Japan Journal - April 7th

So much is happening in such a small space of time that it’s hard to keep on top of writing it up!
Sorry to those who check this regularly. And sorry this is so long!

Today we hit the university campus for the first time. 3 of us went. None of us speak Japanese. The other two are both here for a few weeks and none of us had really been out like that before.
The campus is nicely spread out with a fair amount of greenery dotted around. So as not to overwhelm people too much, we split up and agreed to meet back together in an hour and a half. The strategy was simple. Find one or two people. Ask them if they speak any English. Then introduce yourself, ask them about themselves (name, age, subject, year, clubs joined), then ask them if they like practising speaking English. If they do, exchange e-mails and arrange to meet up, or invite them to the English Bible Study. If they don’t appear interested, give them a flyer and depart politely.
All manner of scary.
We prayed together and then we split.

I spoke to five or six guys quite easily to begin with. Got through all the questions and then gave them each a flyer. I found that looking like I didn’t really know what I was doing (which I didn’t) helped and smiling a lot. I think they just took pity on me which is no bad thing if it leads them to knowing God as their saviour and friend.

After about half an hour I hit a point where everyone I asked said they didn’t speak English and kept on walking. I got a bit tired and felt like giving up. It was amazing how easily I lost focus! So I prayed that God would lead me to someone I could have a meaningful conversation with. I saw a guy walking by a little pond area. I thought, ‘If he sits down on a bench then I’m going to go and speak to him.’ He sat down and got his drink out. I walked over and sat down beside him.
Turns out he was a Korean student studying Japanese and spoke less English than anyone I’d spoken to so far (even those who claimed to not speak any English!). We conducted the conversation with much: repetition, pointing, acting and consultation of his electronic translator (genius!). By the end I found out he was a Christian who has been living in Sapporo for 3 months but not yet been to a church here. He was very interested in the flyers and now has my e-mail address so I can put him in touch with a church.
How simple is that! Even through my readiness to give up and a complete lack of shared language, God can and will use a situation to show his love to people. I was humbled to be used and pray the guy e-mails.

It got me thinking as to why I don’t do that sort of thing in Britain. Apart from being lazy, the only real answer was fear. Fear of being laughed at, ignored, rejected. I was rejected by about 8 students, laughed at by 3 and ignored by countless. Yet one person is now one step closer to growing with God. Not because of me, but because God longs to use his people. Not because I can teach the gospel clearly. I really can’t do that in Japanese or Korean.
There really are no good excuses as to why we don’t share Jesus with the world. It is the easiest thing to give someone a flyer inviting them to somewhere they could find out more.
Even just a card with an e-mail address to chat about what it means to be loved by God.

‘And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, "We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us." But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men."’
Acts 5.27-29

The apostles filled Jerusalem with their teaching. They did it because they felt they must obey God. Could anyone in that city turn round to Jesus at judgment and say,
‘Sorry, but I never knew you died in my place’?
Is the same true of those we love?
We need to tell the world that Jesus died for them.
If not because we love people then because we’re obeying God.
How can we keep the greatest event mankind had ever witnessed a secret?