letter from Japan
One of my favourite things about the city of Sapporo is how safe it is for children.
As soon as they start primary school (aged six) children walk to and from school by themselves, and go out to the park by themselves. Of course there are incidents, and children are equipped to recognise and get away from potentially dangerous adults, but overall children have a lot of freedom.
Despite being a small church, when we run kids’ outreach events at church we sometimes get 30 or 40 non-church children. Younger children come with their parents, but most primary school children just come by themselves (without need for permission slips!).
Many of them stay around at church to play or chat after the event has finished. In this way, as well as through involvement in community events, volunteering at school and our children’s friends, we have built strong relationships with many local children and hundreds of children have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and like being at church.
Amongst Japanese adults who turn up at churches, a significant proportion mention that they went to a Christian kindergarten or to Sunday School with a friend.
We have not yet seen any of the children we’ve reached come through to faith (though some have shown serious interest), but it is wonderful to sow so many seeds in so many young hearts. Lord, please bring a harvest amongst these children and their families!
