How many of our missionary adventures begin with an unexpected phone call.

‘Could you come to my home and teach me from the Bible?’

I knew the caller. Mrs. Yasuda had attended my beginner’s English class for a year and a half. But I hadn't seen her for a while, and had gathered there was some kind of health problem

‘ I had a cancer operation last year. Now it’s come back and is spreading to my liver.’

I hurried over to her eighth floor apartment. She and her husband listened, sometimes in tears, as I shared from the Bible over the next two hours.

A week later, another call - ‘I’ve to go back into the hospital tomorrow…could I be baptized today?”

My wife and I took a church member along and performed the ceremony at her bedside. She had had no Bible background. Just the very simple, 20 minute Bible time I’d given at the end of those English classes, week by week for 18 months. Yet, when the time came, she knew for certain that she must not die without peace with God. She died within a month of her baptism.

Opportunities abound in Japan, all kinds of opportunities. OMF is mainly involved in church planting, starting churches from scratch, mostly in partnership with established Japanese churches but also in pioneer situations. So much of what we do is with individuals but all is part of a whole – part of God’s Kingdom work in Japan. Living in towns and cities we reach into local communities in many different ways. Anything is possible!

Most OMF missionaries seem to teach language classes and cooking classes. My husband teaches woodworking, my brother-in-law taught stained glass, and my sister teaches wreath making. But why, queried one of my missionary colleagues, teach at all? Why not go to somebody else’s class? So several years ago I embarked on my career as a Russian student. Today, with more and more Russians in Aomori Prefecture, it seems perhaps a God-inspired move. But that’s not why I did it. This was fun! No heavy responsibility and lots of opportunity for evangelism and follow-up. I walked home with backslider, Mrs Honda. I visited classmates. They visited me

Often, chance meetings take us into new situations and new opportunities -

I met Mimi on the way to the supermarket. A young Japanese mother, she stopped me, introduced herself in English and invited me to a volunteer English interpreters’ group. I wasn’t interested initially, but did contact her. We became friends and I was introduced into her group. I built relationships with the others in the group and one asked me for an English Bible Study. Four and a half years later, there were 5 Bible Studies reaching 22 people.

Not all bring this sort of result. Some never seem to move beyond basic friendship. But that is OK in God’s hands. He is in charge of the timing. We are links in the chain.

Trends in society offer unique, relevant opportunities and we try to work with these too.

‘Noisy Gospel music and polite, restrained Japan seem a bit of a contrast. But Gospel music makes Japanese people feel free. In a society that frowns on emotional expression, they seem to feel relief as they launch into these happy, body-swaying, hand-clapping, foot-tapping Gospel songs.

Sister Reid is one of my favourite Gospel singers. She is a huge woman by any standards and a constant source of amazement to the slight Japanese who come to her workshops. But her physical girth is dwarfed by the size and warmth of her heart. She simply radiates the love of Jesus for the choir members. And more than just a singer, Sister Reid can give a great Gospel message. “Now let me tell you about my Jesus” she says, almost sternly. And we listen. Enthralled by the way he seems so real to her. Hungering that perhaps we might have that too.

‘All those who want to become Christians now come forward!’ I was surprised to hear her say after one practice. I was even more surprised to hear footsteps coming from the aisle behind me. No less than 7 young ladies walked boldly forward that night. No soft background music. No imploring invitation. Just the power of the Holy Spirit at work in hearts softened by Gospel music. A Gospel singer from Alabama - living streams in Japan.

Or sport

Each Sunday a group of 5-10 university students gathered to play soccer. There is nothing they like better, so when the young English university graduate suggested they meet to kick the ball around, they agreed. It soon became a highlight of their week. He had come to teach English as a short-term missionary, but he loves sport and took every chance he could to pursue this passion. Some of the guys even joined his English classes at our church.

But he had another passion and his soccer buddies soon knew what it was. He loved Jesus and his words and actions showed it. He cared for these guys and they knew that he accepted them for who they were. Two of them had been to Sunday School as children, but none of the others had ever been near a church. Now one has been baptised and others are in a weekly Bible study. Even though he has left Japan now, they are all regularly involved in the youth group.

We work with children

On a cold, snowy, blustery day some of the neighborhood children asked if they could play inside my house. I was a bit surprised, but I said, “Sure, if it’s ok with your parents.”

Coming from the apartment block of public housing across the street, these children lived in very small apartments with very little room to play. More often then not, mom was not home and they would be alone there.

Well, what was I going to do with my new friends? Making cookies was the first thing I thought of. They had never made cookies before, so they thought it was great. Then of course, eating them too! So we visited over warm chocolate chip cookies.

They were ringing my doorbell almost every day for a while bringing different friends with them. As my schedule got fuller, we settled for Tuesday afternoons, and we have kept it up for over three years. It has been an informal time of cookies, games and songs. As problems have come up at school or with friends, we have talked about it and prayed. I’ve introduced them to Jesus and briefly shared some Bible stores.

We work in support ministry

Ruth’s role is to work behind the scenes in the OMF office. Faith and Kathi teach missionary children in an International School. Medical staff look after the health needs of our team and a linguist is in charge of our language learning.

There is complete freedom for us to work in Japan in every strata of society and opportunities are endless.

So what do we do?

Ø Church work, from reaching out to the non-Christian local communities to the training and discipling of Christians; starting churches from scratch, partnering in established churches.

Ø Children’s work, in Sunday schools and clubs, through church-based English teaching and summer camps.

Ø Student and youth work in the numerous colleges and universities

on the streets to those hanging around and to street musicians

Ø We tap in to current trends eg, through sport and gospel music.

We each have a unique place. Sometimes it takes a while to realise this and to see just how important the opportunities that come our way are.

It was Thursday and the weekly prayer meeting had just finished. The short-term worker came over to talk to me. She had already met a number of OMF missionaries and had learnt of the ministries they were involved in. ‘What do you do?’ A simple question but somehow it made me feel uncomfortable. It touched a raw nerve. What is my ministry? Do I have one? I am a missionary. Surely I must have a ministry!
But what is it? I don't preach and I don't teach English. I don't do cooking classes. I help to lead two Bible Studies. I teach Sunday School to 3 year olds twice a month. I play the piano and occasionally the organ for worship. But I wouldn't call any of these a ministry.
What do I do? I am a wife and a mother. I shop, cook, clean, tidy, do laundry like any other mum, so that's not a ministry, is it?

I take our two children to Japanese kindergarten each morning and pick them up in the afternoon. There I get a chance to have a brief chat with the other mums. There are one or two that I am quite close to now. Five of them came to our Christmas outreach last year. It was their first time to a church but it was a beginning.
Before the children started kindergarten we went to the local park 3 or 4 mornings a week. There I got to know quite a few other mums who I still meet when I'm out shopping or cycling to church or kindergarten.

I have learnt a lot about family life in Japan during the past 4 years. It takes time to establish relationships here, but once made they tend to last. I am glad that we will be coming back to the same place after Home Assignment and have a chance to deepen the relationships, a chance again to invite to church, to share about why we are in Japan to even see some of them come to know the Lord.

Do I have a ministry? Maybe after all I do.

Won’t you come and join us? There will be a place for you.