Interesting facts and information about Japan and ministry in Japan.
1. Elaine has a special outreach on Sat the 19th at the Crossroad church making cards with ladies. 2. Lots of meetings in September, all good meetings. We even spent some time hanging out with friends we have not seen in a while. 3. Elaine has had a great time restarting her classes after the summer break. 4. Our financial support has been very strong the last several months. Thanks for your prayers and generosity.…
Transformation is by its nature a continual process by which God redeems his creation from the results of the fall. The reason we believe in transformation is that we have a transforming God. God does not change but he has a plan to transform the entire universe. When we talk about transformation we talk about revival, renewal, restoration and reform. In understanding this task there are some key belief assumptions. The belief that Scripture is…
In one of my favorite movies, “The Shawshank Redemption” there is an interesting and memorable phrase. One of the old classic actors, James Whitmore (who advertised MiracleGro), plays a librarian. He introduces the duties in the library to the main character and says, “Easy, Peasy, Japanesey.” That phrase rhymes well and it sings. Maybe his prison library was easy, peasy (not likely) but I wonder about Japan. I don’t think it is “Easy, Peasy, Japanesey.”…
1. We have been doing well in the summer heat. Elaine is sensitive to heat stroke but throughout August we both have accomplished much and have not flagged in our energy. 2. John’s messages at Nerima Baptist Church on August 18th were well received. John begins a six-month small group leaders training program for 12 leaders at Nerima beginning September 29th. 3. Thank you for praying for our financial support situation. June was a very…
This summer we visited 3 churches and gave live brief (3:40) updates. This video includes the PowerPoint slides as well as the audio. Great for your small groups or worship meeting.(Recorded at Faith Church, Grayslake IL). http://youtu.be/0tQv0AHnF5o
What would you do if 40 homeless families arrived in your neighborhood? What would your church do in a major national disaster? How would you meet the needs of so many who lost their loved ones? This was the challenge for Mr. Hajime Abe the chairman of the Ishinomaki House of Prayer church. He quickly got involved with ministry partners like Dean Bengtson in addressing the distress in his community. Here are just two very…
In one of the women’s meetings Elaine heard many ghost stories from the women. Because over 400 people had died in that neighborhood alone, many survivors are concerned for the wandering spirits (yurei) who died in the disaster. This has resulted in difficulties sleeping and fear of the locations where many have died especially at nighttime. For many the image of Japan is an advanced modern nation; yet Japan continues to have a worldview of…
1. Praise God for the awesome open conversation about the Bible and Christ with Elaine’s Bible study group last month. Many talked about their highlights from studying the Book of Mark together. They had many questions about how relevant the Bible is to our daily life and our future. They are learning well. One learned not to be like a Pharisee, another liked the Parable of the Soils. One said everything is so new every…
Yamaguchi Prefecture is a long way from Tokyo. We had never been there before but were invited by our dear friends Mr. & Mrs. N. This trip was about 5 years in the making. It was delayed so many times due to schedule and finances. The relationship with Mr. & Mrs. N goes back at least 7 years, probably more having begun with some short-term English teachers. Yamaguchi is where they grew up and they…
ELAINE continues to cultivate kingdom friendships with her Bible study, needlepoint class and three western cooking classes. She is anxious to begin another small group Bible study series at a Rengo church. Pray about that. JOHN is equipping churches to build transformational relationships for evangelizing and discipling Japanese. This coming Sunday (June 9th), John will share with the Crossroad congregation about the importance and types of healthy small groups. Hopefully several will be interested in…