School is finally over!!

That’s what most children think, when they

are on the brink of entering their well-deserved
(or maybe not so) summer break. Even older
kids like me feel this way when they end yet an-
other school semester.
Though it is the end of a season at the excel-
lent Advanced School of Global Missions, this
also means the beginning of a new season out in
the field for me. I have high expectations for my
summer break, simply because I have ignored
my own desires and plans and submitted myself
to that of our Father (who usually has better de-
sires and plans for us in store).
This is just the beginning of something great.
So please join me as I share my first experiences
of this already oh so great summer of 2011...

in this issue
 School is
finally over!!
 Street Kidz
4 Jesus in Manila
 Arigatō and
Sayōnara
 Prayer points
for Japan

Higher Walking June 2011

StReet KidZ 4 JeSuS in MaNiLa
These kids are enjoying the fruits of
prayer and international support. They
dressed up for us and performed some
songs and dances. Here we see them eat
hotdogs and drink orange juice sponsored
from guest missionaries.
At homes like this, children are being
sent to school and good nutrition plays an
important part as they have to retain what
they learn. Many children want to study,
but most times their circumstances don‟t
allow them to cherish this privilege!
Mahal na Mahal kita, Panginoon…
is still resounding in my ear every now and then
ever since I have seen these girls and boys worship
the Lord at this children home (aka orphanage - but
in God’s family there are no orphans) we visited
some days ago in a remote village south of Manila.
These kids who came from the streets of Metro
Manila - the ever-growing capital city of the Philip-
pines; home country to some 1.5 million street chil-
dren - have (already) come a long way. There are,
however, people who are driven by the Love of
Christ to take them off the streets and into a pro-
tected and loving environment.
Seeing children who had nothing now have a
good home and them experiencing what it is like to
have a family was balsam to my soul. The house
was in a impressive condition and they even had
their own garden from which they received
“delicious” but healthy vegetables.
Unfortunately, the quantity of homes (especially
such as these) don’t come anywhere near the
amount of kids out in the streets who want a way
out. “We need more of these homes!”, I keep think-
ing to myself and pray that more local churches can
be involved in this area of ministry.
Please stand in prayer with us, as my family in
the Philippines tries to work with local churches to
get more of these homes started. God already gave
us many good contact points and we are building up
relationships with churches in and around Manila.
A
nd the King will say, “I tell you the
truth, when you did it to one of
the least of the least of these My broth-
ers and sisters, you were doing it to Me!”
Matt. 25:40 NLT
“Japan is the largest unevangelized nation that is completely open to missionaries.”
Arigatō, Sayōnara!
On my way home from my
visit to the Philippines, I was
very blessed to have received
an opportunity to stay one
night in Tokyo, Japan. God is
good once again and even gave
me an excellent companion
(former CFNI classmate) who
showed me around and shared
with me some insights.
Due to the recent earth-
quake disaster, life even
changed in Tokyo. As I landed
and looked out of the window
of the plane, I expected many
lights, but was surprised to
see a dark city. Even Manila
was more well-lit, but it is
clear to me now why the peo-
ple in Tokyo have to cut down
on their electrical consump-
tion.
What I did expect and
what was very well noticeable
was the stark contrast be-
tween the modern and tradi-
tional. Having seen a temple
of worship and the tallest TV
tower in the world in the
background speaks for itself
(see header picture).
Coming from what I
thought was a clean and well
structured, organized country
(Switzerland), I was shocked
to see how the Japanese were
almost “more perfect” than
the Swiss (if that was in any
way possible)!
From Operation World 2010
Also shocking to me was
that people would (or could)
leave their bags unattended at a
busy train station! Japan was
full of surprises and highlights
for me!
However, nothing came
close to what I felt for the peo-
ple. I instantly loved the Japa-
nese people and I could not
quite explain why. With my
“Japanese for Dummies” app
(modern language tool) and my
very fresh and now well trained
missionary skills, I quickly re-
ceived many smiles with my
broken “Arigato, Sayo-
nara” (which basically means
Thank you and Good-bye).
Though they could easily be
counted as the “nicest folks” in
the world and I am certain they
are also considered as one of the
wealthiest amongst the nations,
apparently they are also very
much a suffering people. It is
not necessarily a suffering that
is coming from the many natu-
ral or war catastrophes they
have experienced in the past
that I picked up, but it seems
the Japanese have an internal
battle within themselves and
there is of course only one solu-
tion to that…
Pray if you will for the Japa-
nese people. I have enclosed
some prayer points on the fol-
lowing page.
 Prayer points for Japan
Japan‟s own leaders called it “a
superpower without a moral com-
pass”. This is most notable among
young people, who struggle with
particular challenges such as social
phobia or social anxiety
(Hikikomori), a suicide epidemic
(over 30,000/year), bullying and
teenage prostitution. High rates of
suicide in other age groups and di-
vorce also reflect this challenge.
The Bible is alien to the
worldview of the Japanese – the
concept of a Creator God is foreign
to most. Strong pressure to conform
to the norm causes many new be-
lievers to compromise or eventually
fall away. The shame/honor mental-
ity held by many Japanese is a dif-
ferent paradigm from that of most
missionaries to Japan. Christians
new and old must be discipled to
have their entire worldview trans-
formed.
The persistent influence of nation-
alistic Shintoism, which is hostile to
anything „un-Japanese‟ and compro-
mises Christians involved with it.
Pray for Christians to stand firm
in Jesus against this pervasive
spiritual force.
The spiritual powers and princi-
palities that exercise authority in
Japan have never been decisively
challenged. The powers associat-
ed with idolatry in temples and
ancestor worship in homes pre-
vail, even in modernistic, “non-
religious” Japan. Additionally, too
many Christians are either igno-
rant or in denial of the very real
spiritual battle.
The sincere, polite, hardworking
Japanese are too busy to give heed
to the gospel. Materialism, very
much on the rise, dominates the
ambitions of most younger people.
Only 10% believe in the existence
of a personal God; only 50% have
ever even desired help from God or
gods.
Christians are a tiny minority in a
society where consensus and con-
formity are important. Too few fam-
ilies come to faith, and too many
individuals feel exposed. Pray for
the Church to reach the size of criti-
cal mass and native character that
will give it social credence and ac-
ceptability.
Unity is lacking in a Church that
numbers only 1.5% of the popula-
tion. Literally hundreds of denomi-
nations and groups exist along very
fragmented lines. Such organiza-
tional and theological divides and
lack of nationwide cooperation ham-
per progress and increase attrition
rates.

from the Operation World book 2010

who is siggi?
People call me Siggi and I am currently 34 years of
age. Born in the Philippines, growing up in different
parts of the world, God probably prepared me to be
His missionary long before I accepted Him.
Seeing and living in poverty at a young age, I have
spent the last 20 years of my life in one of the most
wealthiest countries in the world. I have given up
my existence in Switzerland just over a year ago,
which included a very good job, apartment and all
that belongs to the materialistic ideal… All to be
able to spread the Love of Jesus Christ.
And I don’t regret a single second! (Just look at my
smile )

You can contact me by email and follow my walk with the Lord on either Facebook or my blog.
back2church@gmail.com
find me http://www.facebook.com/siggi.winkler
http://higherwalking.wordpress.com/