Miriam Davis - Missionary in Japan

News from Miriam Davis, January 2012

Mansion 405, 1-19, Higashi 14, Kita 37,
Higashi Ku, Sapporo 007-0837, Japan

New email Address: miriam.davis {at} omfmail.com

Mr Seino (72), whose name means ‘Holy Field’, first turned up at church in February 2011. He talked about his childhood in a remote rice growing community, having a keen Christian relative who founded a church, and said he wanted to be baptised with all his family. Just the sort of thing you want to hear.

Since then he has been in church more Sundays than not, but always having to rush away and unable to attend the seekers’ Bible study after service. We pray faithfully for him every week at the Thursday church prayer meeting. Just before Christmas I was at the back of the church as he left. It was many weeks since I had even had an opportunity to say hello. ‘I have to go although it would be nice to talk’ he said.  

This comment prompted me to ask retired church member, Mr Chiba, if he would join me in a Bible study with Mr Seino on a weekday, if Mr Seino agreed.  Mr Chiba seemed delighted at the idea and, with Pastor Matsumoto’s encouragement, I wrote a letter to Mr Seino suggesting 4-6 weeks of basic Bible study on a weekday at his own convenience.  Mr Seino initially thought my letter was from a suspicious source as there was no sender name or address. (I happened to have run out of Japanese address labels!) However, after a follow-up phone call and discussion after church, he bought his own Bible, and we got started on January 10th.

It is an interesting (challenging?) experience – despite saying he wanted to be baptised on his first visit to Hokuei, he seems to have zero understanding of Christianity. Although he has attended church fairly regularly for 10 months, he did not know one end of the Bible from the other.  He seems to find the process of reading difficult, though a different pair of glasses at our second study improved matters. I have to work hard to keep things on track (he likes to talk!). 

Mr Seino has diabetes and injects insulin regularly. His doctor has told him he needs a month in hospital to get his diet under control. He is thinking of March when the snow gets less and his wife is not left to do all the snow shovelling at home.  So I would especially like to ask you to pray that we will be able to continue weekly studies till March, and that during that time, Mr Seino would at least come to understand the basics of faith and the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus.  

 For your prayers:

1. Preaching
  29 January           Hokuei church
  4 March               Midorigaoaka church, Asahikawa*
  25 March             Hanazono church, Hakodate*
  (*on behalf of Hokkaido Gospel Broadcast Ministry).  

It has been good to have a break from church visits since the end of November especially with unusually heavy snow and severe cold this year and in March I plan to travel by train. But it would be nice to have a few more invitations from churches between now and my Home Assignment in July.  

2. Seeker Bible studies with Mr Seino and Mr Chiba (weekly) and with the Yamaguchi twins (twice a month). Pray on for Mayuko and Yuriko to attend church regularly and buy their own Bibles.  

3. Other events
  7 February        Hokkaido Gospel Broadcast Board meeting.
  9 February        Committee meeting to plan June’s Gospel
                          Broadcast evangelistic outreach in Sapporo.
  14-15 February  JECA Hokkaido (Japan Evangelical Church
                          Association) Pastors retreat.
  24 February      Sapporo Northern block JECA pastors’ meeting.  
With much appreciation of your prayers,
Miriam
[To view Prayer News Bulletin as PDF click here.]