japan Winnie the World Loves ASIA PACIFIC Quick Facts JAPAN CHINA

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1 Winnie the World Loves japan Quick Facts Location: East of Korea, between the North Pacific Ocean on the east and the Sea of Japan on the west. Japan is the size of our State of California. The Land: Japan is an island nation, with four main islands and about 4,000 smaller ones. Hokkaido, the northern island, has mountains and forests. Most people live on Honshu, the largest island. Kyushu also has many people and many volcanoes. Shikoku is nestled between Kyushu and southern Honshu. Earthquakes are very common in all the islands, though most do no damage. Weather: Hokkaido has long snowy winters and cool summers. Honshu has hot, humid summers. The southern islands are very warm most of the year, like Florida. A NORTH KOREA Tokyo Assemblies of God Facts: The Japan Assemblies of God has nearly 350 churches with about 29,000 people attending. Thirty-one U.S. Assemblies of God missionaries work with the Japan Assemblies. One Bible school, in Tokyo, and two extension schools are training more than 50 new pastors. Capital City: Tokyo Population: million CHINA SOUTH KOREA TAIWAN JAPAN ASIA PACIFIC Main Language: Japanese Main People Groups: Japanese, Korean, Chinese and others Religions: Shintoism and Buddhism, New religions (mixing different beliefs), Christianity, Islam, other Lesson 5: JAPAN 133

2 japan L K What BGMC Has Done! Purchase children s books for evangelism Purchase children s videos for evangelism Purchase Sunday School materials Purchase Bible videos for kids Purchase Sunday School training materials Purchase Sunday School training equipment Purchase Sunday School teaching materials Purchase materials for child evangelism Purchase and send Missionettes uniforms for Japan Shipping costs for Missionettes materials Materials and supplies for outreach at a Japanese church Purchase Sunday School supplies for churches Evangelism resources for children s work in a church plant in Japan Postage for GPH supplies shipped to Japan Purchase children s evangelism supplies Funds to assist a church in Japan Provide children s materials for a church in Japan Purchase books for Tokyo library Purchase children s Bible story materials in Japanese Funds for outreach at the Tsukuba ICA church Funds to assist with Sunday School ministry in churches BGMC Missions Manual, Vol. 10

3 Winnie s Newsletter A take-home paper for kids! japan Study Hard! Yumiko s parents expect her to work hard in school. Kids go to school Monday through Saturday morning. School goes year round, with breaks between terms. Math and science are the most important subjects. To get into a private school, even a kindergartner must pass an entrance exam. There s lots of competition to get into the best schools, because these schools lead to good jobs. Some kids go to juku (cram) schools to study for their tests. Japanese kids spend a lot of time on reading and writing, because their language has three alphabets! Celebrate! On March 3, the Japanese celebrate Girls Day, also called Doll Day. Families with girl children have special food and drinks with friends, and they display hina ningyo dolls to wish the girls healthy growth and happiness. Golden Week is celebrated the first week of May. There are several holidays this week, so many Japanese take the entire week off. On May 5 they celebrate Children s Day (formerly Boys Day). Koi fish kites (koi are like carp) are flown from the rooftops one for each boy in the household. (See instructions for making fish kites in the Little Buddies section.) Yumiko Yumiko lives in Yokohama, a large city on the Pacific Ocean. She loves to watch the ships come and go in the busy harbor more than 100 ships each day! Yumiko s father works long hours at an office at the harbor. Her mother works at one of the many factories, making electronic equipment to ship off to other countries. Yokohama, near Tokyo, is part of the most crowded, largest urban area in the world. Often the family takes a very fast train, called the bullet train, to Tokyo to visit and shop Day On November 15, the Japanese celebrate a holiday called Shichigosan. Shichi Go San means Seven Five Three. Girls of ages seven and three, and boys of ages five and three, are celebrated on Shichigosan. Red and white candy sticks called Chitose-ame (thousandyear candy) are sold in bags decorated with turtles and cranes.

4 Japanese Need Jesus Most Japanese believe that spirits, including their dead ancestors, control their lives. They chant prayers, bring flowers and gifts to the temples, and work hard to please these spirits. Some mix different beliefs, called the new religions. But the gods of their religions make them afraid, not free. Jesus came to bring life and peace, and to set people free from their fears. This is the message Assemblies of God missionaries have preached in Japan for almost 100 years. The first family came in 1913 and opened a gospel hall in Tokyo. The father would preach in English in the hall or on the street while his teenage daughter interpreted. Other missionaries came, but they were forced to leave during World War II. One missionary lady was left behind because she was too sick to travel. For four years she was not allowed to leave her house. But after the war she helped get permission for other missionaries to enter Japan. We now have 31 missionaries working with the Japan Assemblies of God. Some lead churches, and some begin new churches. About 29,000 people attend Japan s Assemblies of God churches. Some churches begin outstations, where new Christians can meet. When an outstation has 15 members, it can become a church. Churches reach out to all kinds of people. Women s Ministries groups are growing. Children enjoy Sunday School, Royal Rangers and Missionettes clubs, kids camps, and special outreaches. Some churches have day cares and kindergartens. The youth have their own groups and camps. Chi Alpha Bible study groups reach young people in 25 universities. One church reaches out to homeless people living in the train station and parks. Central Bible College in Tokyo trains new pastors and evangelists. Japan has also sent missionaries to other lands. The Japan Assemblies of God literature department prints Sunday School materials, books, and other papers. BGMC helps a lot with this. Some of our missionaries work with non-japanese people who are living in Japan, such as Chinese university students. An international church draws English-speaking people. Some reach out to U.S. military servicemen stationed in Japan. The Japanese need to know that chanting prayers, giving flowers, or working hard will not save them. Only Jesus will! Let s Pray for our missionaries and their families. that God will call more Japanese to begin churches. Many cities have tens of thousands of people and no church. for the pastors and Bible school students. Many people do not want to hear about Jesus. Pray that God will help them to keep preaching no matter what! for the different ministries of our missionaries and the Japan Assemblies of God. for the children and young people of Japan, that they will grow up serving Jesus and not idols.

5 Winnie the World Skit japan Winnie the World Lves japan Winnie: Interviewer: Winnie: Interviewer: Winnie: Interviewer: Winnie: Interviewer: Winnie: (She enters carrying a dead [from a grocery store] fish or a toy rubber fish and a pair of chopsticks while singing her song to the tune of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush. ) Here we go round this great big world, this great big world, this great big world. Here we go round this great big world, telling people bout Jesus. Hi, everyone. Hi, Winnie. What are you doing with a fish and some sticks? I know, you re going to build a fire and cook some fish to eat, right? No, but the people in the country I m going to talk about today love to eat fish. Not cooked fish, but raw fish. Raw fish? I can t imagine eating raw fish. What country is it, Winnie? The country is Japan. Japan is an island nation located off the coast of Korea. It has four main islands and about 4,000 smaller islands. Most of the people live on the largest island. I ve heard of Japan. Their capital city is Tokyo, and a lot of our electronics and game systems come from Japan. Why do they love to eat so much fish, especially raw fish? Because Japan is an island nation, it is surrounded by the ocean. The people learned to eat lots of ocean creatures, like octopus, eel, clams, sea cucumbers, and of course, all kinds of fish. Winnie, you ve told us about the fish, but what about the sticks you re carrying? What are they for? The favorite food in Japan is sushi. Sushi is various kinds of raw fish and sea creatures rolled up with rice, vegetables, and seaweed. The people use these sticks, called chopsticks, to eat all of their food. They don t use forks. Lesson 5: JAPAN 137

6 Interviewer: Winnie: Interviewer: Winnie: Interviewer: Winnie: Interviewer: Winnie: Interviewer: Winnie: Interviewer: Winnie: Interviewer: Winnie: I ve heard of sushi. I tried it once, but it tasted strange. I also think it would be very hard to eat all of your food with chopsticks instead of a fork. It takes lots of practice. The Japanese would rather eat with chopsticks than a fork. Do we have missionaries working in Japan? Yes, we do. We have 31 missionaries. But their work is very hard. What do you mean, Winnie? There are 127 million people in Japan, but only 29,000 attend an Assemblies of God church. In the whole country we only have 350 churches and one Bible school. What religion do most of the people of Japan follow? Most Japanese belong to the Shinto or Buddhist religions, or they mix the two. They believe that spirits, including their dead family members, control their lives. They are very afraid of these spirits, so they chant prayers and bring flowers and gifts to the temples. It sounds like the gods of those religions make them afraid, not free. They need to know about Jesus love and that He came to bring peace and joy. This is one of the reasons why missionaries are so important. If it wasn t for missionaries going to countries like Japan, the people would never know the truth. We need more and more missionaries because there are so many people in the world who need Jesus. That s why it s important for kids to pray and to keep their hearts open to see if God wants them to be a missionary. Many of our missionaries were kids when God first called them to go and be a missionary. That s right. If God wants you to be a missionary, He will lead you and guide you to the country He wants you to go to. He ll also take care of you. Thank you for coming today, Winnie, and reminding us about how important missionaries are and the work that they do. We also enjoyed learning about Japan. Good-bye. Good-bye, everyone. Whenever you see chopsticks or raw fish, remember to pray for all the people of Japan who need Jesus. Also pray for the work our missionaries are doing there. Sing with me as I go. (She exits singing her song.) Here we go round this great big world, this great big world, this great big world. Here we go round this great big world, telling people bout Jesus BGMC Missions Manual, Vol. 10

7 Words & Phrases japan Konnichiwa (ko-ni-chee-wa) Ohayo (o-hi-yo) Oyasumi (o-ya-sue-me) Sayonara (sa-yo-na-da) Ganbare (gun-baa-day) O namae wa desu. Arigato (a-d-ga-toe) Dozo Do itashimashite Moshi Moshi Gomen nasai Hello. Good morning. Good night. Good-bye. Do your best. What s your name? My name is. Thank you. Please You re welcome. Hello (on the phone) Pardon me, excuse me. ichi ni san shi go roku shichi hachi kyuu juu one two three four five six seven eight nine ten (We apologize, but pronunciations of the letters was not available to us.) Lesson 5: JAPAN 139

8 japan Speedy D. Light Skit (Speedy D. Light comes racing from behind stage. Screeching car brakes are heard and up pops Speedy. He talks fast and hardly stops for a breath. When he gets too excited, he beeps. His catchy key line is, I am so excited! Beep! Beep! ) Hi, boys and girls. Speedy D. Light here. Have you ever been to the country of Japan? I have! Did you know that Speed the Light and BGMC are helping missionaries reach the people of Japan for Jesus? They are! Let me tell you about it! I am so excited! Beep! Beep! Missionaries Daniel and Venda McLean spent many years in Japan trying to reach the Japanese people for Jesus. The McLeans were given Speed the Light vehicles to drive all across Japan. BGMC provided literature, tracts, and Bibles to give to the people. The McLeans traveled to many villages telling people about Jesus. If it hadn t been for teenagers giving to Speed the Light, and boys and girls giving to BGMC, they would have never been able to reach these Japanese people with the gospel. I am so excited! Beep! Beep! Sometimes God does miracles to help people learn about Him. Once in Japan, a man tried to kill himself by jumping off a high mountain cliff. Down below was deep rushing water filled with jagged rocks. But God had a plan. The man hit the water and miraculously missed all the rocks! He wasn t killed by the rocks, and he didn t drown. It was such a miracle to be alive, the man somehow knew that God had spared his life, yet he didn t know who God was. Then he heard God speak to him and tell him to go back to his hometown. When he arrived, he found the McLeans holding a crusade there. He listened and then gave his heart to Jesus! I am so excited! Beep! Beep! God had spared his life so that he could become a Christian. Some day, God may call you to be a missionary. Until He does, you can be a missionary at home by giving to BGMC. When you are a teenager, give to Speed the Light. Spend time praying for the missionaries and for the lost around the world. Tell your friends and neighbors about Jesus. I am so excited! Beep! Beep! Well, I gotta go! Keep giving to BGMC! When I come back, I ll tell you about another country where Speed the Light and BGMC team up to help win the world for Jesus! I am so excited! Beep! Beep! (He races off and the sound of squealing tires is heard.) BGMC Missions Manual, Vol. 10

9 Missions Object Lesson japan Wise Gift, Foolish Gift Key Scripture 1 Corinthians 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. Materials Needed Box covered with pretty gift wrap and a bow Trash bag and twister tie Crumpled newspaper Prize Preparation Place the prize inside the trash bag and fill the trash bag with crumpled newspaper. Tie the trash bag shut. Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. COPYRIGHT 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Lesson 5: JAPAN 141

10 Presentation I need a volunteer to come up here. (Select a child to come to the front.) Do you see these two items I have? (Show him the gift and the trash bag.) Now I want you to choose one. (Let the child choose whichever gift he wants. Select the appropriate dialog below, depending on which item the child chose.) PRETTY GIFT: I see you ve chosen the pretty gift. Most people would think that s a wise choice. You expect a nice gift to be inside the box, don t you? Why don t you open it and see what it is? (Let the child open the box. He should find nothing inside it.) Wow, that s too bad. There s nothing inside. What seemed to be a wise choice turned out to be foolish. If there was nothing in the pretty box, what do you think might be in the trash bag? (Allow response.) Let s open it and find out. (Open the trash bag and show the prize. Proceed to the closing dialog below.) TRASH BAG: You ve chosen a bag of trash. Do you want to see what s inside it? (Allow response.) What do the rest of you think is inside the trash bag? (Allow the class to respond.) Most people might think you made a foolish choice. Usually there is trash inside a trash bag. Why don t you open it and see what s inside? (Let the child open the trash bag and find the prize inside. Let the child keep the prize. Proceed to the closing dialog below.) CLOSING DIALOG: In this object lesson, what seemed to be a wise choice turned out to be foolish. What seemed to be a foolish choice turned out to be wise. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1:27 that God chose the foolish things to shame the wise. That means that God likes to take things that are foolish or weak, or things that seem unworthy, and make them into something wonderful. Sometimes you might feel unworthy. Maybe you feel that you re not smart enough to be used by God, or not strong enough. But God likes to take people just like you and make you into exactly the kind of person He needs. Never give up! God has a wonderful plan for you! Written by Lisa Lyons BGMC Missions Manual, Vol. 10

11 True Missions Story japan Hide s Dream (Picture 1) (Picture 1) Hide (pronounced HEE-day) awoke with a start. What a strange dream! He sat up in his bed, thinking about the dream he had during the night. He dreamed that he saw a man with black skin. The man called to him and said, Come here. Hide was only nine years old, and he had never seen a man like that before. Because of his dream, he became very interested in Afro-Americans. He wanted to learn more about those people. Hide began to listen to hip-hop music and to rap music. He began to learn English by listening to the lyrics in the songs. He began to dress like the dancers and rappers he saw on MTV. He even began to dream about becoming a DJ someday and entertaining friends with his favorite music. (Picture 2) (Picture 2) Over the years, Hide grew up and went to college. There he saw some Afro- Americans break-dancing on his college campus. He walked up to watch more closely. When he approached, someone gave him a flyer about a meeting with the people from America. Curious, Hide went to the meeting. He discovered that it was a missions group of college students who came from America to tell the Japanese people about Jesus. Hide liked the Americans, especially one Afro-American named Justin. To Hide s amazement, Justin looked just like the man in the dream he had so many years ago. He had always remembered that dream of the man with black skin telling him to Come. Lesson 5: JAPAN 143

12 (Picture 3) (Picture 3) Hide spent a long time talking with Justin and the others. They especially talked about the differences between Black Islam and Christianity. At one time, Hide had read a book about Malcolm X and had thought about becoming a Black Muslim. Before meeting the Christian college students and hearing their stories, he thought that was the most inspirational book he had ever read. However, after learning that Christianity is based on God s love for people, Hide changed his mind. After having many such discussions for two weeks, Justin finally asked Hide if he wanted to become a Christian. Usually Japanese people don t make serious decisions so quickly. But Hide s dream convinced him that these people spoke the truth. The dream that he had when he was nine helped to break down the barriers he might have felt toward these foreigners and the things they were saying. Hide accepted Jesus into his heart and became a believer. Because there are so few Christians in Japan, Japanese people often feel afraid to tell others about their faith. Sometimes they are pressured by friends and family members to give up their faith in Jesus Christ. However, three weeks after the American student left Japan, Hide boldly gave his testimony to other Japanese students who met for a weekly Bible study. Information for this story was provided by missionary Susan Ricketts and is used with permission from Assemblies of God World Missions BGMC Missions Manual, Vol. 10

13 Hide dreamed that he saw a man with black skin. The man called to him and said, Come here. Lesson 5: JAPAN 145

14 To Hide s amazement, Justin looked just like the man in the dream he had so many years ago BGMC Missions Manual, Vol. 10

15 Hide spent a long time talking with Justin and the others. Lesson 5: JAPAN 147

16 japan Activity Page Do in class or use as a take-home paper! Popcorn Cherry Blossoms Japan is famous for its beautiful cherry blossoms, which bloom from March (in the south) to May (in the north). The blossoms stay for only a few days, so when the trees bloom, people hold hanami (treeviewing) parties under the trees. They arrive early in the morning to choose their picnic spot, and leave a blanket and someone to guard their spot until everyone in their group can come. There are hundreds of Cherry Blossom Festivals across Japan every spring. The sakura (cherry) trees are loaded with white or pink flowers that look like popcorn. Here are instructions to make your own sakura tree. You will need: q One sheet of construction paper for the background q Green construction paper q Leaf pattern (below) q Pencil q Scissors q Several thin twigs or brown chenille wire q Popped popcorn q Glue or a glue stick Instructions: 1. Cut out the leaf pattern. Using the green construction paper, trace around the pattern to make as many leaves as you wish. Cut out the leaves. 2. On the background paper, arrange the twigs or chenille wire to form a tree. Glue these to the paper. 3. Arrange your leaves, scattering them among the twigs. Glue them down. 4. Glue the popped popcorn all along both sides of the twigs. Let parts of the leaves peek through. 5. Pray for the people of Japan! Leaf Pattern: resize as desired BGMC Missions Manual, Vol. 10

17 TEACHERS: This colored Scripture Picture can be found in the slide presentation for this lesson! Scripture Picture Key Scripture 1 Corinthians 1:27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. COPYRIGHT 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Lesson 5: JAPAN 149

18 Winnie s Wecipes japan Make ahead of time and share with the children! japan Watermelon Ice 3 c. watermelon juice* 1 3 c. sugar 1 4 c. lemon juice Heat watermelon juice, lemon juice, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Do not boil! Let cool. When cool, pour mixture into plastic container and put into freezer. Stir mixture every 20 minutes until frozen, about 2 hours. Cover. Store in freezer. Makes 4 servings. *In a food processor or blender, process chunks of watermelon until liquified BGMC Missions Manual, Vol. 10

19 BGMC True Missions Story from Around the World This Booklet Belongs to: Equipping kids to know, care, pray, give, and reach the lost! BGMC 1445 N. Boonville Avenue Springfield, MO (417) Hide s Dream

20 Hide s Dream Hide (pronounced HEE-day) awoke with a start. What a strange dream! He sat up in his bed, thinking about the dream he had during the night. He dreamed that he saw a man with black skin. The man called to him and said, Come here. Hide was only nine years old, and he had never seen a man like that before. Because of his dream, he became very interested in Afro-Americans. He wanted to learn more about those people. Hide began to listen to hip-hop music and to rap music. He began to learn English by listening to the lyrics in the songs. He began to dress like the dancers and rappers he saw on MTV. He even began to dream about becoming a DJ someday and entertaining friends with his favorite music. Over the years, Hide grew up and went to college. There he saw some Afro-Americans break-dancing on his college campus. He walked up to watch more closely. When he approached, someone gave him a flyer about a meeting with the people from America. Curious, Hide went to the meeting. He discovered that it was a missions group of college students who came from America to tell the Japanese people about Jesus. Hide liked the Americans, especially one Afro-American named Justin. To Hide s amazement, Justin looked just like the man in the dream he had so many years ago. He had always remembered that dream of the man with black skin telling him to Come. Hide spent a long time talking with Justin and the others. They especially talked about the differences between Black Islam and Christianity. At one time, Hide had read a book about Malcolm X and had thought about becoming a Black Muslim. Before meeting the Christian college students and hearing their stories, he thought that was the most inspirational book he had ever read. However, after learning that Christianity is based on God s love for people, Hide changed his mind. After having many such discussions for two weeks, Justin finally asked Hide if he wanted to become a Christian. Usually Japanese people don t make serious decisions so quickly. But Hide s dream convinced him that these people spoke the truth. The dream that he had when he was nine helped to break down the barriers he might have felt toward these foreigners and the things they were saying. Hide accepted Jesus into his heart and became a believer. Because there are so few Christians in Japan, Japanese people often feel afraid to tell others about their faith. Sometimes they are pressured by friends and family members to give up their faith in Jesus Christ. However, three weeks after the American student left Japan, Hide boldly gave his testimony to other Japanese students who met for a weekly Bible study. Information for this story was provided by missionary Susan Ricketts and is used with permission from Assemblies of God World Missions.

21 Little Buddies Lessons for young children! japan Lesson Insight The Japanese people worship many false gods. They need to know that there is only one true God, and Jesus is His Son. Prayer Focus Pray that the children of Japan will grow up serving Jesus instead of serving many false gods. True Missions Story Refer to the elementary portion of this manual. The True Missions Story for Japan can be found on page 143: Hide s Dream. Group Time (Show the country on a world map or globe. Maps can be found in the file called ColoringPages in the SupplementalResources folder. Click here to open it.) Today we re going to learn about a country called Japan. Can you say Japan? (Allow responses.) The word Japan means rising sun. (Click here to open a picture of the flag.) You can see a picture of the rising sun on Japan s flag. Does your family own a computer? (Allow responses.) Do you have an older brother or sister who likes to play computer games? Japan is known for making computers and computer programs, including computer games. Do you like to spend time with your family? (Allow responses.) I think we all like to do things with our families. To the people in Japan, family is very important. Children learn to respect their grandparents and their parents. They even learn to respect and worship relatives who are dead. Many Japanese people believe that the spirits of their dead relatives can control their lives. They say prayers to these dead people, and they bring gifts like flowers to the temples. The Bible says that we should worship only God and His Son, Jesus. Little Buddies Lesson 5: JAPAN 307

22 The Bible also says that we should not say prayers to people who are dead, but we should only pray to God. Let s pray to God right now for the people of Japan, that they will learn that there is only one true God, and that Jesus is His Son. They need to know the good news that God will hear their prayers and answer them! (Lead the children in prayer.) Learning Activity: FISH KITE In May, children in Japan fly fish kites. We are going to make fish kites for you to hang in your houses. Materials Needed For each child, you will need: 1 copy of each of the patterns on pages (Optional) This manual on CD includes a larger pattern (11x17) to make a bigger kite fish, if you wish. Or you could enlarge the small pattern on a copy machine. Crayons Wadded newspaper Stapler String Hole punch Crepe paper streamers (optional) Instructions 1. Give each child a copy of both pages of the fish kite pattern, and let him color them both. 2. Attach the two fish pictures together using staples all along the top, bottom, and tail of the fish. 3. Stuff the fish with wadded newspaper, then staple the mouth shut. Staple streamers to the tail, if desired. 4. Punch a hole in the upper corner of the fish and tie a long string through it. 5. Tell the children to hang their fish kites inside or outside their houses, and to remember to pray for Japan whenever they see their kites BGMC Missions Manual, Vol. 10

23 TEACHERS: The manual on CD includes a larger pattern (11x17) to make a bigger fish kite, if you wish. Or you could enlarge this page on a copy machine. Patterns Click here to open it! Little Buddies, Lesson 5: JAPAN 2007 by Gospel Publishing House, 1445 N. Boonville Ave., Springfield, Missouri All rights reserved. Permission to replicate for church use only. 335

24 Patterns Little Buddies, Lesson 5: JAPAN by Gospel Publishing House, 1445 N. Boonville Ave., Springfield, Missouri All rights reserved. Permission to replicate for church use only.

25 2007 by Gospel Publishing House, 1445 N. Boonville Ave., Springfield, Missouri All rights reserved. Permission to replicate for church use only.

26 2007 by Gospel Publishing House, 1445 N. Boonville Ave., Springfield, Missouri All rights reserved. Permission to replicate for church use only.