CHRIST IS ALL
Autumn 2,002 (September, October, November)
Dear Friend in Christ,
Autumn has come to be my favorite time of the year. When I was young, I
liked spring best. Now I have come to like fall the best. One reason is that
for the past 17 years, summer has been a most busy time for me. Therefore each
summer, I look forward to its heavy workload ending and the relief from the
heat. Fall says to me; “Slow down and relax a little.” And by the time each
fall arrives, I am more than glad to try to do that. I am always plenty
fatigued and worn out by the end of August. So I welcome the chance autumn
gives me to slow down and recuperate a little.
The fall scenery is so beautiful here in this rural area of Japan
where I live, especially when they cut the rice and hang it on shocks out in
the rice paddies to dry. I enjoy the many fall flowers here. Also the
surrounding mountains are a pretty sight when the leaves change colors. There
are a lot of persimmon trees around that bear the large Japanese persimmon. So
in early November, those trees are just full of those large, orange balls (the persimmons).
They are a pretty sight to behold also. Sometimes I wish fall could just go on
forever and ever. It always ends well before I get finished enjoying it.
In September and October, except for Sundays and rainy days, I went up
the mountain every day to the town of Karuizawa, set up my little selling
business on the street there, and preached, sang, gave out Christian literature
to, and witnessed to the many Japanese tourists who came there. I got such a
blessing out of doing that. Many of them heard and/or read a good presentation
of the Gospel. I pray that a good number among them will get saved. Would you
please pray for that also?
From the beginning of November, I only went to Karuizawa on Saturdays
and the two Japanese national holidays in November, and will soon cease going
for the entire winter. So always at the beginning of November, a large workload
of various things has built up on me at home, which I tackle and slowly get
some of it taken care of. Oh for more hours in each day and for more strength
to do more.
During November, I held as many evangelistic meetings as I could and
attendance was fairly good compared to other recent services. I hold these
meetings in various communities with different people attending each service.
The highest attendance at any one service was 17 people. I know that is not
very many, but it is not rare at all for me to schedule and announce a meeting
and then have no one at all come to it. Therefore I greatly rejoice any time as
many as a half a dozen or so, show up for the meeting. Most who attend are
children. Only two adults came to the services in November.
Each meeting is about an hour long, during which time we sing, then I
preach to them a little and have a slide show that presents a Bible lesson.
Also, I have them conduct a short service on their own, which mainly just
consists of them reading the content from scripts I have prepared for that
purpose. Those scripts consist of 6 parts for 6 different people; Bible
reading, prayer, singing, a two part sermon, and finally an invitation. It is
such a joy to me to watch them conduct their own evangelistic service and I
give them copies of the scripts to keep and urge them to “have church” on their
own. Please pray they will do that.
I conduct just about all of my meetings in public community halls. This
is the best way I have found here to hold meetings in a lot of different
places. As time passes, it becomes more difficult to get permission to use
these community halls. The people in charge of the halls tell me that they
don’t want them used for religious purposes. During November, I was refused the
use of a hall that I have used since 1980. It is in a very good location for
conducting meetings & I greatly regretted getting kicked out of it after
using it for 22 years. It is in the community of Isobe, Isobe 4th
district community hall. Please pray that God will work a miracle and that the
community leaders there will change their minds & let me use their hall
again. Also, please pray that I will be able to continue using the 50 or more
community halls that I have used up till now. This is an important prayer
request, so I would really appreciate you praying about it.
Starting in late October, I began again, distributing Christian
literature, going from house to house, and leaving the literature at the door.
By the end of November, I had gone to about 3,000 houses doing that and plan to
distribute a lot more literature like that during the winter months, Lord
willing.
Please pray for the Holy Spirit to work powerfully in the hearts of each
and every Japanese person that I reach with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Nothing
will be accomplished without God working powerfully in the hearts of those who
receive His Word. And He does that working in response to us interceding in
prayer for them. I regularly pray for the Japanese as I preach to them and I
would really appreciate you praying much for them also. Thank you so much for
praying for them, and for praying for me as I preach to them. Please pray for God
to put His Power upon my preaching. Pray for Him to give me a greater burden
and more of a broken heart for these many lost Japanese around me. Pray for Him
to give me more love and compassion for them. I need your prayers and I really
appreciate you praying for me. God bless you for that.
Several of you gave financial offerings to me during the fall. What a
help that is to me and I appreciate that more than you can know. May God bless
you for giving and repay you many fold over. I am praying for you, that God
will keep you in the center of His Will and use you greatly to glorify Him each
day of your life. Please pray that for me also. May God bless you in every way
as you live for Him and serve Him.
Christ’s unprofitable servant,
Richard Yerby