FCM Outreach in Japan

They are small villages made of containers. The villages are somewhat like retirement homes, as all the young people have moved away because they could see no future for themselves. Each "village" has a small meeting place – a room or small center where LEJ offers various programs and provides opportunities for interaction. Many of the people there suffer from depression as a result of the disaster, as well as from loneliness. We were able to support LEJ in many activities, such as gardening, setting up and dismantling program items, distributing food, distributing flyers, etc. It was difficult for us to communicate with the Japanese there, as most of them didn't speak English.

Our main goal, however, was to encourage and strengthen the LEJ team. There are very few Christians here, and fellowship and friendship with other Christians is greatly valued. Often, their faith is very superficial — they try to please God through hard work instead of cultivating the friendship with Him that He offers us and loves so much. Often, there's little Bible knowledge, because the Japanese of the Bible is apparently very difficult to understand. Only a few have read the Bible in its entirety. The LEJ team is actually from Tokyo. The pastor preaches there on Sundays, and then the whole team travels together for 7 hours to Shikawa on Mondays and 7 hours back on Saturdays. It's not customary in Japan to ask how someone is doing. We were then able to take over that task — to make them feel seen and encouraged, to hear their story, to get to know them, and to pray for them and with them.

We stayed at a campsite this week. Luckily, there were air mattresses and air conditioning :)

Back in Gamagori, we were able to spend a lot of time with the YWAM Sakura team. Most of them have only been here for less than a year, so they're still at the very beginning of establishing the base. However, the first schools are scheduled to begin this fall: a DTS (discipleship training school) and an FCM (foundations of counseling ministry, the pastoral care school I completed in Kona in fall 2024, which the current outreach is part of). We took a lot of time to listen to them, to hear their stories, and to hear how God has called each of them here. We were able to pray for them, encourage them, and worship with them.

Worship is one of the things I love most about YWAM. No matter where we are, no matter what country or language is spoken, we are always united in the Holy Spirit in worship. This inspired me during my DTS outreach in Indonesia a few years ago. I might know the songs and simply sing them to myself in German or English, or I might try to sing in the local language. No matter what — praise always brings us into the presence of God and creates unity. This week, I was able to sing in Japanese and Portuguese (I even understood the lyrics). I also think it's great for learning the language — how do you pronounce words? How are words spelled? How does it feel to say those words, even if I don't understand them?

We were the first outreach team to receive YWAM Sakura — which explains some of the bumps along the way. Nevertheless, we felt incredibly welcomed and are excited to see what else God has in store for us here.

We also visited various Brazilian and Japanese churches. We were able to lead entire services, and sometimes we were able to share testimonies. It was also my turn to share my testimony — not my favourite, but I managed it, and some people resonated with me, which made me very happy. I talked about how, with God's help, I'm still in the process of moving away from perfectionism at work toward a mindset of working out of God's love and strength, not working to be loved and be worth something. I often put a lot of pressure on myself to do enough. But God promises to give me rest. That's a message that many Japanese people need. For many, being a Christian means doing things for God. The fact that it means having a relationship with our living God — a father-daughter/son relationship that is about being loved unconditionally and spending time with the Father — is completely foreign to many.

Inspiring was also the work of Takashima and Lilian, who are providing food to the homeless in Toyohashi every day for 28 years. Every morning at 9 a.m. they gather at the train station, pray, and hold a short devotional. Upon our arrival at the station, Melvin, our team leader, was asked, completely unprepared, to hold the devotional — classic outreach: being flexible and jumping in at the deep end. We were then asked to sing a worship song, pray for the homeless, and distribute the food. I find the faithfulness of Toyohashi and his wife very impressive. Day after day, after day, for so many years, they come to be a light for these people. We were then able to pray for them and encourage them, showing them that they are seen.

Just when I'm starting to find my way around the small streets here in Gamagori and can get around without Google Maps, our time here is coming to an end. The suitcases are packed, the futons are rolled up, and tomorrow we'll be off to Tokyo.

Please pray

• for everything that lies behind us. That we can be a real and, above all, lasting encouragement to the Christians here.
• for everything that's to come. We don't have too many plans for Tokyo yet and are excited to see what happens. Communication can be quite difficult at times, so it's easier to discuss things once we're finally there. Please pray for open doors, for protection, and that God will show us exactly what's on his heart.

We had a guest, Jesia from the USA. She stayed with us for three days, and it was definitely not a chance encounter. She had one-on-one conversations with each of us, seeking help and healing from hurts through her church, family, and DTS (Discipleship Training School, YWAM's discipleship program). We were able to encourage her and give her some joy exercises. She, in turn, was able to connect us with local missionaries, as she was here during her DTS last year. What a blessed give and take :)

We were able to get to know YWAM missionaries who have been here for over 20 years with DTS outreaches and who moved here from LA last year. They gave us a lot of insight into what it means to build a church here and are grateful that we are here. Just our presence as Christians, with Jesus in our hearts, makes a difference.

We also had several conversations with people interested in faith, were able to explain many things, and pray with them.

We are planning our seminar on emotions and depression for the coming Sundays and were able to present it in the service and invite people to attend.

A Japanese woman was at the service. One of the missionaries had a conversation with her on the street six months ago and then never heard from her again. After so many months, she suddenly appeared at the service for the first time!

And most recently, we were with the missionaries evangelizing in Harajuku. I did worship with two others. That wouldn't have been possible just a few years ago. During that time, Melvin (my team leader) had a word for someone (a hint about a person that he received from God in prayer). He started a conversation with this person, and it turned out that the word hit the mark. The person had decided to commit suicide that day and, through the word, found new hope and perspective. Hallelujah. Melvin passed on the contact information from Pastor Shinji-San. We pray that she will come to church on Sunday—or sometime soon.

Please pray for our first seminar on Sunday.

• That some people will come and get involved.
• ⁠That it will bring lasting, positive change.
• ⁠That we have enough time to prepare between all our activities.

Japanese people don't have much time to cook, so they eat a lot of fast food—ramen or curry, which you just pour over with hot water. Or bread from a can :D tastes like orange-flavored plaited bread with small pieces instead of raisins. There's generally a vending machine with food and drinks on every corner.