CHRIST IS ALL
WINTER (December 2009, January and February 2010)
Dear Friend in Christ,
On
3 December, God gave me a safe trip from my house in Japan to Guam island in
the Pacific. How refreshing to go to the tropical warmth. I immediately started
preaching some at Temple Baptist Church, and helping as teachers’ assistant in
Temple Christian School. My good friends at Temple were so gracious to let me
stay in an apartment at the church. So to commute to the school or church each
day required only a 30 second walk. I like such commutes. It was such a
blessing teaching the students there. Also, I often gave the morning devotion
in the class where I was helping, and I spoke at the weekly school chapels
while there.
On
3 different Wednesday nights, I spoke to a group of AWANA children at Harvest
Baptist Church. I preached once in the 3rd & 4th
grade chapel and once in the 5th & 6th grade chapel
at Harvest Christian Academy. I preached once in the chapel of Harvest Baptist
Bible Institute. I prayed much for God to guide me to speak important spiritual
things that would greatly benefit these young lives. What a great privilege it
was to me to have the opportunity to influence their lives for Christ.
I
preached once at Freedom Baptist Church and once at Lighthouse Baptist Church
on Guam. That made a total of 4 churches I preached in while on Guam. The good
people in all of them were most gracious and kind to me. I thank them for that,
and I was most blessed by their fellowship.
On
Saturday, December 19, I took a short plane ride of less than 30 minutes from
Guam to the nearby smaller island of Rota, to be with pastor Tony at Rota
Christian Center for Christmas and New Years, just over 2 weeks. Each week, I preached
and taught the Bible several times. There was a special Christmas church
service, and a separate Christmas service for the children at a different time.
I preached at each of these. Several times, I went on visitation with Pastor
Tony. The time on Rota was most blessed and rich. The island’s population is
about 3,500. It is very laid back & quiet. Rota Christian Center is about
150 yards from the ocean. I would stand in the pulpit preaching, looking out
thru large windows at the rugged coast, Wedding Cake Rock, and that vast ocean.
I often took walks alone (with the Lord), in precious fellowship with Him,
while taking in the beauty of tropical flowers, other exotic plants, and the
ocean and coast (basking in the warmth while feeling sorry for each and every
soul throughout the whole world who was bundled up and shoveling snow at
that very time). On January 4th, I flew back to Guam to be there
till February 10th.
The
Guam news that I wrote before the Rota news, well, most of that occurred
between January 4th and February 10th, after
returning to Guam from Rota. What a spiritually rich time it was to have many
opportunities to preach and to teach the Bible to many people on Guam and Rota.
Then, on February 10th, I flew from Guam back to Japan, and have “enjoyed”
my share of the snow since then.
I
spent a week setting my “home affairs” in order, and then on February 18th,
I rode the Bullet trains south to Mino Mission in Mie Prefecture to be there
for 2 weeks. Mino Mission has 3 churches in that area. The two Sundays I was
there, I preached in the evening service at the Tomidahama Church, and also
taught the Bible study each of the 2 Wednesday nights I was there. Such
wonderful Japanese Christians there in the Mino Mission churches, and they all
were a great blessing to me.
On
Sunday morning, February 28th, I rode the trains to Anjoo City to be
in Bro. Jeff Brigham’s church. I preached in the Japanese language service at
11 AM. After it, the congregation had lunch together in the church. Then at 2
PM, I preached in the English language service there. Oh, it was all such a
great blessing. I headed back to Nagoya on a train. But from Nagoya, the train
line I planned to take to Tomidahama was not running because of tidal wave
warnings from the earthquake in Chile. So I shuttled around to another train
station there in the big city of Nagoya, and found another train that went near
Tomidahama, and it was running, thank God. I got one of those trains, Pastor
Ishiguro met me at the station in his car when I got off it, and we made it to
the Tomidahama Church well in time for the 7 PM service, thank God. And I
preached in that service.
While
at Mino Mission, I would go out and preach and sing in public on the streets
most every day, and distributed about 3,000 pieces of Christian literature from
house to house. May God save many souls who got the Gospel message during that
time.
On
Friday, the 5th of March, I returned to my house in Matsuida, to now
be broadcasting the Gospel in this area, Lord willing. I am writing this on
March 10th. Here, snow fell all day yesterday and most of last
night. It is a beautiful white world outside now. It has warmed just enough
today that the snow has turned to a light rain, making the ground so slushy
everywhere. Thank The Lord, that spring will soon be here.
By
God’s grace, I want to preach out in public much more this year than I did last
year. What great joy it brings me to preach out in public to all the
people who adamantly refuse to come to church. A few churches in this area are already
asking me to fill their pulpits from time to time. I pray that God will make me
a blessing to the souls who hear my preaching there. I keep asking God to help
me to preach more, and to pray more. “Pray without ceasing.” Please
pray for me as I preach here in Japan.
Thank
you for praying for me, and for praying for the many eternal, precious souls I
am reaching with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. May God save them all. I know that
God is doing great things, in answer to your prayers. God bless you for praying.
I pray for you and for your family members also. As for you who give offerings
to me, I thank you for that great help. May God richly bless you for that, and
repay you many fold. God be near and dear to you, to bless and keep you in
every way.
Christ’s unprofitable servant,
Richard Yerby
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