Romi writes...

This is my first blog entry for the NI team in summer 2007. I am working with the team in Koriyama region. Who am I and what do I do here? I am Romi. My parents are caretakers at the camp Adatara. My dad has been a pastor at a small Baptist church in the city of Fukushima for last 20 years. I have been helping parents' ministries since 2004 after graduated from a college. It has been a real encouragement seeing the NI team coming along side of us helping our ministries. I just want to thank God for the great servants you sent on our way.

On June 1, God has brought us a great team to our camp. Evan, Elsbeth and Mariah have brightened our hearts and ministries in many special ways. Their encouraging spirits and sweet 'n crazy personalities have been lifting up our spirits. They are very hard workers. We have already received many blessings from them. We learned how much our work can be encouraging, effective and a lot of fun by serving and working as a team.

It has been a real encouragement to see the team making their efforts to communicate with our people here with their limited Japanese and some English. If you are speaking in English in Japan, talking slowly is a technique you must learn. It doesn't mean to speak "louder", but slowly. We are very much encouraged by the team showing their interests to our people and our culture. I believe that is a great step forward to reach out to people and make differences in people's lives, especially in Japan. Japanese people, we don't have much opportunity to talk with strangers or to meet new friends and to get to know them, I think. Just because many are too busy with their own lives and no time for others? We see that the team has been doing a great job reaching out to our people. In our fellowship of believers, specially, each church is very small and some discouragements are always there, so it is great to see the team fit into our fellowship and getting to know our people. We are thankful for the team member being here and helping us with what they can. That have been a great encouragement to me and to all us, and believers in our churches here.

Thank you so very much for sending your team to bless our ministries. God is hearing your faithful prayers and answering each one.

Time has been flying by very quickly. Our first 20 days are about to be gone. Before we know, another 10 days will fly by and the team will head back home. We don't want to see them go. That will be one of the saddest tearing moments in life... saying good byes to the NI team, our new friends we have learned to laugh with and work with. We may need five buckets to hold our tears. We don't want to think about that till the day comes, but we trust that sadness will bring us back to rely on God even more. We pray that God may use each of us for something greater for Japan. Pray that our hearts and lives to be committed only for Him. "Only for Your glory, LORD, will YOU use us to do something greater in Japan?"