Renata Rossouw

Renata Rossouw is from South Africa and joined Japan Mission in Sept 2011.

Renata’s work with Japan Mission is quite diverse.

David Verwey writes a short e-mail about various aspects of Japanese life and how they relate to Scripture. Renata sends out 3,000 of these e-mails twice a month and helps to maintain the e-mail database. Pray that these e-mails would be a blessing to many.

A lot of supporters live in South Africa and Renata is a vital link in helping us with the correspondence that keeps people informed about the outreach in Japan. Pray that these letters would be a blessing and inspire many to pray for the work.

As an English Evangelism teacher, Renata teaches English Conversation at two churches. Each lesson concludes with a Bible Time where a short message is shared in Japanese.

The Lord has shown us that we need to be faithful in sowing the seed as we go about our daily activities. This is true when shopping or taking a driving test.

It is often necessary for Japan Mission workers to take a driving test in order to secure a Japanese driver’s license. This can be quite a challenging process that involves a written and driving test. Some staff workers have had to go back over 4 months to take the driving test six times before passing!

Renata applied for her driver’s license and found it necessary to go back repeatedly before finally passing the test. She was getting somewhat discouraged and asked the Lord why He was allowing her to focus so much time and energy on getting a driver’s license. One day, on the way to the Driver’s License Center, she met a retired school teacher and they became friends. This teacher has since shown Renata some scenic parts of Japan and invited her on two occasions to a lovely lunch in her home. Renata was able to share her testimony and some Christian literature with this teacher and her husband, who is a Buddhist priest. Renata later realized that the Lord used her discouraging circumstances to help her build a friendship and share the Gospel. Please pray for the  salvation of this couple as Renata continues to meet with her regularly.

Renata also teaches weekly at a local church to help reach their neighborhood for the Lord. While grocery shopping, she befriended a young mother. She was so curious and interested in Renata that she walked with her to the church and decided to join the English class! Each class closes with a Bible Time. Pray that this young mother would come to know Jesus as she now comes regularly.

Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well (Ecclesiastes 11:6, NIV).

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously (2 Corinthians 9:6, NIV).

Ultimately, we do not know who will come to know the Lord. However, we are called to tirelessly sow the seed.

Pray that we would faithfully sow, and that the seeds would fall on ‘good soil’ so that many would become faithful believers.

Pray that God would give Renata wisdom as she is given various opportunities to share her testimony and make friends with many non-Christians.