Babienco Missions

• We successfully completed eleven months of intensive Japanese courses, starting with our language school’s Beginner 1 course and running through the Intermediate 5 course that ended October 25; 660 hours of in-class Japanese education, not to mention many study hours outside of class. The first class had many English explanations, and our final class was almost entirely run in Japanese, including grammar explanations. We studied thousands of vocabulary words and many grammar points and learned over 500 kanji (Chinese characters used along with the two Japanese syllabaries in writing). We can share stories, make short speeches and more. God has blessed us abundantly. We still have a long road ahead of us in language learning, but we now have a very solid foundation in a very difficult language.

• Language school has been an opportunity to not just learn Japanese but also meet new people, make friends, and be a witness for Christ. Several of our language teachers have become friends; one in particular will stop when she sees us and talk with us for up to an hour (in Japanese!) just for fun if she’s not busy. We have occasionally been able to share Christian and SDA ideas in class, and several teachers have noted that we are different than other couples that have gone through school. We hope and pray that we can see our language teachers again both in Japan and in heaven.
• Many hurdles of being a foreigner in Japan have been overcome. We have a bank account, local phone numbers and internet, can make electronic payments through online Japanese payment methods (not as easy as it sounds!), know our way around the public transport system, feel comfortable going to take care of business at the city hall and more.
• As part of our cultural research, we visited 16 different Adventist churches, including a couple of house churches. Two of those were English churches, and the rest were all Japanese. This allowed us to expand our network of people who we know in Japan and learn about how Adventist church services are held so we can be more effective laborers here.
• We have made many friends, and we’re so thankful for each one. It’s hard to mention them all!
  • Many members of the Japan Union Conference, along with the local church pastor and his wife, have been exceptionally kind to us, giving us tips, tricks, rides and more. Countless other Japanese SDA church members have shown us kindness, fed us and helped us.
  • We’ve been able to meet missionaries from other denominations at our language school and have been blessed by their friendship.
  • We made friends with the local pizza shop owners. Not only do they make exceptional pizza, but they’re also fun to be around and talk to. We found out last week that we were their first foreign customers ever!
• We’ve had the opportunity to share a few times at the local conference church and encourage members to get involved and share the love of Christ. In November, after language school, but before we move to the project site, we have another 7-8 speaking appointments — most in Japanese! (Please be praying for us and these speaking appointments. Thank you!)

In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and light bearers. To them has been entrusted the last warning for a perishing world. On them is shining wonderful light from the word of God. They have been given a work of the most solemn import—the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels’ messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention.
—9T 19.1, Ellen White