OH man... it's been so long since i've logged onto this thing. So much has happened. Of course, today was my last Sunday service at Kaminoyama. Complete with the whole goodbye thing and farewell message and everything. Anyway, starting with last last Friday... during Oikos Cell Group (Yoshida), there was for the first time in a while a real sense of worship during the entire meeting. I mean you could feel God just leading the group. Anyway, Mrs. Yoshida for the first time said that she's ready, willing, and capable of leading the group! All that time waiting for any glimpse of hope within that group... and it happened all of a sudden in a major way. I'm sure i ranted somewhere in this journal about frustrations i've had with this group... looking for a chance to hand off the group completely to the leader... when she's ready and willing. And after weeks of not seeing it (or maybe not seeing the steps being taken), suddenly one week, one meeting, it was all different. How awesome is God that He would cause change when the time is just right. I mean, it happened in time for me to see it, and I think I've learned some humbling lessons about my own impatience, and how quickly i get frustrated... and what i need to do different. Actually, lemme change that... I know i learned a lot of lessons about my shortcomings. BUt in addition, as a great praise she's ready and willing... the group is in good hands... in the hands of God, and in the hands of Mrs. Yoshida, together. How awesome!
To top it all off... today i gave short "challenge" message. It was on the passage in Revelation where Jesus talks to the church in Ephesus about how they've been doing all these great things and yet they lost their first love and so, they're subject to judgment. Anyway, while i was giving the message, i noticed a guy in the back of the church who i never met before. I mean, in a church as small as the one in Kaminoyama... it's hard not to notice. So, afterwards, the guy comes up to me and says that Ito-sensei's been meeting up with him for the passed 3 years. Not only that, but he was baptized in another church a long while ago, but stopped coming to church. After a while he just pretty much dropped the whole Christianity thing. But Ito-sensei was still coming out to visit him to see how he's been doing... and give a little bible study. So, he comes up to me... i never met him before... but he tells me, "Thank you" because he realized in the middle of the talk that he was straying away from God and His love... and that he needed to repent of his sins so that he could experience God as he did in his past. After hearing that... I was wowed. I didn't really know what to say other than thanks. All i could think was... man, i'm seeing some major fruit... and i have to leave? What's up with that? Oh well... at least I'm able to see the fruit!