Lily Suzuki's Prayer and Newsletter

Vol 1. No. 2 -July 2000

Dearest Partners in the LORD,

Greetings from Machida City, Tokyo, Japan! It has been a little over 3 weeks since I arrived in Tokyo like a whirlwind, but safely. Many things have happened since, but I would like to first of all, thank each and everyone of you for your prayers, cards, letters, e-mail, phone calls, love and support for me. It is so wonderful to know that many friends and people, some I only met briefly at Mt. Hermon, are praying for me. I feel your love and I also pray for you and thank the LORD for you each day. My Jesus has given me a very special verse since I arrived here. It is in Isaiah 40:11, "He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart." I truly feel His love, mercy and receive his wisdom and protection each and every moment. I believe with all my heart that it is your prayers that God hears and honors.

It is really humid and hot here. It is like getting out from the shower dripping wet, day and night. It was 36c the other day with humidity over 80%. We had 4 pretty big earthquakes, and 2 typhoons since I arrived. I was concerned with the first earthquake and was ready to evacuate my English class in the basement, but no one else seemed to be concerned and they kind of laughed at me...and said, " We are quite safe here." I am getting used to it too. My apartment was larger than I thought. It has 2 rooms, a small kitchen and a bathroom with separate Japanese bathtub and shower. It also has air conditioning and fans. The ladies in the church prepared it and cleaned it with loving hands and it even had beautiful flowers to welcome me. Many Japanese ladies and men here in church speak English and many are in my English class.

My apartment is beside the church building on the second floor, next to Pastor Sugimoto and his family so I don't have to commute. Pastor Sugimoto has a lovely wife, Reiko, who has become my very good friend. She is very, gracious, not like me, but we have so many things in common. Both Pastor and Reiko Sensei, (Sensei means teacher), were educated in the US and England so they speak fluent English. We always converse in English so that is really a praise. They have 2 sons, Kiichi 11 yrs. and Iwao 7 yrs. old. They both attend my new English classes. Reiko Sensei takes me and teaches me where things are located in Machida City. I have adjusted and somewhat know where to go to shop for my necessities. Machida doesn't really have written street names. People just seem to know where they are going! I was able to travel on the train to the Resource English Center alone on the train, two stations away. Praise God! Machida is a large city, population in this area and Sagamihara, a town almost connected, is about 600,000. It is very close to Yokohama so another million people. Compared to US and Canada, it is very crowded with people and it looks like a wonderful City and it is, but I found that people here are not receptive to the Gospel. People are very cautious about religion, because of the many cults and due to unfortunate experiences in the past like "Oomu kyo". I found out that this was the reason for my delay in receiving my visa. The Japanese Government is very careful about checking religious backgrounds before granting long-term visas. A foreigner Mormon priest, very aggressive in his belief, approached me right in front of the church and told me that he wanted to share his true religion with me. Praise God, I just happened to have my Bible with me and I was with Christian ladies. We had a talk and he finally went away on his bike shaking his head. I heard that they always travel on bikes. I was told that Machida was one of the 2nd cities in Japan that you can buy any drugs you want right on the street if you were looking for it. I was surprised to find a vending machine that sold alcohol, not just beer, but also wine and sake, right on the street where anyone can access it. We have many foreigners living here. Machida is really in need of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Machida has the finest cultural centers and city facilities. They have the most beautiful public library with children's books in English as well. Due to the poor economy, they even have many recycling, second season, furniture stores, books and clothes that I never saw in previous visits. They used to throw many good things away. Machida is one of the first cities that participates in new ideas from other countries.... They practice recycling to improve the earth. The swimming pools are located right next to these beautiful buildings with beautiful landscaping where they burn waste and refuge. I thought they were convention halls. They heat up the pools with the heat it produces!

Our All knowing God brought me to Japan just at His perfect timing, which we prayed for and I was able to be orientated and trained by James Ogata, the previous missionary, on the night I arrived. James returned to the United States the next morning being able to use his ticket that expired the next day. It was very close, but another miracle from our living God. This church, Machida Chapel Town, is very vibrant in the LORD and Pastor Sugimoto teaches the Bible actively in his sermons. The congregation loves to sing praises to the LORD too. The church building is in the process of expansions in September. We have 3 services each Sunday and Prayer Meeting Service on Wed. night and Thurs. mornings. Each service has "Fellowship" time after each service and we have tea or coffee together which sometimes lasts for more that an hour. Three young men were baptized last week and it was a joyful celebration. I have 13 English Conversation Class each week, 4 of them are at night, for the working people. . The two new classes added are the elementary school children, 1st to 3rd and 4th to 7th grade and they are my favorites. I get to program it and really enjoy them. The classes are 90 minutes long, and the last 15 minutes is "chapel time". I get to prayerfully choose the Bible passages to teach the message of salvation, and also use my personal testimonies to witness.. Most people are unbelievers and have been coming for more that 3 years. Please pray for the 3 fairly new ladies in attendance on Thursday night for I sense that they are close to receiving the Gospel. Two of the ladies asked for a Bible.

Eri Abe, a 12 yr old girl, received Jesus as her personal Savior 2 weeks ago. I just praise God and give Him all glory and praise. She happily brought a Bible that is written in both English and Japanese and said that it used to belong to her mother when she went to Jr. high School. Her mother kept the Bible on the bookshelf for a long time. Please pray for Eri's growth in the LORD and for her parents' salvation through Eri.

I am looking forwards towards going to our church's overnight summer camp this weekend. Please pray that it will be a time of fellowship, praise and blessings and a time to refresh ourselves in the LORD's Word and creation. Since it is getting late I will close for now, but remembering each and every one of you in my prayers. Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12: 1 -2. Amen

His ambassador in Japan,

Love,
Lily Suzuki

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