{"id":5979,"date":"2024-02-26T13:21:40","date_gmt":"2024-02-26T19:21:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/?p=5979"},"modified":"2024-02-26T14:01:22","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T20:01:22","slug":"bamba-newsletter-february-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/bamba-newsletter-february-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Bamba Newsletter: February 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Greetings from Japan!<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

A new year has begun. New Year's is the biggest holiday in Japan. Many people travel to their hometown to spend time with family, everyone is off from work, and school is out for winter break. This is unlike Christmas day when people still have work and kids still have school. On Jan. 1, at 7 am, they start beating drums and welcoming all the local people to the small shrine behind our house. People come to ask and pay for a blessing and protection for the new year. We are saddened when we hear the drums and see the lines of people waiting their turn to ring the bell and to wake their god, but we are also so thankful for the opportunity God has given us to share His love and salvation with the Japanese people. Your partnership is what enables us to be in Japan. We are excited for the things God is doing and will do in Japan through your prayers and support in this coming year!<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A group of individuals from the Christmas outreach.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Our<\/a>

Our cooking class ministry.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

At the end of last year, our Japanese pastor\u2019s oldest daughter got married. The church members worked hard to decorate and serve at the wedding. The couple invited many non-Christian friends to their wedding as well. For many, it was their first time to experience a wedding and marriage based on God and His love. Most of the husbands of the ladies who attend our church are not Christian and do not come to church. However, many of them came to the wedding. The husbands even helped and were impressed by everyone working together. One of the ladies from our church observed her quiet and reserved son taking the initiative to help out and do what needed to be done.<\/p>\n

Going to Sunday school when he was younger, he knew the church was an accepting and safe environment where he could be himself without worrying about making a mistake and that he would be accepted regardless. You can\u2019t find this acceptance in Japanese society where everything is based on performance\u2014the performance of kids in school, the performance of the father at work, and the performance of the mother at raising her children to succeed all without causing disgrace for the family. We use every opportunity we find to share the love and salvation of Christ with the Japanese people who are struggling under the weight of the religious traditions of their culture and societal obligations.<\/p>\n

Eryn was asked to make the cake for the wedding. In Japan, there are not many bakeries that make cakes big enough for a wedding. It is a bit of a challenge since in Japan they do not have typical cake-making supplies you can find anywhere in America. There are no cake mixes, no premade icing, no decorations, no decorating tools. Everything has to be made from scratch. Thankfully, the cake turned out well and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Everyone who ate the cake said it tasted like church and the familiar flavor of our fellowship together. Please continue to pray with us as we seek out opportunities in our English classes, church outreaches, and everyday activities to share the Good News of the Gospel with the Japanese people.<\/p>\n

\"Wedding<\/a>

Wedding cake made by Eryn for our Japanese pastor's daughter.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Family<\/strong>
\nWe were excited to welcome our first grandchild on Feb. 1, 2024. Justin and his wife Rachel welcomed their first child, Akio, on Eryn\u2019s birthday. They are all doing well, and we are looking forward to when we can hold him and meet him in person.<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/a>

Our first grandson, Akio Isai Bamba.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

In December, Alex graduated from Liberty University with a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Maintenance Management and has started working at a local airport in Lynchburg Virginia. Hunter is a Junior at Liberty University studying Psychology. Olivia continues to dance and was given the opportunity to perform the closing dance at her school\u2019s recital.<\/p>\n

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. Only together can we fulfill the great commission of making disciples of all nations!<\/p>\n

Your Missionaries to Japan,\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Hiro and Eryn Bamba, Justin, (Rachel), Ax, Hunter, and Olivia<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Greetings from Japan! A new year has begun. New Year’s is the biggest holiday in Japan. Many people travel to their hometown to spend time with family, everyone is off…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":5758,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,1,4],"tags":[531,108,280,283,308],"class_list":{"0":"post-5979","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-missionary-newsletters","8":"category-uncategorized","9":"category-world-missions","10":"tag-531","11":"tag-bamba","12":"tag-february","13":"tag-hiro-and-eryn-bamba","14":"tag-newsletter","15":"entry"},"title_es":"Bolet\u00edn Bamba: junio 2020","content_es":"

\u00a1Saludos desde Jap\u00f3n! <\/h2><\/div>

Parece que las cosas cambian a diario durante estos tiempos de incertidumbre, pero podemos encontrar consuelo al saber que nuestro Dios no cambia. Es el mismo ayer, hoy y ma\u00f1ana. Independientemente de cu\u00e1n inconstante sea el mundo o cu\u00e1n inconstante sea la econom\u00eda, sabemos que Dios tiene todas las cosas en Sus manos. Podemos encontrar consuelo y paz en Dios sin importar lo que suceda a nuestro alrededor. Nos duele el coraz\u00f3n cuando miramos a nuestro alrededor y vemos el miedo y la incertidumbre en los rostros de los japoneses. <\/p>

Frente a la pandemia de COVID-19, la ciudad de Chofu, una ciudad vecina a Saitama donde vivimos, ha ofrecido una descarga gratuita de un legendario monstruo anti-plaga, Amabie. Sugieren que las personas usen la imagen para ayudar a prevenir el coronavirus. Buscamos todas las oportunidades para compartir la esperanza que tenemos en Cristo con los japoneses para que no sientan la necesidad de recurrir a monstruos imaginarios en busca de falsas esperanzas. <\/p>

<\/p>

Tuvimos que cancelar nuestras clases de conversaci\u00f3n en ingl\u00e9s para el mes de abril, pero pudimos comenzar de nuevo en mayo en Zoom. Hemos echado de menos interactuar en persona con nuestros estudiantes y sus familias, pero estamos agradecidos de haber podido seguir vi\u00e9ndolos virtualmente. Nos ha dado la oportunidad de comunicarnos tanto con las mam\u00e1s como con los pap\u00e1s, lo cual es raro ya que generalmente est\u00e1n en el trabajo. Sin embargo, dado que muchos de los pap\u00e1s han estado trabajando desde casa y los ni\u00f1os est\u00e1n estudiando en casa, ambos padres han tenido la oportunidad de participar en nuestras clases. Ore con nosotros para que las palabras de aliento que compartimos apunten a nuestros estudiantes y sus padres hacia Dios y Su perd\u00f3n que es para todas las personas. <\/p>

Hiro ha podido realizar nuestras lecciones de escuela dominical en l\u00ednea. Estamos agradecidos de poder seguir compartiendo el amor de Dios con los ni\u00f1os en nuestra escuela dominical, incluso cuando no podemos estar con ellos f\u00edsicamente. Los pap\u00e1s de nuestros ni\u00f1os de la Escuela Dominical no asisten a la iglesia. Ore con nosotros para que los mensajes que los ni\u00f1os escuchan en casa puedan tener un impacto en el coraz\u00f3n de sus padres tambi\u00e9n. <\/p>

Estamos muy agradecidos de que incluso entre todos los vuelos cancelados y las actividades canceladas, Justin pudo terminar su primer a\u00f1o en Liberty University con \u00e9xito y pudo regresar a Jap\u00f3n para el verano. Estamos muy agradecidos por este tiempo juntos antes de que Justin regrese a la universidad y Ax se una a \u00e9l en su primer a\u00f1o de universidad. Contin\u00fae orando por Justin y Axe y los ajustes que tendr\u00e1n que hacer y por nosotros, ya que ser\u00e1 dif\u00edcil tenerlos a los dos tan lejos de casa. <\/p>

<\/p>

Estamos muy agradecidos por sus continuas oraciones y apoyo. \u00a1Su compromiso con el cumplimiento de la Gran Comisi\u00f3n est\u00e1 marcando una diferencia en todo el mundo! Su asociaci\u00f3n est\u00e1 llevando la esperanza y el amor de Cristo al pueblo japon\u00e9s. \u00a1No podr\u00edamos llevar la luz de Cristo a Jap\u00f3n sin ustedes! \u00a1Gracias! <\/p>

Muchas bendiciones, <\/p>

Hiro, Eryn, Justin, Axe, Hunter y Olivia Bamba<\/strong><\/em> <\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","author_name":"Hiro & Eryn Bamba","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Bamba-e1693506866519.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb62Ar-1yr","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5979\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}