Christian Collaboration

One of the hardest parts of being a Christian in Japan is always feeling that you are alone. Though God is always with us, Christians were made to live in community. It is hard to imagine, coming from the United States, how lonely it feels to walk through a city and see skyscrapers full of non-believers, to go to schools full of non-believers, to ride trains full of non-believers, and to live in a family of non-believers. Without church, I could go months without ever encountering another Christian in Tokyo - or knowing that I had encountered a Christian.

However, thanks to the Lord's provision, I have met more Christians through taking ballet classes than I have anywhere else in Japan. I love getting to see their faces when they realize they aren't alone.

One day, after taking a few weeks of ballet classes, I felt the Lord's pull to give a Christian sticker to the girl standing next to me in the dressing room at ballet. I hesitated more times than I can say, but when the feeling persisted, I pulled out a "Jesus is Enough" sticker and handed it to "Ayako."

Ayako looked at the sticker, smiled, and said, "Christian?" pointing at me. I said yes, I was a Christian, and asked in sparse Japanese if she was a Christian. She said yes, to my surprise! Ayako was the first Japanese Christian who I met in Tokyo (outside of church). We spoke awkwardly for a few minutes through google translate, and I learned that she was the only Christian at the ballet studio. She was so happy that I was there because now she was not alone.

The next day, I got to ballet a little too early, but decided to go ahead and start warming up. My friend "Sakura" was already there, warming up by herself. I greeted her and started warming up for class. I noticed, a few minutes later, that she was wearing a cross necklace. I pointed to her necklace and said, "可愛い!!" to tell her that I liked her necklace. I pointed at mine and said that I was a Christian. She grinned. "Me too," she said. "But I'm the only one." It was my turn to smile. "No, you're not alone," I said. "Ayako is a Christian, too!" She looked absolutely surprised. "Really?" She said. "I thought I was the only one!"

Evangelism is needed in Japan. So much of what we do, where and when we perform, and how we act or speak is purposed towards evangelism. However, an aspect that I had not considered before is the importance of encouraging other believers!

Through ballet classes, the Lord has allowed me to meet these two girls in Tokyo as well as two teachers in Nagoya - and to encourage them and others to give them the strength to stand firm in their faith, even when they are alone.

The artwork, shown above, is a collaborative project that was started by Mayuko Shono. She drew the outline of 富士山 (Mount Fuji), a cherry tree, and Jesus carrying the cross. The artwork then traveled to a church in the United States, where pieces of paper were added to the mountain and the background.

The piece It then traveled to several churches in Japan, where the final touches were added by Japanese Christians, including Mayuko (on the right in the image) and my ballerina friend Kanako, just a few weeks before Kanako became a Christian. The artwork, these dance classes, and the performances that we are doing feel simple, but they are beautifully connecting Christians and spreading the joy of the gospel here in Japan.

Please pray for Mayuko Shono to continue making beautiful art that spreads the gospel. Praise the Lord for "Ayako" and "Sakura" and their faith. Pray for Christians to be encouraged and empowered in the lonely city of Tokyo!

Thanks for reading! More coming soon :)

Anna Gardner Herren

"He must increase, but I must decrease"

John 3:30