March began with a quick trip to Japan.  The last week of February, was a particularly special day for me, so my wife decided it would be nice to treat me to a little vacation, so we made the choice to go to the nearest island of Japan we could find.  Before taking the ferry over, we met up with some ministry minded friends who suggested I connect with the local missionaries there.  Following a contact, I connected with a pastor who encouraged us to enjoy the hospitality of the missionaries and show our support as God allowed.  Well, the Lord brought our trip together and we were able to take some book samples in Japanese and Korean that they needed, as well as a few copies of Steps to Jesus, the Great Controversy, and a book by Pastor Ted Wilson, all in Japanese.

Sabbath morning, I was introduced to an elderly gentleman who had recently been baptized who was attending their company worship service.  He had disease throughout his body, and was hearing negative voices in his head.  For Church, I shared my testimony, we sang songs, and then we gave Spiritual and Health counsel to this elderly gentleman.  It warmed my heart to see how receptive he was to the teachings.  It was all new and fresh to him.  With everything we translated, he said, “Oh!” …with raised eyebrows.  He was actually drinking it in.  I can see the reward in working in a place where people haven’t ever heard of Seventh-day Adventists.  It was rich and rewarding.  The location was so tranquil and pleasant, we mused that a summer home there would seem too good to be true.

Kimmy, the manager of that mission location, relies on the Lord’s providence for his support.  There is a little support for housing from the church conference, but for everything else, they’re on their own.  Upon asking the Lord for a location to teach youngsters Bible classes, God provided an abandoned school that was not in use.  Apparently most of the young people are moving to the big cities and leaving the islands mostly inhabited by an elderly Buddhist majority.  So, Kimmy reports starting with a group of 12 students, whose parents eventually forbade them to study about God.  Days after, the class was disbanded as the students vanished.  Upon praying for more students, class members began to trickle in and now, as in Job’s case, 12 new students have been restored to Kimmy, and most of the parents are pleased at the subject matter and the results of the classes.

I was unable to get a photo of the school on this trip, but look forward to photographing it when our next trip becomes possible.  As KMM funds are a low, we dipped into our personal funds for a donation to help with their food, fuel, and living expenses.  Fuel in Japan is uncommonly high, so the vehicles here are uncommonly miniature.  Also, Kimmy saw that hospitals in the area were not accepting patients, so people had to travel an extra distance to the hospital.  Seizing this opportunity, he reached out to God in prayer and requested an electric car.  That’s right, you heard me, a fully electric vehicle.  As we arrived there, Kimmy reported an anonymous donor has pledged to send him a fully electric car by the week following our return to Korea.  This would serve as a sort of a non-emergency ambulance or shuttle to take people from their homes to the hospital in style.  Hopefully the city there will also note the benefits of Adventists in the area.

If you would like to send books in Japanese to these missionaries in Japan, you can go to the GMI website and look for their ministry there and donate, or you can send us a note with your donation here, and we’ll work with EGPA to get the books there.  Either Samuel or I will probably take them there myself.  Thanks!  All in all, it was a great trip.  My wife really enjoyed the scenery and connecting with his Korean wife and two adorable little children.  She even enjoyed playing with their big fluffy cat.  He looked a lot like Garfield.  We’re back now, and it’s back to the grind.  My hope is to find a solution to successfully accomplishing this mission before my time is up.  Prayers are always welcome.

God Bless You,

H. G. Smith
Korea Media Missions Coordinator