Greetings from Japan!
We are thankful and excited about the New Year God has given us.
We are also thankful for each one of you who are joining us on this
adventure through prayer and support. There are so many people
who have never heard the name of Jesus before and have no concept
of a God who could love them personally. The task of spreading the
Gospel is so great. We are blessed, honored, and encouraged to have
you working alongside us to help bring God’s love to the Japanese
people.
Christmas Cooking
Eryn held a Christmas cooking class for the kids in our English
conversation classes. There were 50 children who wanted to
participate this year and we had to add extra classes to accommodate
them. We had five classes that started at 8:00 am and lasted straight
through until 6:00 pm. The children enjoyed making teacup and
saucer-shaped cookies. They filled each cup with chocolate and
strawberry cream. Most Japanese do not bake at home, so there
are very limited baking supplies available, and no pre-maid mixes.
Everything must be made from scratch, which makes the preparations
for a class quite a challenge. While the kids were cooking, we were
able to tell them the reason we celebrate Christmas. Many of the
children think it is Santa Claus’ birthday. What a joy to be able to tell
them it is the birth of God’s Son, a gift for each one of them.
Parties
We had a special Christmas party at our church on December 24th.
Several people had never been to church before but came for the
Christmas party. We had a special Christmas story and craft time for
the kids. Several new children attended the children’s party as well.
Two little girls had not been to church before, but really enjoyed the
Christmas story and craft time. The girls loved the attention that
Justin, Ax, Hunter, and Olivia gave them, by spending the whole
afternoon playing with them. They have since been back to church
several times to hear the Bible stories and to play with our children.
Please continue to pray for these sisters and their mother who has also
attended a few times.
Snow
Tokyo is not used to much snowfall. In January, the Tokyo area
had record snowfall and experienced the lowest temperatures
ever recorded. Hiro, along with our three boys, Justin, Ax, and
Hunter, all went out and shoveled the driveways and streets in
our neighborhood to help clear the roads. All of the neighbors
were very thankful, and we were happy for the opportunity to
share God’s love in a practical and tangible way.
Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support of our
ministry and for your commitment to sharing God’s love with
people around the world! You have impacted so many lives
through your partnership with us. We are excited to see what
God will do through our teamwork in 2018!
Your Missionaries to Japan,
Hiro, Eryn, Justin, Ax, Hunter, and Olivia Bamba
