A trip to the Onsen

This weekend our pastor, Abe-sensei, took us to his home in the neighbouring prefecture of Wakayama (about an hour and a half drive from OBC). During our time with the Abe’s we experienced amazing hospitality and generosity. We felt so at home spending time with them, it felt like we were visiting Grandma and Grandpa.

On Sunday we had our first Onsen experience. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, it is a Japanese natural hot spring. At the onsen, men and women separate into different areas and bare all in the name of relaxation! I was quite nervous, being well aware that a city boy from Canada would stick out like a sore thumb! However, after sinking into the first of six hot baths, all my fear and nervousness melted away.The sixth, incredibly scenic, bath was so hot it felt like I was stepping into a pool of lava in the mouth of a raging volcano. After settling in, I could literally feel the marrow in my bones begin to heat up. It was at this point, looking out over a picturesque landscape, that an overwhelming sense of peace overcame me. This feeling of peace brought John 14:27 to mind, which says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” 

Most Japanese people visit the onsen regularly because of the peace and relaxation it brings. However, Jesus offers us a peace that is free and continuous; it is a deeper peace than any hot springs could ever give. Please pray that the Japanese people would come to know the Peace we have in our Lord and Saviour. 

In regard to our English classes, we are now up to around 30 students! PRAISE THE LORD! God has been faithful in responding to the many prayers for more students. As we settle into our weekly routine, we now realize an unexpected challenge and duty here in Japan: empowering the local church leaders!

At the moment, only our Wednesday class has a “chapel time,” lead by the pastor, Abe-sensei. Since he is not at the church everyday, we need other church members who are willing to share the Gospel with our English students. We feel it is important for the Japanese to hear the Word in their own heart-language. Though we do have church elders present during our lessons, they do not feel qualified to lead a devotion because they do not have the ‘Pastor’ title. Please pray that our church elders would feel a sense of duty and joy in sharing the Gospel, and that God would provide them with the confidence to do so.

Thank you again for your prayers!

May the LORD bless you and keep you all,

Logan & Heidi Foth

Outside the Abe's home in Wakayama

One of our students dressed us up in Kimonos!

Moi Samte (OBC's previous English teacher from Japan Mission), Mr & Mrs Abe - Adventure World

New Beginnings

Hello to you!

It's hard to believe the month of September has already come and gone. We happily welcomed the month of October, as with it came our new teaching schedule. Instead of only teaching one day a week, we will now be teaching three days a week. Thus far, we have had about seven new students register! Praise God for his faithful provision! We've enjoyed meeting these new students and are encouraged that some people have actually noticed the English flyer in their newspaper or mailbox. Please continue to pray for more students to join our class and that Logan and I would have patience as we wait. We find peace knowing that the Lord has already hand-picked each student He wants to join our classroom.

We are continuing to settle into Japanese daily life; our apartment is starting to feel more and more like our home. We began private Japanese language classes in mid September, which have been going  so well! Our teacher lives in the neighbourhood and teaches both English and Japanese; we are very fortunate to have such a great resource so close nearby. We aim to study at least one hour everyday, as the language barrier continues to be our biggest challenge in sharing the Gospel.

Somedays we feel very useless and we ask ourselves, what's the point in us being here if we can't even tell someone about Jesus in his/her own language? However, John 13:34-35 has been a strong reminder and encouragement. It says "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." Our main duty is to demonstrate God's love and the fruits of the Spirit to the Japanese people.

Thank you for the many prayers and words of encouragement many of you have sent our way. We appreciate your support so much!

Praise & Prayer:

-Praise God for our new English students, as well as fellowship with local Japanese people and our MB Mission team this month
-Please pray that Logan and I would be able to demonstrate God's love through our daily living
-Continue to pray for our Japanese language development/communication
-Pray that we will keep feeling more at home here in Japan, and also for our marriage as we adjust to spending every waking minute together... :)

Thank you!
Logan & Heidi Foth

This photo is from a baseball game we attended Sept. 27th; Osaka's Hanshin Tigers!