In Japan each community is divided up into sections and in each of those is broken down into even smaller kumi or groups of houses clustered together, each with their leaders. Each kumi in that section takes its turn to be the leader (cho means leader. The word "honcho" is from the Japanese word hancho which is a squad or group leader). I am now the kumi-cho or head leader of our section until next spring. Most people dislike this job and talk negatively about it. I have been enjoying it (especially because I have so much free time to do it! Ha ha!) and being cheerful to everyone. And I have been getting to know people I haven't met or talked to before!

I have been busy collecting community fees, donations for the Red Cross, donations for other welfare organizations, etc. from each household. Twice a month I distribute a magazine put out by our city for each household. Whenever there is local information that needs to be dispersed to the community, the leader above me brings it to me. My job is to but it into a Kairanban or a folder with a clipboard inside which includes a list of the houses in our kumi. I take it to the house furthest from our house and each person puts the date they receive it beside their name and passes it on to the next house. I also am in charge of cleaning our park a few times a year, cleaning the community centre, standing on the street corner on traffic safety days to remind people to wear their seatbelts and obey traffic laws, etc. I was supposed to collect money for the local Shinto shrine, but a lady who knows us offered to do that for me as she understood it would be difficult for me to do that.

Today the leader above me came by with things to handout, announcements to put in kairanban, and additional responsibilities. He is friendly and I have been able to talk to him a few times when I take the donations to him. This time he thanked me for the flower that our church (Via the TREK Team) had left on his doorstep before Mother's Day. That opened the door for me to ask him how Japanese feel about receiving things for free (I knew this can be a problem, because they feel obligated to repay you for what you give them.). He assured me the carnation was a good idea and was fine because there was a card with it that explained it was from our church.

Then I asked him about our plan to hand out something before Father's Day for men. I joked that men probably wouldn't want a carnation! I said we'd like to hand out a small book and asked if he would do me a favour by reading it and telling me if it would be okay to pass it out to the homes in our area. (The book is manga - Japanese comic version of the Gospels' account of the story of Jesus the Messiah.) He said he would do it for me. I told him it was in the church - that was a way for me to get him into the church building!

When we got in he started making comments about the nice building and décor (Leona has done a great job!). So that opened the door for me giving him a tour. Then the two church ladies who were cleaning the church this week noticed him and did the Japanese thing by offering us tea. So I sat down with this man for 30 minutes and talked about Japanese religions and Christianity. It was amazing how freely he answered my questions, explained his thinking and then was open to me saying that there is a big difference between the gods that are made by humans and the God who made humans.

He took the book home and I will contact him in a few days to get his impressions. Please pray for Mr. Hori.

It may take a few years (or even 20, if he lives that long) for him to come to know Jesus. But you can see how being present in a community for years, making personal contact with people, serving our community, and having TIME for people like this are all very important in process of seeing someone come to know Jesus.

We have literally hundreds of contacts like this - people with whom we are either the primary or only human link to Jesus! Please pray that we will continue to be led by the Holy Spirit to guide them to Jesus!

Thanks for your prayers for our witness to our community!
In Christ,

Laurence and Leona Hiebert