Do you ever wonder, “What does a missionary in Japan do all day?” As someone who coordinates training and development for both new and more seasoned missionaries, here’s how the Lord recently filled my weekday:
On my way to the station on that rainy morning, I met our next door neighbours. Mum and two kids were walking to the kindergarten bus stop. I held one of the children’s hands as we walked.
After a 45-minute train journey, I arrived at the OMF offices. I joined with about eight missionaries and Japanese staff to pray for various issues in Japan, around Asia, and in OMF.
Then I met with the LORD during my devotional time. I read from Isaiah 10, a passage from a sermon that I had heard on God’s sovereignty. My summary was, “We decide and God uses.”
Since I would be leading a seminar that afternoon, I took some time to prepare. The seminar covered timelines and how God develops us over the course of our lives. After lunch came practical preparation for the seminar: tables and chairs, handouts, Zoom link, and PowerPoint projector.
Six new workers who have been in Japan from 4 to 18 months so far attended the seminar. I opened by reading Psalm 90, which has a lot about various lengths of time in it. We shared about the events and people that God used to mould us and examined the life of Moses and how God prepared him. Now it’s up to the participants to produce their own timelines for the follow up session.
That evening, my wife and I had a guest who was visiting Japan from the UK. He is a Christian who is interested in Japan. After coming to our church on the previous Sunday, now he came to our home for a meal.
Over supper we talked about Japanese language and mission work in Japan. We showed him pictures of things to do, and places to go. We recommended books and resources about Japan and Japanese language. We chatted, we prayed, and then he left.
So, it was a normal day of meeting people, travelling, praying, reading the Bible, preparing, presenting, chatting, and praying. In the Lord’s hands, hopefully all I decided to do, he will use for evangelism and discipleship.
Tomorrow may be similar, but probably completely different.
By Peter, an OMF Missionary
