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Preach the Word

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Timothy 4:2)

Thank God for his mercy upon the people in Japan in 2011 during severe natural digesters, such as, radioactivity leakage, flooding, typhoon, tsunami, and so on.  Thank God for protecting many people in Japan as well as our spiritual families from the calamities. We thank God for his faithful work in our ministry last year in spite of the difficulties.

1. World mission

On March 21, 2011, Zechariah and Elisabeth’s family was sent out as short-term missionaries to New Jersey from Nagasaki UBF. They have been faithfully participating in the ministry. We pray for them to be Ph. D shepherds and pioneer Yuge National College of Maritime Technology in Japan in God’s time. On December 18, we sent N as a missionary in Korea. In September, Peter Lee’s family from Thailand visited Japan for his visa extension. During this time, we had good fellowship with his family. During severe flooding in Thailand, God protected and provided them appropriate help from many coworkers around world.  In September, John Kim Jr was sent out to Toledo in the USA as a short-term missionary for a year. In LA, Terry and Mary L family is faithfully serving the ministry.

2. Bible Japan

We had a New Year Director’s Conference at the end of the year so that we could prepare the coming 2012 with God’s words and vision. Prior the conference, we had a prayer meeting for one month and we prayed for 47 prefectures in Japan, 47 countries in Asia to pioneer, UBF 50 World Mission Report, for the director’s conferences on each continent and their programs. God accepted our prayer and blessed the conference abundantly. Especially, Moody Park from Korea gave us a heart-moving special lecture and it was very powerful inspiring all of us through Dr. Samuel Lee’s spiritual legacy, giving spirit, spiritual disciplines, life of prayer, Grace A Lee’s giving life, and we learned about many ancestors of faith in our ministry.  

We had three regional summer Bible conferences in the West, East, and Kyushu. The conference in Kyushu was held in Nagasaki from August 12 to 15, with 15 attendants entitled, “The Living Hope” based on 1 Peter. Especially, Sarah Jun Jr shared her life testimony to reveal God who used her as shepherd for her friends during collage years. The West Japan conference was held August 26 to 28 with the CBF conference. They studied Luke 19 and Acts 2 and learned the faith of the early Christians and their sacrificial lives. Even though it was a small conference with small numbers, God blessed it with various programs by the support of Tokyo UBF.  

East Japan UBF and CBF had a Life Bible Conference together December 17 to 19 with a total of 80 attendees. Monica’s testimony was heart-moving. She began to study the Bible because of her son who brought her to UBF. Since then, her character has been changing a lot as a spiritual woman through attending Sunday worship service faithfully and Bible study. In her testimony, she witnessed the power of prayer, which solved her three ongoing problems. First, her debt problem was solved; second, God provided her an affordable house from a Christian owner at a good price, after her three children became independent. She offered a thanksgiving offering out of her deep thankfulness to God. The greatest miracle was that her character has been changing. When she came to UBF, she used a lot of harsh words with complaints. However, her lips began to praise and give thanks to God. She confessed how Sunday weekly messages and one to one Bible study strengthened her soul. She made a decision to be a woman of prayer like Monica and to pray for her family to be Christians and to raise her three sons as spiritual leaders.  

On August 12 – 15, there was JBF conference and John Kim Jr delivered the main message for the first time. We pray for the second gens to grow in faith and love like Jesus so that they may reveal the glory of God. On December 18, there were Nagasaki, East Japan, West Japan, Tokai Christmas Worship Services. Sendai UBF had their worship service on December 25. The Christmas Worship Service in East Japan was held at Waseda University with 60 attendees with various worship programs of orchestra, drama, praise, and a message. We offered relief offering for Thailand ministry, which is suffering due to severe flooding.     

In Tokyo UBF, N. S. Si are growing as shepherd candidates for the last 2 to 3 years through Bible studies and worship service. Since 2001, there have been some difficulties to raise disciples of Jesus. However, in 2011, some young students began to attend worship service. We pray for several Bible students to grow as student leaders through continuing Bible study. Johanee Jr brought his college friends and Esther Park invited her students and there were several students who came to study the Bible through outreach. Next year, David Jun and Samuel Jung will become college students. We pray for them to grow as influential men of God for campus ministry. We also pray for 50% attendence of Sunday worship service among the students who are studying the Bible.

Looking back on last year, many people in Japan suffered and died by the natural disasters. They lost their families, houses, jobs and so on. The radioactivity leaking has continued since then. Personally I grieved because my mother passed away and my younger brother, who has been living alone because of a mental handicap, was committed to a mental hospital. I deeply realized the value of families and understood the people who lost their loved ones due to calamities as did the Japanese. It turned out that people now have more interest in the family values and religion. However, there is a danger in terms of many false religions, that participated in relief efforts and captured the hearts of many people.

In the midst of the difficulties, God gave us his word, “Preach the Word In Season and Out of Season.” In Tokyo UBF, we pray for 50 one to one’s, raising 5 spiritual leaders and missionaries. For the whole UBF ministry in Japan, we pray for 120 one to one’s, 120 Sunday attendants, 12 students leaders, and sending missionaries to 47 prefectures in Japan and 47 Asia countries.

One word: Preach the Word

Written by M. Daniel Joung