In my research for this trip, I stumbled upon a ministry in Tokyo called Pray Yamanote. Pretty much every Tuesday for the past 13 years, believers have gathered to pray while riding the Yamanote loop around Tokyo. Every week, they stop at a different station to pray for that station specifically and to pass out gospel tracts to people walking past. There's also a group that meets on Zoom to pray at the same time. I was able to pray with them a few weeks before we left. Here’s a short video about the ministry:
We only had two full days in Tokyo, but one of them "happened" to be a Tuesday, so we were able to join Pray Yamanote! They also "happened" to be stopping at Ueno station, which was walkable for us. So, instead of riding the whole loop, we met them at Ueno station to pray and pass out tracts. I think most Christians would agree that tracts may not be the most effective way to reach someone, but in a place where millions haven't heard of Christianity, God can use the seeds planted to awaken hearts. We pray for the seeds to be planted on fertile soil.
We put on bright green shirts (Pray Yamanote: Praying over Tokyo one station at a time) and prayed with the team as a group and then set off in small groups. It was a struggle because so few people were even willing to take one. But Cooper and Chance had more success than any of us! In about 20 minutes, we gathered back together and had passed out 88. Fertile soil, Lord. Do what only You can do.
I had more luck later on the trains that day as I struck up conversations with people. In my broken Japanese, I could say that I had five sons and that my husband makes a video game magazine and that we came from America on a cruise ship and that we're going to Osaka. And then when I said, "Douzo" ("Here you go"), they were willing to take one to read.
I'm grateful for the opportunity to link up with such a great ministry in the heart of Tokyo, and I plan to continue to join them in prayer online in the years to come.
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