When should you visit Japan, you ask? I strongly suggest not during summer.

Japanese summers are like a sauna – 24 hours of being wrapped in a stifling, soaked blanket. In the middle of summer your energy and your emotions are in shreds. And what is left is pierced by cicadas’ constant screeching. Fortunately, most houses have air conditioners. Well, except for the north of Japan to which people traditionally escaped. But this year, in a strange twist of events, the north of Japan was at times hotter than Kobe. And that was exactly where we spent our annual holiday – a cabin without ceiling, insulation or air conditioning. Sweating, and sorry to say, complaining. We did both fairly well.

But do you recall how the heavens declare the glory of God. Let me tell you how this hot summer is talking about a God who is actively and mercifully at work, right here.

As those who ever suffered from insomnia can testify, in the middle of the night every single thought leads to hopelessness and despair. So it is in the middle of summer. But as the black night gives way to a blue hue, even when the sun is still far from rising, some hope returns. This is what it is like in September.

And so it is for us here at the beginning of September 2023, in Kobe, Japan.

We are not in the middle of darkness or despair – that has already happened through Jesus’ darkest hour on the cross. Even though we might be tired, or doubting, or worrying about our ministry or our children or our parents, the (sometimes dim) light of hope is discernible. Look for it.

Here is where I see it today on a September afternoon, on which autumn is almost audible …

Our Waku Waku （ワクワク = exciting）summer week started with a typhoon and ended with an unprecedented thunderstorm. Even so, we were so surprised at people showing up for the first time, which in busy Japan where churches are generally associated with fashionable western weddings, is a miracle. But the greatest blessing is when a whole family shows up with whom we have come a long way.  If anybody is counting the number of conversions in Japan it’s pretty elementary – no algebra needed (i.e. people don’t convert to Christianity here in droves). But if you try to calculate how the Holy Spirit works, sometimes through long and patient relationships, and sometimes through a seemingly chance event, Japan is where you will be mystified.

We see God’s hope in our brothers and sisters in Christ here in Japan. Japanese pastors who grew up in Buddhist/Shinto homes, but who now have a better knowledge and grasp than us of (reformed) theology. Who work tirelessly in their small congregations with limited resources. We are also so thankful for Jovald and Cora, a couple travelling every Sunday from Himeji for almost an hour to worship with us, to be part of Christian witness in the community, and who is actively encouraging and supporting Kita Kobe congregation.

In the meantime, my aging parents are working in Niihama (Shikoku). Many people questioned the feasibility of this project. This is their story to tell, but just by preparing meals on Sundays and inviting families, and of course preaching, I see how church members are encouraged. How relatives of these faithful are willing to come to church for the first time. “How many people have come to Christ this year through your work in Japan?” or “Tell us about evangelism in Japan,” people from outside of Japan are asking. This seems to be a very relevant question since this is what people inside Japan are also asking.

Stéphan just finished leading a group of Japanese young Christians (university students) during a two day camp. They asked him to talk about evangelism in Japan. During our summer holiday Stéphan and I talk about evangelism in Japan extensively. After all this is why we are here in Japan, isn’t it? After reading and talking intensely about this topic, Stéphan basically shared the following message:

First, you who want to share the Gospel, seek God with all your heart. Grow in your relationship amidst the intense challenges of constant busyness and distractions. Allow God to ‘evangelize’ your own heart so that you can say with Paul, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain and the only reason why I choose to live is to share the gospel with you – through my whole life.” (Of course not one of us has arrived at this – it stays a daily surrendering to God.)

But it is always the love of Christ that should compel us. The end is not converting souls. The end is loving somebody who is lost without God. Discipling is a patient relationship of love and a deep, intimate reliance on the Holy Spirit to open doors. A life of constant prayer, in the first place for you to get closer to God and then for the Holy Spirit to lead you. Because it is only God who can transform a person’s heart.

Japan has never been an easy country to live in. For me so many things feel impossible. But this is where God is working in our lives. “Be still and know that I am God.” The English translation implies patience. Waiting. Recognizing God in everything. A direct translation of the Japanese Bible adds more layers to this well-known words: 力を捨て、知れ。私は神。Directly translated as “Throw away your strength. Know I am God.” (Psalm 46)

God is at work here, despite our most desperate efforts to do this in our strength. Please pray for our personal walk with God, we want to grow in love so that God’s love can compel us more and more. We want to grow in wisdom and trust so that we can live lives of quiet stillness in our homes and in our neighborhood, waiting for God, as we are stepping out in faith. Holding fast to the hope that is in Christ.

Thank you for your support and care.

Carina (also on behalf of Stéphan and family)