Wind the bobbin up and snowmen’s body parts

Hello. We are the Gelsthorpes from Newbury in England and we arrived in Japan on the 1^st of October. After spending a few days in Tokyo we took the long train journey up to Itayanagi and the Ghents. We arrived on the 6^th of October feeling exhausted from jet-lag but also really excited about being here, this was something we had been planning and talking about for months! We have been here for three weeks now and have been overwhelmed by all the work the Ghents do here, their hospitality, their kindness, their busyness, their love for the Japanese people and their desire to serve God.

On our first full day here we went to Harvest Chapel, a church which they are physically building themselves. It is here that we are starting a new English conversation class for adults. Despite our preparation of interesting games and the finer points of English grammar our first week was a relaxed chat about English and Japanese culture. This included a comparison of our opposing snowman styles (for example 2 or 3 segments). The last five minutes of the lesson is an opportunity to give a testimony or to share our thoughts on a bible verse. This week we had an encouraging discussion on prayer. Despite the impression one gets that the Japanese are very closed to the gospel there is a real interest in some people to discuss what really matters.

We have also started a Saturday morning parent and child group which our 2 children, Grace and Isaac, love. The idea is to teach some English songs, play games and do some craft activities. This week we made “English” crowns and sang such classics as “wind the bobbin up” and “listen to the music and clap your hands”. Understandably, our single young Japanese punter had no idea what she was singing but she seemed to catch some of the enthusiasm of our children. Sometimes you wonder what something like that is really bringing to the table but then this is what it is all about; coming along side people and befriending them hoping to share with them what is most important. Please pray for the contacts we have made in these groups – that we will be good friends and good witnesses to them all.