(uplifting music)
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- Hello and welcome
to "Jesus For Asia Now."
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I'm Natalie Wood,
and my husband Jon and I
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are not in the studio.
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We are actually in Japan.
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We are in Hiroshima,
Japan, in the Peace Park.
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So welcome to the show,
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and I have my love here with me.
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Hi, Jon. - Hi, darling.
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- Okay, so we have been
in Japan for a few days.
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- Yep.
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- And what have
we been doing here?
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- We have been
prayer walking. - Okay.
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- And putting our
feet on the ground to see,
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what is the situation
here, see how to move forward
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and how to do something,
how to find breakthrough.
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And we are prayer walking
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because we don't have
the knowledge or the insight
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of how to do this, but
we figure that God does.
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- Okay, so we do have
other people with us here.
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- Yes. - We have a video
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of some of them talking
about the spiritual needs
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that we've seen and
that they knew about already.
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- Okay. - So
let's watch that now.
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- Sounds good.
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(gentle instrumental
music) (birds chirping)
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- So before World War II,
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the belief was that
the Emperor was God.
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And the reason why
is because his lineage
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was traced back
to the sun goddess.
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But when the war ended, they
realized that he wasn't God,
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and it really shook
their foundation as a culture.
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(gentle
instrumental music continues)
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Right after the war,
Douglas MacArthur came in,
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and he was kind of
the one governing Japan
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during that time period.
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And one thing he said was,
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"Send 1,000
missionaries to Japan.
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Let's, you know,
show them who God is."
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He said, "Japan is
like a spiritual vacuum.
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If you don't fill
that vacuum with Christ,
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it'll be filled with
communism," was his concern.
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And what we saw is it
filled with secularism.
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(soft instrumental music)
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- We are here in
Japan because of me.
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Because I really wanted
to come to Japan and pray.
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I've had a heart for
Japan for about a decade now.
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And two, three
years ago, I began to pray
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that if God wanted
Jesus for Asia to be in Japan,
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that He would open
a door for us to come.
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- One of the biggest reasons
I wanted to come to Japan
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is I know that
the Japanese people
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are one of the world's
least reached people groups.
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(soft music continues)
(temple-goers chattering)
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- I would say that
the biggest spiritual need
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that Japan has is number
one, for the Holy Spirit.
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We need the Holy Spirit to
be poured out on this country
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for the church, the
Adventist Church here,
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so that they can see the
magnitude of the work here.
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There's so many people that
have never heard about Jesus,
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or if they have,
it was in a movie
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or it was in some, you
know, intangible thing.
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They don't have a
full, true experience
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and knowledge
about who Jesus is.
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- It's been hard to find a way
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for Japanese people to see why
they should believe in Jesus,
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what is the point, and so
part of the reason that I wanted
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to come here and
join the team in Japan
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was to pray for God to
show, what is the best way?
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What is gonna
touch people's hearts?
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Because He's the only
one who has the answers.
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We don't know anything.
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(bright gentle music)
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- Well, thinking
about that, you know,
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how there's
suddenly this void, you know,
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and then there's no...
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They don't know.
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- The atomic bomb
being dropped in this place
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wasn't just the
end of a war. - Right.
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- It was basically
waking up to the fact that,
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oh, the God that
we serve is not real.
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It's not what we thought it was.
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- It's not a god. -
And so you lose your god.
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You lose what you
believe in, lose your faith.
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And so I can only imagine
what that would have felt like
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to lose everything
that you believe in,
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and what do you
have left? - Right.
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- So we've seen over
the decades since then,
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a replacement with, you know,
just a focus on materialism
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and just live a good life
and, you know, try to get ahead
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and, you know, not a
lot of meaning in life.
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- Being here in Japan,
it's just, I don't know.
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It's hard
because we haven't gotten
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to talk to a lot of the people.
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We've talked to a few,
but they're very reserved.
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- Mm. - And we
don't speak Japanese.
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And so as we've
interacted with people in Tokyo
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and then here in Hiroshima,
it's like, there's this need.
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And like they said, the
Holy Spirit is needed here.
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The Spirit of God
needs to be poured out here,
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and so that's
why we came to Japan.
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You know, we met the pastor
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that's the pastor of
the church here yesterday,
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and we told him, "We
came to Japan to pray."
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- Uh-huh. - To
pray for the church
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in Japan, to pray for the
people of Japan to know God.
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And he was surprised, you know?
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And I mean,
that's why we came here.
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Maybe we haven't seen
some miraculous answer
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to prayer today, but
we have seen God moving.
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We have sensed His
Spirit, and we know
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that He's
working here. - Uh-huh.
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Can you imagine living in
a country where less than 1%,
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like they say, about 1/2
of 1% is actually Christian.
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- Mm-hmm.
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- Living in a
country like that, you know,
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who do your
kids marry, you know?
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- Right.
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- Where do you find fellowship?
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- Yeah. - We
don't know what to do,
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but we know God
knows what to do.
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- Right. - So we
came here to pray.
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- Right. - Unfortunately,
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we're only here
for two days. - Right.
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- And so we don't get a lot of,
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I mean, we just
get a little taste.
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Didn't really get a
lot of time to settle in
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and really get
into prayer like we have
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in some other locations,
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so this is just a
little taste of it.
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And I don't know,
what do you think?
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You think we
should come back? - Yes.
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I think people
should come here and pray.
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- Yeah, and-
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- We did a prayer
walk here yesterday.
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- Good.
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- But that's for
later in the show.
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- Okay.
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- We have a young
lady that we talked to,
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and she's speaking in Japanese.
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- Uh-huh.
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- But she's talking also about
the spiritual needs of Japan.
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- [Jon] Okay.
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(bright instrumental music)
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(Mayu speaking in Japanese)
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- [Interpreter]
Many people in Japan
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believe in a
religion called Shinto.
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Shinto teaches that
there are 8 million gods,
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and most
Japanese believe in them.
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Those 8 million gods include
water, mountains, and the sky.
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They believe in a God
for every part of nature.
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Most Japanese people have heard
of the name of Jesus Christ.
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Although they may have
heard the name of Jesus,
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only a few really
know who Jesus is.
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Everyone thinks, "Oh,
the man on the cross,"
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or, "The man born on Christmas."
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But I believe there
are only a few people
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who have a solid
understanding about Jesus.
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(bright
instrumental music continues)
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I think there are five
reasons why Christianity
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and Jesus Christ have
not spread easily in Japan.
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(Mayu speaking in Japanese)
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- [Interpreter] First, I
believe it is because polytheism
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is deeply rooted here.
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Rather than
believing in one God.
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Japanese people believe that
many Gods exist here and there.
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Since this is a
deeply rooted belief,
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it is difficult
to accept the idea
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of believing in only
one God like Christianity.
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(soft instrumental music)
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Second, the influence
of parents is a big factor.
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If the parents are
Shintoists or Buddhists,
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it is very unlikely that the
child will become a Christian
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or learn about Jesus Christ.
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Also, it is common
to have a Buddhist altar
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in Japanese homes, so if
children are exposed to such
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things from an early
age, they are more likely
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to accept the teachings
of Shintoism or Buddhism
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rather than Christianity.
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(Mayu speaking in Japanese)
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- [Interpreter] The
third reason is that Japan
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has never
experienced colonization.
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In other colonized countries,
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people are exposed
to various cultures
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through domination
by other countries,
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and this allows them to
think in different ways.
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But Japan was never colonized.
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And being an island nation,
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there was little
contact with other cultures.
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So I believe that Japan
maintained its own religious
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views and
Christianity did not spread.
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(bright instrumental music)
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(Mayu speaking in Japanese)
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- [Interpreter] The fourth
reason is a lack of knowledge.
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There are very few opportunities
to come into contact
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with Christians
compared to other countries.
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When I was in public school,
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I told my friends
that I am a Christian.
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And they would ask
me, "What is a Christian?"
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My friends often asked
basic questions like that.
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(soft instrumental music)
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The fifth reason is they
simply may not be interested.
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I think it can
be said either way.
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Lack of interest due
to lack of knowledge,
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or lack of knowledge
due to lack of interest.
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Most Japanese are not interested
in other religions or ideas
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because they have
not had much opportunity
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to be involved with other
cultures or other countries
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and because they have maintained
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their own
unique way of thinking.
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I think that is why Christianity
has not spread in Japan.
00:10:15.24\00:10:18.58
(Mayu speaking in Japanese)
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(melancholy instrumental music)
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(Mayu speaking in Japanese)
00:10:28.86\00:10:31.59
- [Interpreter] There are
many lonely people in Japan,
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and there is a
high suicide rate,
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especially among young people.
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I think that all Japanese people
have some kind of darkness
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or sadness in their hearts.
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They don't show this
to the people around them
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because there
are not many people
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who have friends close enough
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to really confide
in about such things.
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I think that the
fundamental thing
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is to build relationships.
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If you suddenly say, "Hello,
do you know Jesus Christ?"
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Japanese people would
be like, "Who's this guy?"
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(melancholy music)
00:11:00.96\00:11:03.96
Of course, it is
an important mission
00:11:05.46\00:11:07.50
to evangelize
and share the Gospel.
00:11:07.50\00:11:09.60
But if we can first
deepen our relationship
00:11:09.60\00:11:11.60
with those around us
and then lead them to God,
00:11:11.60\00:11:14.17
people will be more open to
listen to what we have to share.
00:11:14.17\00:11:17.24
(Mayu speaking in Japanese)
00:11:18.94\00:11:22.68
- [Interpreter] We are
living in the last days,
00:11:23.91\00:11:25.71
and I think we all
believe that the Gospel
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should be
preached to the whole world
00:11:27.58\00:11:29.25
before the
Second Coming of Jesus.
00:11:29.25\00:11:31.35
(Mayu speaking in Japanese)
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- [Interpreter] Japanese
people have a closed mindset,
00:11:34.72\00:11:36.73
but on the other hand,
many people love foreigners.
00:11:36.73\00:11:40.00
So even though it is
difficult for Japanese people
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to be friendly with each other,
00:11:42.43\00:11:44.17
I think many
Japanese people are quite open
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to talking with foreigners.
00:11:46.50\00:11:48.30
Maybe Japanese people
are more open to listening
00:11:48.30\00:11:50.64
to a foreign evangelist
than a Japanese evangelist.
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I would be happy if
you could come to Japan
00:11:53.81\00:11:55.88
and help us spread the
Gospel to the Japanese people.
00:11:55.88\00:11:58.51
(Mayu speaking in Japanese)
00:12:00.18\00:12:03.79
(warm instrumental music)
00:12:07.59\00:12:11.16
- Wow, there's so
much there. - Yeah.
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- So many different
reasons that she has seen
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growing up in
Japan that are like,
00:12:17.80\00:12:21.44
reasons the Gospel
hasn't spread here.
00:12:21.44\00:12:23.67
- Yeah, but I love the
fact that they're inviting us.
00:12:23.67\00:12:26.17
She's not the only
one that's inviting us,
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"Please come help
spread the Gospel in Japan."
00:12:27.81\00:12:30.71
- Yeah.
00:12:30.71\00:12:31.68
- It's a wide
open mission field.
00:12:31.68\00:12:32.88
- Yeah. - So many opportunities.
00:12:32.88\00:12:34.55
So little influence towards
Christianity here in Japan.
00:12:34.55\00:12:38.55
- Yeah. - It
just needs a lot more.
00:12:38.55\00:12:40.29
And the sense I get is that
00:12:40.29\00:12:41.92
when you get to
know people a little bit,
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they're very
friendly, very warm.
00:12:43.43\00:12:45.79
And my sense is that
just with a little bit of time
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and a whole lot
of Holy Spirit love,
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it can make a big difference.
00:12:52.43\00:12:53.90
- Yeah, yeah. I
believe that too.
00:12:53.90\00:12:56.37
- Hm.
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- There are a couple
young men that came to FaithCamp
00:12:57.87\00:12:59.71
in America, in
Idaho with their family,
00:12:59.71\00:13:02.58
and they are
half Japanese as well.
00:13:02.58\00:13:04.91
And so they have
had a burden for Japan.
00:13:04.91\00:13:07.48
So this is the next
video that we're gonna watch.
00:13:07.48\00:13:09.75
This is Lance and Logan.
00:13:09.75\00:13:11.09
(warm guitar music)
00:13:12.05\00:13:15.12
- So I've
always had an interest,
00:13:20.76\00:13:22.70
a deep interest in mission work.
00:13:22.70\00:13:25.70
And for me, Japan is a really
special place in this world
00:13:25.70\00:13:30.77
because I have family here.
00:13:31.54\00:13:33.31
I'm half Japanese.
00:13:33.31\00:13:35.08
And I've realized that
the need here is very great
00:13:35.08\00:13:40.15
for more missionaries and
more workers to come here.
00:13:41.48\00:13:43.99
(warm guitar music continues)
00:13:44.79\00:13:46.72
- Probably when I was about
10, I had a love for missions,
00:13:46.72\00:13:51.79
getting like, little mission
story books and reading those.
00:13:53.16\00:13:56.16
Like, I loved doing that.
00:13:56.16\00:13:58.13
And you know, as
I, you know, grew up,
00:13:58.13\00:14:03.10
I started to
realize that, you know,
00:14:04.07\00:14:06.34
the need that is here
in Japan, a place that,
00:14:07.48\00:14:11.61
you know, has no
knowledge of who God is.
00:14:11.61\00:14:14.25
You know, that
really propelled me
00:14:15.42\00:14:18.02
to want to come to
Japan and stay here.
00:14:18.02\00:14:21.22
Before I came, you know,
00:14:21.22\00:14:22.29
you have this
idea of what Japan is,
00:14:22.29\00:14:24.93
but when I actually came here,
00:14:24.93\00:14:27.93
you know, I knew
there was depression.
00:14:27.93\00:14:29.23
I knew there was like,
high suicide rates and all that,
00:14:29.23\00:14:32.27
but just seeing it here
made a huge impact on me.
00:14:32.27\00:14:35.64
Like, you know, this is, I
actually like, realized like,
00:14:35.64\00:14:39.24
"Oh, this is the
reality of how it is," you know?
00:14:39.24\00:14:41.74
(soft instrumental music)
00:14:43.38\00:14:45.81
- Now my brother
and I, we're in Hokkaido
00:14:45.81\00:14:48.98
doing friendship evangelism.
00:14:50.55\00:14:52.42
So just the other day, you know,
00:14:52.42\00:14:53.92
we were in our
little town in Hokkaido,
00:14:53.92\00:14:57.33
and we were working
out in our little garden,
00:14:57.33\00:15:01.13
putting the compost out.
00:15:01.13\00:15:02.46
And as we were working out
there, one of the neighbors,
00:15:02.46\00:15:05.00
he's kind of a little grouchy
guy, you know, older man.
00:15:05.00\00:15:08.47
And he came out and he's like,
"What are you doing there?"
00:15:08.47\00:15:12.21
You know, "What's going
on? What are you burying?"
00:15:12.21\00:15:14.54
And we're like, "Well, we're
burying compost, you know?"
00:15:14.54\00:15:18.11
And he's like, "What?
That's interesting, okay."
00:15:18.11\00:15:21.05
(laughs) 'Cause he
doesn't do that, evidently.
00:15:21.05\00:15:23.35
And so we started
talking with him a little bit,
00:15:24.72\00:15:26.92
and then all of
a sudden he asked,
00:15:26.92\00:15:28.89
"Are you Christian, by chance?"
00:15:28.89\00:15:31.03
And we were kind of like, "Whoa,
where did that come from?"
00:15:31.03\00:15:33.90
You know, we were shocked.
00:15:33.90\00:15:35.23
But it just goes to show you
00:15:36.00\00:15:37.40
that people are
asking questions.
00:15:37.40\00:15:40.10
They're
interested, they're curious.
00:15:40.10\00:15:42.00
And maybe we have an
opportunity to show God's love.
00:15:42.00\00:15:46.44
(gentle instrumental music)
00:15:46.44\00:15:50.85
- So in Hokkaido, the neighbor
we've been interacting with,
00:15:50.85\00:15:55.12
and she comes over fairly often.
00:15:55.12\00:15:58.15
She checks on us, "Hey,
how's it going? Are you okay?"
00:15:58.15\00:16:00.92
And you know,
sometimes she brings us food,
00:16:00.92\00:16:04.33
but the other day she came to us
00:16:04.33\00:16:06.36
and she's like, "Hey, can
you help me, can you help me?"
00:16:06.36\00:16:09.26
You know, and we were
like, "Oh, well, what is it?"
00:16:09.26\00:16:11.90
And then, so we
just followed her.
00:16:11.90\00:16:15.37
And then in her
house there was like,
00:16:15.37\00:16:18.81
water spilling all
over the kitchen floor.
00:16:18.81\00:16:21.71
And we were like,
"Okay, we'll help you.
00:16:21.71\00:16:25.35
We'll clean it up," you know.
And so we started helping her.
00:16:25.35\00:16:28.05
And after we
finished, she was like,
00:16:28.05\00:16:30.32
"Well, thank you so
much for helping me."
00:16:30.32\00:16:32.32
And you know, it
made a connection.
00:16:32.32\00:16:35.16
And that's like,
that's what we're here for
00:16:35.16\00:16:36.89
in friendship evangelism is
making connections with people.
00:16:36.89\00:16:40.56
And maybe it's
something really small,
00:16:40.56\00:16:42.16
like helping
them at their house,
00:16:42.16\00:16:44.10
but once they recognize
that we're there for them,
00:16:44.10\00:16:47.40
then it does, I think it does
something powerful, you know?
00:16:47.40\00:16:51.21
And that, you know, we're
not just there to convert them,
00:16:51.21\00:16:54.51
but we're there to show them
what God's love is practically.
00:16:54.51\00:16:58.45
(gentle instrumental music)
00:16:59.75\00:17:02.52
- I believe that God
called me here to Japan
00:17:02.52\00:17:06.22
to help the people, to
connect with people here.
00:17:06.22\00:17:10.13
- I'm just here
to serve, you know?
00:17:10.13\00:17:11.86
And as God opens the door,
00:17:11.86\00:17:13.66
I want to follow in
His path that He leads.
00:17:13.66\00:17:16.16
(gentle instrumental music)
00:17:17.30\00:17:21.04
- So it's really
neat that they came here
00:17:24.07\00:17:26.61
and they feel such a burden,
00:17:26.61\00:17:29.04
and they're just
doing friendship evangelism.
00:17:29.04\00:17:31.75
They're just
living among the people
00:17:31.75\00:17:33.42
and seeing where
they can connect.
00:17:33.42\00:17:35.25
- Yeah. - And that's neat
00:17:35.25\00:17:36.52
because their burden is great,
00:17:36.52\00:17:39.49
and yet they don't
wanna be in your face
00:17:39.49\00:17:41.66
kind of pushing people, but
they wanna be inviting people,
00:17:41.66\00:17:45.56
you know, and when
they see that openness,
00:17:45.56\00:17:48.23
then they make an
invitation or something.
00:17:48.23\00:17:50.23
So that's just really
neat to see two young men
00:17:50.23\00:17:52.83
that have such a desire
for the people of Japan.
00:17:52.83\00:17:56.00
- Mm-hmm. - And you know,
00:17:56.00\00:17:57.64
we were in Tokyo, actually,
when we met up with them,
00:17:57.64\00:18:01.61
and they live in
Hokkaido, which is way north.
00:18:01.61\00:18:04.78
But it was neat to be
together for a few days,
00:18:04.78\00:18:07.65
praying for and reaching
out toward the people of Japan.
00:18:07.65\00:18:12.35
- Right, yeah.
00:18:12.35\00:18:13.69
The neat thing about seeing
Lance and Logan, you know,
00:18:13.69\00:18:14.89
'cause they flew two
hours south from Hokkaido
00:18:14.89\00:18:18.53
to Tokyo to visit us, and they
spent good money to do that.
00:18:18.53\00:18:21.90
And after talking to
them, I asked them, it's like,
00:18:21.90\00:18:25.17
"How many missionaries are
there here from North America?"
00:18:25.17\00:18:28.30
And they said it's maybe two.
00:18:28.30\00:18:31.11
- Hm, just a
few. - And it's like,
00:18:31.11\00:18:32.64
that's just amazing to me
00:18:32.64\00:18:33.81
because Japan's
not a hardship call.
00:18:33.81\00:18:36.14
- It's very nice
here. - It's very nice.
00:18:37.25\00:18:39.25
It's very
comfortable. It's a safe place.
00:18:39.25\00:18:41.65
And I used to think it
would be super expensive,
00:18:41.65\00:18:44.52
but comparing prices to America,
00:18:44.52\00:18:46.79
it's cheaper living here
than it is living in America.
00:18:46.79\00:18:50.83
- Yeah, there are
expensive ways to get around
00:18:50.83\00:18:53.03
and things like that, but
you can find cheaper ways.
00:18:53.03\00:18:55.70
- But cost of food, rent.
00:18:55.70\00:18:58.10
When I was here in '89, it's
like, it was super expensive,
00:18:58.10\00:19:01.44
but I don't think
Japan's gotten cheaper.
00:19:01.44\00:19:03.47
I think America's
inflation has gotten so high
00:19:03.47\00:19:05.74
that it's made
Japan look cheaper.
00:19:05.74\00:19:08.01
And so it's a beautiful
place to come and live.
00:19:08.01\00:19:10.81
The challenge, I think,
for being a missionary here
00:19:10.81\00:19:13.68
is to kind of sink
down into the norm,
00:19:13.68\00:19:18.75
which is, I don't
know, just materialistic.
00:19:19.85\00:19:24.13
Not a strong fire for God.
00:19:24.13\00:19:26.93
- Yeah. - And maybe...
00:19:26.93\00:19:28.93
And again, we've only
been here for a short time,
00:19:28.93\00:19:31.40
so we really haven't got a
sense of what's happening here,
00:19:31.40\00:19:34.27
but I know there's huge,
huge needs for the Holy Spirit
00:19:34.27\00:19:39.24
and for love and for a
sense of purpose to come back.
00:19:39.24\00:19:43.41
Everybody that I see
and that you see is like,
00:19:43.41\00:19:45.95
"Please come help us
spread the Gospel in Japan."
00:19:45.95\00:19:48.18
- Yes, yes. There's so much
need, so much spiritual need.
00:19:48.18\00:19:52.15
- Yeah. - And I
wanted to mention also
00:19:52.15\00:19:54.69
that the church
here, there is a school,
00:19:54.69\00:19:58.49
and they were sharing
with us in Tokyo last weekend.
00:19:58.49\00:20:01.66
And then also the pastor
shared with us that their school
00:20:01.66\00:20:05.00
is declining because there
are so few children in Japan.
00:20:05.00\00:20:08.77
- Yeah.
00:20:08.77\00:20:09.57
- And so the number of children
00:20:09.57\00:20:11.17
that can even come
to the school is less.
00:20:11.17\00:20:14.31
And so we just really need
to pray for our education system
00:20:14.31\00:20:17.31
here as well. - That's right.
00:20:17.31\00:20:18.28
You know, God
has His people here.
00:20:18.28\00:20:20.28
- Yes, and He has
big plans for this place.
00:20:20.28\00:20:23.55
- That's right. - He
has big plans for Tokyo.
00:20:23.55\00:20:25.45
- Yes. - For
Hiroshima, for Hokkaido,
00:20:25.45\00:20:28.59
for all the cities in Japan,
for all the places in Japan
00:20:28.59\00:20:31.63
because He loves these people.
- That's right. Absolutely.
00:20:31.63\00:20:33.93
- And that's one
thing that He's given us,
00:20:33.93\00:20:35.80
a gift that He's
given us on this trip.
00:20:35.80\00:20:38.07
Is even though we
haven't gotten connected
00:20:38.07\00:20:40.64
and gotten to talk a lot
with a lot of Japanese people,
00:20:40.64\00:20:44.54
we've gotten some key
connections that have just shown
00:20:44.54\00:20:47.78
us, the heart of
the people is beautiful.
00:20:47.78\00:20:50.25
- It is, it is. -
It's very beautiful.
00:20:50.25\00:20:52.25
- Yeah.
00:20:52.25\00:20:53.65
- And speaking of
needing more workers, we have,
00:20:53.65\00:20:56.32
our next video is talking
about the need for workers.
00:20:56.32\00:20:59.15
- [Jon] Okay.
00:20:59.15\00:21:00.42
(soft instrumental music)
00:21:00.42\00:21:03.96
- We've learned about the rate
00:21:06.83\00:21:09.80
of depression
here in the country.
00:21:09.80\00:21:13.34
And you can see it in
the eyes of the people
00:21:13.34\00:21:15.24
who get on the train
at 11 o'clock at night,
00:21:15.24\00:21:17.44
still in their business suits.
00:21:17.44\00:21:19.04
They're exhausted.
00:21:19.04\00:21:20.44
I'm sure the pressure
on them is very great.
00:21:20.44\00:21:23.65
And you can see it in
the eyes of the young people
00:21:23.65\00:21:25.81
who are trying their very
best to try all sorts of stuff
00:21:25.81\00:21:29.25
to fill the hole
inside, and they can't.
00:21:29.25\00:21:31.62
And the
depression here is very real,
00:21:31.62\00:21:34.09
and suicide here is very real.
00:21:34.09\00:21:36.42
There were a couple of
times when we were on the train
00:21:36.42\00:21:40.20
where we saw
notices up on the screen
00:21:40.20\00:21:42.83
that said a certain track
of the train system was closed
00:21:42.83\00:21:46.97
because of a
person on the tracks.
00:21:46.97\00:21:49.80
And that is code
for, somebody jumped out
00:21:49.80\00:21:52.81
in front of the
train to end their lives.
00:21:52.81\00:21:54.81
(soft instrumental music)
00:21:56.41\00:21:59.11
- I would encourage
people to take the time
00:21:59.11\00:22:01.38
and really pray for
the people of Japan.
00:22:01.38\00:22:03.75
They're wonderful, gentle
people that just need Jesus.
00:22:03.75\00:22:08.56
Add Jesus to the equation,
00:22:08.56\00:22:10.03
and we've met some Japanese
people who love the Lord
00:22:10.03\00:22:13.46
and they are just
so happy and vivacious.
00:22:13.46\00:22:16.10
Just such a contrast
to the ordinary people
00:22:16.10\00:22:19.10
we see walking down the street.
00:22:19.10\00:22:20.60
And to try prayer walking.
00:22:20.60\00:22:23.61
It's not some
crazy mystical thing.
00:22:23.61\00:22:25.91
It's just, you're
walking down the street.
00:22:25.91\00:22:27.81
You're praying for the
people that you're seeing.
00:22:27.81\00:22:30.18
You're asking the Holy
Spirit to work in their lives
00:22:30.18\00:22:32.78
and to bring them to
Him and to bring them peace.
00:22:32.78\00:22:36.22
As you see little children,
00:22:36.22\00:22:37.62
to pray that they can
grow up to know Jesus.
00:22:37.62\00:22:40.82
- We don't have time to lose.
00:22:40.82\00:22:42.69
We don't have time to
keep playing and keep searching
00:22:44.03\00:22:48.56
for what we can get out
of life for our advancement,
00:22:50.00\00:22:53.03
for our betterment when
people are killing themselves
00:22:53.03\00:22:55.87
every day out of depression.
00:22:55.87\00:22:57.41
And we know that Jesus can
be that light in the darkness
00:22:57.41\00:23:00.88
and totally change their lives
00:23:00.88\00:23:01.94
if we can just get
the Gospel to them.
00:23:01.94\00:23:04.95
And so I pray that
there will be more workers
00:23:04.95\00:23:08.08
that will rise up
and say, "Yes, I will go
00:23:08.08\00:23:11.99
to take the
Gospel so more people
00:23:11.99\00:23:14.32
won't have to
die without Jesus."
00:23:14.32\00:23:16.16
(tender instrumental music)
00:23:17.19\00:23:21.23
- There's about 130
million people in Japan,
00:23:21.23\00:23:25.23
and there's only about less
than 1% Christian population.
00:23:25.23\00:23:30.31
And a lot of those
people are Catholic.
00:23:33.07\00:23:35.68
The Adventists takes up
maybe about 1% of that 1%,
00:23:35.68\00:23:40.48
about maybe 10, 15,000 people.
00:23:40.48\00:23:44.32
How many missionaries
could come here? Thousands.
00:23:44.32\00:23:47.76
We need thousands of
missionaries to come to Japan.
00:23:47.76\00:23:51.79
And my brother and I, we're
just two people. (chuckles)
00:23:53.13\00:23:57.37
We need an army of workers
that can work in this city
00:23:57.37\00:24:02.34
in Tokyo and Osaka,
all over this archipelago.
00:24:03.47\00:24:08.28
Please come to
Japan. Please come to Asia.
00:24:09.38\00:24:12.98
The 10/40 Window needs you.
00:24:13.75\00:24:15.28
(soft instrumental music)
00:24:17.09\00:24:20.66
- Well, you know, growing up,
my father would come to Japan
00:24:27.36\00:24:30.27
on business and he would
come back and talk about it.
00:24:30.27\00:24:34.07
And then my brother came to
Japan as a student missionary,
00:24:34.07\00:24:36.81
and my
sister-in-law is Japanese.
00:24:36.81\00:24:38.61
And so it's like, all my life
there's been this connection
00:24:38.61\00:24:41.61
to Japan, and we've had
one stop over here before,
00:24:41.61\00:24:46.21
but really not spent
any time here at all.
00:24:46.21\00:24:49.48
- Yes. - And it's just,
00:24:49.48\00:24:50.25
for me, it's been surreal.
00:24:50.25\00:24:52.05
It actually chokes me up
because it's like, I don't know,
00:24:52.05\00:24:55.46
God has given this interest,
this love for the people,
00:24:55.46\00:24:59.03
this concern for them. - Yes.
00:24:59.03\00:25:02.06
- That I don't know
where it came from, you know?
00:25:02.06\00:25:04.73
So it must have come
from Him. - Absolutely.
00:25:04.73\00:25:07.20
- And being here and
seeing what happened here
00:25:07.20\00:25:10.57
in this place, you know, being
in Tokyo and seeing people,
00:25:10.57\00:25:14.51
I mean, going through the
throngs and throngs of people
00:25:14.51\00:25:17.11
that we saw there,
and it just like...
00:25:17.11\00:25:20.22
And the stairs and the
quiet on the train and just,
00:25:20.22\00:25:24.95
it just makes you long
for them to know the joy.
00:25:24.95\00:25:27.89
To know the peace
that comes from Jesus.
00:25:27.89\00:25:30.09
I mean, here there's
statues to pray for peace.
00:25:30.09\00:25:33.86
There's a Prayer Fountain.
00:25:33.86\00:25:36.06
There's different things
00:25:36.06\00:25:37.27
where they know that
there's a need for peace.
00:25:37.27\00:25:40.10
They know that
there's a need for prayer.
00:25:40.10\00:25:42.50
- [Jon] Yeah.
00:25:42.50\00:25:43.64
- But maybe they
haven't had a picture of the One
00:25:43.64\00:25:45.64
that can answer those
prayers. - That's right.
00:25:45.64\00:25:47.48
- [Natalie] You know,
there's a whole series
00:25:47.48\00:25:48.61
of peace gates at
the front, and it's like,
00:25:48.61\00:25:51.58
the One that brings
peace, they don't know.
00:25:51.58\00:25:53.95
- Right.
00:25:53.95\00:25:55.28
- Even coming off the
plane in Hiroshima, it was like,
00:25:55.28\00:25:57.15
I took a picture where
it said that on the airport,
00:25:57.15\00:26:01.36
and it just was like...
00:26:01.36\00:26:02.72
And I almost cried right
there because it's just like,
00:26:03.99\00:26:07.13
these places we've heard about
00:26:07.13\00:26:08.90
that our country
affected so strongly,
00:26:08.90\00:26:13.27
and I mean, people can talk
about what's right and wrong,
00:26:13.27\00:26:17.57
but the truth is,
it happened. - Yeah.
00:26:17.57\00:26:20.11
- And it's like, to
be here in this place
00:26:20.11\00:26:22.11
and to know that in a
moment life can change.
00:26:22.11\00:26:25.51
- Yeah, and to see the
people that were affected by it,
00:26:25.51\00:26:28.88
you know,
generationally. - Yeah.
00:26:28.88\00:26:31.19
And to think about
all the depression,
00:26:31.19\00:26:33.79
like Sharon was talking about.
00:26:33.79\00:26:35.69
The trains we were riding on,
00:26:35.69\00:26:37.63
it just broke my
heart because it was like...
00:26:37.63\00:26:41.43
- You'd see notices of- - Yeah.
00:26:41.43\00:26:43.47
Person on the tracks or
personal injury accident.
00:26:43.47\00:26:46.33
And it's like, "Oh
Lord, it's too late for them."
00:26:46.33\00:26:49.87
- Yeah.
00:26:49.87\00:26:51.21
And that's why I think
that there's such an open heart
00:26:51.21\00:26:54.68
here in Japan for, you know,
00:26:54.68\00:26:56.75
maybe they're not
interested in religion
00:26:56.75\00:26:58.95
or a system of
religion, a system of belief,
00:26:58.95\00:27:01.12
but maybe they're interested
in a person like Jesus Christ.
00:27:01.12\00:27:05.22
You know, they still
believe in the spirits,
00:27:05.22\00:27:08.32
but we serve a
Father who is a Spirit.
00:27:09.32\00:27:12.56
So maybe they'd be
interested in meeting Him.
00:27:12.56\00:27:15.13
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:27:15.13\00:27:18.37
- But there's a lot
of baggage in the way.
00:27:18.37\00:27:20.60
- Yeah.
00:27:20.60\00:27:21.74
- I think the only way
we can get through that
00:27:21.74\00:27:22.74
is by a lot of
prayer. - Right, right.
00:27:22.74\00:27:25.84
The Holy Spirit
needs to come here.
00:27:25.84\00:27:27.58
- Absolutely.
00:27:27.58\00:27:28.71
- And the angels need
to be sent here in droves.
00:27:28.71\00:27:31.18
- Absolutely, absolutely.
And I think they're willing.
00:27:31.18\00:27:33.98
- Yeah, they are.
00:27:33.98\00:27:35.55
- Totally willing.
00:27:35.55\00:27:36.52
- If you're interested in
helping to fund work to Japan
00:27:37.89\00:27:41.59
and other unreached people
groups, we have a special fund
00:27:41.59\00:27:44.26
called the
Unreached People Group Fund.
00:27:44.26\00:27:46.59
You can contact us for more
information at Jesus for Asia
00:27:46.59\00:27:50.23
PO Box 1221,
Collegedale, Tennessee, 37315.
00:27:50.23\00:27:54.17
Call us at 423-413-7321
00:27:56.07\00:28:00.51
or visit our
website at Jesus4asia.org.
00:28:00.51\00:28:03.88
May God richly bless you.
00:28:03.88\00:28:05.11
Until we see you next
time on "Jesus For Asia Now."
00:28:05.11\00:28:08.28
(uplifting music)
00:28:09.55\00:28:12.45