from the Nikkei that have accepted Christ in Japan that their families that are back in South America will hear and receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ as well.
Thank God that there are many Nikkei Christians in Japan. (pray for them and their families, all of them have families back in South America that are not believers)
God's Blessings and Peace,, We truly appreciate your prayers!!!!
Tim and Joy Mitchell
