Our God, Eager to Save

Posted January 10, 2010

Tomohisa had reached a coveted status in Japan’s vertically-ordered society: medical doctor. Along with the status came wealth, which he used to buy the affection of women…and lots of booze. His selfishness blinded... [Read More]

The Humbled Tsunami

Posted December 2, 2011

When the warning sirens went off, residents in a south Sendai neighborhood fled to the local school. Together with panicked children still in class they climbed to the rooftop. Some 600 altogether... [Read More]

Japanese Get "Bach" Hope

Posted September 21, 2011

Who would have thought Bach would be involved in 21st century mission work in Japan? I have frequently read with interest of the strong connection between classical music (particularly J.S. Bach) and Japanese interest... [Read More]

Tsunami Ground Zero

Posted April 7, 2011

I still haven't returned from tsunami ground zero. That is to say, although I've been back several days already, the reality of the scene is still with me. The incredible amounts of mud in once beautiful homes... [Read More]

"Nice Try, Kevin" File

Posted February 9, 2011

This one goes into the "Nice try, Kevin" file. I just thought it was a nice-looking bunch of flowers in the storefront and, on the spur of the moment, decided Kaori deserved to enjoy them. Chrysanthemums, however, are... [Read More]

The Gulliver Complex

Posted November 9, 2007

I'm a giant again. Well, not really. But it sure feels like it again since returning from the States. The first sign was bumping my head in the shuttle bus from the airport. By habit, I normally duck my head through any... [Read More]

Foreigners Don't Get the Point

Posted January 31, 2010

I'm standing in line at a drugstore with other shoppers. The woman in front of me has just pulled out a business card file. Hurriedly she flips through at least a hundred or more cards searching for the right one. It's a... [Read More]

More Powerful than Bombs

Posted July 5, 2008

Fuchida grew up loving his native Japan and hating the United States, which treated Asian immigrants harshly in the first half of the twentieth century. Fuchida attended a military academy, joined Japan's... [Read More]

Ready?

Posted September 14, 2010

I'd been putting it off. Although I knew it was important, taking inventory of our earthquake and disaster gear just wasn't getting done. Japan rests along the "ring of fire" in the Pacific ocean, a stretch of area that is... [Read More]

150 Years Later

Posted March 17, 2009

This spring marks the 150th anniversary of Protestant Christianity in Japan. The first protestant missionaries set foot in the port of Yokohama back in 1859. Now they were real church planters -- overcoming all... [Read More]

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I for Japan. Japan for the World. The World for Christ. And All for the Glory of God.

— Kanzo Uchimura, Japanese Evangelist

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Rambling Notes from Japan

Here are some blog posts that we hope will make you feel a part of things, and help you understand how to pray better for us and Japan. Please see our external blog in Blogger, if this page does not display correctly.

March 17 - Earthquake (6)

Now what?
That's been the question it seems each day, and sometimes each hour for places north of us. After the quake came landslides, then the tsunami, then the traffic and transportation problems, then blackouts, then the shortages of essentials, then the nuclear crisis, now the snow and freezing temperatures. One Japanese man interviewed on TV today asked, "What did Japan do to be punished like this?

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." Lam 3:21-24

In my next email, I will communicate a bit of perspective I gained today of the Lord's great faithfulness leading up to this great tragedy.

"What are you standing in line for?"
Today we had a special prayer meeting with church members. I reminded them of how prayer for Japan is now a global movement in the church. They are not alone. They have Christ, and they have 2 billion Christian brothers and sisters praying for them. This is an important reminder for Japanese who suffer from a bit of a minority complex (only 0.5% our Christians.)

At the prayer meeting one lady told an interesting story. The shortages (particularly of gas and some basic food items) have created a bit of panic buying. I took the picture at left yesterday. When I say panic buying, for Japanese that means standing in a very orderly but determined way, even hours on end, until items are completely gone. At a particular store there was a long line that twisted down the block. When our church member asked a shopper toward the end of the line, "What are you standing in line for?" The shopper responded, "I don't know! But everyone else is in line." The people in the middle of the line didn't have any idea either. From the front of the line came the answer: toilet tissue. (Let me assure you that we are well stocked with toilet tissue. Please don't send us any -- this means you, too, mom...I know what you're thinking.)

Our pastors in the news
Three of our church association pastors were in California with a fellow missionary visiting churches and gathering ideas when the quake struck. A local news service did a human interest interview on them here. This is not the circumstances they would want to be interviewed under. They have since returned safely to Japan and are ministering to their congregations.

Pray for our church association with nearly 30 churches in the affected area. One of our flagship churches is only 3 miles from the nuclear facility in Fukushima. Click here to see the video interview.

PRAY!
Please keep praying! You can impact Japan from your knees right from your home!
FB users, register your prayer support here. PRAY...

...for the rescue efforts going on in the hardest hit areas. It is now snowing in the area
...for a quick resolution to the growing crisis in three of the nuclear reactors up north
...for shortages, particularly in the north, to be filled quickly
...for many people in the area that have not yet been heard from by friends of ours
...for wisdom and calm in making contingency plans for our church and mission
...for stress levels on our family and mission family


Additional prayer need: the yen is strengthening (dollar falling) in a big way in the middle of this crisis. This may have long-term impact on many things here. Pray that it will recover to its pre-crisis levels (which was already a major crisis for us missionaries).

We pray especially that many Japanese would turn to Christ through this crisis. Our God is eager to save! We are hearing reports of spiritual decisions!


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7-30 Imaikami-cho, Nakahara; Kawasaki,
Kanagawa JAPAN 211-0067
Tel 044-819-8791
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We serve with WorldVenture, an evangelical faith mission. Our sending/home church is Cornerstone Church of Lansing, Illinois.
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