Bringing Hearts and Values to the Surface

Previously

In the summer of 2023, Takeshi and Chie's church pioneering began.
This summer of church start was full of Amazing things,
It was so busy that there was no time to digest.
So, at the end of the summer, they took a look back and talked about what they would do in the future,
and discuss what they would like to do in the future,
They went on such a "Couple's Vision Retreat.

In our last post, we dared to publish a rather reflective article, "Things didn't go well in the field, did they?
In other words, it was a reflection of our spirit.

This time,
Couples Vision Retreat - Reflecting on Summer - Episode 2.
It's about "expressing our hearts and values”.

What the heck is that? You may be thinking, 
But I think God has given us a very important direction.

The reason you are reading this now is actually because of this.
God told me, "Let your heart and values express more"
I felt that God spoke to me in a silent voice during the Vision Retreat.

We need a team

Looking back over the summer, I keenly realized that we need friends.
Up until now, we have somehow managed to get by, albeit clumsily, as a husband and wife duo.
We have managed the coffee, the farm, the vacant house, and hosting the mission team in our own way, but when we sat down together and looked back, we both came to the same conclusion. It's tough being just the two of us. Sweat

It was obvious from the beginning,
But to be honest, there was nothing we could do about it.
At the beginning, we were not able to gather local church planting team members.
That is why many people came to help us this summer.

But, however.
We feel that we are now entering the season of searching for team members.
Some of you may have already noticed this,
That's why "putting our hearts and values out there" is very important home work.
Because without getting to know the hearts and values, it is impossible to know who the team members are.
Let me explain a little more.

A to-do list or a shared heart?

You can also use a to-do list to gather friends.
Like, "Let's get together people who like to do ________!" This is good.
This is fine. People will come together. Because they like "____".

However, just because you "like to do ____" does not necessarily mean that you can have good teamwork with the people who gather there.

For example, even if you like working in the fields, Mr. Victor Harvestus (pseudonym) says, "I will definitely harvest more than the next guy and win! Farming is a martial art!" He may have a "heart" that says, "I'm going to harvest more than the next guy and win! " That is his value.

However, Mr. Mercy Mcfield (pseudonym), who gathered here because he "loves working in the fields," says of his farming philosophy, "I grow my own vegetables, but of course I also take care of the vegetables in the farmer's field next to me, and I nurture them with love and without discrimination. Farming is about helping each other. That's why I love the fields."

Then, even though they share the same "love of working in the fields," Victor and Mercy work in the fields with different hearts,
Inevitably, they always end up fighting when they work in the fields together.

They are both experts in their respective fields and produce wonderful vegetables, but when they work together, they are too busy fighting, and eventually, the fields become rough, and they end up focusing on fighting instead of working in the fields,
They eventually became "friends who love working in the fields," but they may go down in history as "two people who had a falling out over working in the fields.

Did I convey the point somehow?

It is chilling to replace the word "field" with "church.
We don't want to "gather" friends in order to cut ties with them.
We want to "seek out" those who already have close hearts and values, so what is indicated is to "expressing our hearts and values”.

It is a bit simplistic when I write it down,
But in reality, I want "team members" as soon as possible, so I have to be very patient.
If you can easily find them by shouting "Hey, join us! like the famous pirate manga character, it would be very easy to find a team member. But it doesn't always work like that.

So, anyway, we are in the middle of a campaign to let people know who we are, what we think, what we value, what we feel passionate about, in other words, to share our "hearts and values" by "communicating" as frankly as possible in such a way.

So, what are values, then? I'm sure some of you may be asking, "Well, what are values? So, I would like to invite you to take a look at our church's website. (Aquila Church Website)
If you think, "I'm one of you! then you may be one of us. It would be wonderful if you came to help us work in our fields or send us a billion yen or so. Yes, that would definitely be better. Huh? Don't you think so?

Well, anyway, that's what it's all about.
Episode 2 of the Couples Vision Retreat - Looking Back on Summer was about "expressing our hearts and values.
Well, even so, since hearts and values are a very broad subject, we have no choice but to communicate them steadily, and I think it will take some time. The quickest way to do this is to have people come, see, talk, and experience. I feel that the message is being conveyed in various ways, such as through text and images, so I will do my best.

Anyway, thank you for reading this far!

May your ministry of life be blessed even more today!

2023, Summer Remembrance