Alpha ended well this past Friday. Thank you for your prayers.
Getting Baptized:
When Toshiko Sato came to church this morning she was happy to announce, "I'm ready to get baptized." She wrote on her evaluation form Friday that through Alpha, "I learned how God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are related, and was deeply touched to hear prayers being said on my behalf." You may remember that she's my neighbor who first came to church in the spring and quickly believed. She began Alpha with a faith needing a foundation, and with many concerns for her family.
She's getting that foundation, and there are signs of progress with her family. Her sons came to church a few days ago for music practice; one will play clarinet in an ensemble at our Christmas party Saturday. And many of us from church ordered home heating fuel from Toshiko's husband, which we can pray God will use to help him feel welcome at the church someday soon.
Wanting More Part One:
Hiromi Fukuoka had one complaint. She told me Friday afternoon when I went to do some volunteer work at the Buddhist High School where she works, "I'm still waiting to hear how to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Wasn't there supposed to be a talk on that? Did you skip it?"
Actually, we didn't skip it. Hiromi left the retreat early and missed it. So Friday evening Hiromi borrowed the videos and will watch all three talks on the Holy Spirit. I was surprised to find how interested she is.
Last week, we prayed for Hiromi's skin condition, and it seems to have improved just a bit; she was quick to ask for us to continue to pray for healing.
Getting Connected:
Last week I shared in the "Daily Prayer Requests" section that Sachiko Yonekawa and Kyoko Oshima didn't seem to be getting well-connected with church members; I was concerned we wouldn't see them again after Alpha. It seems this prayer need is beginning to be answered. They made bookmarks to give everyone as a sign of their appreciation for Alpha, and they seem likely to come to our Christmas party and Alpha celebration (with many people from the church) this coming Saturday. Please pray they will, and this "getting connected" process will continue.
Neither had much to say in response to the evaluation's question, "How has Jesus impacted your life?" Pray that they will have more to say a few months from now, that they will experience Christ's power in increasingly significant ways.
Wanting More Part Two:
Mrs. Kudo wrote, "I could only come three times, and I'm sorry I always came late and had to leave right away. I'm glad I could come the week about God's healing. I felt a warmth during the prayer time, and was deeply moved, and wonder if I experienced something of God's healing. The next time there's a gathering like this, be sure to invite me."
New Perspective:
Mr. Kusano, the only guest who attended every single week, wrote that through Alpha he learned the importance of the study of the Bible.
He wrote other good things, too. Something about Jesus. Something about the devil. Something about the Church. But I can't read it all. His handwriting and my Japanese ability -- two big liabilities that mean we're going to have to wait to know just what he wrote. I'll get some help reading this and will let you know what I find out.
I'm thankful God uses Alpha not only to help non-Christians grow, but also to help us Christians gain new perspective. A church member who helped with Alpha for the first time wrote, "My image of non-Christians changed. I realized how different each non-Christian is, and want to view each one as an individual, not lump them all together in one category. I'm going to keep praying about this."
This is just a small sample of what's on these evaluation forms, and I know that what is on the forms is a small sample of the much greater work the Lord has accomplished through this fall's Alpha. Thank you for joining the courses through your prayers. Please continue to pray that the Lord will be at work in these friends' lives.
Tim
Daily Prayer Requests
Sunday: Thank God for the many ways he has been at work through this fall's Alpha ministry.
Monday: Pray for the family of Mrs. Matsui, a church member who has helped staff all five of our courses. Her mother was sick and in the hospital. Saturday morning the doctor confirmed that she was expected to live several more months, but just a couple hours later she quietly passed away. The family will hold a private, Christian memorial service today. Mrs. Matsui is the only Christian in the family. Her 81 y/o aunt, Mrs. Fujisawa, joined Alpha last spring.
Tuesday: Pray for Toshiko Sato and her family. Pray the Lord will use Christmas and Toshiko's preparation to be baptized a few weeks from now to help introduce family members to Christ and the church.
Wednesday: Pray that Mr. Kusano, his wife, their 30-some year-old daughter and her husband will all grow to believe. I first met this family through an English class I teach at Muroran's largest company. Tomomi, the daughter, visited a few parties at church and had a good time, so she brought her father to a neighborhood English class I had last year. Tomomi married and moved an hour away last fall, and I haven't seen her since, but hope she and her dad will come together to one of our Christmas events this month.
Thursday: Today, in Sapporo, I'll meet with Christian leaders thinking about starting Alpha, and would appreciate your prayers for those conversations.
Friday: Pray for Noriyuki Shibuta. At our final Alpha he shared more about why he doesn't like the church. Pray that his desire for spiritual growth will become stronger than his dislike for the church. And pray the church can learn from him. He has many valid points in his negative evaluation of the church.
Saturday: Today we'll have a Christmas Party and Alpha Celebration at the Hatchodaira Kaikan, the community center near my home. Pray God will bless it in many ways.
Tim Clark