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On November 14, 2009, eight of us in Japan gathered together for Arise! Cry Out! During our event, we watched segments of the DVD and especially enjoyed the song that included the children's pictures from around the world. We experienced a wonderful time of prayer together and were encouraged to meet people from other groups.
One lady who is in my group also started a group at her church. Some non-Christian moms came who were experiencing struggles with their children. This Moms In Touch prayer group provided a place for them to share openly and be encouraged. They came to know Christ and were baptized. Another woman started a group at her child's kindergarten. Fifteen moms attended the first meeting and were very excited to meet other Christian moms.
Japan is known to be very resistant to the gospel with less than 1% of the population claiming Evangelical Christian faith. Although Japan may appear economically successful, many young Japanese people wander with no purpose in life. In fact, there is a high rate of "hikikomori," where the person refuses to leave his/her room. Other serious problems found with Japan's youth include bullying, sometimes resulting in suicide, and prostitution. Family dysfunction is common.
In the midst of these issues, we in our MITI groups have prayed our children through bullying and other social problems. We have prayed for teachers who are under tremendous stress and for ourselves as mothers, and we have seen God answer! Over the past couple years, I have been in touch with fifteen ladies who have inquired about joining current MITI groups or starting their own groups, from Okinawa far to the south, to Shikoku, to Aichi, to Yokohama and several areas in Tokyo. In total, there are approximately nine groups covering over fifteen schools.
Our Moms In Touch groups in Japan are somewhat small in number, but the spiritual impact of our faithfulness to pray is very great because we have a great God!
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