Hita 2023 - Entire Team
By: Elijah Lay
“Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.”
— Ephesians 5:1
Hi, Grace Community Church! My name is Elijah Lay and I have the wonderful privilege of telling you about some of the fantastic things that happened this Summer in the great city of Hita, Japan. My wife, Joanna, and I, along with two other couples, the Hardemans and the Millers, moved to Hita for three months to experience life amongst the beautiful Japanese people that live there. We three couples were then followed by this year’s student team, who led our yearly summer camp, and then this year’s Launch team! With each of our groups, we had the awesome experience of learning about Japanese culture, experiencing Japanese Christianity, and encountering the Love of the Father in a whole new light!
The three of us couples were on a mission to determine whether or not we were called to continue the ministry that Pastor Steve Headland has been heading in Hita for the past 30 years! This call to mission meant that we would need to live in Hita without our usual overhead support. We depended deeply on the loving families that most of us had past experiences with, our growing knowledge of the Japanese culture and language, but overall the strength of the Lord. We were tasked with finding out what it might look like to start businesses such as student centers, like the Cornerstone, and even small boarding schools for children in need.
This summer was the first time back after a three-year hiatus (COVID) for the Hita Natsu No Bouken Student Team and it was an absolute blast! Our team consisted of 5 students and three adult leaders. The team visited many schools in their month there, and they also led two elementary day camps, and a three-day & two- night junior high and high school camp, which were an unforgettable experience for everyone. The student team members also had the opportunity to share the love of Jesus by staying with host families and getting to know what it’s like to live in a Japanese home with Japanese parents and siblings.
Finally, our Launch team joined the couples and the student team in Hita, Japan for about 10 days. This was our first year developing a Launch team to do an overseas trip for the program and it was a great success! During their time in Hita, the Launch team got to travel the town with Pastor Steve and experience many Japanese cultural sights while learning about overseas work in a Japanese context. Some of the individuals also got to experience a Japanese homestay, while the two families visiting got to experience their own Japanese homes. The Launch team also got to help the student team with one of the elementary day camps! This summer gave all of us one of the best life experiences, but it also opened a wider door to showing the love of Jesus to people across the world. Japan has one of the largest unreached populations, but it’s not because the gospel isn’t there, as we ourselves were able to connect with three churches in Hita, but just as Jesus tells His disciples in Matthew 9:37, “...The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.” Jesus follows this statement with a call to action, PRAY! Pray that God sends people to Japan, and not only foreigners like us, but that He would also raise up Japanese disciples to make Japanese disciples! One of the best things some of us have learned from Pastor Steve about Hita is this: At one point in time in feudal Japan, every city around Hita had its own shogun, its own ruler, but not Hita. No, Hita itself was ruled directly by the emperor, the “son of heaven”! But we know that Hita is truly destined to be ruled by the true Son of Heaven, JESUS!ありがとうございました!
