Friday, January 02, 2009

Rush forward in the midst of despair!

Yesterday I said I was no longer in the midst of despair.... But today I'm irritable with disappointment!

07 Snow Camp

Not a single person has properly applied to the January 4 - 6th Ski/Snow Camp at the Aomori Christian Center and the deadline is tonight. I thought that my own contribution would be at least 8 - a family of 7 and one of the exchange students at the Hirosaki English Fellowship - maybe even 10 people . But the children got sick, the exchange student has work and the other 2 possiblilities have gone silent.

Today I can almost identify with what gosuperu_bouken wrote earlier this year

"He would be a missionary simpleton who expected plain sailing in any work of God." -J.O. Fraser

So, when I read it I kind of thought to myself that I never considered it to be easy. When I came to Japan, I didn't really expect that I would actually see any fruit during my time, I just figured I'd help plant seeds and water and stuff because it's Japan and people don't convert overnight. (They certainly unconvert overnight though, I'm finding out.) But since I decided more resolutely to come back here I've been learning that although I knew it wasn't going to be easy, the realities of the work of a missionary are much more severe than I have understood them to be up until this point. It's like the more determinedly you decide to follow Christ into a situation, the more of hell's fury He allows to blast at you. (Of course, in this analogy 'hell' isn't referring to the real hell, the wrath of God, but something like the darkness and worldliness at work in the world against God's kingdom.) But every trial is not without encouragement and every challenge is not without hope. I suppose every weariness would not be without rest, but I'm tired.

Will God do something amazing in this 11th hour? Or will I have to submit with patience... We'll be back tomorrow with the final call.

In the mean time, here are a few old photos of Snow Camp. Perhaps it looks like piddling numbers to you, but, believe me, it meant a lot to some of those kids.

Snow Camp Memories


2004年 and 2005 年ACCスキー・スノーキャンプ

More Information about January 4-6, 2009camp - if it happens: ご案内
Application: 申込み書 (Apply by fax)

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