Interesting Day

After posting, getting ready, and eating breakfast (yes...McDonald's), I was going to do some reading in my bible, but I felt like I should head over to the Ochanomizu Christian Center (OCC).

A little background. Back in the early 1900's, an Irish woman named Irene Webster-Smith felt called to Japan. I read her life story in a book called "Sensei: The life store of Irene Webster-Smith." The book details miracle after miracle (and I mean true miracles) in her life and how God used her to reach many in Japan. After WWII, she even lead 14 of the worst war criminals in Japan to Jesus right before they were executed. They went to their execution singing hymns! Anyway, she bought a piece of property in Tokyo (through yet more miracles...2 other folks were bidding on the property and she gave the *lesser* bid and it was accepted) and started a student center there. The property is now OCC, which houses many Christian organizational offices.

One of the organizations there is the Japan Evangelical Missionary Association (JEMA). That was one that I felt led to go to. So I walked in this morning and spoke with an older lady name Mizuko-san. She was very nice and I mentioned Sensei Smith. It just so happened that the President of the OCC stopped by and I got to go in a back room where, among books and other things, there was a portrait of Sensei Smith. Very cool. They said that there is some talk of doing more ministry at the location...since they have been mainly office space. They want to get back to the original vision of ministering to college students in the area since it is in an historical college area. While at the JEMA office, I was able to buy some books, magazines, a directory of ministries and missionaries (over 2000), and a prayer guide.

Another strange event occurred. There was a meeting upstairs in a conference room that Mizuko-san took me to and let me sit in on. I really had no business there, but I really felt like she was being lead by the Spirit the whole time. She seemed very wise. The meeting was of senior JEMA staff, all English speaking, who were meeting as a counsel on how to handle a theological issue with another organization. If you've been reading my blog, you know that this relates to me. They are planning to address another organization that printed a pamphlet that seems to be causing division in the body of Christ there. I was able to have lunch with the President of JEMA after the meeting and speak with him. I got to share my story and hear his. He has been a missionary in Japan for around 35 years.

After that, yet another strange thing happened. I felt lead to go to the Imperial Palace area in the center of Tokyo. I was walking and praying when a Japanese man started talking to me (in English of course). We talked for almost 2 hours and he bought me dinner. He was a retired gentleman aged 65 named Hideki Ito.



He said he has no religion as most Japanese. I spoke a bit about the bible, but from what I could tell he had almost no exposure to Christianity. I gave him a tract I got from the group I met last week (I carry them everywhere now) and told him that if he sent a letter to the folks listed in the back of the tract, he could get a free bible. Please pray that he reads the tract and that he sends for the bible.

So that was my day in a nutshell. God is good and works in mysterious ways.

I have no clue what I'll do tomorrow. Whether God blesses me with another good day or if troubles come, I will praise Him for He is good.

--David