Day 17
Sunday, July 29, 2007

Today was Sunday, and we had such an awesome day! We ministered at Yamato Calvary Chapel, in 3 of their services. Yamato Calvary is one of the biggest churches in Japan, and anywhere we go and mention their name, everyone knows about them. They have radio and internet broadcasts and also send recordings of their services to churches who don't have pastors or are in need of some extra help. They said the video of today will be going out next week. So we will pray that next Sunday the Lord will again use our words and dance to touch lives. We are so blessed to be ministering with them, and thank the Lord for opening this door for us.
 
In the first 2 services we did 3 dances (about 15min). It was so wonderful to sing and worship with these people. As always, it is awesome to worship in another language with fellow believers in Christ. They had headphones for us to wear during the service that translated everything into English. It was so great to hear the pastor's message and his passion for Christ and for the people of Japan. Both services went really well, we were able to see Erina who came to our summer camp from Tokyo in 2006. Many of you may remember her, she is just as sweet as ever! This is her home church and she was so excited to have us there.
 
The staff at Yamato Calvary, took such good care of us, down to the very last detail. They were so kind and their smiles and eyes were filled with the true joy of the Lord! In their youth service after lunch we did 4 dances and Erica was able to give her testimony. We had so much fun in that service, the leaders were all energetic and spilling over with their enthusiasm for Christ! It was not in our original plans, but the pastor asked if we would do an hour long Purity Seminar with some of the girls from their church. They said they only had male pastors in leadership at this time and that this is a difficult subject to talk about with the young ladies in their church. We were more than happy to have the opportunity to share our testimonies and what God has taught us on this subject. It was the largest group of girls we have had for a purity seminar so far. I would guess there were about 50 or 60 girls/ladies there today. I love how God works things out and plans things, just the way He wants them.
 
Afterwards we all got to fellowship and talk with so many people. Girls and mothers having questions and sharing their stories with us. A girl from Korea who just happened to be visiting this week, was so encouraged and challenged by our stories. Different people who would say one of our testimonies was exactly what they needed to hear. People thanking us for sharing on this important topic and telling how there are not many examples in Japan, (being less than 1% Christian) of living this life of purity. They thanked us for being that example. It was an awesome time of lifting one another up, encouraging and spurring one another on in Christ. I talked to 2 people who told me they had seen our full length concert in Nagano, in 2005. One lady told me how ever since then, she had been praying that we would come to her church. She praised God, for bringing us! She told me how she was inspired by the way we did our concert and she told how she had used some of our ideas and outlined plans in her coordinating events for sharing the gospel and raising money for children with disabilities. She said, "Your dance is wonderful and beautiful worship, but what is really great is your faith in Christ and the way you are open to share your testimonies, telling of what Christ has done in your lives".
 
We left the church feeling blessed and refreshed, thinking of the ways God chooses to use us. Even when we don't see, even in our weakness, he can use us, and he can give us strength.
 
Pastor Kei and Tomo (the same awesome 2 that have been taking such good care of us) took us sightseeing tonight. I'm sure they were tired after all their work that day and yet they still wanted to serve and bless us by taking us out that night. They drove us to Yokohama. There were very beautiful buildings there. We saw a famous park where a man was on stilts, with a crowd around him, juggling fire. It was so beautiful at dusk, with the smell of the ocean floating in the air and the waves gently crashing against the dinner boats that were beautifully lit up. We took a boat around the bay, passing the famous Yokohama Bay Bridge. If it would have been a clear day and a bit lighter, we would have been able to see Mount Fuji. On the post cards, it shows it right in the background of where we were! So we were close, but could not see it. The boat ride was so fun, so beautiful. It began to rain and glorious lightning filled the sky with a purple and red color. As the wind picked up and the waves grew, I was reminded of Peter and what it would be like for Jesus to ask me to step out on that water. Will you trust me? There are so many things God asks us to do, that may seem impossible, or we can't understand with our human minds, but He asks us to trust Him, to obey, to follow.
 
We went to a restaurant on the 5th floor of the Landmark Tower. It is a huge shopping mall on the bottom, with escalators that just keep going up and up! This is the tallest building in Yokohama, and I think it may be the tallest in Japan (not sure). It was huge and beautiful on the inside, lots of fun to see something so different. The food was so good, we were really hungry! And we had a great time talking with the pastors and hearing more of their stories. Pastor Kei told us that our dancing was beautiful and our smiles were beautiful but what was really amazing was our hearts for Christ. He told us all about his message to the youth that afternoon and how he tied us and what we do into his message about finding Jesus as your source. Giving your life fully to him and being willing to shine His light where ever He may lead. They have been such a blessing to us, and we will be praying for their ministry.
 
Tonight we are back at the hotel for the last of our 3 nights here in Yamato, it has been wonderful. Tomorrow morning Mikio will be picking us up and driving us (about 4 hours) to Nagano for our next big adventure!!
 

Thank you all for your prayers, you mean so much to us!


and the CMA Japan Team


Note:
If you missed the LIVE Webcast from Yamato Calvary Chapel, or want to see it again, you can watch now.  Click  >here - English<. CMA begins at 16:45 into the broadcast for 15 minutes. There is an announcement with our logo at the end (1:14:33) of the service for CMA at the afternoon "Youth Service". Japanese version > here -日本語版 <