Rev. Jeff Saunders is the Campus Minister at RUF Tokyo.

Every Spring Break for the last 4 years we have had a team from an RUF in the U.S. come and spend the week with our RUF Tokyo students. This year was extra-special as we had my wife Katie’s alma mater, UT Knoxville, come to visit. Go Vols!

These trips have always in the past been about 3 main things:

showing our students what a Christian community of their peers looks and feels like
creating open doors to Gospel conversations both while they are here and after the fact
driving momentum for our group as we close out one school year and enter the new one

Here is a copy of one section of a long prayer guide we give to the students who come on this mission trip, which gives you an inside look at how we aim to accomplish those 3 things listed above.

Prayers for the Students

Heavenly Father, we ask that You draw students to the events this week and to the RUF Tokyo/Kairos ministry in general. May they feel welcomed and loved, not because of our efforts but because of Your grace. Soften hearts, open minds, and bring deep connections that glorify You.

Pray:

That God would draw students to the events and they would feel welcomed and valued.
That conversations would be meaningful and lead to lasting friendships.
That students would be open to talking about spirituality and faith and that they may be bridges to gospel conversations.
That God would be at work in their hearts even beyond this week.
That students would be drawn to the hope, joy, and freedom found in Christ.

Prayers for Boldness and Outreach

Lord, embolden us to step out in faith. Give us courage to love deeply, speak truthfully, and reflect Your grace. May our conversations be seasoned with wisdom and guided by the Holy Spirit.

Pray:

That both Kairos and UT RUF students would have courage to step out of their comfort zones and build friendships.
That we would have boldness in sharing about our faith when opportunities arise.
That God would guide our conversations and give us wisdom in answering questions.
That our presence would reflect Christ’s love and grace.

To get an even better picture of what this yearly trip is like, check out the video of RUF Wake Forest’s visit a few years ago.

“I never thought I would want that”

The UTK team engaged intentionally and beautifully with all our students in a way that had a deep impact on each one of them.

We believe that none of the stories we tell are complete. God is using this as just one small piece in his larger plan for them. Rejoice alongside us as we remember and give glory to God for what he is doing! I’ll leave you with one story from the week–

Our student “Harvey” turned up late for the culture day to jump in and guide the UT students around a significant landmark in Tokyo. “Harvey” is someone who regularly struggles socially– he doesn’t always understand cues around him and is often extremely anxious in groups. But we could tell the Holy Spirit drew him to this event that was deeply uncomfortable for him (especially with very little English ability). He said that he just felt he really wanted to be there.

As he watched the team from RUF UT interact, he told me “I see that their mouths are moving but I have absolutely no idea what they are saying.” But later in the conversation he revealed something incredibly beautiful. He said, “you know, I have always been on my own. I’ve thought I always would be alone and I was kind of fine with that. But watching how this group loved each other, it made me think for the first time I might want something more. I might want that.” What a testimony to the power of the love of Christ shared in the community of believers that transcends language and culture to prick the hearts of the lonely and the outsider!!

“Harvey” followed this up to say, “I always was scared and uncertain about Christianity, but watching you (over the last few months and the team that day) has made me realize it’s not at all.”

It is definitely a small step– “I might not want to be alone” and “it’s actually not scary.” But it is a significant one in the work we are doing to bring the joy and light of the Gospel to the students God has brought to our group.

For more information on short term RUF Missions like this, visit ruf.org/missions