March Musings

“I like to call nihonga “slow art.” The layers take time to dry, and in the act of waiting an image is revealed. Nihonga is, by nature, also a collaborative art form, a generational process of learning and working with crafts folks who create handmade paper, delicate brushes and woven silk. Transformative faith is collaborative too, with elements that are communal and also intergenerational.” (Fujimura, Silence and Beauty, 20)

We’ve mentioned before that we do rice paddy ministry. Just as a healthy rice field takes generations to layer and level the soil just so, to grow healthy, rich rice, a ministry in Japan takes generations of trust, investment and relationship. We rely on the generational faithfulness of our parents and grandparents, building trust, learning culture, growing roots. And we take steps of our own to deepen roots, deepen trust, ask questions and listen as we learn the culture and language of our adopted country. Yet we feel that there is a growing urgency in many of the relationships around us these days. The timing is right for many to seek Jesus in a way they haven’t before. We know it’s not about us – it’s the years of faithful, muddy bare foot steps through the rice fields that lead us to where we are. Our feet are needed here, now. Because of the Spirit’s timing, and the many who have come before.

Graduation!

Some snapshots of our March:

Silly head master

- March marks the end of the school calendar for Japan; we’re grateful for a year of school completed. A year of monthly open houses for community moms, which culminated in two moms joining our prayer group and church, and three others visiting our bible study, based on their comfort after being at so many open house times.

- We’re grateful for growing relationships in our community and neighborhood, and for better communication and reconciliation with some neighbors who were very upset to have foreigners move into the neighborhood.

Kids program at a local church

- We’re grateful to be starting a new neighborhood kids program through a local church! We’ve been dreaming about this for about two years, and finally will start our first event in April! It’s an after school club, followed by a very cheap (about one dollar), healthy meal for neighborhood kids and their parents. The primary target is elementary age kids with single working moms or two working parents, who often spend all afternoon alone and eat alone in the evenings. We visited a program like this at a church in a near by town and were so excited by what we saw!

- Please pray with us for wisdom as we plan for the next school year, beginning in April. We’re working out our calendar for open houses, prayer group, and other activities. Please pray for continued, growing relationships with those who have become regular attendees, and for a welcoming, grace-filled environment for new comers.

- Please pray with us for those who are walking toward Jesus, and have been coming to church and bible study regularly. Please pray for those of us who walk beside them in their journey, and for the many struggles they face as they approach this life turning point.