Ministry Updates and News from the Mehns
Asia Comes Home Your July 2023 Update from John and Elaine Last month we had our first Japanese visitor to our new home in Pecatonica IL. We imagined it would occur sooner, but the pandemic slowed the globe down. One of our old church members and Elaine’s Bible study student, Mrs. Yoko Saito visited from Tokyo. It was a marvelous time of reunion on this side of the Pacific. She enjoyed visiting with our family…
I share with you a heavy heart today. In February, nearly our entire Asia Impact Team was able to celebrate with our leadership partners in Northeast India. Just a few weeks later, in May, inter-ethnic tensions swelled to violence and the whole area saw a wave of violence. To date over 70 people have been killed, 3,000 homes burned, 45,000 people displaced, and over 100 Christian churches have been ransacked or burned. One ethnic group…
Last week someone inquired where we had moved from. We often simply say “not from around here.” When they really probe, then we tell them of our previous 35 years in Tokyo, Japan. They often nod and say, “yeah, that is certainly not from around here.” On April 9th we celebrated three years since moving back from Japan. We were forewarned that our cultural adjustment back to living in the US would take about 3…
FOCUS ON PRAYER FOCUS ON GIVING Thank you all for your encouragements, enthusiasm, prayers and financial support for my expanded ministry in Asia. So far, my financial support has been strong. From May 1 we will operate with a new budget with some increases. Travel expenses have been higher than anticipated due to inflation. We have also added a new budget line item for our AIT team “shared expenses” of $200 per month. We hope…
Returning from Asia last month I went to attend our adult Bible school class at church. Someone asked about my recent trip, and I said it was “exceptionally successful.” Perceptively they asked how do you define success? After I explained some of the stories and details, my classmates agreed the trip was successful. Having returned last week from my February trip I feel this trip was even more “exceedingly successful” than last months. First…
Some things you do plan, and others they just happen with God’s oversight. I arrived back in the US last Monday after two weeks gone and next Tuesday I am off again to Asia for another two weeks. Actually when I arrived, I went from 90-degree temperatures to – 5-degree with lots of snow. Lots of adjusting these days. Someone asked us at our new home church “How was the trip?” I replied that it…