CHRIST IS ALL
Summer 2,003 (June, July, August)
Dear Friend in Christ,
One of the highlights of this summer has been preaching on the
street in front of the Karuizawa Church. I set up a little stand there to sell
to the tourist crowd, and preach as I do so. Summer is the peak of tourist
season there in the nearby town of Karuizawa, and that main street in front of
the church is often crowded with pedestrians. From about 11 AM each day,
regular vehicular traffic is not permitted on that street. It is full of
people, and there is no noisy traffic to drown out the sound of my preaching.
Usually there is a good number of people just standing around in that area and
many people walking by. Most tourists are there for only 1 or 2 days. So just
about every day, it is a different crowd of people there within hearing of the
preaching. Most do not want to listen to Bible preaching, but still they can’t
help but hear it when I broadcast it. I am praying that many of them will be
saved, and I would greatly appreciate it if you would also pray for their
salvation.
On Monday morning, July 28, I was preaching there in front of Karuizawa Church when a Japanese man who appeared about 30 years old stopped and listened for a while. Rarely does anyone stop and listen with interest, but he appeared to be interested. When I paused a little, he asked me if I was Sam Yerby, and I replied that I was. He told me how that he had bought from me there on the street in Karuizawa 10 years ago, and read the Gospel message I had included in the shopping bag along with what he bought. He said God really spoke to him through that, and that message and other things worked together to cause him to receive Christ. He said his wife also got saved and they began attending church regularly. His wife was expecting their first child when he bought from me that first time 10 years ago. And though he was alone when he first stopped and talked to me this time, his wife and 2 children were in town with him. He went and found them and all 4 of them came back and he introduced me to his wife, son, and daughter. They live in the city of Nagoya, close to 200 miles south of here.
The Gospel message I had put in his shopping bag was one I had written myself, not a tract I had bought. And he told me that what had really made him stop and seriously consider his need for Christ, was what I had written about Christ saving believers from Hell. It made him think about the possibility of the reality of Hell. And if it was real and there was salvation from Hell available, he wanted it. He told me that most churches in Japan do not warn people about Hell. (That is so true.) He said that he and his wife searched long and hard to find a good, Bible preaching church, and now they drive about 40 minutes one way, on an express highway to reach the “good” church they have chosen. What a blessing his testimony was to me, and a good reminder of the importance of constantly warning lost people without Christ of the eternal Hell that is waiting them.
Please pray for this
family. Their family name is Miyabe. I have been witnessing and preaching there
on the streets in Karuizawa since 1986, and Mr. Miyabe is only the 2nd
person to tell me that my witness and preaching there had an influence on them
getting saved. Praise God for a little fruit. (Likely there are some others who
have come to Christ also, but I haven’t heard about them.) So many people there
hear what I preach, and most who buy from me get a Gospel message in their
shopping bag. Please pray for the Holy Ghost to strongly convict them and save
them.
Attendance was very low at the services I held in June and July.
Please pray for more people to attend. I pass out notices about these services
to elementary students in front of their schools in the mornings as they arrive
at school, and rarely does anyone else besides children attend these services.
On July 18, the schools here in Matsuida let out for summer vacation that lasts
till about the 1st of September. Because I cannot announce the
services to the children during that time, I do not schedule any. Rather I
usually go to Karuizawa 6 days a week, weather permitting.
Speaking of weather, it has been most wet this summer. This area
has an annual rainy season from early June till late July. This year, there has
been more rain than usual during that time and the rain continued after the
rainy season normally ends. That has made for a cool and wet summer this year,
which hampered a lot of work that I wanted to do.
During the summer, I have been steadily writing on my book,
“CREATURE VERSUS CREATOR,” a little at a time, as time permits. I add it to
this web site piecemeal, as I write it. So a few chapters of it are presently
available here for you to read. This is the 2nd edition of “Creature
Versus Creator.” I started writing the first edition in 1983, about 20 years
ago. During that long time, God has taught me so much more on the subjects I
write about in that book, hence the need to re-write it. The more I work on
this book, the more I come to feel that it is my life’s work, one main purpose
God had in creating me. I get such a joy out of working on it. But it is also a
big spiritual battle to write it. If you will look at the content of it, likely
you would be able to understand that. So at this time, I would appreciate you
praying for me as I write that book. Please pray that I will fully understand
what God wants me to write in that book and that I will be kept from error and
fleshly ranting as I write. If the Lord tarries His Return till after death
takes me out of this life, this book is one of the main things I want to leave
behind on this earth.
Prayer is most important. So it means a lot to me that you pray
for me, and that you pray for the salvation of the many lost Japanese whom I am
reaching with the Gospel. Please pray for revival here in Japan. I also pray
for you. May God bless you in every way as you live for Him. May He use you to
greatly glorify Him and to be a help to others who need it.
Several of you contributed offerings to me during the summer.
Thank you so much for caring enough to give financially to help me. May God
richly bless you for it. God blesses me with about $1000 total each month in
offerings from you and the few others who give to my missionary work. So divide
1000 into the amount you gave and see what a good percentage of it that your
part amounts to. Your part is a big help and I really appreciate it.
God be with you to bless and help you as you live for Him and
serve Him.
In Christ,
Richard Yerby