Should we go to Japan? Would it be worth the time and money?
While planning our trip to Indonesia this fall, one of our team members with a heart for the Japanese people suggested we go to Japan to prayer walk for a couple of days on the way home. We had many questions and concerns, but the most important was whether God wanted us to go to Japan.
Thankfully, God made His answer very clear. We mentioned the idea to some of our missionaries, and they (unbeknownst to us) contacted some contacts in Tokyo and told them about FaithCamp. The church members were excited! They invited us to have FaithCamp in Tokyo.
FaithCamp Japan was not a part of our plans, but if God gave us the opportunity, what else could we do?
Last week, we had our first FaithCamp in Tokyo, Japan, and God blessed it beyond our expectations.
Our venue for FaithCamp Japan was the Tokyo International Church (TIC). Its members come from all over the world and live in Tokyo for various reasons.
The theme for this FaithCamp was “Walking by Faith.” In addition to the faith stories shared by missionaries and JFA staff, we also focused on the concept of prayer walking, sharing our experiences and encouraging the attendees to prayer walk themselves.
With 37 million residents, Tokyo is the most populated city on the planet. Japan is less than 1% Christian, with Seventh-Day Adventists making up just a tiny fraction.
Throughout history, Christians have struggled with how to reach the hearts of the Japanese people. Most people have their material needs taken care of. Their country is safe, clean, and modern. What more do they need? Why would they seek a relationship with God?
We don’t know all the answers, but we know God does. So we went to Japan to pray for the people, claim Bible promises, and seek God for His plan to spread the Gospel there.
As Jon Wood and our team shared their experiences, the attendees were engaged and had many questions.
During the last meeting, we broke out into small groups to find Bible promises to claim for the people of Japan and then prayer-walk near the church.
The groups were only out for 10-15 minutes, yet many came back with testimonies of how God inspired them to pray, new things they noticed about people on the street, and how they could incorporate prayer walking into their daily lives.
The church members were burdened by the need for the Gospel in Tokyo, and we praise God for enabling us to encourage them and motivate them to pray and seek God’s plan for this city.
We invite you to join us in praying for Japan. We still don’t have all the answers, but we have faith that God does and is working out His plan for these precious people. Here are a few specific ways you can pray:
Pray for wisdom on how to reach the hearts of the Japanese people.
Pray for God to continue strengthening the TIC members as they pray and reach out to others.
Pray for dedicated missionaries to move to Japan.
Pray for the Japanese people to be interested in spiritual matters and see their need for Jesus.
Depression and suicide are serious problems in Japan. Pray for those with depression to find hope in Jesus.
God loves the people of Japan, and this is just a taste of how He is working on their behalf! We look forward to seeing what He will do next!
The Unreached People Seed Fund was created to help start projects in places where little to no work is being done. If you want to support work in areas like Japan, please click the button below.
If God is leading you to support the ministry of FaithCamp around the world, please click the button below.
-Contributed by Jesus for Asia