An Amazing Story from Our Life in Japan

I am going to tell you a story about money. Last year I had to have a building torn down and hired a local company to do it. The building was owned by us and another party so we hired the company together.

While tearing down the building they found an old well. Japanese tradition and superstition demanded that they bring in a Shinto Priest to do a ceremony before they closed it. They did all this without telling me. Then the company came to me and explained what they had done and told me that while they could not make me pay it would be the practice in Japan for the property owner to cover these costs. The cost was $300. I at first was angry and thought there is no way I will pay this, I at first thought of shaming the company and owner I had dealt with. Giving this money for this purpose is against our beliefs.

But to be honest I had worked construction and knew the real costs of what he had down for us and he did a good job and had done it under what I considered reasonable costs. The day came to meet with the company owner. He was very apologetic. He felt I would shame him for this situation. I said to him. If I give you the $300 you have asked me I am really giving it to this Shinto Priest and I can not do that. If I do not give you the money you will have to pay it yourself and it will come from your own money and families and workers. If that happens you will curse my God and I love Jesus Christ and do not want that to happen. I have prayed to my God and asked what I should do. I then took out an envelope and gave him $600 and said I am giving you twice what you have asked me for because you have done a good job. This has nothing to do with the Shinto ceremony but is in the name of Jesus Christ. Take the money and take you family out for dinner or treat your workers. He spent the next hour talking freely with me as a friend and if I needed anything done I know I could call him right now.

The story does not end there. We then went to the property to look over the work, we pointed out that from the property line; the well was not on my property but the other owner. In fact he never had a right to ask me for $300 for the well. He offered to give me the money back. I told him my God had led me to give it to him in the name of Jesus Christ and he was to use to treat his workers and his family. In the end the whole company came to praise Jesus Christ and God that day.

I saw this as a minor miracle. They went to the other owner and asked for $300 for the Shinto Priest.

2 Visitors and 6 or so in New Believers class

Today was another Sunday at Tajimi Church. We had two people visit our church today and I was able to speak with each of them for some time. Pastor Ono is also doing a New Believers class for profession of faith/baptism. There are about 6 or more in that class after church.

In looking at things at Tajimi Reformed Church, I would say the thing I am most thankful for is the unity. Pastor Ono is preaching and serving faithfully. The elders are doing a great job. We are doing a small part, in providing a weekly outreach class and giving of ourselves.

One of today's visitors was a Japanese Christian working in Australia. He had brought his mother to our church and was looking for a church home for her. I had a chance to talk to them both, and invited her to our weekly class. I expect to see her in the class and minister to her by helping enfold her into the church. She was baptized a number of years ago in Canada but has never had a church home.

Another woman from church, who we have had time to interact with is studying in the New Believers class. Kazumi asked her if she thought she would get baptized this coming Christmas. She replied that she has not decided yet but that she is studying and enjoying the class.

Last week the church had a Bazaar and several of the women who are attending our church's English class attended.

Kazumi and I told Reitaku Schools we would not seek to renew my contract after it ends in March. This is stepping out in faith, it is our hope to raise the money in support to make up for it. We need to strengthen our ties to the Japanese Evangelical Mission Society and raise support. We also need to more aggressive in forming more small groups. Starting more ministry groups that can support us here is just as viable as an avenue to raising support as finding it outside of Japan.

Pray for passion and God's blessing in these things.
Amen
John Van Farowe

Thoughts After a Friends Death 3 Months Ago

It was almost 20 years ago, as a senior in high school, my brother Joel was told he had at most 5 years to live. He and I had several conversations about it. He actually came so close to death once during a hospital stay I prayed God would end his suffering or heal him. He recovered that time and was taken suddenly about 6 months later. In June, a man I knew and whose company I really enjoyed died of cancer and one night I sat down with the scriptures and thought about death from a biblical perspective.

First, suffering and death have meaning because God is "Immanuel" because he is with us. "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us form the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8: 38,39)


Second, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are assured that God is with us; but also that we will be with him. "For we know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." (2 Cor 5:1)

As a young man I worked for a couple of contractors building houses. Many of my friends and their fathers were builders. I saw the special care that when into planning and building the home their own family would live in. The special care and planning as a fathers they put into their own houses. We have a Father building us a house, ...


Finally, we have a consistent purpose. "So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are home in the body we are away from the Lord ... We would rather be away from the body and with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him." (2 Cor 5:6-10) I know a sister in Christ right now preparing for missionary work though she has cancer in her lungs. It is a witness to a key principle in the Christian Faith. Our aim in living and in eternal life is the same. Whether in the body or in heaven our lives center around the worship and service of God. This is a unique teaching of Christianity.

I know my writing style is compact and my thoughts sometimes jump, so thanks for reading. In June, a man I know and whose company I really enjoyed died. On the night of his death, I sat down and thought about death from a biblical perspective. So to list my points in a conclusion: 1. We have the promise that God is with us. 2. We have the promise that we will be with God. 3. These promises combine to give our existence a consistent purpose and us courage.

Thankful for God's "No"

Three years ago when I moved to Mizunami and began life here, I met and talked with several mission agencies. We considered raising support but over and over again the door was shut. Well in that time the US economy has tanked. Many of my friends in ministry in the US and Japan are really hurting. I have had friends working as assistant pastors in churches who have been let go. I have other acquaintances in missions who have had to leave the field or are far below support. 3 years ago we started down the road of tentmaking in Japan. Tentmaking is a term for a Christian who works in a business in an area, while also seeking to serve the church. It is a reference to the Apostle Paul who funded his missionary work through the making of tents.

It has been an up and down road here, but I praise God that we are in a position to not only support ourselves but also begin to hire people around us to form a team. Kazumi and I still hope to raise support for specific tasks and projects we have in mind that can not be self funded this next year. But we do so knowing that whether the support comes in or not, God's "No" 3 years ago is providing for us now.

We are also thankful for Takezawa Futaha who will finish her degree at Pensacola Christian College this coming term and Lord willing return to work with us in January. Thank you for your service the summer Futaha. We also give thanks again to God for his continued leading in all things.

One Small Step at a Time

Is the glass half empty or half full? It depends on the day. Yesterday was Sunday. 5 people were at church that we invited. A single international student, an international married couple like ourselves and their daughter, and a Japanese speaker of English. The previous week we had either emailed them or called them or talked to them personally. Now I considered this to personally be a miracle.

Sounds Great Like a really blessings. I was happy about the situation but throughout the day it became evident that my family needed more of my time and energy. There is a need for a new transition. Next week summer vacation starts for us and it is time to begin working on raising support so ministry is not being paid for by sacrificing family time. In working full time and doing ministry things on top of that it is often the case that my family time is sacrificed

Right now, my sister-in-law Roxanne Van Farowe in the US is putting together documents explaining our ministry so we can begin raising support in the states. We need to raise support to free us from some of my work responsibilities into more ministry. As our income comes from a patch work of our own private students, community classes, and contract work it is possible for us to rearrange things at anytime. We also need to expand things by developing a team of workers here. Well the thoughts are kind of random so I hope you followed the line of thought.

Two little girls studying the Bible

This winter we met, Miya. She had recently become a Christian and speaks 3 languages: Japanese, Tagolog, and English. Unfortunately her marriage had ended in divorce and she found herself a single mother. Her daughter, Monica, is 3 years older than Cherry and we recommended Miya to put her daughter in our English School and then we would look for opportunities to serve them as a family. This summer with the presence of another Christian teacher we were able to put Monica and Cherry in an English Class by themselves where they could also learn Bible Stories. Last week was their first class. I talked to Miya as she waited to pick up her daughter. Her face was so much happier then the one I had seen 6 months ago when we first met. She was praising God for his goodness. I praise God for progress in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, and that in 6 months a chance meeting has led to children studying the Bible together.

Paul as a Type or Model for Missions, Japanese Evangelical Mission Society

I have been thinking about the Apostle Paul as a type or model for missions. To start I want to say I think there are several different models for mission work in the Bible so for those who do not fit this type do not be discouraged.

When I look at Paul I see a multicultural missionary and not a cross cultural missionary. By the term multicultural here I am speaking of someone who has a natural place in more than one cultural, and not someone being sent from their place in their "home" cultural to a "foreign" culture.

Paul was a Roman citizen. Roman citizenship gave him priviledged access to the areas he wanted to go. Ultimately the place he wanted to go was Roman and it was his citizenship that allowed him to appeal to Ceasar and be sent to Rome to have his case heard there. His multiculturalism also meant that he knew his field to an extent that allowed him to be a tent-maker. He could make a living if need be and live off from his knowledge and place within the host culture as we see of his time in Ephesus.

It seems to me that as I look at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, the first world is moving to a more multicultural format much like in the days of the Roman Empire. I believe supportung multicultural missionaries rather than crosscultural missionaries is a good use of resources. Here in Japan cross cultural missionaries are disappearing and multi-cultural missoinaries are remaining.

Now I need to close with saying Paul is just one model. The cross cultural guys are doing great work and many of them work in very expensive areas I would never consider opperating in. There are certain areas that are either cost prohibitive (Tokyo). Also outside of the none first world one needs outside support (ex. Aids in Africa). So there is a place for traditional cross cultural work.

But there are more of us multicultural people now too. That is one of the reasons we are excited to join the Japanese Evangelical Missionary Society. A mission society created by Japanese church leaders in America to send people with multicultural connections to Japan here for service.

Japan the Land of "Can't"

Japan is a land where people are only given one chance. The population density creates a lot of competition to get into good high schools, colleges, companies, etc. Because the number of people competing is so great when someone fails and must start over again it is seen as tragic. Tragic enough for many people to take their own lives.
Because of this the word, "can" is a critical word often used in the negative as a warning. "That can't be done." I hear it a lot. Japanese people hear it a lot. 10 years ago when I was living in Tokyo one day I met this group of foreigners walking down the street in Kunitachi. They asked me some questions about the area and then invited me to dinner. They just happened to be executives from CitiBank. They were setting up the Japanese division and were looking for a place to put their Japan headquarters. They complained to me about hearing the word "can't" a lot from their Japanese management.
My calling in Japan is too try. Yes, I must listen to the all the "can't"s but in the end I must try. Yes, everyone before me has failed in the eyes of most of Japanese society. Everyone who has brought the gospel to Japan has found they carried an unwanted message. But regardless, I am called to try.