CHRIST IS ALL
Summer 2004 (June, July, August)
Dear Friend in Christ,
From May 30 through June
l, I attended a 3 day soul winning conference at Japan Bible Home in the
mountains about 60 miles from where I live. I led one of the services and 4
other missionaries preached to us, challenging us to be faithful in our
preaching, witnessing, and evangelistic outreach. Several Japanese Christians
attended the conference and it was a blessing to me that some of them shared
with me about their soul winning efforts and also asked me about the methods I
use. We prayed for each other and tried to be a blessing and a help to each other.
Please pray for these faithful Japanese Christians, that God will greatly bless
their labor for Him and will give them much fruit for their labor. As they
serve their Lord and try to win lost souls to Him, usually they are treated
more rudely than us missionaries are treated by the unsaved Japanese. Please
pray that God will give them the courage to stand boldly for the True God
before all these idol worshippers around us.
In
late June, a young Christian man visited me for 5 days and joined with me in evangelistic
work. Brother Russell Mallon is from England and is presently living here in
Japan working as an English teacher. While he was here with me, we daily went
out together to preach in public and to pass out Christian literature. On 4 of
the days he was here, we had services for children in the afternoon after
school. Each of those mornings, we went to a different school and passed out
notices for that day’s service to the children as they came to school. Each
service was held in a different community, so different children attended each
day. A typhoon brought wind and rain during the first service in a local hall
in the community of Tsukumo. Likely that is one reason that only 2 girls
attended there. The next day, 17 children came to the service in the community
of Hosono. The next day, we had a service in Kamimachi with 17 also attending
there. And the fourth day, 19 children attended the service we had in the
community of Karasu. I am so thankful for the children who attended each
service. We taught them clearly about salvation in Christ, and we led them in
prayer asking Christ to forgive their sins and to save them. I so hope they
prayed that from the heart. Please pray for God to work powerfully in the
hearts of these little ones who come and hear about Christ and are willing to
pray to Him. May they truly trust in Him to save them.
On
the last Sunday in June, after attending the morning church service in Pastor
Hayashi’s home here in Matsuida, I rode with him and his family back to Tokyo
where he works during the week. And I attended a church service that he holds
each Sunday night in Tokyo for Chinese speaking people. Most who attend are
Chinese from mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore. A few Japanese people also
attend. Pastor Hayashi had me give my testimony in Japanese with a Chinese man
interpreting what I said into Chinese. Those Chinese Christians listened so
well and were a blessing to me. I pray that I was also a blessing to them.
During
August, except for Sundays and rainy days, each day I drove up the mountain to
the summer resort town of Karuizawa, set up a little selling stand on the
crowded street in front of Karuizawa Church, and preached to the crowd as I
sold there. It brings me such joy to preach to that large crowd that I just about
wore out my voice. Most of the Japanese people who hear me preaching there just
ignore me. But this year, several of them purposefully stopped right in front
of me and listened to the preaching. Some of them thanked me for what I was
doing, and I personally witnessed to some of those who talked to me. Please
pray with me for their salvation. A blind girl about 10 years old was there
with her family and talked to me. I pray that she will be saved. A young, adult
man who is somewhat mentally retarded came by several times and talked to me.
He professes to be a Christian. One time, he asked me to pray for him and he
knelt there on the street before the crowd of people as I prayed for him.
Please pray for him, for the blind girl, and for the many others who heard the
preaching. May God save many of them.
During
August, I had several occasions to join other missionaries in Karuizawa for
prayer services, praying for the salvation of many Japanese and for revival
here in Japan. Prayer is so important. Would you please pray with us, for many
Japanese to get saved? Please pray for me to give it my all in preaching Christ
to the Japanese. For those of you who have given me offerings during the
summer, thank you so much. You are such a help to me and I greatly appreciate
all that you do for me. May God richly bless you for your prayers and your
help.
Christ’s unprofitable servant,
Richard Yerby