My trip to Japan
A New Model for Evangelism

A song of ascents. Of David.
¹How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! ²It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes. ³It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. --- Psalm 133 (NIV)

When I read Acts Chapter 2, and Psalm 133 I thought these happenings were confined to the Bible. The Japan story started 50 years ago. A few missionaries were sent to Japan by an organization in the USA. However, when these missionaries arrived in Japan, they felt the need for a longer term mission work in the country; thus, they made a decision to stay on, even without any financial support. Their mission to spread the gospel was very clear and this marked the dedication of their lives for mission work in Japan. However, the path was not easy. In order to support themselves, some of the team members taught English to Japanese students to earn wages to support the other missionary team members. This basic principle has continued until today, with some of the team or more appropriately, family members, working to support those who are full time missionaries. The missionary families live a simple, godly lifestyle which has continued over the past fifty years.  Today, they have grown in numbers, from a few people to more than one thousand, spanning eleven countries, and without any external financial support or donations. One reason why they grew rapidly was that they adopted unwanted babies and children throughout the years and cared for them as they were their natural kids.  So, it is not surprising to find many children from different countries in a single family bearing the family’s surname. Besides that, many other families who shared their vision joined to work together with them. Many of the missionary families have gone overseas and settled down in their adoptive countries, never to return to Japan. Many of them have given up their Japanese citizenship in order to stay on for mission work in different countries.
 
I see so much uniqueness in them - none of the missionary is paid a salary, and all of them just live very simple, godly lives. The missionary's basic needs like food, clothes and shelter are being provided for by the brothers and sisters who work. These teach their children many languages, such as Japanese, Chinese, English, Hindi, Korean, Mongolian, Thai, Burmese, Cambodian, Russian, and many other languages to prepare them for the mission field.  The children are taught in a Bible based home school to equip them to become missionaries. They also insist that the parents teach, discipline and train their children to ensure that the next generation become God fearing and not fall easily into temptations. Today, more than eighty percent of the family members are full time missionaries all over the world. Many of them remain single for mission work; they give up their rights, like Paul the apostle.

Christianity probably first arrived in Japan around 400 AD via a group of Nestorian missionaries. Missionary work faces spiritual warfare in Japan as there are less than 0.6 % of Christians in this country.  Evangelism in Japan is not an easy task and it costs a lot of money because the cost of living is high. Japan is a highly developed country and the majority of its population are Shinto (worshipping Japanese gods) or Buddhists. "Religion" doesn't give a good image to most of the Japanese due to many cult-religions, such as "Omu Shinri kyo" who killed many innocent people in the sub-way station in Tokyo a few years’ ago.

Lunch at  Dr. C K Ooi’s office (Grape City Company at “Xian Tai district”)

 Japan is a very rich country with highly educated citizens. Most Japanese think they do not need God. Japanese believe in many gods, therefore, very often they observe Shito rites when a child is born. Yet, they often opt for 'Christian style weddings' thinking it is western. When one dies, they are often ‘sent away’ through Buddhist ceremonies. This makes the work of an evangelist very challenging indeed.

Despite the difficult situations, come rain, sleet or shine, the Christian brothers and sisters in Japan are determined soldiers over the last 50 years.  They have travelled extensively in groups, using carefully planned routes covering all the different regions in Japan to spread the Gospel.  They have combed the whole country in numerous times over.  Today, many Japanese have heard the Gospel at least once, some even more than 5 times through loud speakers or flyers. Every year, the missionaries print tons of Gospel materials for distribution. Today, they still keep it simple as it had begun fifty years ago, spreading the Gospel but not building any churches. They only do one simple thing - telling the Gospel to the public at large, again and again, sowing the seed of truth faithfully!
 
During this winter of February 2007, with a CBC brother's help, I was given an opportunity to join one of their evangelistic teams in Ibaragi (a city near Narita airport.) The team consisted of twelve members. We wake up at 5 a.m. and have breakfast around 6 a.m. We have a time of devotion, reading the bible together.  Before 8:00 a.m., the team would have gone out to distribute flyers in front of schools, and go from house to house. All will return around 5 p.m. and the elder sisters will prepare dinner. We have our meal together, and after that, we read the bible again and go to bed around 8 or 9 p.m. In this short trip, I have seen how the brothers and sisters in Japan have dedicated their lives for mission work. They have many teams going around Japan doing this, day after day and year after year.  God's work is not easy for them, financially and physically; but I can see their steadfast faith in God and how God has led them. I also understand that they are not only in Japan only but also in eleven other countries, all self-financing. I also saw how abundantly God has blessed them.

During this mission trip, I learned how God has chosen this group to be His children. I believe we (in today's city church) have much to learn from them. I am also impressed with how they prepare and dedicate their children to be full time missionaries. We can emulate them in terms of their single-minded commitment to God. Their uniqueness in preparing their children and keeping them from falling into fleshly temptations can be a good example for many of us, as we have seen many great missionaries who failed in keeping themselves, much less, the second generation, from the lust of the flesh.
 
Lastly I pray that God will continue to bless them abundantly. I also pray that there will be more families willing to dedicate their lives whole-heartedly to mission work.