June 16, 2000

Dear Friends,

Greetings. I hope that all is going well with you.

Being a student of the Japanese language this year has been both enjoyable and challenging. Although I have studied off-and-on and gained some ability in Japanese throughout the years I have been here, the nature of my new assignment necessitated that I go deeper into the language in more formal studies. A year of language study was scheduled for me, which I began in September of last year and will be completing this July. I feel that I have made progress, even as there is much more to learn. Upon completing my studies, I will be working for the Korean Christian Church in Japan (KCCJ), serving as the administrative secretary to the Secretary of the KCCJ, primarily in the area of assisting with English correspondence and publication work. I will also be continuing to work one day a week at the Council on Cooperative Mission, providing care and support for missionaries here in Japan.

I marvel sometimes at how Japan has changed in the 12 years since I first came here. Among some of the changes I’ve been noticing recently are a heightened awareness of the struggles of people with disabilities to get around in Tokyo. Additionally, women are taking a stance against sexual harassment and abuse, the rights of children are being given greater consideration, and more groups are working with the growing homeless population, providing them with short-term lodging and food. Perhaps what I am most aware of, however, is the vast number of people in Japan who are being drawn into quasi-religious groups. Until the salin gas attacks on the Tokyo subway system by the Aum religious group several years ago, little was mentioned of these groups. Recently, another group called "Ho-no-Hana" has made headline news for deceiving people out of vast amounts of money that was then apparently put to personal use. In another news article, a couple cut the body of their dead child because of promises that this would restore the child’s life.

On occasion, the language school I attend has guest speakers come and share with us on a variety of topics that will help us in our knowledge of mission work and Japan. This term, we have had two missionary speakers come and share their insights with us. One of these missionaries works with bringing Japanese people out of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. He shared the amazing statistic that in 1999, the Jehovah’s Witnesses had 220,509 evangelists going door-to-door and approximately 135,194 "seekers" attending their weekly meetings. He mentioned that this would average a total of about 300,000 people attending weekly Jehovah’s Witnesses meetings, as compared to 250,000 Protestant Christians actually in church on the average Sunday. What I found interesting in his sharing was that many of the families who have come to him for help in getting their loved ones out of the Jehovah’s Witnesses have then become Christians through this process.

Our second speaker was a Japanese man who was sent from the United States to be a missionary in Japan along with his American wife. He contrasted for us the differences in Japan and American thought that affect our mission work in Japan. Perhaps the most interesting "tidbit" I came away with from this lecture, however, were his comments on baptism. I had wondered previously why I had had students who said their parents allowed them to go to church each Sunday but would not give them permission to be baptized. This missionary shared that as "form" is a very important aspect of Japanese life, the only way to know if the commitment of a believer is certain is if he or she goes through the "form" of baptism.

Despite this news, good things are happening in Japan, and new believers are still being added among us. On the "home front," I began to have a Bible study time with a believer here who was seeking fellowship. She is now reaching out to two other women in her community who are desirous to learn more. I’ve also been helping out with a campus outreach led by another missionary friend from my language school. Most recently, some former students of mine have asked if I could start a Bible study group for them and their friends again. Thus, I continue to see goods things happening as Christians work together to plant seeds in this nation.

Your support in prayer, letters of encouragement, and finances are greatly appreciated. I would ask that you please keep Japan in prayer, that those who are seeking meaning in their lives would find God’s hand leading them to know Christ as their Savior and Lord.

Peace,

Gail Beran

The 2000 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 173