fbpx
New podcast each Tuesday!

New Beginnings in Japan

Share This Post

We are excited to announce the launch of Friends with the Voiceless International, our newest DNA global affiliate! You can view their new website here. At this time, the site is viewable only in Japanese.

Dr. Eisuke Kanda at the 2007 DNA Forum

Led by Dr. Eisuke Kanda, Shun Jinnai, and Midori Yanagisawa, Friends with the Voiceless Int’l brings a message of hope to churches in Japan and around the world.

According to Dr. Kanda, “The concept of the Kingdom of God is not well understood by churches in Japan. To help the church grasp this message of hope, we use the analogy of transforming a desert into a forest.”

“We teach an abbreviated Vision Conference that typically is hosted over a weekend, with two sessions on Saturday, two sessions on Sunday, plus a sermon,” said co-leader Shun Jinnai. “We always begin by asking participants to identify those things that presently make Japan a ‘desert’ and what the church can do to transform the desert into a forest.”

In Japan, a sense of hopelessness abounds. In the past 12 years, there have been more than 30,000 confirmed suicides.  The number of Japanese youth who describe themselves as “very lonely” is 29 percent, the highest rate in the developed world. Eleven percent say, “I should never have been born.” Japan’s birthrate  has dropped to 1.2, one of the lowest rates in the developed world.

Into this context of hopelessness, Friends with the Voiceless Int’l is boldly proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom, and the necessity of the church to practice a lifestyle of love–identifying the needs of one’s neighbors and taking practical steps to respond.

After Shun attended a Vision Conference in Japan four years ago, he was challenged by DNA co-founder Bob Moffitt to do a seed project. Shun said his first project was very, very simple. He started by picking up one piece of trash at a train station he frequented.

Shun Jinnai

This first step of obedience led to others. He came back to the station later and cleaned up all the trash. As he did, the Lord  spoke to his heart. He began to look into the faces of his fellow commuters, and it was as if God were saying, “there is trash inside of people that I want to clean up.”

This led to a bold step of obedience. How to clean up the trash in people’s hearts? He set up a small booth on the train station platform with a sign that read, “If you need someone to talk to, we will listen.” Surprisingly, many people stopped at the booth and began to pour out their hurts and pain. Shun simply listened and prayed. This went on for more than two years, and in that time, several people responded to an invitation to give their lives to Christ.

According to Shun, “Now that station is very clean.” Now there are similar “listening booths” in train stations in eight Japanese cities. One of these was featured on a national television broadcast.

Shun stresses that none of this would have happened unless he had taken one simple step of obedience–picking up that first piece of trash.

Midori Yanagisawa Training Event in Ghana

Today, Friends with the Voiceless Int’l challenges Christians and non-Christians alike to put love into practice and take simple steps of obedience. By the power and grace of God, that is how deserts turn into forests.

Friends with the Voiceless Int’l is registered as an independent organization. This represents a significant step of faith for founder Eisuke Kanda. A graduate of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois, he served as a National Director of Japan Campus Crusade for Christ for ten years before joining JIFH. Eisuke became the general secretary of Japan International Food for the Hungry (JIFH) in 1984. While with JIFH, Dr. Kanda began teaching DNA messages in Japan under the name, “Kingdom Consortium.”

Co-worker Midori Yanagisawa also served for many years with JIFH including extensive service in Bangladesh, and other countries. She recently attended a training workshop in Ghana, West Africa, hosted by Chris Ampadu, West Africa coordinator of Samaritan Strategy Africa.

Please pray for Dr. Kanda, Shun and Midori as they take this exciting step of faith!

Learned something new? Have a question? Enjoying this post? Let us know!

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
3 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
trackback

[…] as many husbands have gone to find work elsewhere. Divorce has skyrocketed. In this country where 29 percent of youth describe themselves as “very lonely” and suicide rates are high, FVI helps unite and equip the Church to bear the hope of […]

trackback

[…] Jinnai serves as co-leader of Friends With The Voiceless, a ministry bringing a message of hope to churches in Japan and around the world. Shun was […]

Christine Keuer
Christine Keuer
12 years ago

Thank you for this step of faith! I have not recently read of anything like this.My daughter was born in Japan and raised in Chicago.She presently is a junior in college and will travel to the Ashish Center in New Delhi. I am praying that this will affect her heart ever more to help those with different abilities. Thank you Dr. Kanda, Shun, and Midori.
Mrs. Christine Keuer

Like what you're reading?

Subscribe to the DNA blog and get updates directly in your inbox.

Recent

Podcast Episode

The Imago Dei

What is your purpose as a Christian? To glorify God? To become Christlike and shine His light? Yes, but how… where does God most clearly lay out His purpose for humanity? In Genesis. This is when God created the world overflowing with beauty and potential, placed humans in it, and presented His first commision for us. Together we will unpack what it means to be made imago Dei, in the image of God. Understanding this concept is critical, and there are consequences if we do not. Learn how an understanding of imago Dei can change individuals, businesses, communities, and nations so that they flourish in the mission God’s given them.

Podcast Episode

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder with Brian Chan

Truth, goodness, and beauty are the hallmarks of the Kingdom of God, but sadly we often overlook the “beauty.” We all see a crystal clear river and say it is beautiful. We see another stagnate with debris and trash and say it is polluted and ugly. Why do we share this universal understanding of beauty? Where does this shared understanding come from? There is an intrinsic answer here that points straight back to our Creator. Today we are joined by artist, entrepreneur, professor, author, speaker, and pastor Brian S. Chan. Brian wrote his thesis on the beauty of God and art in worship and has never looked back as he continues to share and deepen his understanding of beauty and the Kingdom. During our discussion, we asked is beauty objective, where does it come from, why do humans pursue ugliness, when did the church have a vision for beauty, and what does a theology of beauty look like? Last, we get practical and ask how can each of us apply this concept into our daily lives.

3
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
small_c_popup.png

Let's have a chat

Learn how we helped 100 top brands gain success.