CHRIST IS ALL
Summer 2012 (June, July, August)
Dear Friend in Christ,
Summer was a most blessed time in our Lord’s fields of labour here in Japan, daily preaching in public, distributing Gospel literature, witnessing to souls as opportunity afforded, constantly thanking God for upholding me in the summer heat. May the Lord of the harvest bring forth much fruit from this labour. Thank you for praying for lost Japanese to come to Christ to be saved. Please intercede to our Lord.
In my previous letter, I told you about Mr. & Mrs. Yasuda
getting baptized at the church in Yoshii on May 13th. Mr. Yasuda
invited his “foreman” at work, Mr. Suga, to attend church and see the baptismal
service. (I first understood his name to be Mr. Suda.) Anyway, our Mighty Lord and
God worked a great miracle and Mr. Suga did come that day, sat just about 4
feet in front of me in that small crowded room as I preached, and then listened
to Mr. and Mrs. Yasuda’s testimonies and watched them get baptized.
Mr. Suga sort of displayed an attitude of being opposed to being
at church. But they kept inviting him to come, and God drew him there most
Sundays. I preached to him again in June the one Sunday I preached at Yoshii
that month. He was not there when I preached in July. Church people told me he
had come once “under the influence” and was somewhat of a problem, as can well
be imagined. He said he would bring an idol the next time he came and set it up
in the church. We Christians prayed hard, and he didn’t come the next Sunday.
Then the next time I preached there on August 12th, Mr.
Suga was there. Others told me he had repented, trusted in Christ, and had been
baptized the previous Sunday. Praise God! Thank you, my friend, for interceding
for these lost Japanese souls around me. This day, the wonderful change in him
was so apparent. Before, he had a sour attitude at church. He never talked to
me, rather purposely avoided me. This day, his countenance was greatly
different than before. He was friendly and the joy of the Lord was evident in
his being. He sat next to me at teatime and talked most friendly to me. What a
joy to see the change. I encouraged him in the Lord.
As a young adult, Mr. Suga had trained to be a Buddhist monk. When
he was baptized, he first gave his testimony of trusting in Christ, and before
being baptized outside in a kiddies’ play pool, he burned some of Buddhist monk
“garb” that he still had, items that had been most important to him until this
time. Praise God for this great victory in this precious soul. Please pray for
Mr. Suga to have total victory over drinking and to grow in grace. Let’s pray
for him to totally yield himself to God for the Holy Spirit to bring about
needed changes in his life. God bless you for praying. Our Lord is listening to
your prayers, and He is working wonderfully and powerfully here in answer to
them.
By God’s grace, He has enabled me to preach in public daily,
without missing a day, since returning to Japan from the States at the end of February.
What a joy that is! The end of harvest time is ever so near. Our freedoms are
steadily being taken from us. Soon Christians most everywhere are likely to be
slaughtered or put into captivity. Let us work zealously, for the night soon
cometh when no man can work.
Thank you for giving to support my missionary work. May our Lord
repay you abundantly. God bless you for praying and for each and every
encouraging word you give to me.
Christ’s
unprofitable servant,
Richard Yerby