December, 2017

December, 2017 was a full month of engaging with people, often having conversations related to the true meaning of Christmas.  Because of Murray's similarity in appearance to the likeness that most people think of as Santa Claus, he gets numerous invitations to parties and events.  The most exciting thing about these events is that they almost always include parents.  So these opportunities to share about the true meaning of Christmas with adults provide our largest audiences of the whole year.

Even one of the local Starbucks stores invites us to come and do a program with moms and their kids.

Kathy sometimes joins as Mrs. Claus.  

 Each year Murray is challenged to create a unique object lesson for a story that will lead to the story of Jesus.

For many of the listeners, it is not a REMINDER that Jesus should be the center of our Christmas but, rather, most of them are hearing the story of the birth of Jesus for the VERY FIRST TIME!

 Notice any similarities between the above and below photos?  Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC Japan) loves to dress Colonel Sanders in Santa's clothes each year.  Why?, you may be asking.  Because what would Christmas Eve dinner be without KFC Fried Chicken.  Well, not just KFC's, but roast chicken has become the go-to meal for Christmas Eve, which is either a family dinner at home or a special date night out, if you have a special someone.  In fact, many Japanese young ladies feel very panicked if they don't have a date for Christmas Eve.  It's very interesting how these customs develop in different countries.

Below are a few more photos of our December ministries. 

Children watching a video about the very first Christmas (in Japanese)

 These little girls really enjoyed the special treats.

 These boys were more partial to the popcorn they got to eat during the movie.

These ladies are moms of some of the children.

Mothers of our students

These are some of our youngest students.