Email sent October 25, 2007. Email index
Stories of God's Work
Dear praying friends,
A New Brother
Last night I had the privilege of praying with a man and helping him find Jesus! Please pray for assurance of salvation, God's healing work in his life, and for strength to follow Jesus in a society that often smothers faith in Jesus.
About 3 weeks ago I took a call regarding ESL. As a result this man has come three times. This Monday, as he was reading in his car waiting for class with Sean to start, I felt led to walk over and talk to him. It was a book of Christian testimonies called "Power for Living." I asked how he was doing and he openly shared he was emotionally and spiritually weak. I told him I was too and that it was good he was coming to this place because God especially seeks to help those who recognize their weaknesses. Tears started to flow down his face! I didn't realize I had touched on something so significant. With only a few minutes until class, I asked if he had time to meet with me to talk. So we arranged to meet on Tuesday.
He gave me his life story. In the past several years he has suffered from depression and received numerous sessions of counselling and treatment. In hopes of understanding the lyrics to the pop music he listens to lift his spirits, he thought about studying English. An acquaintance told him about the classes we have at our church. He picked up the Power for Living book at our church after class one day and also bought a Bible to read the passages it was talking about. He showed me the notes he had taken in his notebook and even where he had written out a list of requests for God. He was hesitant and yet pleased to tell me that some of them had been answered. He wondered, "How can it be? Would Jesus consider my requests?" I assured him He would.
He also showed me the salvation prayer that he had copied from the book. I asked if he had prayed it yet. "No." He said, "I just copied it!" So I shared the way to giving his life to Jesus and receiving salvation. We studied Matthew 11:28-31. Then he was ready to pray his prayer and to follow me in another prayer after that! When he raised his head he said he felt so much better. The look on his face seemed to say, "Could this really be true?"
He told me he had just found out that morning that a man from his office had died on Saturday. As he reflected on that, and the secrecy around that event, he was convinced he had committed suicide as he had missed work for a month recently because of depression and had only been back a short while. He expressed regret that he had not talked to the man more, as he himself had contemplated the same recently.
Please pray. He has suffered years of depression and is on medication. So, who knows what will happen, as past experience with people like this tells me to be very sceptical. But, I also believe God is able to intervene to give him the hope he needs to live and even to heal miraculously. I will meet him in a day or two to continue to study with him. He seemed pleased to know that we are now brothers in Christ!
Thailand Trip
Our family spent a great week in Thailand. The first day we visited Mr. Kisuna, a member of our church who has been transferred to Bangkok while his family lives here in Toyota City. We have a good visit and went to the church he attends and met some of his new friends there. After 6 months there he is lonely and wonders how the next 3 and one-half years will go. The stresses and temptations are great. Please pray for him.
We then attended a retreat and consultation in Phuket for all MBMS International missionaries serving in Asia. It was a time of encouragement, refreshment and learning. We sensed God's blessing and direction as we listened, shared, and prayed together. Our kids were able to meet other MKs and had a lot of fun. Our flight brought us back by 9:15 Sunday morning, just giving us enough time to get ready to be involved in our service here in Toyota!
A New Sister
Mrs. Ishiguro is 40something and loves Korea. So she likes to eat at the Korean restaurant two of our church members operate. They witnessed to her and encouraged her to come to church. Both they and I have prayed with her and we believe she has come to faith already! She has come 3 times in the last month and has bought a Bible. Please pray that her roots will go deep and that the devil will not steal the seeds that have begun to grow in her heart. It is interesting that she and her brother own a rental company; from which we rented a portable toilet during the months we built our new church building two years ago!
Thanks for continuing to pray for our family. We are in daily need of God's continuing work of grace in our lives. We are pleased to belong to Him and be involved in His work.
For the King and His Kingdom in Japan,
Laurence and Leona (Cambria and Trenton) Hiebert
3-1-11 Izumi-cho
Toyota City 471-0803
Japan
TEL (011-81) 565-88-3126Mission Office
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