On a bright and sunny Saturday morning, we gathered at our church and assembled 70 lunch boxes for the homeless of Nishinari! These were not just any simple lunch boxes either! They were hand-made with love and filled with chicken, beef, fish, egg, a variety of different vegetables and other items such as bread and snacks were also included in the bags! These lunch boxes or “bento boxes” as the Japanese call them, were made and packed thoughtfully; designed to provide the homeless with not only proper nutrition, but additionally are full of bulky-foods so that they can be satiated for a long time (and hopefully gain some weight and improve their health in the process)!
I am proud to say that this is a monthly event that my home church has, and it is a blessing and honor to work alongside the passionate Japanese and Korean Christians from my church who also have a heart to serve those struggling physically, mentally and of course spiritually in Nishinari.
After packing everything up, my pastor drove our food truck to the homeless park in Nishinari and not-surprisingly, the bento boxes were gone in 60 seconds!!!! (actually in less than 10 minutes- but you get my point)! The amount of time, effort and preparation it takes to hold our events are extensive, however, by the grace of God, 70 people were able to not only be fed, but also ministered to, as the gospel was also shared with them as they stood in line waiting for their lunch.
I give all the glory to God and thank the Lord for the impact that He is making here in Japan! One step at a time, each and every single person in Nishinari is being reached and given an opportunity to come to Christ because of these events! Being a missionary in this capacity in Japan always reminds me of one of my favorite verses in the Bible:
-Matthew 18:12 KJV-
“How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?“
We are here on the ground doing the physical work of the Lord, but it is truly because of every single person stateside reading this, lifting us up in prayer, giving to this mission and supporting us here in Japan that truly makes all of this possible! Team work truly makes the dream work! Thank you for your continued partnership with what God is doing in Japan and if you’d like to become more involved somehow, please email me or leave a comment here!
God Bless you and Thank you!
To God Alone truly be the Glory forever and ever, Amen!
Lifted Vision Ministry 