Tokyo Team

Airport

After Peter’s flight left we came to our nearly empty terminal. Sitting across from us was a couple going to Brazil. They struck up a conversation with us and asked where we were going and what we would be doing there. We told them that we were going to Japan in a Trek 7 trip. Although we didn’t know a lot of the details at the time, we told them that we would be doing different things there including teaching English. They were excited and told us that they were Christians and that several people they knew were Christians.

The woman then asked if we were “praying folk,” to which we excitedly said “yes!” She pulled out her phone and tuned on the lock screen. “It’s my son.” On the lock screen was a young man in a hospital garb, bald, smiling, going through chemo. She told us how he his cancer was one that was hard to cure and that he was going through chemo in a desperate attempt to save his life. What amazed me more was this man’s attitude. He saw his diagnosis as having no downside. Either he live and got to spend more time with his wife and kids, or he got to go be with Jesus. Even though he wasn’t there, his faith, and his parent’s faith, amazed us, affirming our decision to go on this trip.

Please pray for their son, Brent.

PRAY YAMANOTE

 For those of you who, like me, can’t read kanji (Chinese characters) the lime green train line is the Yamanote (Yah-mah-no-teh) train line. The Yamanote line makes a circle around the middle of Tokyo. The ministry gathers believers to ride the whole Yamanote line and pray for Tokyo. Each time they also get off at one of the many stations and pray for the station.

Our group met the group at one of the train stations. Many Christians were gathered, both short-term teams like Trek 7 and long-term missionaries, all praying for Japan to glorify Christ. We rode the Yamanote line, praying for the people riding on the train along with praying for Japan as a whole. Some people prayed quietly in groups, others read their Bibles, some sat or wrote quietly, and some listened to worship music.

We got off at the Shinagawa (She-nah-gah-wah) station. This station is over 100 years old, making it one of the oldest stations in Tokyo. It is near many offices in Tokyo and many salary men get off at this station. In Japan, an average work week is about 60 hours a week or more. The Japanese try to find meaning in their work and rank instead of in Christ. Despite all the time and effort they put into their work, many realize that it seems fulfilling and commit suicide.

Praying in the train was an amazing experience. Despite the fact that it took over an hour to ride the whole track, we didn’t run out of things to pray about. I have the feeling that we could ride the train line from the first train (5:00AM) to the last train (11:00PM) and not run out of things to pray about.

Colossians 1:9-14

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualifies you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He as delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.