Trip to Japan

Several years ago, I began to pray a simple prayer: "Lord Jesus, please allow my books to be translated into Japanese, and please allow me to one day preach the gospel in that nation." Because of my Japanese ancestry (my mother is a second-generation Japanese American) and the weakness of the Christian church in Japan, this prayer was both earnest and difficult to imagine being fulfilled. But today, by God's grace, my first three books have been published in Japanese and are doing relatively well for a country where Christians make up less than 1% of the population. And, on November 20, I'll board a non-stop flight from Dulles to Tokyo and the full answer to my prayer will be realized. I'll be traveling with Shannon, our two oldest kids, my mother, and my Japanese grandmother Lily Sato who, though she was born here in the States, was forced into an internment camp in California during WWII. We'll be there for two weeks. Lord willing, I'll be speaking at a national conference for homeschool families in Sendai, and then to a gathering of teens and singles in Tokyo.

I would love to hear from any of you who know Japan well. If you have any tips or suggestions on what to see and do, please post them here. Also, I'd love any thoughts on Japanese people and culture that could serve me in my preaching.

If you live in Japan, you're welcome to join us--particularly for the event in Tokyo. You can get information on both the homeschool conference and the Tokyo Seminar here.

Please pray for our safety, and for God to use my preaching to encourage the Christians in Japan and to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm not an experienced international traveler, and I certainly have never done a 16 hour flight with a 6- and 4-year-old! So please remember us in your prayers.