Praise the holy name of Jesus! There is no worthier cause than the cause of Christ and a life spent loving and serving Almighty God! It does not matter where we live or what our circumstances are; every day we have the ability to wake up in the morning and dedicate our lives anew and commit ourselves in faith to the only thing that gives our lives meaning. I was reminded recently of our complete dependence on the grace of God in our lives. "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for He grants sleep to those He loves." (Psalm 127:1-2) Separate from God, not only does life lack purpose, it lacks all possibility of accomplishment.
How much more so when we are working to establish a new ministry and a new church! Our hearts must be humble enough to understand that God has to be at the forefront of everything that we are doing. Every step must be accompanied by repentance, prayer, and worship! Yet we also understand that we can be bold, confident, and joyful in Christ. "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32)
These are the things that have been on my heart and mind since I last gave you an update. So much has happened in the last couple of weeks since I arrived here! I'm not sure where to begin. But I know this: God is in Japan!!!
The first week was all about getting established and familiar with daily life and being introduced to the vision for the new church in Machida. I learned how to navigate my way to all the essential places, like the Y$100 convenience stores for example. I can find just about everything I need in those places, from seaweed-wrapped, triangle shaped rice paddies to notebook paper! We (Becky, Hannah, Amy, Matt, and I) have started Japanese lessons three times a week and that is really helping my ability to communicate, even if I only know a few things at this point. I now have a bicycle and I am having a blast weaving my way through all kinds of traffic to get where I need to go. When I have to go somewhere further away though, I take the trains! They are definitely part of the Japan experience. They can get so full during rush hour that station workers literally have to "pack them in!" Check out the video link titled "train pushers" to see what I mean!
Every Tuesday we have a team meeting for the Machida church. We eat breakfast, pray for each other and for the church, and talk about everything that we will be doing during that week. This has been a great time to share and grow together. God is with us and we have felt His presence in our midst! We have been to Machida a few times already to pray over the location that we are renting for the church which will be called The Fuse. We have also been handing out hundreds of fliers to young people and just trying to meet people in Machida and invite them to the event. Everything here is about building relationships and showing people that we, and in turn Christ, really care about them.
Our first meeting will be on the 28th of June, about two weeks from now. We are having band practice a couple of times a week. Joe, a PAZ Japan Intern, plays the drums, Becky plays the base, Hannah plays the keyboard, Kengo plays guitar, and Yuiko and Amy (and possibly me) are the vocals. We will be playing a lot of Hillsong music to start off and trying to reach out to college-age youth especially. Please pray for us, that God will bless our preparations and will anoint our every word and action!
This past week has been even busier! As we meet new people and make new friends, we are finding more and more things to do! God has been throwing divine encounters our way left and right! The best example occurred last week when we (the short-termers and I) were getting something to eat in Machida. Two girls were sitting next to us. We didn't say anything to them during our meal, but just a little bit later as we were heading home we ran into them again on the train! We immediately began talking with them and struck up a friendship! Praise God! Pray that we can reach out to them and that the can come to know Jesus! Also pray that God will continue to give us such perfect opportunities to meet people!
God is so good! He is at work here in Japan, even though there are so few Christians. The Japanese are not necessarily opposed to Christianity; they just don't know anything about it! They desperately need something more real in their lives than the material prosperity and the overwhelming pressure to be "successful" that Japanese culture offers them. Only Christ can give them the joy and fulfillment that they seek in life.
On a different note, I have a new home! I am now blessed to be staying with a Japanese family, and it is definitely enhancing my experience with the culture and lifestyle of Japanese people. Eigi and Kaori Yamada and their two little boys Daichi and Kojiro have been wonderful hosts. I have been trying all kinds of Japanese cuisine like sushi, yakisoba, ramen, and many other mouth watering dishes.
So keep on praying and keep on believing with me for great things in Japan!!! I appreciate so much all of your prayers and support. I am still in need of funds to cover my expenses for the trip, so if you feel led to partner with me in this mission, you can send checks to:
Project AmaZon
P.O. Box 3253
Peoria, IL 61612
Please make checks out to PAZ and include a separate note or indication that it is for Brad Zimmerman, Japan Youth Outreach. A tax deductible receipt will be mailed to you. Again I thank everyone for their help and prayers, God is so good!!!
Be Blessed!!!
Brad Zimmerman
Romans 10:14-15
