Dear Family, Friends, and Partners in the Gospel,
Thank you so much for your prayers and support as we completed our first term of full-time language study! The class was hard work, but the firstfruits have taken the shape of a few simple words of God’s amazing love.
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Graduation with Teachers and Classmates
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One of our final homework assignments was to write a brief description of a famous American. After some reflection, John chose to write about Jim Elliot. I, Jo Beth, ever ready to finish my homework quickly as possible and get some rest, was amazed to watch as the Spirit prompted John to struggle in his elementary Japanese to tell of how Elliot-san gave his life to carry the good news of Christ to the Huaorani people because of God’s love for them. When John received his homework from the teacher there were many correction marks, but the final sentence was especially mottled. The teacher wrote in Japanese, “Excuse me, I didn’t understand, so I searched for the meaning on the internet—I think I found it: ‘He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.’”
In our world where we instinctively acquire and amass, such truth points to Jesus, who is the piercing light of salvation in this dark world. We pray that our teachers will be touched by the Light of Christ, even as they grade our homework, and that any skills we gain will bear fruit for the glory of God and His kingdom.
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The Tokyo Trek7 Team
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After class ended in late June, we welcomed our first Trek7 team of six interns! It continues to delight us how God opens opportunities for us to use the gifts and skills he has been developing in us. For John, mentoring and discipleship led naturally into strategic encouragement of two young men on the team as well as leading a weekly book study for the whole group. I, Jo Beth, have also been stretched in spending intentional time with some of the girls as well as equipping the group with life skills like grocery shopping, cooking and chores. Please pray for our remaining few weeks together—that these six will become both impassioned and equipped to live lives of worship that send ripples to the ends of the earth!
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The Trek7 Team hosts some Independence Day fun!
(Can you decipher it? “Happy Fourth”)
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Glory be to God!
John & Jo Beth Lee
For those of you who are interested in reading the Elliot story in super-simple Japanese, Take a look below:
ジム・エリオットは１９２７ねんに生まれました。こどものときイェスキリストについてわなしをきいたりせいしょをよんだりしました。それでいえすのあいがわかることがよくなりました。だいがくにいれったときエクアドルにすんでいるアウカひとのことをはじめてなりました。みんあは「アウカひとはあぶない、しらないひとをころすならい」とおもいました。
あとで１９５３ね んにえりおっとさんはエクアドルへいきましたがアウカひとにはひとりもあいませんでした。３ねなとでじむとともだちといっしょにしんりんにはいったときついにみつけました！ざんねんなことにアウカはみんあさんをころしました。かわいそうでした！
しかしじむさんおおくさん、エリザベス・エリオットは、ひたんしましが、ころしたひとをゆろして、かみさまのあいでアウカひとをまたあいしました。 すうねんあとエリザベスさんははじめてアウカひとにあって、よくしりあって、むらにひっこして、いっしょにすみました。たくさんのアウカひとがかみさまのあいをみて、きいて、しりました。かみさまあいですか、すごいですね！
「うしなうことのできないものをえるために、もちつづけられないものをあたえるひとは、けっしてばかものではない。」
ージムエリオット
