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JAPAN 2005

Jami, Corsicana, Texas

Jami's story: Part 1

I got the huge blessing of being allowed to go on a mission trip to Tokyo, Japan this past summer, and was also blessed by seeing so much that God does in and through people while we were there.

  One day we were having house church within our small group and everyone was speaking of how they desired to see the fruits of their labor, and how it was hard to not be able to tell if they were or were not being effective. Suddenly God just started speaking to me in a pretty stern voice. He made me realize that He has already blessed me beyond what I deserve by sending His Son to die in my place on the cross. He didn't owe me that, and He doesn't owe me anything else – especially not to be able to see the fruits of my labor. I should be content to be used by Him as an instrument to make His name famous throughout the entire world – even that is a blessing that I don't deserve. I didn't deserve Jesus, and I don't deserve to see the fruits of my labor. God taught me to not be so focused on that detail, and to just allow Him to work and shine through me – and even then, God still gives me amazing blessings by sometimes allowing me to see the fruits. He changed my perspective. Instead of complaining and acting like a spoiled child, I need to concentrate on why I'm here – to Make Him Famous. As we learned in base camp - Top line: God loves His children and will bless them. Bottom line: He does so to glorify His name, which is His main desire.

Erin, Marshall, Texas

Erin's Story

God is AWESOME!!!! My trip to Japan was amazing and it just really showed me that God is in control and even when we feel that we are not being used we really are! Weather it's prayer walking for that person who is leading someone to Christ or just smiling at people that you pass on the street God is using you! I know that a few days out of the two weeks that I was in Japan it seemed that everyone I talked to really didn't care about what I had to say or really didn't wanted to listen to me. So I just prayer walked the campus that we were at that day. God heard my prayers because another girl on my team lead two girls to Christ that day! It was so cool just to see the power of prayer! Another thing God showed me was that when we give everything to Him (and I do mean everything you are and all you have) just how much more He could do with your life! And the last thing that He showed me is that missions is not a 2 week that you just come home from and that's it. Missions is a lifestyle: the way we should live our life everyday in everything we do! BECAUSE IT'S ALL ABOUT HIM!!

Whitney, Greenville, Texas

Whitney's Story

I was minding my own business, digging through chopsticks at the 100 yen store (I am cheap) and all the sudden out of no where this Korean girl straight trips over my foot. “Sue-me-my-sin” (excuse me)  I said, then I realized she didn't speak Japanese. So I patted her and went back to digging through my chopsticks.

10 minutes later, still at the chopsticks, she came back over to me and asked me if I spoke English. I was like oh dang this girl I tripped is about to get krunk on me...and I was like yes, I speak English, do you need something?...She didn't tell me her name or anything, she was just like, do you wanna go eat lunch, and I was like, whaaaa ok. I did a little chuckle at God, and told Him he was crazy, and off we went. I asked her if she liked American food (fingrs crossed) and happy day she did, so we went to TGI Fridays. YUM. We introduced ourselves to each ther, her name is Monica from Korea and she was in Japan alone touring, and then she asked me why I was here. I shared about how Jesus had changed my life and how he wanted to change hers. Then I got out my share Jesus without fear Bible and let her read some verses. Our food came and she didn't even eat, she wanted to keep hearing about Jesus. It was awesome. She said she had NEVER heard about Jesus and what he had done for her. She didn't make a decision YET, but I know God is working in her heart.

Jami's Story: Part 2

During the trip, God gave me a passion and desire to share Him with others, whether in Japan or America. His love and grace is so wonderful, I don't feel like I can keep it to myself. All I want to do is make His name famous and glorify Him – because that's what He deserves. This was something we discussed at Base Camp – and as Ky spoke on it, I started praying that God would give me that desire. As the trip began, I realized it wasn't something that I had to ask God to give me – He's willing to give it. I simply have to take it. I have never before hungered and thirsted for God in such a way as I do now. As Grace said during debriefing – my whole mindset has changed. I've realized that missions isn't just a trip, but a lifestyle. Missions is my occupation until I leave this earth.

The entire outlook I have on life is so different because of this one trip. I didn't go into the trip wanting to be changed, but to simply glorify God's name. The fact that my mindset has changed is another undeserved blessing from God – one of those “kisses from the King,” as Kristin says.

  God is so amazing, and it's awesome to me how He shows that through trips such as this. I want to encourage anyone considering taking a mission trip, whether it be with iWitness or another organization. God will use us to glorify His name – and we might even get the blessing of being changed in the process!!

Ken, Team Leader

Ken's Story

In Japan, the experiences that had the greatest impact on me were the handful of people I met that had never heard the name of Jesus Christ. I knew there were “lost” people like this in the world, but I figured you had to brave both crocodiles and snakes via canoe to meet them. Needless to say, downtown Tokyo wasn't the place I expected to find so many of them! I think I was not as heavily burdened for the “lost” simply because I never really stopped to consider the gravity of the situation, but this changed when I personally heard someone reply to an explanation of the gospel of Jesus, “Who? I've never heard that name before.”

  In all, our team was privileged to introduce the living God to some who had never even heard the name of Jesus Christ. Also, we had many meaningful conversations that answered questions and explained in greater detail about our faith in the one true God. And because of the prior faithfulness of believers who introduced and explained the truth, Haruka, Nazomi, Irving, Miyuki, Kumiko, and four other Japanese people believed the gospel and are now being discipled by the missionaries we introduced them to!

Hannah, Prague, Oklahoma

Hannah's Story:

I really am having a wonderful time in Tokyo. I have some wonderful news, two people were saved and one was a buddist. I also was able to witness and share my testimony with two girls, and I am meeting them for lunch on Monday. Please pray hard for our team, we visited a cemetary today and it broke my heart, they believe once they die which ever God they pray to will remove all their blemishes, and so they put soap on the shrines and people over time come by and touch the soap and then touch their face.

I love the people they are so humble and selfless. I am learning a lot about respect just by observing. I have so much more to tell you but so little time, so I will just share with you a verse that has really helped me at Japan. It is Jeremiah 1:4-10.

Heather, College Station, Texas

Heather's Story:

To give you an idea of the spiritual darkness that is over this land let me just tell you one story. A group of us had gone out to eat and were wondering through Ueno (the district of the city we are staying in). We spotted a Buddhist temple and went into the courtyard. In the courtyard there were several altars: one to frogs, one to foxes and several statues. The doors of the temple were open so we went inside to ask the people if they would tell us about their religion. Of course, our plan was that as they were showing us around we would be praying against Satan's work there. We came to find out that only people who were given large sums of money to the temple were usually allowed inside it, however that night there was some special event and the doors had been open. If we had gone on any other night, we would not have been able to pray to the Creator God inside that temple. God definitely wanted to hear the prayers of the Saints from in there. As the monk was showing us around, he took us to the altar to the frog-god (idol). This idol is what people pray to for happiness. They depend on a frog for happiness. No wonder Japan has the highest suicide rate in the world! He showed us a statue that people rub for healing and another statue that women worship in order to conceive. There was an altar to the fox idol which people pray to in order to get the earthquakes to stop. As a sacrifice to this idol people leave cups of sake (rice alcohol which is stronger than whiskey). The healing statue had recently been replaced because the old ones face had been rubbed off. Pray that Japanese Buddhists would worship the Joyful Lord who is the Creator and Sustainer of Life, who holds (and shakes) the foundations of the Earth!

Allison, Team Leader

Allison's Story:

God has been so good to us!  He has opened many doors to share His Name and has even won a handful to Himself!  With a team of 24, His Name has been made famous throughout the Tokyo area.  Two specific contacts we have gotten to share with have been at Dokkyo University.  We have been able to share the gospel with a few players and a couple of managers of the LaCrosse team.  We have also been in contact with the English club on campus!  God is drawing souls to Himself and we have seen the importance of sowing seeds.  Many are reluctant to commit to Christ but we have experienced such joy in sharing the hope that we have. 

Please continue to pray that our team will continually live life on mission `for such a time is this and that we will finish strong.  Also, continue to pray that our lives purpose of knowing Him and making Him known will take root in our hearts and that the Spirit will burn a deep conviction within our souls to reach the lost! 

Acts 10:34-35 Then Peter began to speak: I now realize how true it is that God does not show favortism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.