Today is a special day as Sophia Rose Crane was born at Christ Hospital.
Sophia and Mom are doing great and we are thankful to you who continue to pray and show your love for our growing family. 
Here are the Stats:
Weight - 8 lbs 1oz
Size - 20 3/4 cm
Eyes - Blue
Appearance - Adorable
Enjoy the pics...
What a wonderful couple of months we’ve had here in the States. God has continued to bless and provide for us above and beyond what we could have ever asked for or imagined. I'm sorry that it's been so long, we've been so swamped with getting settled in, jumping into ministry, preparing for baby, etc. I hope you can forgive us for that and for the lack of pics in this post. We've been having a few computer issues lately. We'll get it worked out and have a bunch of new ones for you in the coming weeks. So here’s what’s been going on….
Your prayers for a successful VBS with the 20 Japanese children and 15 Japanese Moms were overwhelmingly felt and beautifully answered. The kids really enjoyed all the games, music, food and lessons (along with close to 600 of their new American friends). The moms, a couple of ladies from our Barnabas team and I also had a wonderful time at the "tea time". We started out with ice breakers to get to know each other better and then we would explain what their kids would be learning about that day during VBS. When we asked if they had any questions we always ended up talking about Biblical parenting. What an amazing opportunity. These ladies were so open and eager to learn. Many of them are also involved in the Japanese ladies Bible study on Wednesday mornings, so there has been a lot of opportunity for the Barnabas team to keep up with them.
Unfortunately, I had to miss the last two days of VBS due to being hospitalized for some minor kidney issues. It all worked out within a week or so, but I did miss being involved those last couple of days, especially the final program where all the children (American and Japanese) sang the English and Japanese version of “You Are Worthy of My Praise” that David had been teaching them all week. As always, God’s plans were better than ours. My being out gave our dear friends and co-laborers for the Gospel, Linda and Angie, more time with the Japanese moms. They really formed a deep bond with these ladies that they both have said has helped them tremendously in their ministry to the Japanese both here and in Japan. God is so good!
Eric and Fumiko (remember they are our friends that go to our church here, but go to Sakae Church in Nagoya when they are in Japan for Eric’s work) have just started up a new Japanese Small Group in their home on Sunday nights. We are so excited to be able to assist them in any way God allows (encouragement, serving, discussion, etc.). It has been so gracious of God to continue to bring opportunities like these for us to be able to love and work with the Japanese while on home assignment.
David has been very busy working with the leaders here at our home church on lots of different missions discussions and plans. He taught the missions Sunday School class while one of our Pastors was out this past week. It’s been exciting to see God use what we learned on the field during our first term.
We had our first two of three weekends of Counseling and Discipleship Training (you’ve heard us refer to this as Biblical Counseling Training before, but the name has changed). We took the first level before we went to the field and are absolutely loving level two so far. We know that learning how to use God’s Word accurately to help deal with life effectively was one of the tools we used most during our first two years in Japan; in our ministry and our own lives as well.
Family News….
Sarah Grace, Sam and Sean are loving being here. They are having a blast at Sunday School, Small Groups, Co-op (a Christian home school academy where classes are taught by home school moms or dads that meets at our church once a week) and are really excelling at their home school studies.
Sarah has just recently started a Suzuki Violin class. Not only will it be good for her education, but she will get the basics here in English and when we return to Japan she will be able to have a head start when having to learn it from a Japanese teacher with other Japanese students.
Sam will start speech therapy soon. Our pediatrician says that at age 4, strangers should be able to understand 100% of what he says. We think strangers probably pick up about 75%. So we had him evaluated and it turns out there are a few things we can work on, but that it shouldn’t be a big problem. One of the issues is that when we are babies we push our tongues out when we suck. Most kids outgrow this, but evidently Sam hasn’t and it is causing some of his mispronunciations. It doesn’t help that he still sucks his fingers at night, so pray with us on how to help him stop that!
Sean is growing like wild and has quite the personality. He has slid right into the American lifestyle. He loves playing with all the kids and is starting to talk a lot more. It’s hard to believe he’s going to be two in December. He’ll have his heart check up in November to make sure that the issues we saw last year (murmur, pulmonary stenosis and his tri-cuspid valve is actually only a bi-cuspid valve) are still ok. There’s no reason to think they aren’t, but the pediatric cardiologist wants to make sure. Please pray that this would go smoothly as well.
Baby Crane #4, who we lovingly call “Satchmo” for the time being, is doing very well. I have continued to have contractions since about week 18 and we are thrilled that the Lord allowed "Satchmo" to stay put all this time. It seems now that he or she has decided that he/she is not in such a hurry to arrive after all. The Doctor has decided that we should be induced on Tuesday morning at 6:00 if "Satchmo" doesn't come before that. We'll keep you updated and promise to get back to monthy posts with pictures!!!
Thank you for your love and support of our family as we serve Him.
Love, Marcy for the Crane Clan
I know it’s been a little while since most of you have heard from us and there is a lot to catch you up on. We lost internet connection a few days before we left Shimonoseki and have only had a couple of chances to check email since then.
Our last days in Shimonoseki were filled with great blessings. Even though we were very busy with packing up and getting ready to visit Nagoya we had plenty of wonderful opportunities to study God’s word with a few friends there. The church there is still going through many trials, so please pray with us that they will follow God’s word and be strong in Him.
Our friends Megumi, Masako and Kazuko, Taka and Brian worked tirelessly to help us move our things into storage and clean our home before leaving (pic of Megumi cleaning the vent). There 
were lots of tears shed as Megumi, Masako and Kazuko waved goodbye to us as our train left for Nagoya. We will miss them all dearly, but know that the Lord has knit us together forever.
We had a wonderful couple of days with the Shimizu’s and Sakae Church. What a blessing it was to worship God with these warm, gentle and welcoming believers!
It was exciting to see the city where we will be living and serving when we return to Japan. Now Sarah and Sam have something to picture when we talk about going to Nagoya, instead of it being just a new unknown city. Getting to know the Shimizu’s better was a great joy that we are very grateful for.
Our friends the Delps, who are members at our home church but attend Sakae when they are in Nagoya, were at Sakae while we were there as well. David and Fumiko 
were able to speak to the congregation along to share with them how the partnership between the two churches will work.
Things got a little bumpy when we arrived at the airport to head back to the States. After they had weighed and accepted all our bags and were in the middle of processing our tickets they told us that my (Marcy) passport was expired. We had checked the dates on our Visas and Landing Permits, but unfortunately we didn’t check the passport. It was a simple mistake that was very disappointing, but it worked out very well. We were able to stay with the Shimizu’s a couple of extra days and the process of getting an emergency passport went very smoothly. I can’t say the same thing for the flight we did get on a couple of days later. We had more turbulence than even David had ever seen. Drinks were flying and the stewardess was tossed from her seat two times! Sarah and Sam did beautifully, but Sean was a bit of a handful but was pretty good for a little guy his age. All in all, the trip went very well.
We were welcomed home by David’s parents and plenty of friends! When we arrived at our new home we were blown away. Not only is it just beautiful, but it was completely stocked with EVERYTHING we could need by our Barnabas team and David’s parents. We have a beautiful view of a lush green valley, plenty of room for the kids to play, great spaces to do ministry and room for visitors (so come on down!). God has provided for us above and beyond what we could have ever imagined…once again!
David’s parents stayed with us for a few days as we settled back in. We were so excited to have this time together and having them here made the transition so smooth for all of us. The kids were so young when we left and having their grandparents here made it all feel “normal”.
Please pray for us as we are in the middle of a week of VBS at Grace Fellowship. Our team sent out invitations to the Japanese community here and we have almost 20 Japanese children coming as well as 12 Moms attending a English conversation tea time (while the kids are in VBS). David will be leading a discussion on Japanese missions during the snack times each day. So, every 40 minutes a new group comes rolling through and he will need a lot of energy to interact with the kids. I am leading the tea time from 9-10:30 each day and will need strength to host and keep the conversation going for 90 minutes each day. Please pray for the kids and moms heart’s to be opened up to all that they are learning about God during this week. We’ll post pictures in a few days.
Please also continue to pray for my health, as the medicine has been working but I am still having contractions each day. The next step might be bed rest but I am hopeful that won’t be necessary. We were planning to travel to visit family in the coming week but we will see if that is really a possibility after our next doctor’s appointment tomorrow afternoon.
I think you are all caught up for now, but I also want to give you our new contact information:
David and Marcy Crane
233 Ridge Hill Dr.
Highland Heights, KY 41076
859-992-3353 cell / 859- 441-0424 home phone
Dacrane1@funnote.net (same email)
As always, we love you and are praying for you as well. Please keep us updated on how we can be praying specifically for you too!
Thank you for your continued love and support.
Marcy
Hello all,
This is going to be a quick update as we start our last full week in Japan for a time. We will lose internet connection at home on June 30th, meaning we will only be able to pick up emails from time to time at the church. Also, we’ve been having trouble with our internet server for over a week and a half, so if you’ve been trying to contact us we may have never received your emails.
We will spend this last week packing up, putting our stuff in storage for our return to Japan, having a few last Bible studies and saying goodbye to friends here in Shimonoseki. On July 5th we will leave here and visit with our new friends at Sakae Church and link up with Eric and Fumiko Delp in Nagoya before returning to the States for our furlough. The Delps are part of our Barnabas Team from Grace Fellowship Church and have been our link to the partner church. This will give our whole family a chance to meet the folks at Sakae and to see Nagoya. We will fly to Northern Kentucky on July 8th.
Here are some requests…
Marcy’s brother, Eric, (who has been struggling with a drug/alcohol addiction for the last 15 years) fell off his 2nd story balcony while under the influence and broke his back last week. He had successful back surgery, but will be in the hospital for 3-6 weeks. Please pray that this would cause him to bend his knee and cry out to Jesus.
Please pray that we would finish well in Shimonoseki. The church here is going through many trials and is in turmoil, but God is using it for His Glory. Please pray the believers here would stand firm on the Rock and worship and serve Jesus Christ alone.
Please pray for all the details of packing up our belongings, putting them into storage for our return for Japan and a smooth transition for our family as we return to the States for a time of refreshment, training, fundraising, team development and having our fourth child.
Please pray for the health of our family. In the past few months, David has been having increasing problems with his ears. It started out with a lot of popping, but has now progressed to almost continual popping and occasional pain. Please also pray for baby Crane #4. I am 5 ½ months along but am already having actual contractions periodically. We are all ok, but both of these issues are complicated by moving, the stress of our environment and a very long international flight so we would appreciate your prayers.
Please pray for Sarah Grace, Sam and Sean as their young minds wrap around the idea of “moving”. They are excited to be coming back for a visit, but because they are young it’s harder to understand. Sam was only two when we moved here and Sean was born here so they don’t remember as much (or at all in Sean’s case) as Sarah does and may be a bit nervous in the “new” surroundings. Pray they would adjust well and we would have extra love and patience with them during this busy time.
We will fly to Northern Kentucky on Tuesday the 8th. Please pray for safe travel, health, good behavior from the kids, as little jet-lag as possible and a good goodbye to our nephew Alex who has been staying with us over here for the last two months. When we arrive in the States he will return home to Buffalo as we return to Norterhn Kentucky.
Thank you for standing with us in prayer and support. We can't wait to see you!
Serving together…
Dave
I know we just sent out a “snail-mail” newsletter, but I feel like there is so much to tell you. I start a couple of weeks ago with our Japanese Barbeque outing. Our clan, along with our friends Megumi, Tamami, the Murakis and the Nishimuras, had a wonderful time at beautiful Toyotako Lake. So you may be asking, what is a Japanese barbeque like? One word…OISHI (delicious)! They have these large picnic shelters, a lot like the ones at parks in the States that you would rent for a large family picnic or church gathering. But, inside there are 12 barbeque pits. When I say barbeque pits, I mean BARBEQUE PITS. As you can see from 
this picture, the cooking area is as big as a large picnic table (we only used one grate over about half of the pit, but you can put two end-to-end to feed more people). There is a little table space coming off the pit to eat on because you get to eat the food right as it finishes cooking. There’s no waiting around for the burgers and dogs to get cooked through. The meat and veggies are bite sized so they cook quickly and you just continue to eat as the next piece is ready. There is a wonderful yakiniku sauce to dip everything in that is scrumptious. 
We had beef, chicken, pork, beef tongue (ok, I know that might not be your cup of tea, but don’t knock it till you try it), shrimp, corn-on-the-cob, onions, peppers, pumpkin (it’s what we would call acorn squash in the States), rice patties, and pineapple on the grill. There were other snacks and goodies for snacks and dessert as well.
It was a little drizzly, but the kids (and grown ups) had a great time 
playing soccer and catch on the big grassy lawn. Sarah and Sam wouldn’t leave the two teenagers of our group alone. Sarah was especially fond of our friend Masoko’s son Ryoseke. Sam who has never been described as shy, decided to go to the next table and “chat” with one of the young women there. He was telling her all about the cookie he was eating and she was captivated by his 
cuteness even if she didn’t understand a word he was saying. They had strawberries at their table and Sam must have gotten his love for strawberries across to her because she gave him one. I think we have the makings of a little evangelist here, or he’s just hungry!
We had a great time chatting and getting to know each other as we ate our way through an absolute ton of food. There are some pictures I chose not to put on the blog because we were caught stuffing our faces so many times! We talked about the difference between Japanese and American barbeques and the kinds of food we serve. The discussion turned to dessert and I asked if anyone had ever heard of S’mores. No one had, but they all agreed that they wanted to try them the next time. So I will bring the fixings for S’mores next time and introduce them to one of my favorite outdoor desserts.
Speaking of the next barbeque…one of the reasons we want to have another one soon is so our nephew Alex can join us. We told you that he was coming in the newsletter and he arrived safely last week. We couldn’t be happier to have him here and I think the jet lag is starting to wear off. The kids can’t get enough of their cousin and I’m sure he is happy for the breaks when they go to bed. We keep trying to tell them to take it easy on him and that they will have him here with us til will return to the States in July, but they aren’t ready to stop climbing on, hugging, chasing or tickling him.
One of the things Alex told us he wanted to experience while he was here was an earthquake…
he’s 14 and I guess that’s something 14 year olds think is cool. Well as the three of us sat with Megumi during our Japanese lesson yesterday Alex got his wish. We had a small tremor from a 4.4 magnitude 
earthquake a short distance from here (put in earthquake picture here). The earthquake site we looked at said it was only a 1 magnitude at our house, but we felt the ground shake and heard the doors rattle. It only lasted a few seconds altogether. It was a first for all of us (except Megumi, of course) and David and I can add that to the typhoons we’ve encountered since living here. It feels a bit odd being so lighthearted about this while so many are suffering in China and Myanmar, but I think you know what I mean. Please continue praying for all the folks in those devastated areas.
Alex flew into Nagoya which gave David another chance to visit with our new friends, the Shimizus. David and Alex were able to stay in their home the night Alex arrived before taking the 3.5 hour train ride down to Shimonoseki. Again, the Shimizus were so kind and loving to our family. Mrs. Shimizu even made lasagna for them because she remembered from David’s last visit how much he loves it (lasagna noodles are very hard to come by here in Japan, so it was extra special). In the newsletter we told you how much the Shimizus enjoyed their visit to our home church in America. Mr. Shimizu recently had a chance to share his thoughts on the visit with the elders from Sakae church. He just sent us an email saying that his report was accepted with great joy and how much their church is interested in partnering with our home church. This is very exciting news and there are a lot of details still to be worked out, but it is fascinating to watch God put His plan for all of us into place.
The kids are all doing well. Sarah has lost another tooth and loves to show off the empty spot in her bottom jaw to anyone who will look. Sam is just thrilled to have Alex here. We’re thrilled too so that Sam can stop telling everyone he sees “my cousin Alex is coming” or asking daily “is Alex coming today?” or “is that Alex’s plane in the sky?” Sean just wants to be as big as the other kids. He’s into everything…mostly trouble. If he isn’t standing on the chairs he is opening the sliding glass doors and scooting himself down the two foot drop to the concrete slab outside our house. He definitely keeps us on our toes. Baby #4 is growing well and is the joy of Sarah and Sam’s hearts. They got to see a video of the sonogram today and were very excited to see/hear the heartbeat along with great shots of the little hands, head and legs.
We also got another great piece of news this week about our friend Heather Stengle. You may remember that she came and visited us the past two Christmases. She is going to be traveling to Beijing for the CSO (she has David’s old job there) in June. She decided that seeing she would be almost all the way here that she would just pop over the Japan Sea and visit us before going back to the States. We can’t wait for her to come but are a little less anxious for Sam to start asking “Is that Aunt Heather’s plane?” etc.
I think I’ve probably rambled on long enough, but I do hope you enjoy these updates. We sure do like sharing what’s going on with you. Take Care!
Love,
Marcy for the Crane Clan
I spent most of my time with the Shimizu family. Talking over meals and getting t
o know them was a great opportunity for me use some Japanese, learn about Sakae church and start building a friendship with the Shimizu’s. The Shimizu’s were gracious 
hosts and made me feel very comfortable in their home. They have even invited us back to Nagoya, so Marcy and I are beginning to make plans to visit with them once again in July as we return to the States. Katsutoshi & Yukiko Shimizu are pictured at the right.
I was able spent a good deal of time with Pastor Suematsu and we enjoyed each 
others company. Some of the things we talked about were the roles of missionaries in modern Japan, challenges in the church and Sakae’s desire to partner with an American church. He reported to Shimizu’s that he was happy with our discussions and wanted to pursue the next steps and deepen the relationship between the churches. This was an answer to prayer!
Next Steps…
Mr. & Mrs. Shimizu are coming to Grace Fellowship from April 23 – 28. Pray over this trip as it may determine what the next steps will be as Grace Fellowship and Sakae seek to build a relationship together. While at our home church, our new friends from Nagoya will see the children’s ministry along with a visit to the Creation Museum and other sites at home. They will meet with the Pastors to talk about partnership, missions, small group ministry and discipleship ministries. I am most excited that our Barnabas Team will get the chance to begin building a new relationship with the Shimizus. It is a very exciting time to watch God move, increase our faith and put together all of these things for His glory.
I believe the Lord is certainly in all of this and Marcy and I agree if all goes well with partnership building between churches, that Nagoya could easily be our next location in Japan.
Check out the strange food article at the right...if you have the stomach for it!
Thank You for your prayers….
Dear Family and Friends,
We are very excited about David’s upcoming trip to Nagoya. He will leave on Saturday morning to visit with the folks at Sakae Church. As I’ve mentioned before, our home church (GFC) is in the first steps of starting a sister-church relationship with Sakae. David will be visiting to see if Sakae might be the next destination for our future ministry in Japan. They are a pretty large congregation by Japanese standards with 120 members. They have a very active youth program and seem to be very interested in helping our family in the next stages of our missionary journey.
We would love for you to join us in prayer over this trip. Here are some ways you can pray:
This trip is very important as it is the first time we will get to meet with Sakae and will hopefully be the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership for the Glory of the Lord.
Little Cranes…
Sarah Grace is very proud to announce that she has lost her first baby tooth! She is particularly excited because her friend Naomi has already lost a few. Her Daddy gave her a dollar for this very special occasion and she tucked it away for her trip to America this summer.
Sam is growing like a weed and has finally trying to pronounce some Japanese words. Prior to this, he usually just said he couldn’t do it. The more he tries, the more excitement he sees from the folks at church so I think that will help.
Sean is ruling the roost. Any concerns we had of the older two being too rough with their little brother were totally unfounded. He’s very strong and doesn’t let age slow him down a bit.
Baby Crane #4 is causing mom to be very nauseous throughout the day with a few bouts of vertigo. I think Sarah might be right about it being a girl, I’m already starting to show and I’m only 9 weeks along. By the way, we did tell Sarah and Sam about the new baby and as expected they were both thrilled, especially Sarah. They talk about the baby all the time!
Monkey Business…
Yesterday, as we were finishing dinner, David noticed a commotion outside and he went to the window to see what was going on. Believe it or not, a wild monkey was scaling the wall beyond the railroad tracks that are just a few hundred yards from our house! There were several men with large nets trying to catch the hairy guy, but we are not sure if they were successful (the chase went out of view). Needless to say, we’ll be looking around outside before we hang the laundry!
A lovely afternoon…
Last Saturday, we were able to go to a natural history museum with our two friends from the church here. Megumi-san and Masoko-san showed us around and walked us through the exhibits of Japanese homes from various time periods. The kids loved the dinosaur skeletons, but weren’t too happy about the animatronic ones…just a little too lifelike I guess.
Other prayer requests:
We really hope you like this new format and that you are enjoying the blog. When David returns from Nagoya we’ll upload pictures from his trip. We are still working on getting some video of the kids on here so you can see them in action.
Thank you all for your continued love, support and interest in our lives. I hope someday to be able to put into words what it means to us. We love and miss you all…
Marcy
(I found these in Nagoya on my vision trip.)
Dear Family and Friends, Thanks for coming to our new blog. David has worked very hard on it and we hope you’ll enjoy it.
For several months now, Sarah Grace has been praying for a baby sister. When she first mentioned it to us, David told her to pray about it. We haven’t heard anymore about it in the last few weeks, but God has heard her prayers…I can’t guarantee the “little sister” part, but we are expecting another baby in late October. We’re very excited and are looking forward to seeing Sarah’s reaction when we tell her (we are waiting a few more weeks before we break the news to the kids, so shhhhh). We will be in America on furlough when the baby arrives (due date: 10/30), much to the enjoyment of the grandparents. I'm about five weeks along and I'm feeling pretty well with the normal bouts of vertigo and morning sickness.
We told you last month about our new neighbors the Okamoto’s. Well, we had hoped to have gotten together with them by now, but it just hasn’t worked out yet. Please keep praying for a relationship to flourish with this new family.
Many of you may remember me talking about Kondo-san, the midwife who helped us during the months leading up to, the labor and delivery of Sean. She and I seemed to h
ave had a connection and she even came to the Christmas Eve service a couple of weeks after Sean was born. She also came to the Valentine’s Day outreach event last year where David and I were the featured speakers on love. Since then, I’ve tried to keep in contact with her to no avail. Last week, out of the blue, she called me! I was so excited. We were able to meet for coffee on Saturday and we had a wonderful time together. She only speaks a little English and I speak even less Japanese, but we were able to understand each other, laugh and have fun. We have plans to get together again soon. Please pray that our relationship would grow and that I would be able to share Christ with Kondo-san despite our language limitations.
As you know, our first term here on the field will come to an end this summer. David and I, along with our home church (GFC) and our Barnabas team, have been praying about what God has for us in our next term. It seems like God is opening up some wonderful opportunities for us in Nagoya. GFC is working on a sister church relationship with Sakae Church in Nagoya.
David will be going to visit the church in late March and an elder from Sakae is hoping to visit GFC in NKY in the spring. The idea is that we would move to Nagoya after our furlough and spend time learning Japanese as well as continue building the relationship between the churches. Please pray with us that God would continue to guide our path and make clear what He has for us.
Thanks again for all your love and support.
In Christ,
Marcy
Hello from chilly Shimonoseki, Japan. I’ve (Marcy) heard from many of you that you want to hear more (and more often) about life here on the field. So this is the first installment of a monthly email that will supplement our quarterly newsletters.
As January 2008 draws to a close, God is opening new doors of ministry opportunity for us and we need your prayer.
We have new neighbors! A new family moved in two weeks ago. They have two young sons around Sam and Sean’s ages. They speak a little English and told us that they want to learn more. We smiled and said the same about Japanese. We’ve dropped off a loaf of homemade bread to them and will invite them over in the next week or so. Please pray for this new relationship.
Along with our home church, Grace Fellowship, we have been working on ideas for our future ministry in Japan. Please continue to pray with us for the Lord’s clear leading and direction.
We want to thank all of you who sent cards, emails and packages for Christmas. We were completely overwhelmed by your outpouring of love and support.
The children are all doing very well. Sarah (5) is too smart for her old folks; she loves home school and her Japanese classes. Sam (3) is growing like a weed and is enjoying his “coolwork” (school work in “Sam-ese”) too. He enjoys listening to the books we read for Sarah’s lessons and has his own “workbooks” when she does writing/math. He feels like quite the big boy now. Sean (1….boy did that 1st year fly by) is running circles around us all. I guess that’s what happens when a boy starts walking at 9 ½ months. He’s not talking a whole lot yet, but he’s picking up a little Japanese here and there. He loves to play peek-a-boo in English and in Japanese (“e-na-e e-na-e….ba!”).
David and I are seeing some progress in our Japanese. Our teacher, Megumi Matsue, is extremely kind and very generous with her time. We will go with Megumi to a large shrine nearby in the coming months to learn more about Japanese culture. We’ve read lots on Shinto and have visited many shrines, but this will be the first time we’ll get the background from a native Japanese. We’ll be sure to take lots of pictures to pass along to you.
We pray that you are doing well and always love hearing from you and how we can be praying for you.
Do you think you might be interested in serving in missions? This is probably the best book on missions out there. This is great resources to help you get equipped as you pray over your role as an missionary, supporter or short term missions worker. We studied this book as part of our pre-field studies and it can truly change your life. This is a must read book !
This is great resource for finding out about mission work historically in Japan and how God's word can be applied to some of the difficult cultural and spiritual barriers that make up the fabric of Japanese society. It's a great book for small groups to begin your focus on a people group!
"When Christianity landed on the shores of Japan 450 years ago, Japanese people were so attracted to the Gospel that they chose torture and death rather than renounce their faith. Today Japanese people seem indifferent to the message of salvation. What changed?
This study examines the invisible spiritual reality behind the 17th century persecution of Christians and the consequent spiritual strongholds that were established. These barriers are still effectively holding the Japanese people in spiritual bondage.
Through this evangelical account you’ll learn:
Keith E. Webb served in Japan with LIFE Ministries for eight years. As an undergraduate he studied Eastern Religions and has an MA in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary’s School of World Mission." Source: nextchurch.org
Click on the title to see more about this great resource!
Japan is a large group of islands located between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan. The five main islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Skikoku, and Okinawa. Honshu contains the capital, Tokyo, as well as many major industrial areas.
Rugged mountain chains containing several active volcanoes account for more than 71% of Japan's total land area. Most of the countryside is covered by dense forests, leaving little land for farming. Japan is subject to numerous earthquakes, typhoons, and monsoons.
Racially, culturally, and ethnically, the Japanese are one of the most homogenous people groups in the world. They identify themselves in terms of biological heritage, birth in Japan, a shared culture, and a common language (Japanese). One group, the burakunin, speaks a unique Japanese dialect. Society considers them undesirable outcasts-"untouchables."
What Are Their Lives Like?
Sixty percent of the Japanese live in nuclear families, while slightly over 20% live in extended family units, or ie. The ie consists of a three-generation household of grandparents, parents, and children. Japanese couples are free to choose their own marriage partners; however, many marriages are still arranged. The divorce rate is one quarter of that in the United States.
Japan's economy is based on a competitive market/private enterprise system. Many families farm as a secondary occupation. Typically, the wife te
nds to the farm while the husband works full-time in a business or industry. Rice remains the principal crop, though its production is strictly controlled. Other sources of income include livestock production, fishing, shipbuilding, foreign trade, scientific research and technology development.
Traditionally, Japanese buildings are made of wood with deep projecting roofs as protection against the monsoons. Rural Japanese homes are built with a joined skeleton frame of "post and beam" construction. The floor is raised above the ground with its posts resting on a foundation stone, which allows the structure to bounce during earthquakes. In cities, most people live in apartments or housing corporations.
Many men, women, and children enjoy wearing Western clothing for their daily activities; however, traditional costumes are worn during special religious ceremonies or festivals. Japanese women are also often seen wearing their traditional silk Kimonos.
The uniqueness of Japanese culture can be seen in their art forms, which include the highly refined flower arrangements ('ikebana'), tea ceremonies ('cha-no-yu'), calligraphy, and puppetry. The theater of No and Kabuki have also remained. Traditional and Western forms of recreation include baseball, Sumo wrestling, judo, karate, table tennis, fishing, volleyball, shogi (Japanese chess) and go (a complicated game of strategy). Gardening is the most popular hobby of both men and women.
What are their beliefs?
Shintoism is the native religion of Japan. It is rooted in animism (belief that non-living objects have spirits). Its many gods or spirits are known as kami. Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the sixth century. Today, most Japanese claim to be both Shintoist and Buddhist.
Traditions of Shintoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism have all contributed to Japanese religious principles: ancestor worship; a belief in religious continuity of the family; a close tie between the nation and religion; a free exchange of ideas among religious systems; and religious practices centered on the use of prayer meditation, amulets, and purification.
What are their needs?
Many Japanese are indifferent and skeptical of established religion. On the outside, they seem to have few needs. However, many of them have become obsessed with materialistic pleasures, careers, and possessions. Their greatest need is to be introduced to the Father through His Son, Jesus.
Prayer Points:
Text source: Bethany World Prayer Center © 1999.Used with permission from Adopt-A-People Clearinghouse
233 Ridge Hill Dr. Highland Heights, KY 41076
PH. (859) 441-0424
or email us at:
japan.cranes@aogi.org
David & Marcy Crane
