All glory to God! It is exciting to witness God build His church as we serve Him with everything we have but then stand back in awe to realize that God is moving in far greater ways than what could possibly result from our labors. We are thrilled to report to you another month full of God’s blessings, as He has encouraged both our ministry and personal lives this month.
On February 4, we began a van pickup route to the nearest main train station, the Kisarazu Station, the same station where we conducted our caroling outreaches in December. Every Sunday morning, we drive our car there with the church sign on it as we pray for the many commuters getting on and off the trains. Though we have not had any riders as of yet, God has taught us a Biblical pattern through what He has allowed us to experience in ministry thus far; if we want to see God move in the hearts of people, we must always first reach out to and be prepared for those people by faith rather than to wait until they come and the need arise. Please pray that God would allow us to see our seven-seater car filled with souls needing God’s Word! Speaking of which, God blessed us with another local Japanese visitor on that same Sunday. He is a recently saved man who just recently moved to our area on December 26 and was looking specifically for a Baptist church. He has not missed a week since. On February 11, we held our special service, Friend Day, at the same rental room where we held the first of our Christmas services back in December 3 where no visitor came. It was a true encouragement to see that once empty room filled with every regular attendee God had brought to our services thus far that day, including the man whom we just mentioned. It was an even greater encouragement to see some of our regulars invite several others who were attending different events in the community center that day to our church services! During the invitation on that day, we could tell that the unsaved Japanese man, who has been attending regularly since our Christmas services, was very close to coming forward. Please continue to pray that this man would get saved!
This has also been a month of much-needed rest and family time. God blessed us with an entire day to spend with my saved aunt, who was also Danielle’s first visa sponsor into Japan, and 10 days to spend with Danielle’s parents, Bro. and Mrs. Strickland. We are thankful for our loving family who all love the Lord! God used Danielle’s parents to meet and invite many people to our church during their stay, including a family of 5 we met spontaneously on the public train, one of the least likely places in Japan to be able to make a meaningful contact! February 18 was a special Sunday, as we had Bro. Strickland give a testimony of giving, not only of time and finances, but also of a daughter to the mission field. February 21 was also special, as God allowed us to have a spontaneous time of fellowship with them and some of the church family before our midweek service. On February 23, we visited our nearest Gospel-preaching church over an hour away, and it was a joy to see Danielle’s parents fellowship with the wife of their late pastor there, as I helped cut down trees in their yard. On that following Sunday, February 25, our regular saved attendee from England brought a Cameroonian visitor! We now have 3 men in our church who invite visitors, lead prayer in our services, and help count the offering when needed. Praise God! He is building His church!
Danielle’s Journey
Towards the beginning of this month, we began preparing for our next church event— Friend Day! One of my jobs was to put together a small gift bag of treats representing the countries of our three missionary families that our church now supports. During the service, our saved regular from Hong Kong and I had the privilege of sharing our salvation testimonies. We also had an opportunity to invite a group of ladies I met during the setup and takedown time to visit the church as well! Not too long after Friend Day, Go’s aunt came for a visit. She is the first person I met on our survey trip when I visited Japan for the very first time. She was always kind and patient with me when I could not speak the language back then, but it is so encouraging to be able to speak with her now! My parents arrived just a couple of days later. It was so exciting to show them our house, our church, and this country we now call home! It was so fun to see God open doors specifically for them to meet people and invite them to church here. My parents also got to fellowship with Go’s aunt, as well as with Mrs. Takagi, a widow of a former pastor who lives about an hour away. It is amazing how Christian fellowship can bring two opposite cultures together and cause you to part ways feeling like family. This month was such an encouragement to us. Thank you always for your kind thoughts and prayers!
Your friends and co-laborers to Japan,
Go and Danielle Oishi
