After a late morning with our homestay families, Tim and Wakako picked up Raye and I to do a little tourism. And by tourism, we mean a short prayer walk in the Rose Garden on a nearby hill. Above the garden is a plot of land which Ohno-sensei, Kando-san, and Tim have a vision to build a wedding chapel for the purpose of outreach. Already the three perform wedding services, but they want to do more than just a single five minute “consultation” and the the ceremony itself. Right now, Tim and Wakako are learning “The Marriage Course” which was developed by their sending church. It’s an extension of the ALPHA course, and allows for the Gospel to be introduced through post-marital counseling.
To extend our understanding of the vision behind just this plot of land, Raye and I were taken to meet Ohno-sensei and his wife in their home on the edge of Sapporo. We were running early, so we stopped at Starbucks. Tim loves Starbucks. And Raye and I both loved the azuki cream frappachino. It beats a green tea latte any day.
Meeting Ohno-sensei and his wife was an amazing experience. They both shared their testimony (Ohno-sensei read his in English) and spoke about how they came to be interested in this method of ministry. His wife’s heart is particularly for church planting because through that type of ministry, she was brought to the Lord.
After our short time with them, we went to the home of some unbelieving friends of the Clarks. The house was once again full of people. There were four kids running about, while with broken Japanese, I attempted to start and hold a conversation. I wasn’t doing too well, but then we found out we could get away with mostly English. I direly hope to begin my studies again and start practicing on a regular basis.
As if the party wasn’t rowdy enough, the neighbors brought their Dachshund, Mocha. She ran about an played, while we made jokes about the host’s wedding anniversary. When he got home late, he found out that he forgot, and ran in the rain to buy her a bouquet of flowers. We were all quite impressed, and got a laugh out of it, too.
Unfortunately, I forgot their names, for there were too many to learn. But please keep all of the Clark’s unbelieving friends in prayer. That has been the heart of ministry here in Sapporo and these relationships have been fruitful and beneficial for the growth of the church network.
On the drive home, Raye and I both agreed, we had too little time in Sapporo. And we haven’t even left for Osaka yet. I think we’ll both enjoy it, but find it unbearably hot!
