Caroline Anderson*

CHELM, Poland (BP) -- “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). This verse embodies Chelm Baptist Church’s response to Ukrainian refugees who have made long and arduous journeys out of their homeland and who are burdened by the loss of life as they knew it in Ukraine.

WARSAW, Poland (BP) – Polish Baptists and International Mission Board missionaries quickly rallied to respond to the needs of Ukrainian refugees crossing the border to seek sanctuary from the attack on their homeland.

Tears streamed down Kara’s* face as she shared with her sewing class that her family declared her dead – disowning her because of her choice to follow Jesus. Her family told her she is “lucky to be so far away.”

Refugees take more than one journey. The more obvious journey is the one they make away from instability and threats of violence and death in search of stability and safety. Another journey is one of trauma, and for many women, it includes domestic and sexual abuse.

TOKYO (BP) – Un sacerdote budista conoció a Jesús a través de los cómics japoneses. Un trabajador de la villa olímpica escuchó que es lo que vale más que el oro. Una mujer cristiana que lucha por encontrar una iglesia supo sobre las iglesias a las que puede asistir. Un entrenador de atletismo corrió a contarle a su amigo cómo podía librarse del pecado. Una mujer de 93 años acogió la oración de los misioneros y los cristianos japoneses.

TOKYO (BP) – A Buddhist priest learned about Jesus through Japanese comics. A worker from the Olympic village heard what is worth more than gold. A Christian woman struggling to find a church learned about ones she can attend. An athletic trainer ran to tell his friend how he could be rid of sin. A 93-year-old woman welcomed prayer from missionaries and Japanese Christians.

TOKYO (BP) – Standing outside train stations, on street corners and in neighborhood squares, IMB missionaries hold signs advertising “Free Pins.” When people stop, missionaries use the “bridge” trading pins to talk about grace, hope, love, community and faith.

In 2020, 4.3 billion people lived in cities – that’s 56 percent of the global population. By 2050, it is estimated more than 2 billion people will be added to that number.

TOKYO (BP) – Japan’s population is aging. Almost 30 percent of its population is 65 years old and older. This statistic is affecting church planting, church health and church growth. International Mission Board missionaries and Japanese Christians must answer the question, “Who will lead the next generation of believers?”

TOKYO (BP) -- Have you ever been to a prayer meeting that went 50 miles an hour? International Mission Board missionaries in Japan go to one every Tuesday morning.