We had already seen a lot for one day. See one of my earlier posts for some of the details.  Spiritually I was drained. Somehow our missionary leader Richard still maintained his strength. Much like a warrior in battle, I suppose, Richard has fought this fight for over 18 years giving him a strength far greater than mine. I realize how soft I am and how easy I have it in the United States. I call it a blessing, but from a spiritual perspective I wonder.

In the USA our minds are all wrapped around a presidential election, an economic crisis, and a war against radical Islam while here in Japan a few are warring for the souls of so many.  Richard says many missions organizations refer to Japan as the missionary graveyard. So many have tried to make an impact here, but gave up and left. This is not a reflection on the individuals who tried, but a reflection on the stronghold the enemy has here.  Many missions groups are leaving Japan because it is too expensive (it costs roughly $4000 a month to support a single person here) and too hard (generations of tradition and ritual as explained in the earlier post).  Yet, I ponder this. Can Christians turn our backs on a nation with only 0.7% Christians in the population (according to the CIA World Factbook)?  The only nations with a lower percentage are those nations considered Islamic nations.

My thoughts are deep as I ride the train with my family to where we will be joining Richard, his family, and his new church plant for our church meeting. He and his family are Send International missioinaries who have been planting churches in Japan. We will be visiting a new plant that meets in the home of one of the members.  We arrive at the train station and, after a short wait, Richard, my wife, and two oldest children get in a car to drive to the home. Richard tells me to watch for a lady with a large red purse.  She is another Send missionary and will be arriving shortly. A car will come to meet us. As we wait, Ryan sits on the ground playing his Nintendo DS. I watch the people and pray for each and every one that walks by. I pretend I know them and let God lead my prayers for them. They may never know that some American in an Australian hat and sun glasses was praying for them that day...or maybe someday they will.

The lady with the red purse arrives. She is with another lady who is coming to church with us.  We do introductions. The lady with the red purse is from the Philippines and her name is Joy. Before the end of the day, my wife and I will agree that her name is a true reflection of her heart.

Our car arrives. The driver is the father of the family whose home where we will be meeting. The building is a five-story apartment building. We take the elevator to the third floor - Joy knows the way and we follow. We arrive at exactly 3:00 to our cheerful hostess and as we enter into the home, the darkness we sensed all morning and even when I prayed while waiting for our car, went away immediately. We could tell this was a home set aside for the glory of God.

The first 45 minutes was pure fellowship. Keri (Richard's wife) was in a side room with some of the other ladies and the little children. The men and boys were mostly in the living room area. The apartment was described to me as a 4DLK meaning four rooms with a dining-living-kitchen area. It was a large home by Japanese standards. I would guess it was about 700 square feet - comfortable, but small compared to our US standards. (Note, the building shown here is not their home, but a 4DLK advertised on the internet.) The host is a security network engineer for IBM - considered very successful by any standards. He has a daughter in the US going to college. As we get to know each other better, the fellowship is sweet and all facades melt away. I can see my children acting very much like they are at home. My heart sings.

I am offered something that looks like a lime jello. It isn't, but that is what it looks like. I find it extremely good. I think I could have eaten all they had.  There are other goodies that we are offered. I don't know what they are, but they all taste good.

The host calls the service to start and we all gather in the living room. Many sit on the floor. I am sitting in a very comfortable chair by the table. We open in prayer. The host is on the floor using his computer to show the worship songs on his TV.  The lady that I had met earlier, when I met Joy, played the piano.  She played and we worshiped. One verse in Japanese and one in English (for our benefit I am sure). For other songs we used You Tube and sang along with them.  As with any worship service it was wonderful to be able to offer praise to our Lord with other brothers and sisters in Christ.

Next we dive into the Word. All have Bibles. We read through 2 Corinthians Chapter 6. This is where they are in their study. The Word was not chosen by any person for this day, but compared to what we have just been through in the morning, it is indeed divinely chosen for us. The discussion is focused on the end of the chapter, verses 14 - 15:

 14Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

The discussion is lively and all participate - some in Japanese and some in English. We discuss being equally yoked and unequally yoked with business partners, friends, and in marriage. One lady shares how she is married to a nonbeliever and wants to know how she walks this out. It is a time for real discipleship.  Testimonies are shared - both of success and failure. There is a tenderness in the teachings, but a sincerity to assure that God is glorified. Some questions go unanswered, but only because there is no easy answer.  The real needs of each individual present come out in the discussion. Our host says it is now time for prayer. I notice the time is 5:45. The afternoon had passed by so quickly.

We join together in prayer for each other. Richard asks for prayer for Sword and her astronaut selection process. They not only pray for that, but also pray for her upcoming high school reunion (which was mentioned during the discussion) as well as for Kellz as she seeks God to determine if she will be a missionary to Japan.

As the meeting comes to an end, Joy has to run to another meeting, but the remainder of the group decides to take us to a local Japanese family restaurant for dinner. At home, we always take our family out for a meal after church, so our tradition is not broken. The meal was fantastic as we all tried new things. The fellowship was wonderful.  We didn't want it to end, but it was getting late. Finally it was time to say good-byes.

Our host drove us back to the train station while Kellz went home with Richard and Keri.  It was a long day. On that train ride back to the hotel, I reflected on this small group of people loving the Lord and building on foundational relationships. What a contrast to the shrine worship we had seen that morning. At the shrine, each family comes out of their homes and goes to another place to worship their god individually. In the home church, the family brings in others where God is worshiped together.

I now have an incredible love and admiration for Richard and Keri. Japan. A missionary graveyard. Yet the two of them continue building, continue walking through those dry bones of the graveyard and calling them to life. It is a tough life - one of little reward and one that requires a firm foundation on Christ. One that must test them over and over.

I sit in silence in the train and watch the people again. A song starts brewing in my heart and swells up to where I have to sing. I can't hold it in any more. For Richard and Keri, for the Japanese people, for all the lost, I start to sing - not real loud because on the train everybody is silent. These are the days of Elijah. The song rings so true of what I have seen and experienced in my time here in Japan. And as Twila sings it here with the reminder...there is no God like Jehovah.