*Please note: this newsletter touches on depression & suicide*
May has one of the highest rates of suicide in Japan. There is a word in Japanese, gogatsubyō, that refers to the phenomenon of increased mental health symptoms in May arising from the challenges of adapting to new environments such as schools or workplaces. The Japanese school and fiscal calendar starts in April, so May is just enough time to start feeling the pressure.
For this month, CBI has decided to do a social media focus on depression, suffering, and suicide. The theme is entitled, “When your heart is sinking” (心が沈むとき). Each week we are highlighting a different article from our website that touches on these topics: God’s Work in your Depression, When Suffering is Long and Hard, Suicide Prevention and Grieving a Suicide, Nine Guidelines for Counseling Suicidal People and “The Gatekeeper of your Anxious Heart.
It has long been recognized that many mental health issues plague Japanese society: depression, suicide, hikikomori, futōkō etc. CBI continues to create and share gospel resources for Japanese Christians to use to minister to loved ones who are suffering. Through our increased social media presence and expanding digital library, we are seeking to broaden our network to minister to Japanese people in need. Afterall, our desire is that God would be glorified by many Japanese people coming to know the unshakeable joy of salvation in Christ alone! May God use these efforts to strengthen Japanese Christians who are ministering to people facing these challenges of depression, suffering, and suicide.
Would you please:
- Pray that God would use this social media focus to minister to Japanese Christians & non-Christians who are in need to special encouragement
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