I watched Suzanne get on her bus to the airport this afternoon. She's heading back to the US. I have two more Sundays at the church here in Tokyo (Higashi Murayama) and some days next week in South Korea for meetings and to lead some training. There's twelve more days until we get back together, but, who's counting?
It's been a great privilege to get to spend most of December with our team in Japan. We have a greater appreciation for the work that's been done here, the work that's ongoing here, and the work that remains to be done. We appreciate Japan in a new way since we've spent some more time here. These three weeks have gone incredibly fast, and hardly count as a great exposure to the country and culture, but they have proven to be a confirmation about our future role.
We anticipate returning in the Spring - hopefully before Easter. We still are looking for ministry partners who believe with us that God would like to see thousands more Japanese men and women, boys and girls know what it means to have eternal life in Christ. There is a tremendous need, which means there is a tremendous opportunity. We believe that God would like to use the multiplication strategy that One Mission Society is implementing around the world. We're confident that there is a harvest yet to come. It's a privilege to have even a small part of that task.
There is a large celebration for the new year coming very soon. I understand that the celebration will be somewhat muted in memory of the suffering that has occurred in Japan this past year through the earthquake, tsunami and the radiation exposure. Nonetheless, I hear it will still be more than I'm used to in the States. When we were in Central Asia, the new year celebration went on for two days with the most fireworks over the largest area we had ever seen. It will be interesting to see what happens here in spite of the sensitivity they're showing to their fellow citizens.
