This last week has been interesting in light of my last blog post. The theme for this month is "family" in our English classes, and in talking with my students about how love and communication occur in Japanese families, they quoted to me the old adage, "Silence is golden". So it's not just in the church here, but an attitude and approach to life.
Saturday night I attended a modern dance performance in which a friend is apprenticing. True to form, it was very modern- but another word I used to describe it to my friend was "dark". The third and final dance was my friends favorite, so I was looking forward to seeing it. But after watching it I began to wonder why. It was a story of a man, a silent figure, who went around choking, suffocating, and imprisoning the people around him. The people he controlled eventually stopped struggling and gave in and began to act in similar ways to the other dancers on stage. There was a woman in a pink shirt who throughout the dance, maintained a posture of fear, trembling, shaking violently in place, in some sort of trance. She'd come out of it from time to time, and tried to show another frightened dancer a view of something outside of that scary world, but in the end, in one such moment, the play ended when the girl in pink stabbed the frightened girl while she was looking to the outside. The girl in pink then stopped shaking and adapted a new composure all together. She calmly walked off stage, turning a stage light off as she did. Whatever evil or fear or force she'd been struggling with throughout the dance had clearly won her over. All the while, throughout the performance, a hooded man in black sat with his back to us. He never stirred or moved, but clearly had an important role in what was happening.
So I asked my friend why it was her favorite- it seemed so dark to me. But for this 23 year old Japanese Christian girl, it was something she could relate to. She said that she often feels the emotions the dancers portrayed- gripped with fear, wanting to scream, but nothing comes out. It was a bit of culture shock for me to realize that the Japanese people in the audience with me liked it not for its darkness, but because it expressed what they are feeling inside. Silence. It can be deafening, and as the dance portrayed, is torturous, agonizing, and hopeless, and certainly not golden.
Many things I have observed or wondered about in this culture- things that the church struggles against and things that people live enslaved to- things I haven't been able to put words to- were illustrated and reinforced through the medium of dance; those struggles and more.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
My Most Recent "Mountain-top Experience"
In addition to being Pentecost, Sunday was also "The Global Day of Prayer". Originating from a church in South Africa, people from every country of the world on this day every year pray for the people of the world http://www.globaldayofprayer.com/strategy.php. So I found myself on the top of a mountain on Sunday with three other American missionaries, the church president, and an unbaptized believer who has only recently been attending church. As we climbed the mountain, it seemed to be that the higher we ascended, the less of the valley below we could see. Once on top, we were enshrouded in a cloud and could see almost nothing of the view below. We began to pray together the "Prayer for the World" from the prayer guide, and as we did, the clouds seemed to evaporate around us and lift themselves up off the other mountain range off in the distance. By the time we had finished reading the prayer, we could see beyond the distant mountain range, all the way to the Sea of Japan. The silhouette of Sado Island was also visible, and everything was cast in a pale orange light. Cindy and I were pulling out so many good metaphors for faith from the experience!
After that, we broke off and began to pray individually and read passages of scripture. I wandered off to a higher area away from the view-point, to a view of the other side of the mountain. As I was praying, I saw a Japanese man sitting under a shelter at the top of the mountain (as it was a rainy day) and I decided to pray for him too. A little later I ran into him again at a different overlook. He asked me if we were reading poems. I said no, that we were praying and reading from our Bibles. He told me that he prayed too, but that he wasn't religious. I told him I'd heard similar sentiments uttered by other Japanese people. I then asked him if he thought prayer worked. This launched us into a very interesting conversation about God and prayer, human weakness and limitation, and our need for God.
He then told me that he worked with people who were Christian. I was surprised to hear this as less than 1% of the population here is Christian. I asked him if they were Japanese. He said yes, and that he knew they often talked to each other about their faith, and that they would admit to being christian, but that they never talked to him about their faith. I didn't know how to reply to him. Here is this young man whose open to and interested in hearing about Christianity, and the Christians who are in his life won't talk to him about Jesus. I felt like my heart dropped to my feet. This is by no means an uncommon attitude and belief held by many- if not the majority- of the church here. This same stronghold dates back to the time of the first missionary to land on the shores of Japan, Francis Xavier, a Jesuit priest in the mid 16th century. There is even a book written about that time called, "Silence" by Shusako Endo. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silence_(novel)
It just compels you all the more to pray for both the church here to wake up and be the light of the world, the city on the hill, and the salt of the earth that Christ has redeemed them and enabled them to be. It also causes me to pray Matthew 9:37-38 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
After that, we broke off and began to pray individually and read passages of scripture. I wandered off to a higher area away from the view-point, to a view of the other side of the mountain. As I was praying, I saw a Japanese man sitting under a shelter at the top of the mountain (as it was a rainy day) and I decided to pray for him too. A little later I ran into him again at a different overlook. He asked me if we were reading poems. I said no, that we were praying and reading from our Bibles. He told me that he prayed too, but that he wasn't religious. I told him I'd heard similar sentiments uttered by other Japanese people. I then asked him if he thought prayer worked. This launched us into a very interesting conversation about God and prayer, human weakness and limitation, and our need for God.
He then told me that he worked with people who were Christian. I was surprised to hear this as less than 1% of the population here is Christian. I asked him if they were Japanese. He said yes, and that he knew they often talked to each other about their faith, and that they would admit to being christian, but that they never talked to him about their faith. I didn't know how to reply to him. Here is this young man whose open to and interested in hearing about Christianity, and the Christians who are in his life won't talk to him about Jesus. I felt like my heart dropped to my feet. This is by no means an uncommon attitude and belief held by many- if not the majority- of the church here. This same stronghold dates back to the time of the first missionary to land on the shores of Japan, Francis Xavier, a Jesuit priest in the mid 16th century. There is even a book written about that time called, "Silence" by Shusako Endo. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silence_(novel)
It just compels you all the more to pray for both the church here to wake up and be the light of the world, the city on the hill, and the salt of the earth that Christ has redeemed them and enabled them to be. It also causes me to pray Matthew 9:37-38 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Coincidences and Confirmation
This week at our church we've been participating in the "10 days of prayer" leading up to the global day of prayer, which is Pentecost. We've been meeting for an hour of prayer every morning with church members from 6-7 am and in the evening for a "joy hour" or in Japanese "yorokobi ji kan" in which we pray, worship, share ways we see God working, write our own psalms, spend time in silence listening, etc. There's a booklet that goes with it- and I took an English copy to my neighbor, whose an American. We've been talking a bit about faith from time to time when we see each other, and it has been in the last two months, I learned recently, that he has felt a strong desire and hunger for God's word and christian community. He's searching for God's purpose in his life. There's a pastor in the states whose been mentoring him, and recommending books for him to read, and chatting over skype. So on my way to the Bus stop Saturday, I stopped by his house to drop it off. He thanked me, and I left.
Then, on Monday, I was having a day like no other- everything was happening in perfect time- the trains I'd get on getting me to the next train or place just on time, catching the right bus at the right time to get to the seminary just in time, not knowing where to go- but arriving at precisely the moment when Dr. Sack arrived and hearing him yell my name across the quad, meeting our director on the way to Starbucks just as he was about to get lost and go the wrong way, making it to the christian bookstore to buy my bilingual bible (I can't get them in Niigata) in time before closing and there happened to be a subway sandwich shop next door (silly, I know, but its the only place you can get a turkey sandwhich in this counrty! I think God spoils me!!!) These are all small things- but they show the significance of what happened next. I returned to Niigata by Shinkansen. I decided to take the train home from the station, and saw that that too- was just on time. I ran quickly down the stairs to catch the train, and made it to the platform just in time to see the doors closing and the train pulling away. "What??? God, this is not consistent with how this day's been going!" I thought. But then, I thought again. "Maybe God wants me to take the bus- it is a shorter walk from the bus stop to my house than the train station, and my bag is heavy." So I went outside to the bus stop, and, sure enough, the bus that goes along my route home was just pulling in. But, to my surprise, there also was my neighbor!!! Whoa! OK, God definitely wanted me to take the bus. We had a great conversation all the way home about faith and community and a book he's reading now called, "The Shack." I'm not sure what God's intention is in all of the relationships he brings into my life, but I know He has a purpose in them and I pray I'll be his instrument of light and love in them. We are currently praying about starting an English worship service. Maybe there's a connection... :)
For more information about the 10 Days of prayer at our church, check out the website!
http://sites.google.com/site/nozomiprayer/
Then, on Monday, I was having a day like no other- everything was happening in perfect time- the trains I'd get on getting me to the next train or place just on time, catching the right bus at the right time to get to the seminary just in time, not knowing where to go- but arriving at precisely the moment when Dr. Sack arrived and hearing him yell my name across the quad, meeting our director on the way to Starbucks just as he was about to get lost and go the wrong way, making it to the christian bookstore to buy my bilingual bible (I can't get them in Niigata) in time before closing and there happened to be a subway sandwich shop next door (silly, I know, but its the only place you can get a turkey sandwhich in this counrty! I think God spoils me!!!) These are all small things- but they show the significance of what happened next. I returned to Niigata by Shinkansen. I decided to take the train home from the station, and saw that that too- was just on time. I ran quickly down the stairs to catch the train, and made it to the platform just in time to see the doors closing and the train pulling away. "What??? God, this is not consistent with how this day's been going!" I thought. But then, I thought again. "Maybe God wants me to take the bus- it is a shorter walk from the bus stop to my house than the train station, and my bag is heavy." So I went outside to the bus stop, and, sure enough, the bus that goes along my route home was just pulling in. But, to my surprise, there also was my neighbor!!! Whoa! OK, God definitely wanted me to take the bus. We had a great conversation all the way home about faith and community and a book he's reading now called, "The Shack." I'm not sure what God's intention is in all of the relationships he brings into my life, but I know He has a purpose in them and I pray I'll be his instrument of light and love in them. We are currently praying about starting an English worship service. Maybe there's a connection... :)
For more information about the 10 Days of prayer at our church, check out the website!
http://sites.google.com/site/nozomiprayer/
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Whoever said "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach" was on to something. I started the day off with a run, and then rolled up my sleeves and whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Every Saturday I attend a prayer group; and, as with most gatherings of church people, there is always food. I usually don't have time to bake- but made a point of it this week as I have a short holiday from teaching. Anyway, the batch made so many that I put them in many containers and went about distributing them to neighbors as well.
Prior to today, I haven't really been able to have good conversations with the older men in the congregation- I think they just don't know what to do with me. One man in particular, who works closely with the English school, won't even make eye contact with me when I say hello and only talks to me when its absolutely necessary, but always interrupts whatever conversation I'm in the middle of with another church member to do so. But today was different. Today he ate my cookies! The transformation was like the stuff of fairy tales! He smiled, laughed, was warm and genuine- all quite suddenly. Now I know you may be suspicious of the ingredients I used in trying to formulate a reason for this change- but I can assure you that I used only FDA approved products (I can't actually back this claim as I'm living in Japan and can't read food labels!)
Anyway, in meeting with this group, I continue to see God's presence and work in the lives of these individuals- and I'm so thankful for it. As my language ability increases and I can understand more of the conversations around me, I am increasingly touched in my own faith by the stories of these people and one woman, in particular's, ability to take life situations and struggles back to scripture and reveal God's design or desire in each circumstance.
Also today I met up with a woman I originally met at the train station a few weeks ago on my way back from teaching at the kindergarten in Sanjo. She is a vocalist, and asked if I'd be willing to help her with her pronunciation of the English songs she's hoping to record this summer. She had her 5 year old son with her, who was less than bashful and initiated the initial greeting with me in English! She turns out to be somewhat famous in this area, singing at jazz clubs and local events, as well as traveling to Tokyo. I don't know how I meet these people sometimes, but trust that God has his reasons and intentions in bringing me into relationships with the people that he does. At the end of the night, she invited me to come and be a guest on a radio program she's involved with- IN JAPANESE!!!!! I was flattered to be asked, but my goodness, speaking Japanese on the radio for lots and lots of people to hear is pretty intimidating- but I think I'm up for the challenge! Back to the cookies- I sent her home with some for her son who was sad not to be able to join us because, well, he's 5 and we were having a meeting. I could tell she was surprised, but also that the gift was well received. Cookies- such a simple thing. But with only one batch, relationships were changed, love was communicated, and stomachs were satisfied!
Prior to today, I haven't really been able to have good conversations with the older men in the congregation- I think they just don't know what to do with me. One man in particular, who works closely with the English school, won't even make eye contact with me when I say hello and only talks to me when its absolutely necessary, but always interrupts whatever conversation I'm in the middle of with another church member to do so. But today was different. Today he ate my cookies! The transformation was like the stuff of fairy tales! He smiled, laughed, was warm and genuine- all quite suddenly. Now I know you may be suspicious of the ingredients I used in trying to formulate a reason for this change- but I can assure you that I used only FDA approved products (I can't actually back this claim as I'm living in Japan and can't read food labels!)
Anyway, in meeting with this group, I continue to see God's presence and work in the lives of these individuals- and I'm so thankful for it. As my language ability increases and I can understand more of the conversations around me, I am increasingly touched in my own faith by the stories of these people and one woman, in particular's, ability to take life situations and struggles back to scripture and reveal God's design or desire in each circumstance.
Also today I met up with a woman I originally met at the train station a few weeks ago on my way back from teaching at the kindergarten in Sanjo. She is a vocalist, and asked if I'd be willing to help her with her pronunciation of the English songs she's hoping to record this summer. She had her 5 year old son with her, who was less than bashful and initiated the initial greeting with me in English! She turns out to be somewhat famous in this area, singing at jazz clubs and local events, as well as traveling to Tokyo. I don't know how I meet these people sometimes, but trust that God has his reasons and intentions in bringing me into relationships with the people that he does. At the end of the night, she invited me to come and be a guest on a radio program she's involved with- IN JAPANESE!!!!! I was flattered to be asked, but my goodness, speaking Japanese on the radio for lots and lots of people to hear is pretty intimidating- but I think I'm up for the challenge! Back to the cookies- I sent her home with some for her son who was sad not to be able to join us because, well, he's 5 and we were having a meeting. I could tell she was surprised, but also that the gift was well received. Cookies- such a simple thing. But with only one batch, relationships were changed, love was communicated, and stomachs were satisfied!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Elated Hearts <3
I'd like to share a quick story of a joy I had from my adult beginner class. This year, every month in English class, we will spend a little time talking about some cultural aspect of the United States. This month I chose to focus on Easter, because it fell in April this year. Last week I read the story from a children's Bible in English, and this week I played for them a recording from when I sang in Christus Chorus at Concordia St. Paul of "I Know that My Redeemer Lives". They loved it- and described the sound as "calming", "tender", "hopeful", and one student even looked up from her dictionary and said, "My heart feels... 'elated'!" We talked about what "redeemer" means, and why it was that Jesus had to redeem us, and Easter as being a celebration of Christ victory over sin and death, and the hope we can have in faith of eternal life.
I played also for them Schutz' "I Am the Resurrection". We read John 11:25 in Japanese too, after I showed them the words in English. They loved this one too, and one student said, "Our teacher before taught us sometimes too about the Bible, but I didn't believe it then; but now I am beginning to understand." Little by little, what a joy it is to see the seeds of faith God is planting in hearts as he relentlessly pursues the lost! Thanks for your continued prayers!
I played also for them Schutz' "I Am the Resurrection". We read John 11:25 in Japanese too, after I showed them the words in English. They loved this one too, and one student said, "Our teacher before taught us sometimes too about the Bible, but I didn't believe it then; but now I am beginning to understand." Little by little, what a joy it is to see the seeds of faith God is planting in hearts as he relentlessly pursues the lost! Thanks for your continued prayers!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Hunger and the Gift of Confession
I'm so back-blogged because I haven't had Internet or time in the last month- but so many things have happened and there is so much to thank and praise God for, as well as things to pray about. So stay tuned, I'll try little by little to fill you all in.
Two stories- The first is about a student who just joined my Tuesday class from a different class. Every month this year, we'll focus for part of the class on a different American cultural theme. Because Easter was in April this year, I thought it'd be a great way to bring the story into the classroom every week. This last Tuesday, this particular student was so curious and had so many questions, we spent over half of the 90 minute class on the topic and she asked if she could take the illustrated Arch Book on Holy Week home with her. I of course told her yes, but somehow in the shuffle after class she left without it. Yesterday she was back at the church for something, and was sure to stop by the office and asked again to borrow it! Not only was I happy to see her to give it to her (I felt a bit disappointed when I saw she'd left without it), but it brought me such joy to see that she had come back and made a point to seek it out herself. She's hungry, not unlike many others God is bringing through the doors.
The second story is about me- or rather, how my self-centered worse half got the best of me; and how God's grace covers and restores the messes I make. I was at the kindergarten in Sanjo, and one of the teachers informed me that there was an observer coming to the last class to meet me. Currently the class has no students, as it was created for students transferring from another school who the next week decided to quit. The class had already gone out on the flier, so nothing could be done. It's not bad to have another class, but the truth was that all I could think about was my 2 hour commute each way, the long day that it was already, and how if this student wanted to join the class that currently had no students, I'd have to stay an hour later every week, and get home an hour later, and be even more exhausted. I let my feelings of frustration show to the teacher, and from that point on, something in our relationship changed. She was frustrated with me- rightly so- because I was only seeing the situation as it effected me. And I was complaining about it too. There was an iciness between us, masked by the Japanese formalities of politeness. So while we were still operating on a surface level of kindness and formality, I could also feel distance and coldness between us.
As the day went on, God began to change my heart and show me that I was focusing too much on myself. I'd committed to teaching the class, regardless of who enrolled. Our interactions continued to be strained. I wanted to talk to her about it, and to apologize for my bad attitude, but I worried my Japanese wouldn't be good enough to communicate this and that she wouldn't understand my apology because coming out and admitting directly that you were in the wrong is a very foreign thing in the culture.
I decided to do it anyway; and I think I witnessed a miracle. I could tell that she was really uncertain of how to respond to my admission at first, but a look of relief came over her face, and she smiled and we began talking about other things and laughing together. The coldness was instantly gone, the strain between us lifted. And there was authenticity. Ive witnessed a lot of unspoken bad feelings between people that are masked in formalities, and this situation caused me to wonder what unresolved conflicts may lay between those people. Holding grudges and being unwilling to forgive does nasty things to a person's heart. And hard as it is, its one of the reasons God tells us to do it. I felt such joy after the conversation- the same joy I feel after sharing the Gospel with someone who has a receiving heart in hearing it. Like faith- confession, forgiveness, and restoration are also miracles and gifts from God!
Two stories- The first is about a student who just joined my Tuesday class from a different class. Every month this year, we'll focus for part of the class on a different American cultural theme. Because Easter was in April this year, I thought it'd be a great way to bring the story into the classroom every week. This last Tuesday, this particular student was so curious and had so many questions, we spent over half of the 90 minute class on the topic and she asked if she could take the illustrated Arch Book on Holy Week home with her. I of course told her yes, but somehow in the shuffle after class she left without it. Yesterday she was back at the church for something, and was sure to stop by the office and asked again to borrow it! Not only was I happy to see her to give it to her (I felt a bit disappointed when I saw she'd left without it), but it brought me such joy to see that she had come back and made a point to seek it out herself. She's hungry, not unlike many others God is bringing through the doors.
The second story is about me- or rather, how my self-centered worse half got the best of me; and how God's grace covers and restores the messes I make. I was at the kindergarten in Sanjo, and one of the teachers informed me that there was an observer coming to the last class to meet me. Currently the class has no students, as it was created for students transferring from another school who the next week decided to quit. The class had already gone out on the flier, so nothing could be done. It's not bad to have another class, but the truth was that all I could think about was my 2 hour commute each way, the long day that it was already, and how if this student wanted to join the class that currently had no students, I'd have to stay an hour later every week, and get home an hour later, and be even more exhausted. I let my feelings of frustration show to the teacher, and from that point on, something in our relationship changed. She was frustrated with me- rightly so- because I was only seeing the situation as it effected me. And I was complaining about it too. There was an iciness between us, masked by the Japanese formalities of politeness. So while we were still operating on a surface level of kindness and formality, I could also feel distance and coldness between us.
As the day went on, God began to change my heart and show me that I was focusing too much on myself. I'd committed to teaching the class, regardless of who enrolled. Our interactions continued to be strained. I wanted to talk to her about it, and to apologize for my bad attitude, but I worried my Japanese wouldn't be good enough to communicate this and that she wouldn't understand my apology because coming out and admitting directly that you were in the wrong is a very foreign thing in the culture.
I decided to do it anyway; and I think I witnessed a miracle. I could tell that she was really uncertain of how to respond to my admission at first, but a look of relief came over her face, and she smiled and we began talking about other things and laughing together. The coldness was instantly gone, the strain between us lifted. And there was authenticity. Ive witnessed a lot of unspoken bad feelings between people that are masked in formalities, and this situation caused me to wonder what unresolved conflicts may lay between those people. Holding grudges and being unwilling to forgive does nasty things to a person's heart. And hard as it is, its one of the reasons God tells us to do it. I felt such joy after the conversation- the same joy I feel after sharing the Gospel with someone who has a receiving heart in hearing it. Like faith- confession, forgiveness, and restoration are also miracles and gifts from God!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Upcoming Baptisms!
I was surprised to learn in Church yesterday that there would be three baptisms on Nomura Sensei's last Sunday before he moves to Fukushima to pastor a church there. I knew that a young woman who had been coming for a little while and attended the weekly seekers class was to be baptized, but I didn't know who the other two people were; but I should have guessed and when I heard Nomura Sensei announce that one of the people to be baptized was a boy, I immediately suspected that it was a kind new friend I'd made and her son.
About two months ago, this woman's son began attending a kids English class at the church. He had attended a christian kindergarten a few years back, and it was there that he learned to pray before meals and began to learn about a loving God, and his Son Jesus who was sent into the world to die for our sins. His mother shared with me that she had received a Bible as a gift from the teachers of the kindergarten, and that's when her interest in Christianity began. She told me one day over a curry lunch that her son (who is quite energetic for his age) used to be so much worse, especially following a rough time in both of their lives just after her divorce. She had had a lot of stresses in her life at that time, and a friend of a friend who was Christian offered to pray for her. She was so moved by the power of that prayer! She felt peace, and knew that there was something to prayer and to this God that they had just prayed to!
So when she enrolled her son in the English school at the church, she asked about coming to worship as well. She has been at every service since then, with her son, and two weeks ago started bringing her sister as well. She has been so open about her curiosity and desire to learn about the Bible, who Jesus is, and prayer. When Haidee's internship Supervisor Phil was here last week from Concordia St. Paul, she even shared with an entire room of Christians freely about how God had thus far touched her life, even though she stated she wasn't a christian yet. A church member who sometimes hosts the Saturday prayer group, after hearing her desire to learn more about prayer, invited her to the next gathering, which was this last Saturday. She came, and it was there that she shared that her son told her he wanted to become a Christian- her prayer request that day was for guidance in what to do. So we prayed- and sure enough, that night, she decided they would both be baptized together! What a blessing it has been to see this woman's journey of faith lived out so publicly in front of other students who are seeking. I pray that she'll be able to be bold in sharing her faith after she is baptized as it continues to grow, and that God will use her and her story to draw many others to himself through the loving community of the church I feel so blessed to serve with here!
About two months ago, this woman's son began attending a kids English class at the church. He had attended a christian kindergarten a few years back, and it was there that he learned to pray before meals and began to learn about a loving God, and his Son Jesus who was sent into the world to die for our sins. His mother shared with me that she had received a Bible as a gift from the teachers of the kindergarten, and that's when her interest in Christianity began. She told me one day over a curry lunch that her son (who is quite energetic for his age) used to be so much worse, especially following a rough time in both of their lives just after her divorce. She had had a lot of stresses in her life at that time, and a friend of a friend who was Christian offered to pray for her. She was so moved by the power of that prayer! She felt peace, and knew that there was something to prayer and to this God that they had just prayed to!
So when she enrolled her son in the English school at the church, she asked about coming to worship as well. She has been at every service since then, with her son, and two weeks ago started bringing her sister as well. She has been so open about her curiosity and desire to learn about the Bible, who Jesus is, and prayer. When Haidee's internship Supervisor Phil was here last week from Concordia St. Paul, she even shared with an entire room of Christians freely about how God had thus far touched her life, even though she stated she wasn't a christian yet. A church member who sometimes hosts the Saturday prayer group, after hearing her desire to learn more about prayer, invited her to the next gathering, which was this last Saturday. She came, and it was there that she shared that her son told her he wanted to become a Christian- her prayer request that day was for guidance in what to do. So we prayed- and sure enough, that night, she decided they would both be baptized together! What a blessing it has been to see this woman's journey of faith lived out so publicly in front of other students who are seeking. I pray that she'll be able to be bold in sharing her faith after she is baptized as it continues to grow, and that God will use her and her story to draw many others to himself through the loving community of the church I feel so blessed to serve with here!
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