Tsushima Volunteer Mission Report – January 2021
Praying For A Change of Heart
January 10, 2021
Greetings Friends,
God is still at work. Here on Tsushima Island, we had 9 patients with coronavirus last year, and fortunately, they were all discharged from the hospital. I am praying also that God protects you and your family from the coronavirus.
Our mission update and prayers requested.
Last month as I helped my friend, Komori, who is a farmer working on an orange farm, there I met a man who also came to help him. His name is Masaya.
Masaya is just one year older than me and his main work is to polish the Buddha Statue in the temple. Masaya does not have his driver’s license, so it is difficult for him to go to the hospital to see his doctor and to buy food because we do not have a good public transportation service here. So I asked him if he needs our help to get there by our car. He was so glad to have our help. So I took him to his hospital and got his food next day.
(Left) Masaya (Right) Kimiyoshi
While I was driving, we talked to each other about many things and I was praying for him so that he can know Jesus as his true Savior. Then God gave me the courage to tell him about what we believe and what Jesus did for us. At first, I thought he was not interested in our belief because he is a dedicated Buddhist and has been working hard in the temple polishing the statue of Buddha for over 20 years.
But on the contrary, he was very interested in our belief and listened attentively. So, I gave him a book with many Bible verses which encourage our hearts and a lot with beautiful pictures of the nature God created. He was glad to read the book and after that, every time I take him in the car, he is happy to learn about Jesus.
Please pray for him so he accepts God’s love and Christ’s salvation soon, then gets to work hard for Jesus instead of working hard in a Buddhist temple.
Therefore, You are great, O Lord GOD. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
2 Samuel 7:22
In this picture my daughters are holding 2 of several quail we hatched from eggs. They are our newest workers on the farm. They will eat some of the bugs and fertilise the trees as well 🙂
What You Sow You Will Reap
Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!
Psalm 126:5 (English Standard Version)
In the photos you can see the Bok Choy we have planted as well as some mushrooms. Although not pictured, we harvested some tangerines as well.
Sowing or planting seeds is not without expectation. We plant with the hope of reaping a harvest. Harvesting crops you have planted gives tremendous satisfaction. After watching them grow and protecting from bugs and disease it gives us great joy so see them reach maturity and complete their growth potential.
In a similar way God looks at us as we grow and mature. Along the way, we struggle with bugs and disease (sin) but the great Farmer walks through the garden of the Earth and cares for us, His tender plants. He wants to see us reach maturity and completion.
We become complete or perfect when we reflect the character of Jesus Christ our Savior. Just like when a seed reaches its full potential and grows into a plant or tree, we will face challenges and even make mistakes along the way as we become what God has called us to be.
So, while we enjoy the blessing of growing our Bok Choy, we also have the blessing of providing this healthy food to nourish our community. As we grow and reach spiritual maturity we too can use our growth to help nourish our community with the love of Jesus.
We have also planted strawberries and are hoping to receive a bountiful harvest by God’s grace.
I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return]. Philippians 1:6 (Amplified Bible)
How to Help
The most important area of support is prayer. This project needs lots of prayer for hearts to be open to the gospel. Pray that God will help Kimiyoshi and his family to continue meeting the needs of people on Tsushima and that He will give them more opportunities to share Jesus.
Pray that the project would be able to obtain (either rent or buy) 30A Farmland (1A = 10 meters X 10 meters). This size would enable to project to be sustainable and maintain viability for the future.
The next project being pursued is to obtain a tractor and start cultivating the harden soil in this area of Tsushima which has not been in use for many years. The hope is that it will provide another means of teaching about God’s love and creation while providing a tent-making way to help this ministry to be more sustainable. The cost of the tractor is between $8,000 – $9,000
Between now and then, financial support to help meet the expenses for Nature School program (lighting, heating and gas expenses and school supplies for students) as well as living and other project expenses are needed totalling about $800 monthly. Any donation would be greatly appreciated and very helpful.
You can give directly to Kimiyoshi via PayPal which enables donations to be received more expeditiously.
Or if you prefer, you can donate via Gospel Ministries International which will provide you with a tax deductible receipt. You will find the contact information and links for these two options below.
To give directly to Kimiyoshi for the Tsushima Mission Project via PayPal please click HERE.
OR
Make checks payable to:
Gospel Ministries International
Send checks to:
GMI (Gospel Ministries International)
P O Box 506,
Collegedale, TN 37315-0506
(Be sure to specify donation is for “Japan Christian Service Int’l†(JCSI)
Online Donations:
You can donate online through PayPal: http://gospelministry.org/donations/
Phone: 423-473-1841 Ask for Tim Tillman
