The Lost Daughter

On Sunday, June 11, Anne, Jeff, Libby, Matthew, Mariko, and Haley boarded a train and headed to the Oyumino Church, Honda Chapel, for some worship and fellowship. Being American, one is not used to a worship service in Japanese, but after hearing hymns sung in Japanese and English at the same time, one quickly realizes how global God truly is. What a great reminder! The team even sang a praise song for the approximately 100 people in attendance. After the service, the team lead the Sumodon youth group in a time of fellowship and praise. We each introduced ourselves to the high school, university, and young adult folks in attendance. Jeff gave his testimony, with Mariko translating. The team then performed a skit which we titled “The Lost Daughter”. Think of the Prodigal Son with some gender changes, and you have the idea. Key actors in this most magnificent parable were Jeff as narrator, Mariko as translator, Matthew as the loving Father, Libby as the Lost Daughter (try translating “Prodigal” in Japanese!), Aaron (fellow Texan teaching English in Japan) as the older son, and Haley as the servant. It went over well! How funny those Texas actors were to the Japanese! Interesting enough, Libby was later told that the Prodigal Son is a parable that is often used to convey God’s love to the Japanese people. What’s amazing about that fact is that we did not know that before deciding on acting out this parable. Amazing how God works, isn’t it? After the skit, the team broke into smaller groups, where we shared with each other – about our cultures, our personal lives, and our loving God. Smaller groups tend to allow for good dialogue with the Japanese. It was a great time of fellowship! – Jeff san