Praise be
to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and
the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can
comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For
just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort
abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and
salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you
patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is
firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you
share in our comfort. (2Co 1.3-7NIV)
Paul's
words fill our hearts so much with courage (for we know that the work of
conviction is Christ's) as of challenge. The Word of Truth must be preached,
not what we find or what we want, but the Scriptures. At all times, we must
say, "Not I, Lord, but your word that dwells in me."
Since
we came to the mission field in Japan, we have shared the difficulties of this
place. Less than 1% of the population is Christian. Per recent research, we work
in the second least evangelized country in the world. There is a religious
concession from the government, but it can be revoked at any time. Thank God
there is not even a rumor of such possibility, on the contrary, we have seen
and witnessed the thirst for the Scripture in so many who live here.
We
were in Brazil from December / 2015 to April / 2016, when I carried out some complementary
workshops required by our mission board, visited our project´s partner churches
of and made contacts for new co-workers of Christ is Life Pres. Church- Japan.
We also had a time to rest, to see our relatives and travel through our home
country for speaking engagements and some wonderful experiences for the glory
of God.
When
we returned to the field in Japan on April 11. We became very pleased to see
the brethren, who stood firm and strengthened under the shepherding of the
supreme shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ.
In
early May, during the holiday week, we gathered over forty people for a
barbecue in our house. Many visitors participated with us.
I
have intensified the work in counseling and individual discipleship as I spend
most of the day talking to people (some days more than four people) and church
families, be it by phone, Skype or in person. We focused more efforts in
publicizing the work over the internet. I started Jiu-Jitsu classes both to
take care of health and to open the range of contact with other residents here
(this opened opportunities to preach the gospel to Japanese as well). Our whole
family is currently involved in this activity.
Ruth
began her studies at the Japanese school. She has been developing language
learning much faster since then. We believe this will be a very important
bridge to work here.
Under
Marcia's leadership a meeting with the women of the church was begun. They meet
once a month, usually on the third Saturday, study the Bible, spend time in
fellowship and exchange experiences, and have lunch together.
On
May 22, we resumed our Sunday School classes. At first only one room, studying Francis
Schaeffer´s 25 Bible studies on salvation. About 20 people were present. The
following Sunday Marcia started another class, with the juniors, studying a
material that I prepared for the catechumens. Now this class has eight students
and already needs to be divided by the diversity of ages. In September, another
room was formed, of young people, studying the Westminster Confession of Faith.
There are about 10 young people. We greatly rejoice over the fat that this year
of 2017 another room began, now with Japanese, in Nihongo,. There are three
students studying the foundations of the Christian faith.
We
continue our meetings on Fridays, finished a chapter by chapter study on the book of Proverbs, and now we are doing a
panoramic study of the Pentateuch.
We
are gathering on Sundays for the public worship of the Lord. We are a now a
group of 50 people. God has blessed our work, giving us numerical growth, as we
strive to teach and learn from the Bible. Seven men from the church are
studying online at the Reformed Institute, led by a well-known Presbyterian
Professor and Pastor, Rev. Leandro Lima.
Every
Sunday we have a luncheon in our house. I cook on Saturday for everyone and
when Sunday comes, we can just enjoy God´s grace as we fellowship with one
another. Our heart rejoices in our God, for time after time he shows his care
toward us. God is good all the time and all the time God is good.
We
meet on Sundays at the Christ Bible Institute building (https://cbijapan.org/).
This institute is a work of PCA pastors (Presbyterian Church in America). It is
exactly half way to most church members (today some travel more than an hour to
get to our house). The location is also on the side in the biggest train and
subway station in our area.
During
2016 we received twenty new members by transfer, one by baptism and public
profession of faith and we performed the baptism of ten children.
Márcia,
as many of you have heard (and prayed, and helped financially, thank you dear
ones!). A car rear-ended our car, while at the traffic lights. We lost our
vehicle, which, although old and small, answered all our needs. We were asking
God for a larger vehicle, because our children grew (and a lot!), And because
we needed to assist those who need logistical support to go to church
schedules. With the insurer's reimbursement, this need has been met! We got
another car, bigger and newer, and we could help our church folk who can´t get
around. God's glory! Márcia stopped working in school, and despite the
financial stress, we chose to dedicate her time fully in the church. Her
position as a teacher offered a good discount on David's tuition, as well as
almost twenty percent of our income. Please join us in prayers of gratitude,
for we will have more time together, as we depend entirely on our Lord.
In
October, we held our first youth retreat at Camp Raphayada, Gifu, with the
attendance of 35 plus staff. Since it was so successful we are now planning for
a larger attendance Spring Family Retreat, having as a lecture pastor David
Portela, Canadian missionary in Cambodia, speaking on self-identity, the
identity of Christ and the identity of the church in a rude postmodern social
media. (We still have vacancies May 04th,05th,06th/17).
The
Church met at the end of the year at the pastoral residence. Both Christmas and
New Year were celebrated with a special dinner, and a brief reflection of
Pastor Daniel. In these occasions, we gathered more than fifty people. We also
exchanged Christmas presents.
OUR
WEEKLY ACTIVITIES:
Sunday
School: Sunday, 9:30 am in Nagoya
Adults.
20 - students
Children
4-10 - 7 enrolled
Youth
group. 12-20 - 8 students.
Presenting
the Gospel *class in Nihongo. 3 students
Public
Worship: Sunday, 10:30 in Nagoya
Friday
Night Bible study *(average 40 people attending
Group
of Women: 3rd Sunday of each month
We
look forward to the year 2017, which promises to be exciting and very busy. For
us, it is a blessing to see how everything and everyone is growing by the grace
and mercy of our Lord.
Ruth
will finish Chogako (middle school)
in March, and in April begins a new stage at Chugako (junior high school). We share our great joy that our
church also grows with children of her own age so that it can have fellowship
in Christ with them.
Davi
begins his senior year at an international school. We are proud of his
endurance and patience, showing how he has matured as a man of God. He likes to
play his instruments (five of them), and plays in the church as part of
worship. We pray for guidance as he makes decisions this very important year of
his life.
Daniel
spends his days in the preparation of studies, sermons, and lectures. Teaching
English, discipleship, counseling, and general church activities take up most
of the day, approximately sixteen hours. We are very grateful that, although
our agenda is busy, we find time to invest in our family, which is our first
mission.
We
are so grateful for the prayers and support of so many people we do not even
know. If ever you come by these bands, be sure to stop by and be an eyewitness
of what the Lord is doing in and through us.
In
Christ,
Gomes
Family Japan
