farther

...i recently heard a chinese proverb that says, if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together...

...how appropriate this proverb is for church planting...of course, the bible says a lot about togetherness for the gospel...it is telling that jesus, in sending out the 72 disciples for what would be the very first mission trip in the new testament era, send them out two by two, not alone, even though sending them out alone would have arguably covered more distance (luke 10:1-12)...togetherness is what jesus wanted and it is what he promises to us as we obey the great commission (matthew 28:19-20): "and behold i (jesus) will be with you always, to the end of the age" (english standard version)...

...tonight, we spent good time with members of our gakuentoshi church planting team...first, megumi -- a kindergarten school nurse -- came over for a hearty dinner (curry rice, salad) and
good fellowship...she's a wonderful sister in christ and her love for the Lord is such an example and encouragement to us...

...then uncle and aunt kokubu and their youngest daughter, izumi, came over for after dinner tea and coffee...we shared many laughs...now that all of our boxes from america -- 11 of them -- have arrived safely (praise God and thank you kokubu-san for receiving them!), we were able to share our photo albums...

...

...indeed, these times of fellowship are incredible faith-building and family-building opportunities...getting to know and love megumi and the kokubus has been a real honor and joy...there is no shortcut to genuine, christ-centered friendships...we trust that with each time together, the Lord will deepen our relationships and use them to help gakuentoshi chapel go farther in ministry...if you want to go fast, go alone...if you want to go far, go together...take us far Lord for your kingdom and your glory!