July Ministry Update 2022
Dear friends and ministry partners,
I have my visa! I picked it up from the Japanese Consulate in Boston on Wednesday. That was one of the last major obstacles to going back! Only a few more weeks left until I fly out. It's still hard to believe it's finally happening. We've been working towards this for almost three years now. All that is left is to pack and get a covid test 72 hours before I leave.
The last two months have been my busiest since getting back to the States. I've barely stayed in one place more than a week at a time. Most weeks I was in multiple places visiting churches, friends, other ministry partners. I am really grateful for everyone who hosted and met with me though! I had a ton of fun. I really enjoyed sharing about what God has been doing in me through the last couple years and about what I'm looking forward to when I am back in Japan.
At one of the churches I visited, I got a call the day before I was supposed to share about my ministry there to tell me that the pastor had tested positive for covid and they were wondering if I could fill in and preach. A year ago if I was asked that I would have probably said no because l'd have no idea what to do and I'd be too nervous, but I think it's a real testament to how I've grown that l was able to say yes. It just makes me more excited to jump back into ministry in Japan now that I feel more equipped.
I had the opportunity to help equip new missionaries as well when I made a quick trip to Minneapolis during my travels. I spent the day with a group of people participating in ReachGlobal's Prefield training to help them prepare for going into ministry. I was a part of a panel sharing about Honor/Shame cultures and also (through a prerecorded video) shared about my experience getting my ministerial license. I've experienced a lot of joy in equipping and mobilizing people for missions. That's one of the reasons I was so excited for the Challenge Conference.
|
|
|
|
There were five rooms on the Japan side of the experience with someone stationed at each to share about the things in the room. In the picture, the set is modeled after a Japanese cemetery and I talked about some of the traditions surrounding death as well as the hopelessness that many Japanese experience because they are living and dying without knowing Jesus.
|
|
Challenge was incredible. My team was mainly focused on helping with the ReachGlobal Experience which highlighted Japan. Along with ReachGlobal's Crisis Response team and a number of other volunteers, we built a huge set which spanned two huge conference rooms. The first half of the set had five rooms which displayed Japanese culture and covered topics such as riding public transit, the work culture, student life, Japanese religion, and the huge need for the Gospel in Japan. The second half of the set had rooms which allowed those going through the experience to process what they've seen and heard and relate it to their own lives.
Because of the sensitive nature of many of the topics discussed such as mental health, depression, isolation, loneliness, spiritual warfare, the lies we believe about ourselves, and the hopelessness we have without the Gospel, the experience hit many students pretty hard. The final room that students went through before they were given a time of personal reflection though talked about Kintsugi which is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold. It's a beautiful metaphor to show us how God takes our brokenness and puts us back together more beautiful than before.
One of the greater themes throughout the experience was community. After the pandemic, everyone has at least some understanding of what loneliness and isolation feels like. Community is more important than ever. There is a huge need for community in Japan as much as there is now in the States. In the ReachGlobal Experience, we were able to share with students how they are not alone in the things they are going through. One of the most powerful stations was where we had students write lies they believed about themselves on a large wall. Read individually, they were often devastating and heartbreaking, but read as a whole, many were similar and suddenly it was easier to understand what they really were, lies. While the pain of them doesn't easily go away, putting them out there and joining into a community that is vulnerable about their struggles is the first step towards healing.
Through the Gospel and Christian fellowship, God transforms lives. He takes what is broken and makes it beautiful, like in Kintsugi. This is what Japan needs. This is what young people in American and all over the world need too. I am glad I was able to be a part of the Challenge Conference because we were able to help students see this. Ultimately, this is why I am can't wait to get back to Japan. The need is so great there and I want to help change that.
Whether here in the States or in Japan, I love being able to encourage and mobilize people to respond to God's calling on their lives, first to believe in the Gospel and be in community, but then also to pursue how God is leading them to reach out to others. We had many students come up to us interested in going on short-term trips to Tokyo. I hope that many of them come and we can raise up another generation of missionaries who want to see Japan reached.
|
|
|
|
One of the people from the ReachGlobal Crisis Response team which helped build and staff the ReachGlobal Experience put together this video about how we put together the set. I think it turned out amazing!
|
|
|
On the left, I spent the week before Challenge with my teammates Kim and Krystle, and then we drove down to the conference together. On the right, Kim, Krystle, and I along with our other teammates, Shige and Luann, were able to take some of the EFCA Board of Directors through the ReachGlobal Experience.
|
|
In my final weeks at home, I am hoping to rest and prepare for returning to Japan. I am flying out on August 8th. On August 7th we will be having a send off for me at my home church, Barre Evangelical Free Church, at 17 S Main St, Barre, VT. If you can come I'd love to see you there. The service starts at 9:30am. If you'd like to meet up before I go then please let me know as well!
Also, if you have committed to giving or to increasing your giving, then please do so as soon as possible so that it will kick in by the time I arrive in Japan in August. If you have any trouble with it then please let me know or you can either call donor services at 952-853-8434 or email them at donorserv@efca.org. If you talk with them, just let them know that your donation is going towards Adam Bailey. My designation number is #2169 - Bailey.
Thank you so much again for everything you all have done to support me! My next newsletter should come from me in Japan so be on the lookout for that!
|
|
Prayer Requests
- Praise God for being fully funded! It has been amazing to see God provide and so many generous people come alongside me in the support raising process. I am so thankful and humbled by all that has happened over the last couple years to bring me to this point.
- Praise God for getting my visa! I have my visa and all my other documents to get into Japan. I am grateful that it was a relatively simple process. Pray that my flights and the process of going through immigration goes smoothly. Pray that I'll have a negative covid test as well so that I can fly.
- Pray for rest. I've been traveling a lot, but now that I am at home in Vermont I would like to rest until I fly out. Pray that I would sleep well, that I wouldn't become stressed by the transition or packing or anything else. Pray that I would have good devotions and time with the Lord which gives me spiritual rest and refreshment.
- Pray for my transition to Tokyo. Once I get to Japan I'll start looking for an apartment, figuring out what I'm going to do for language learning, and trying to readjust to life in Tokyo. Pray that I would have minimal culture shock and that moving to Tokyo will feel like moving home.
|
|
|
Thanks for reading!
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me at adam.bailey@efca.org or by phone at 802-505-7676. You can also go to my website at adamintokyo.com. Thanks! - Adam Bailey
|
|
|
If you'd like to give a one-time or recurring gift, click on the link below!
|
|
|
|
|
