December 2022 Update
Getting Started with God
Today I took Mr. Kiritani, a Buddhist statue polisher, to the hospital. I have been sharing the gospel of Jesus with him every chance I get, but he has not been very receptive. But today he told me something that made me very happy.
The other day, I was fertilizing a fruit farm deep in the mountains with Mr. Kiritani.
When we finally finished the farm work and were about to drive home, the car would not start. Thinking it might be a battery problem, I brought another car and connected the battery to it, but the engine made no sound and did not start. After some investigation, it turned out that the starter motor was faulty.
However, the starter motor was located deep inside the engine, out of reach, and it was unlikely that it could be repaired there. It was also difficult to get the car to the repair shop from deep in the mountains where the roads were bad.
I had no choice but to leave the car there and as I was about to give up and go home, I heard a faint voice among the trees. It was a voice from God saying, "Did you rely on me?
I knew that there was nothing I could do in the current situation to get the engine running again, but I still prayed aloud for the engine to start so that Mr. Kiritani would know how awesome God is.
“Please, God, start the engine with your miraculous power! You are the One who always helps us in difficult times. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.”
To my surprise, the starter, which had not been running at all, suddenly started spinning vigorously, and then the engine started powerfully. Mr. Kiritani, who was watching beside me, stood there staring at me in amazement. Then he lost his words.
I thanked God from the bottom of my heart that He had especially helped us and demonstrated His power to Mr. Kiritani. And today, as I was taking Mr. Kiritani to the hospital again, he said to me:
“The God you believe in, Mr. Kurihara, is amazing. I have a short temper and get angry easily, and sometimes I cannot sleep for days because of the stress. As a result, I have come to depend on medication, and if it were possible, I would like to be cured by the God you believe in.”
I told him that he can be healed and overcome these struggles if he believed in and accepted the true God. I also encouraged him to read the Bible and pray every day. Then Mr. Kiritani said he would start praying to God, the Creator of all things, from today and went home.
God showed him a miracle by starting the engine of my car, which had broken down deep in the mountains, with His mighty hand, and Mr. Kiritani's heart was moved.
Please pray that he will be saved and blessed as he comes to know the true God more and more. Also, please pray that God will use our family richly for evangelism in Tsushima.
Please have a good Christmas and New Year holidays with your family. Thank you so much for your prayers and support for our family during this past year. I sincerely pray for God's abundant blessings upon you and your family.
Kimi Kurihara