Main YWAM Page, or to YWAM CommunicationsAround 150 people took part in a prayer march through the host city, starting in the grounds of Zenkoji Temple, an historic Buddhist landmark, and ending in front of the Olympic Plaza, during a two-week outreach organized by Youth With A Mission.
Nine teams gathered in Nagano for the event, making up over half the total number of Christians who traveled to Japan to share the gospel with some of the 25,000 athletes and estimated two million visitors to the Games. They gave out more than 27,000 tracts, witnessed to thousands, prayed for 200 people, and saw seven conversions.
Organizers reported unusual responsiveness, in a country where less than two per cent of the population is Christian. "We made it a point not just to pass out tracts but to actually engage people in conversation, and it happened time and again," said Bryan Smith, director of NOWGO - Nagano Winter Olympic Games Outreach.
"People were so hungry... Gone were the times when people thought Christians were Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons. They wanted to hear about real Christianity, not the other stuff." Interest was fueled further when a Japanese newspaper featured a story about Canadian speed skating medalist Catriona LeMay Doan, telling about her Christian faith.
Participants talked with people on the streets and visited homes near different sports venues. One team traveled to nearby Hakuba - the ski jump venue - and gave away 2,000 tracts in less than an hour. "They couldn't keep up with the demand," said Smith. "People came to take them out of their hands. People in cars stopped and opened their windows to ask for one."
Among those who made a commitment to Christ during the outreach was a
Malaysian man visiting the Zenkoji Temple grounds on the day of the prayer
walk. "He left the grounds with us and joined the march... God brought someone from Malaysia to a temple in Japan to get saved."
(Photo available on request)
Return to: APRIL 1998 Index Page
Main YWAM Page, or to YWAM Communications