This month during our regular English Cafe slot we decided to add a twist to usual format. We underemphasized the English, and added more special musical numbers and invited local artists to display their art. It turned out to be a big hit and the multi-purpose room was packed with both regulars and quite a number of newcomers. Some of the art on display included oil paintings, pastels, framed photographs, pottery, and fabric art. We also enjoyed quite a variety of music and other forms of art. Mrs. Miyoshi and her friend played traditional flute-like instruments called karinas. Their duets were beautiful. Manaka Ueha amazed everyone with her gorgeous soprano voice, singing two numbers from different operas. Manaka gave a recital the previous Wednesday at her university and I am going to put a video clip at the end of this blog that was actually recorded at her recital. Manaka started attending Agape Bible Church at the end of summer and made the decision to follow Christ several weeks later. She also plays the flute and is a wonderful addition to the worship band.
One thing that really excites us about these monthly events is that some of the members of the church are starting to invite and bring their friends. We long to see more of that happening because the main purpose of these events is to use them as an opportunity to deepen our relationships with people. As we model this, we desire for the Japanese believers to see how they can do it as well.
The four people in the picture below are very special to us. In the back are Mr. Tsuchiya and Mr. Toshihiro. In the front are Mrs. Kobayashi on the left and Alice Kai on the right. These four senior citizens live in the neighborhood near our home. They warmly welcomed us into their community two years ago when we moved in and we've been able to continue a good friendship with them. Alice is holding a special wall hanging called a kakejiku. She and her husband restore these hangings years after they were originally made and have started to deteriorate. Alice is Malaysian, married to a Japanese man. All four of these people regularly attend our monthly events. Even though they have mentioned visiting a Sunday service, they have yet to take that step. All four of them enjoy various forms of art and were delighted to be involved in our recent event.
ariette: "Je veux vivre" from the opera " Roméo et Juliette"
