On
the Wednesday I went down to Okayama to a small church I started and
pastored 20 years ago. Then I baptised a 7 year old boy in the sea, and
now I found that he had become the pastor of the church! What a
blessing for me. Although it was a small mid-week meeting, one lady
received an eye healing, and another man prayed for the crows to keep
away from his grape vines and had his prayer answered the next day - NO
crows.
Over the 10th - 12th week-end I attended the FGBMFI 20th Annual
Conference and Family Camp. Most of the leaders are men I had worked
closely with in the past, and it was a really laid-back time for me. I
brought greetings from FGBMFI in NZ and from Bill Subritzky who was the
speaker at their first Convention 20 years ago. I was privileged to
speak 3 times, including giving a powerpoint presentation of their
early history.
| I
arrived in Japan on a Saturday night, and as Pastor Aoki drove me home
I kept on saying: “Look, I remember that. Wow”
(easier to say in Japanese: Natsukashii!!) It took more than a few days
to stop using that word.
On
the Sunday I spoke in “Good Samaritan Church”, which we
consider our home church in Japan. Great to see so many old friends in
the congregation.
In
the evening I jumped on the Bullet Train to Nagoya where I shared with
the Nagoya International Christian Fellowship, an English-speaking
group of Philippinos and Africans with a heart for missions.
I
was able to meet with many personal friends, and supporters of the
Russian ministry. Many of these I met in restaurants or coffee shops.After this camp I made my way, stopping and visiting friends, to Niigata on the Japan Sea coast for the flight to Vladivostok. |
At
present there is only a small class, 5 men and 2 women. However for two
weeks they soaked up my teaching on Blood Covenants, Anger, Guidance,
and Motivational Gifts. I found the teaching time refreshing, and even
the 10 minute walk to the school benefited my waistline!In
the middle week-end I took the overnight train to Khabarovsk to visit a
friend involved in ministry to children. We attended a Baptist
church, but I was not able to visit other pastors I know there.Back
in the Bible School, they have started refurbishing the building, room
by room. The office looks very nice and clean, as did the
teacher’s room where Karl & Lorraine stayed. Our large
classroom had new double-glazed windows fitted, and while we were there
the floor was ripped up and a new one was being constructed. There are
many more rooms to do, but Larisa has a vision to do them one at a time
as the money comes to hand.
A
serious on-going problem is the break-up of the marriage of Alexei and
Sveta, the Pastors of “Living God Church”. Alexei was
stood-down last year, while Sveta continued pastoring the church.
However there has not been any successful reconciliation, and a divorce
means that Sveta will also no longer be able to continue in ministry.
I
have known both Alexei and Sveta for about 16 years, and love them
both. Although I was able to talk and pray with them separately, I was
unable to encourage any restoration.
This whole
situation is causing considerable stress in the church, as yet
unresolved. How this will affect the Bible School which is technically
part of the church, is something that is cause for concern and much
prayer. This incidentally accounts for the low number of students in
the school.
Thank you to all who prayed for me, gave to my travel expenses and
the Bible School, and especially to those who provided me with
accommodation, both in Japan and Russia.
| I
was joined in Russia by Karl & Lorraine Dunseath from NZ, and later
by John Cathcart, daughter Bethany and son Joseph from USA. They taught
some classes at the Bible School to give me an occasional break.
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