Gathering at the Hi-b.a. Center in Shibuya at 7am, 32 people went out for morning tract distribution. Teams made up of GT, Hi-b.a. Staff, and Japanese alumni went to 14 different locations in the Shibuya metro area. After about an hour I managed to get maybe 8 tracts out, even though there were tons of kids streaming by. It was actually very refreshing to be out on the streets getting rejected and feeling the reality of the battle.
After breakfast, everyone came back to the Hi-b.a. Center for a time of getting to know the Japanese Hi-b.a. Staff. Using a mock GT rally situation, the staff introduced themselves and gave advice regarding the Let's Be Friends rallies. Dave led the worship time and gently brought us into the presence of God. Paul shared from his quiet time in 1 Chronicles about King David's attitude in going all out for Temple preparations, yet having the humility to say, "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." We continued in worship, with Dave challenging us to let go of those things that held us back from going all out for Him. We wept together freely, and then gathered around each staff person to pray for them and for the youth of Japan.
Carol and the crew brought in lunch and dinner that day, and Kanto teams used the time off to practice skits, songs, and testimonies while leaders met to hammer out logistics and plan ahead.
The tech crew of Ryan and Tim worked extra hard to get the blog up and running while handling their usual support team duties. Please send comments, suggestions and requests to admin@ihiba.org.
Thank you for your prayers.
-PAUL
