Merry Christmas 2011!

“The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us.”

• John 1:14

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

As it gets cold here in Tochigi, I hope everyone else is staying warm around the world!!!   Satomi being from Okinawa, and Jonathan being from Florida, don’t do so well in sub freezing temperatures but as it is our 3^rd winter, we are getting more accustomed to the winters.   But because Japanese houses are not built for winter (so we’re told), it feels often that it’s colder inside than outside, even with our fireplace going! Layers, layers, layers, some ginger tea, and the occasional foot bath are helping us, but we are hoping for some southern sunshine soon!

As we comeinto Christmas, we’ve thought about what it means for us to celebrate the birth of Christ this year and well it can probably be summed up by a t-shirt.

Jon has a t-shirt received from a friend that he did a Volunteers In Mission trip with in 2007. It says GAP and underneath those letters are God Always Provides. Two weeks before the earthquake, we had joined three other missionaries for a visioning and retreat trip to South Korea. During that time we felt the Holy Spirit prodding us to remind and help the people at the Asian Rural Institute to know that God had called them to this ministry and that everything we do sprang forth from the love of Jesus Christ. Specifically, there had been much concern over the finances of the school and although we would share that if God wanted this ministry to continue, the funds necessary would be provided, it was an ongoing struggle. Yet, the one thing that we at ARI have learned throughout this past year is that God does want this ministry to continue because He is providing what we need. Although the school’s income decreased dramatically from past years due to the disaster, God has provided in unprecedented and miraculous ways for the running of the school, the decontamination efforts for the land, and the rebuilding of damaged structures. The word has become flesh and dwelt among us.

And that has been the story of the year, God always provides, the word becomes flesh!  As you all know, after the earthquake it was decided that we could not begin our training on the school’s campus in Tochigi, so we moved to Tokyo for the first three months of our training. Because of those three months it has been difficult to really participate fully in ministry at the small local church we were newly assigned to. Yet in the midst of all the chaos, God has been faithful to this small church. The numbers and offering are both up this year, in fact close to double the average of last year. We have started a website for them, and have been able to be part of the starting of a new children’s ministry at the church. Throughout we have learned much from the pastors and congregants who weekly and faithfully gather to worship, even though few in number.

We have also noticed that many people are open to talking about faith and asking questions about their purpose in life, and these questions were few and far between before the disaster. Two of the people we ministered to last year decided to receive baptism this year and one more is now in that process. Another lady who seemed to have very little interest in faith when we met two years ago just began to study the bible with Satomi, and seems to really want to know who Jesus is and what He is about. More people have joined the Gospel Choir we lead at ARI, many seeking to know the reason for all the joy we sing of in the midst of so much hardship that surrounds. Please pray for these Japanese brothers and sisters, that they can understand their purpose in life and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior in the year to come.

In fact we just had a gospel choir concert this past Sunday.

BTW, the name of the choir is Minngos (Minna de gospel which means gospel for everyone!)  You can see a photo of us from our Christmas concert below!

We were told by so many people that it was the best they’ve ever heard us sing.  Not only that but as the concert was at the local town concert hall it was open to the public and lots of folks came out that would normally never hear us sing.  We shared the meaning of Christmas in our song, in our words and as we finished singing the excitement had built up so much that when we invited them, all of these Japanese folks (most of them senior citizens it seemed) were on their feet dancing and singing “Oh Give thanks unto the Lord for He is Good, Yes He is good!”

These moments get us excited to continue to do ministry here, to share that Christmas is about what God has done for us and what we can then do for others.   But it also reminds us of a moment after the earthquake that really let us know that God was with us.

It was the day after the earthquake and we had finally gotten our electricity back and were getting word of the problems at the Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima. There came a point to where many people felt that it was best to leave ARI because of what might have happened at the plant. Before we met with the others to decide what to do, the two of us sat down and prayed. We told God that we were afraid and did not know what to do both now and in the future. We also told God that we trusted that we were called here and were following Christ as best we could. We asked God to continue to give us guidance, protection and wisdom as we discerned our call at this time. A peace that words cannot describe came upon both of our hearts and we knew, in no logical way, but we knew that God wanted us to remain where we were to serve the people around us. This would prove crucial to us as the days to come would continued to be filled with fearful news and many well-meaning calls and emails from colleagues, friends and family asking us to leave. As more understanding of the situation has come we know that God has indeed called us to be here and we continue to work, believing that the Kingdom of God is becoming more of a reality in this area as we serve.

As Christmas is only 2 days a way we are still busy.  We will do caroling with ARI members tomorrow night after the Christmas Eve service and Christmas day is full.  At the morning worship service Jonathan will be preaching and then the childrens program, ARK, will have a Christmas party in the afternoon.  Finally that evening ARI will have it’s community dinner and Christmas party.  At all of these events we will be celebrating the birth of our Lord and many people who do not know Jesus as their personal Lord will be there as well.  Please join us in ministry by praying for us this weekend.  Please pray that the gospel of Jesus Christ will be very clear and that this Christmas will be one that all the people we worship and celebrate with will be able to welcome Jesus as their own new born king.

We hope and pray you all are well this Christmas and look forward to working through your support into the new year!

Joy to the World, the Lord has come.  Let earth receive her king.

Let every heart, prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing!

Have a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Jonathan and Satomi

Saigo made

This is an article Jonathan recently wrote for the English newsletter coming out in December of the Japanese denomination he works with, affectionately known as the Kyodan.  Although we have not got up our update for October yet (and it might be a little late), please enjoy these reflections over the incarnation and the experiences we have been through this past year at ARI.

As we move into Advent and the Christmas season, we are reminded of the new things that God promises in the incarnation. The promises of God being with us, a new way of life, and the promise of new birth is not only something that happened 2000 years ago but has been the experience this past year for us here at the Asian Rural Institute. We thank all of you who have supported us with your words, prayers and financial help through this difficult year. As many of you already know, we were hit rather hard by the earthquake that happened on March 11 of this year and continue to be affected by the radiation fallout that came in the aftermath of the Fukushima Dai Ichi power plant disaster. The destruction from the earthquake, while affecting the entire campus, severely damaged our two most central buildings to the school, Koinonia House and the Main Building. Koinonia House is where fellowship, or koinonia, happens in our community. This happens as we cook, eat, worship, sing, dance and converse with one another about life. The Main Building has held our offices, library and classroom since the inception of ARI. Both of these became very unstable after the earthquake and quickly we realized that one floor of Koinonia would no longer usable. The Main building also became increasingly dangerous, so much so that we were recommended to rebuild as soon as possible as the aftershocks would further weaken both buildings. Cracks, falling ceilings, broken glass, dangerous walls were found in those buildings and throughout the campus. Yet in contrast to the chaos around us, on the evening of March 11^th, we gathered in the cold, without electricity or gas and busted waterpipes , we gathered to eat, sing, pray and comfort each other and our neighbors. Looking back, I can say that we understood the incarnation to be real and, although much had happened that day, this experience of the incarnation was the real experience of the evening.

From March until now, I must say that this has continued to be our witness. We have watched as so many people have lent their strength and time as they volunteered with us, given us their finances, and have given us their minds and hearts as they have continued to share about and pray for us. It was a struggle to even decide to continue with the training program this year. At the time we would make a decision, we did not know so much about how safe our structures would be, nor the effects of the radioactive fallout from the Fukushima Dai ichiNuclear Power Plant accident. So, as we discussed our future at the end of March, it was very difficult to make any decision with so many unknown factors. Yet through the intervention of the Holy Spirit, we were given a vision and soon we decided to begin our training as we made the extraordinary request to begin our training at the Tsurukawa Theological Seminary for Rural Mission located in Machida, west of Tokyo. This step would bring us the courage to go forward and also sent us into a frenzy as we continued cleanup and research in Tochigi and prepared in Machida for the incoming class of 2011, which would represent 14 countries from Africa, Asia, the Pacific and the Caribbean.

Being in Machida for the first three months of the training brought many challenges as well as fresh blessings. How to communicate smoothly between campuses, the reduced area for the campus and vegetable fields and the lack of space for livestock all created a need to be creative and flexible in the training. Yet in comparison to previous years, fewer participants came and so we were able to create a close-nit community very quickly, which would prove another blessing as we dealt with so many unknowns throughout the year. People began to open up about their lives and their fears of not knowing enough about radiation and what effects there might be. This led both the staff and participants to study, talk and struggle together with our future and to seek guidance for the right decision to make for our training. Through many prayers and words of encouragement I believe that God guided us to make the decision to return to the Tochigi campus at the end of July, taking a new step in the training.

Returning to Tochigi took weeks to get used to as the community now readjusted to all of the changes around it. Because half of the staff remained at the Tochigi campus and the other half had been in Machida with the participants, this now was a time of getting to know one another again and learning a new daily schedule as we had many fields, livestock, and upkeep to do. It was also at this time that the reality of the situation at ARI in Tochigi became more understood by all. We knew now that while our buildings were unsafe for continual use, they would get us through the year. Learning to use more limited space also created opportunities for learning patience throughout the community. As months had passed since the disaster, we also had much more understanding about the effects of radiation on campus. We learned that we were in a low contamination area which meant that there had been fall out from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, but it was not something that would prevent us from continuing on with our lives. We did need to take caution as we plowed, planted, and harvested, but life could and would continue.

This reality also created a new opportunity for us to face the challenges in front of us. Would we ignore what was happening and wish it would go away, or would we actively work to seeing transformation take place not only at ARI but in the community we lived in. We decided the later, joining with local citizens in the Kibou no Toride project, to measure and work at cleaning up our land and making our area literally a fortress of hope. In that strain, this year we have decided to take extra-ordinary precautions to keep contamination risks to a minimum, which I believe shows how much ARI values the mission God has given us to help create a healthy, just and peaceful world. By “government standards,” ARI is considered a safe area for growing food, food that could be sold in any super market throughout Japan. Yet ARI’s commitment to fulfilling the mission that God has given us means that we believe we have a responsibility to create healthy food and a healthy environment which witnesses to our desire to fulfill the call God has given us. So what came to us as a challenge, we are seeking to turn into a blessing.

What has been the highlight of the year so far has been the holding of the 39^th Harvest Thanksgiving Festival (HTC) this past October. HTC is an event that we have held every year since ARI was founded and is a time we set aside each year to give thanks to God for the harvest, to witness to our faith and mission, and to welcome our supporters and the surrounding community to celebrate with us the life and community of ARI. This is usually a joyous time and as part of the curriculum, the biggest event that the participants lead, prepare, and create during their training. Although after the earthquake and even at the early parts of the training we thought it would be impossible to hold this event, the grace of God gave us courage to go forward and to celebrate. But this time, through the voices of the community, we learned that we desired this year to not only create a celebration and time of thanksgiving for the harvest. We would do that, but it would also be a time to proclaim God’s grace that helped us to overcome and calls us to be transformed as well as a time to demonstratively thank our many supporters who have worked so hard and given so much to our community.

This year we invited Dr. Jospeh Ozawa to come and give the opening address and his words would set the stage for the rest of the weekend. He spoke to us of the good world that God had created and although there seems to be so many difficulties and evil things around us, we are called to keep going to the end, knowing that God has promised to bring us through into a new and transformed future, and as we gave thanks to keep going in our pursuit of this promise, saigo made. These words of encouragement gave us strength as we sang and dance, ate and celebrated with many people. Over that weekend we could see the unity of our community, as we came together as one, choosing to fulfill our theme, that is to “Color the world with love, care, and harmony in difference”.

So here we are, coming to the end of another training program when 19 new graduates will be sent into the world, back to their communities to help create the healthy, just and peaceful world that we are called to create. While ARI continues to face challenges, we move forward knowing what Emmanuel means, that God really is with us. Understanding that, we continue to try and reach the seemingly unreachable goal of 500 million yen for reconstruction and are giving thanks as support comes in little by little. At the same time, we are patiently working, waiting and praying that God will touch hearts to bring in the full amount so that we can be about what we have been called to do. Finally we continue in our present daily struggle. As we train leaders for the creation of a healthy world, we at ARIcontinue to work for the decontamination of our soil, so that we can with confidence create healthy food for the sustenance for our communities, and through this action, give witness to the whole world of what is possible when God is with us.

Constantly learning and sharing

Happy Autumn to every one in the Northern Hemisphere. This morning we could see the air we were breathing, meaning that Autumn has come. In fact today is the Autumnal equinox. Wow how time flies! We have been serving here at ARI for 2 years officially this coming October. Below are some of the reflections and experiences we have had over the past few weeks. They might not all run together, but please try to enjoy each one, and we hope it leads you to think and see a little more of our lives and ministry here in Japan.

We looked at each other recently and could not believe that September 11^th was here. 10 years since the horrible events in New York, coincidentally 10 years since Jonathan first experienced life in Japan. 6 months since the earthquake that so much changed our idea of missions and our daily lives. The year 2011 has come and very soon will be gone, in fact a quarter of the year is all that remains.

In our English bible study that we have been leading for the past year and a half, we had a very challenging question come to us this past Saturday. We had decided to have a bar-b-q after the bible study in order for people to invite their friends, and to enjoy some fellowship together. We picked a good day as well because from that afternoon on the rain came as another typhoon came our way, so the morning was nice. The man, who is not a Christian and has now been studying with us for close to a year, asked about the two commands of Jesus. To love God and to love our neighbor. When one other member of the bible study has not been able to find a job for a few months, what does it mean for us (Christians) to love her at this time. We were challenged to put our money where our mouths were.

This week one of the participants led morning gathering and challenged us with words from the prophet Amos. God is not pleased with us only having words of praise and prayers and rituals, God wants justice and wants us to be an active part of justice happening. His sermon this Sunday at the local church will ask whether we are sheeps or goats according to Matthew 25. How would you respond to this? Are you a sheep or a goat?

At ARI the struggle forward continues. We learned this past week the pork and chicken that we recently butchered has shown traces of radiation. While the level of contamination is far far far below the government standards, it is still contaminated. As a school, we have decided to eat the meat. This incident is another reminder that our decision to continue ministry in this area is not something to be taken lightly, but in fact is a difficult one that we must constantly ponder. It also reminds us that much of our ministry right now is simply about being here and continuing life here in this place at this time. Although troubles are coming and plenty of reasons to run come to us, we continue to be here. I think I’m slowly beginning to understand incarnational ministry through this experience. As we have joined with local people to work on ways to clean up the radiation and take back our community from the fear of the unknown, we must believe that people not only here but around Japan are being blessed, that a physical manifestation of God’s presence, of the good news, is being witnessed. These are the channels through which the gospel of Jesus Christ can then flow, giving the full good news of salvation through God’s grace in His time.

At the same time we are being encouraged to go forward. We just heard that several churches have given us large grants for our reconstruction efforts. A month ago we were wondering how we would be able to raise enough money for the rebuilding that needs to take place on this campus. One of our fellow missionaries reminded us that if God wills our school to be rebuilt and the ministry to continue, God will provide, so let us pray and listen to what God tells us to do. Join us in saying God is good! All the time!

Last night Jonathan led a session of interfaith discussion which we try to have at least monthly here at the Asian Rural Institute. This has become a rich time of learning and thinking for me. Our practice here is based off a method Jonathan learned during Seminary. He attended a discussion led by Rabbi Peter Ochs of the University of Virginia in which the idea of scriptural reasoning was put forth. Scriptural reasoning is a very honest and engaging way of having discussions among people of various religions to where they learn their similarities and differences. It provides opportunities for people to witness to their own faith and also learn about the beliefs of others. For us, our aim is to develop and deepen relationships among those who participate. What happens beyond that is by the grace of God and often through the will of people. Pray that our witness at these discussions will be opportunities for people to hear and think deeper about the Grace and love of God through Jesus Christ. Pray that we can learn from the deeply held beliefs of these friends.

As we wrap up, we want to share that we are getting ready for the annual Harvest Thanksgiving Celebration at the ARI. We thought that it would not be possible this year. It is truly a miracle of God that we can celebrate this year. The strength and determination that the Holy Spirit has given the community at ARI has helped them to work hard to come to this point to where we are now in the middle of preparation for HTC. It is a time when we thank God for the Harvest that we can eat, and thank each other for the hard work of this year. It is a time to when we witness to many in the community who do not know Jesus Christ. It is also a time to where we share in song, dance, and food with the wider community showing the various cultures at ARI. Jonathan has been asked to give the sermon at the Sunday Morning Worship service. Please pray that he will be an instrument of Jesus’ message of love and salvation and lead people to thank God for His abundant blessings.

Finally we continue to requests your prayers and support. Our continued presence here is by the grace of God and through the giving hands of the church. If you believe that you would like to support our work financially, please consider giving through the advance. If you are thinking more long term, you might be interested in a covenant relationship. Your support for us through letters, emails and kind words are always a blessing and most of all your prayers are always desired.

Please pray for the ARI community. The participants have another 2 months of training before they head home, pray for a good training and the dreams they begin to form can be realized back in their homes. Please pray for the school’s future, that God would provide the resources needed for rebuilding, and a new vision for it’s training as we move forward. Pray that the staff’s hearts and minds are open to the movement of the Holy Spirit. Also, please pray for us as we continue to minister in many places and think about the future. Pray that God will give us strength and wisdom. Finally continue to pray for the recovery efforts up in Tohoku. Things are getting more stable but there continues to be a lack of work for many and recovery is slow. Pray that the churches will reach out in the name of Christ to be the salt and light of Tohoku, so that the gospel they are sharing will bear fruit for the kingdom of God.

Thank you and God Bless us all!

Enjoy some photos of morning work at ARI…

Only on God!

In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.

-2 Corinthians 1:9

(New Living Translation)

Since we last posted, there have been quite a few changes in our daily lives. We moved back to the Tochigi campus of ARI at the end of July and have gotten settled in back “home.” One of the first things we decided to do upon returning to Tochigi was to invite the community over to our house for dinner. So over the first 3 weeks back, every Thursday night we invited one group of folks over for a pizza making party. We cooked, ate and enjoyed the fellowship. The participants had just joined new foodlife groups, daily farm chore groups. So it was also a good opportunity for the staff, volunteers, and participants to just sit down and talk with each other, getting to know one another more deeply.

We told all of the participants that our home is open and anytime they need a rest or to talk or just to get off campus (we are about 500 feet from campus then they can come over. Secretly though we do hope that people don’t take this anytime literally and come over around 2 or 3 in the morning! But we guess we need to be ready in season and out of season, so this seems like good practice

As far as life at ARI goes, we are still getting used to a new environment. Being away from the campus for 3 months, and this being the first time 2011 participants are living here, things are definitely different then before. Most of our fields are covered in soybeans and sunflowers which we are told will help to decontaminate the land. We have converted a couple of fields into greenhouse row, meaning we had to remove the top soil and then each group put up 2 greenhouses for their vegetables. Finally the livestock learning has started and although the participants were very excited to get in this new learning, the work that has to be done in the fields, building the greenhouses and in the livestock sections has increased quite a bit from what they were used to in Tokyo, and you can tell people are tired. As repair work has continued around campus, limiting usable communal space, and IT issues have caused frustation we can also tell that people are having to make the best of the situation.

Yet with all of this said, people seem to have adapted well for the most part and the participants left last week for a two week rural study program in the North and the report we got today is that they really love each other. We guess this means that they are doing well, and so we thank God for His goodness!

Of course one of our main tasks is the spiritual care of the community here at ARI. We always wonder what fruit is being borne in people’s lives. We were very excited to hear that this past Sunday one of our Japanese graduates from last year was baptized at a local church in the area she is working. This gives us hope that the seeds we are planting here are bearing fruit in many ways, including new lives deciding to follow Christ. And as we have been planting seeds at ARI, we have also had some other exciting and sobering chances to do ministry elsewhere. We continue to serve the local church that we began working at this past April. We returned this August and it is a very different feel then when we entered in April. Although we have not been able to participate fully since April we feel that there is more joy in the church. Although attendance and offering being up has probably helped this feeling, more than anything it seems that our coming to this church was a physical manifestation of Emmanuel for this church. We confirmed in them that God really is with them and sent us to encourage them in ministry.

Having that feeling has led them to be willing to be more creative. We held our first Yukata evening worship service 2 weeks ago. Yukata is the traditional Japanese summer kimono, made of cotton. Although attendance was not as great as we wanted, there was much joy in those of us who gathered. We are also excited that the church is planning to begin Sunday school next week. Although this is a very normal thing for many churches, this is a big step forward for this church and it speaks to the optimism and encouragement that the Holy Spirit is breathing into us.

We also had a chance to do some ministry up in Sendai this past week, and this was challenging. The prefecture Miyagi where Sendai is located was the hardest hit by the earthquake and Tsunami with the vast majority of deaths in the disaster occurring in that region. We went with another young Japanese Christian who Satomi is helping to disciple and spent 2 days working with the Emmaus center in Sendai. We worked in the area directly hit by the Tsunami. Satomi and Haruka worked in one families field, digging out garbage to make it usable again. Jonathan worked with a man on roofing and replacing windows. There we heard many stories of the Tsunami, of life in the evacuation centers, of the struggles of coming back to this land that was destroyed by 10 feet of water and of lives lost, many lives lost. In fact for the 4 days we were in Miyagi it seemed that every person we met had a relative or neighbor who perished in the disaster. Jonathan was able to share the gospel and give a bible to the man he was helping and promised to be praying for him, his family, and their community.

The last day of our time there we spent up in and around Ishinomaki which is where the Tsunami hit the hardest. A former staff member of ARI was recruited to coordinate the relief work of the Lutheran church up in that area. It was a joy to see our friend, but as we looked at the scenery, heard more stories, and envisioned the work needed in the future, our hearts were saddened within us. There are too many stories to tell, but we listened and tried to learn, realizing that our listening to stories was the best ministry we could do at that point. Jesus is doing many good things there and we were reminded that he uses normal people to achieve his will everyday. Finally, after resting for a couple of days in the far north of Japan we returned to ARI and are ready for what God is going to bring to us this Automn.

The worship service we attended on Sunday focused on the verse that you read at the beginning of today’s entry. Although our experience of disaster has been brutal, it pales in comparison to the people in Miyagi, many of our participants own communities and others around the world. We do not believe that God sent this Tsunami to punish Japan, nor has he sent the hurricane and recent brutal heat to punish the US.  Yet we are reminded that God allows these things to pass. These events remind us that we can not depend on our own power, knowledge or planning in order to even live another day. We need to rely on God, for He is the only one that can bring us through life in this world. Actually these are words of hope. We may face death at any time, but we know that our God raises the dead. Jesus showed that to us 2000 years ago. Let us remember that God loves us and therefore does not will harm upon us. Instead of wondering if God is punishing us, let us stop relying on ourselves and learn to rely on God.

Please pray that we ourselves, the community at ARI, Nasushiobara church, and the people throughout Japan will not rely on themselves, but learn to rely on God. And pray that we ourselves will be a witness and not a stumbling block to the fulfillment of this prayer.

(You can click on the above links for more photos…)

How do you move 30 people in sync?

Happy July 4^th to all of those in the U.S. (although a week late

We hope and pray that as the summer wears on in the Northern hemisphere, that you are staying cool! It’s gotten up into the 90′s here at ARI and with no AC on most of the campus it’s been a feat to continue to work and stay cool. Although it’s nothing like the heat that is hitting the SouthEast of the US right now and I’m sure other places, we are bearing.  But actually, the interesting thing is that the rest of Eastern Japan (where about half of the Japanese population lives) is going through the same thing as “setsuden” becomes popular. Setsuden is basically the practice of cutting off unneeded electricity. So people are keeping the AC at around 83, the trains aren’t running the AC, a lot of escalators are not running and many of the refrigerators for drinks, sweets, etc… are turned off in many stores.

On the one hand it’s amazing how people are working together to make sure everyone has enough electricity, but it’s also interesting how people are trying their best to keep things “normal,” as they “used to be,” which doesn’t seem like such a bad thing right? Yet that assumes that everything was good in the beginning. Yet the economy has been lagging for years, social problems have been on the rise as the wealth gap grows, one of the guys that was previously in our youth group just finished his first year of university and doesn’t know any other Christians on campus. He says that people around him say “God and faith is for people who live in countries with no peace.”  (We recently realized that 1 in 800 people go to church on Sunday in Tochigi, the prefecture where ARI is located.)

While there are many beautiful things in Japan, we hope and pray that Japanese do not want to return to the previous “normal” Japan, but that this incident will lead to the transformation of this country, a chance for the people to search their hearts and see what their real needs are and to find the source of living water that will take away their thirst.

So you might ask what this has to do with the title above. Well this situation that we find ourselves in here at ARI, that is “post 311” Japan, has created many opportunities for growth and problems. We are in the middle of deciding how best to continue this year’s training program, and each person has their own idea. This matters so much because for our participants particularly, this decision has a tinge of a “life or death” feeling. We have held our training program in Tokyo for the past 2 months and are now in the 3^rd and final month. We are scheduled to return to the main campus in Tochigi at the end of this month. Yet, we are returning to a place that as we said in our previous post is in a “low contamination zone” for radiation. For some of the participants (students) that’s good because they’re comparing low to high. For others it’s just interesting because they wanna learn more about the radiation, and for others it’s frightening, cuz any radiation is too much!

So, how do you help to bring all of these people to a common understanding and move together “in sync.” I’ve come to learn that maybe moving “in sync” means that we allow people to make different decisions and respect them as we all move on. Maybe we won’t all be able to move back to ARI and finish this training together. But maybe for some people, God has already did what He wanted to do in them and it’s time for them to return.

Throughout the various encounters over the past few weeks we’ve learned more and more that our job in ministering to people here is not to be “police” to make sure that people learn, grow, change, develop, accept, respect, or any of the other things that people are “supposed” to do as they learn. But our job is to be a conduit for God to invite them to something bigger.

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes itclear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.                                                  -2 Corinthians 4:7

Relief Work in Sendai

A short note from the Rev. Jeffrey Mensendiek (missionary to the Emmaus Center in Sendai, Japan) about some of the work they are engaging the community in.  Pray that these young people will come to know Christ and the hope he brings as they work for the rebuiding of their country.

To be a victim of a natural disaster, is to be robbed of your daily life. It means loss and confusion and conflicting emotions all at once. For some its a struggle for survival. For others its lonliness and fatigue. Some try to reach out to others, and in so doing they themselves are drowned in their own weakness. Three months after the earthquake of March 11, we are still victims, each seeking to rebuild a life which we can call our own. But in the midst of it all, some people are looking for HOPE. They have an eye for the beautiful things, they have a heart for shared JOY, they have a vision for a community that can bring PEACE, they know that LOVE means action carried out in humble ways. Our partner church, the United Church of Christ in Japan, has established a Relief Center at the Emmaus Center in Sendai, Japan. In an effort to reach out to the wider community, Rev. Noda (Relief Center staff) visited the Shichigo emergency shelter where 500 people had been evacuated. He met and talked with many people. In one of his conversations he shared his vision for involvement in the community. “We have come to look for HOPE. And we want to share that HOPE with the young people. Would you engage our young people, nurturing them and guiding them toward that HOPE?” These simple words caught the imagination of Mr. Sugawara who was himself a vicitm of the tsunami. This shared vision for hope-building is the foundation upon which our relationship has continued to this day. Each day we send from 30 to 50 young volunteers out on their bicycles to help with mud removal and house cleaning in the Shichigo village. The young people on bicycles are a symbol of our humble presence in their community. We do not mean to advertise who we are, nor to do large scale relief work. We go each day to help the residents rebuild their own lives, and in the process grow in our mutual relationship of trust. Jesus said “God has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” The disaster of March 11 has left many people captive to the reality of loss and destruction. Many have lost sight of their future. Oppression fills the air. Yet the bicyclists themselves continue to be a symbol of HOPE. Through thieir encounter each day at Shichigo, each person receives a proclamation from heaven; “this is the year of the Lord’s favor.”

 

Can we be normal again?

It’s been over a month since we last updated our blog. From that you can probably tell we have gotten “back to normal” a little in the since that we are slow at updating. I am sorry that the updates have not come quicker. Yet we have been busy doing what God and the church called us to do here in Japan so in that sense no excuse is probably needed, although I’m sure you all want to follow life here.

So actually as we look back at the blog it has been 7 weeks since we gave an update. To catch folks up, a few days after the last update we got the go ahead for the rural leaders training program to continue this year, albeit at a new/old location. We informed the 2011 participants that we would be beginning the program 1 month late, that is May 2nd, and the first 3 months of the program would be taking place at a place named Machida, near Tokyo. This is a new location for the program and at the same time THE OLD location of what was once called the SouthEast Asian Rural Leaders Course which is what ARI used to be called when it was at Tsurukawa Gakuin. As you can guess, after making the decision and confirming the use of the location, the next three weeks were spent getting ready to move and then set up on the new campus. This happened all while half of the staff continued to take care of the Tochigi campus, taking care of the farm, coordinating rebuilding efforts as well as monitoring and actively working at radiation decontamination of our fields. April 30th then came and we began to welcome each one of this year’s 20 participants. We had the pleasure of picking up the first 3 participants at Narita airport. Finally there was a sense coming that our training program would continue this year despite the damages that we have and continue to sustain. Each participant continued to arrive and on May 2nd, orientation began. Two weeks later, opening ceremonies and the dedication of our new farm shop were able to be held at the Tochigi campus. This year was especially joyous as this weekend was the first time many of the staff and participants would meet and it gave us hope that this year we could really do this program.

A week and a half into the training program we all headed back to the Tochigi campus for a few days to help with the rice planting and also to continue to get accustomed to the environment and people that we will one day be together with full time.

In the midst of all this we have had the pleasure to begin many new relationships and recreate old relationships in Tokyo. The two of us have especially had the chance to get to know some staff members and participants in the very intimate setting there in Machida. Relationships seemed to take months to build in the previous two years but this year these relationships with participants,staff and volunteers seem to grow very quickly. People’s walls seem to be naturally down as we realize our need to listen and trust one another. Especially since there are no Japanese volunteers helping us in Tokyo, Jonathan is reminded of the difficulties of being a foreigner who doesn’t understand the local culture and language and is spending much time forming that link between our participants and the outside world of Japan.

So we want to include two more things today, one is an update on the situtation of ARI itself and the disaster relief efforts going on in Japan. Secondly we’d like to share how we have seen God at work recently, ending with some prayer requests.

The situation at ARI is that we are now a divided school. Half of our staff are with the participants in Machida while the other half and several volunteers are taking care of the Tochigi campus. The training program is continuing, although the field work is highly condensed, classes are able to carry on. In Tochigi people are tired but continuing with the upkeeping of the farm and also with rebuilding efforts. I want to give a shout out to CRASH Japan and the UMC Cal-Nevada conference folks for all of their help in rebuilding and upkeeping thus far and thank you for your promise to work more in the future! In regards to that future work, we have been told that our main office building and Cafeteria building will need to be torn down and rebuilt. The Men’s dormitory is also so old that putting much money into seems to be a waste. That undertaking is coming in near 3 million dollars!!!! So there’s plenty of fund-raising to be done there. (We don’t know if you read but UMCOR has helped give the school a push by giving us $150000 in emergency relief, praise God and thank you church!) On top of that we have major repairs to be done to the womens dorm as well as a few of our animal pens and storage buildings. Include the extra costs for having our training in Tokyo and you can imagine that the bill continues to build. But again there has been offers of help, although I am sure much more is needed, and we know that if God wants this program to continue then the funds will be provided. Finally we continue to struggle with radiation. The area around the school in Tochigi has been declared a low contamination area. That means that there is no immediate threat to our health and even long term effects are not expected for “normally healthy adults”, but children need to be careful and we should be careful with our work outside. The grass in our area has been ruled unsafe for our animals to eat, but the vegetables seem to be ok. Although we have hope for the future the crisis still continues with the powerplant still not under control, i.e. spewing out radiation, which also means everything we are planting might not be safe when harvest comes. Although it’s sad to plant in these conditions we also see our work as a proclamation of the good news of God through Jesus Christ. We believe that the way the world is and the effects of human sin and “accidents” will not last forever. We believe that God will redeem creation one day and that we are called to work as if the Kingdom of God has come, knowing that one day Christ will bring it fully, that the groaning of creation will come to an end and everything will be new and redeemed.

In regards to the relief efforts in Japan, we ourselves have not been involved as much as we have been taking care of this years participants, but we know some. Efforts continue up north. More and more of the shelters are closing and people are having to continue with their lives in some fashion. Some have moved to other parts of Japan, some have began to settle in the area they evacuated to and others are still waiting to return home. Many Christian organizations are working hard to bring care for these misplaced people, put at near 100,000. ARI has been working with many of these ministries. The VIM program of the UMC is beginning to look at how it can help in the rebuilding efforts and Jonathan is beginning to work to bring those teams to ARI and up North, but waiting for the right timing as things still seem difficult up north with sites not yet able to host volunteers. Also ARI is looking at partnering with another Christian organization in giving evacuated farmers a chance to do some work at ARI, helping them to regain their sense of dignity as the disaster continues to unfold.

And in all of this we can say that God is working. The biggest miracle is the ability to have the training program in Machida this year. Our relationship with Tusrukawa Gakuin was not the best for years and as a staff member said, it is truly a miracle that we are being welcomed with so much love this year. God is bringing reconciliation among His people. Amidst the crises 20 participants received visas and were able to come safely here. Some walked for days to the nearest town to get transportation to an airport while others waited in neighboring countries for days to get a visa to come to Japan. We have heard testimonies of how people have been changed by this disaster and know that baptisms have happened as people seek to commit to following Jesus. Although the costs for rebuilding at ARI and in Japan are humongous we have been amazed by the sacrificial giving people around the world have given. We just heard that our graduates from Malaysia sent us over $4000. That’s coming from people in the “developing” world. It seems their love and understanding of sacrifice is very developed. One thing we haven’t been able to share much is that we began serving a new church in April of this year, the average attendance at worship was 5 people over the past year with only 3 on average since November of last year. Well at Easter, we had 30 people at worship with the majority being non-Christian, some coming to church for the first time in their lives. Praise God! Finally we see God at work through the work that is happening in Japan as churches are coming together across denominational, theological and other dividing lines to work for the furthering of God’s kingdom and the rebuilding of Japan.

Finally we ask that you would be in prayer for us.

1. God would give Ari’s leadership wisdom as they make decisions about this year’s training program, rebuilding, and how best to make our environment safe and clean.
2. Pray that this year’s 20 participants will learn much and have many experiences with God through Jesus Christ and that God would use us as His instruments.
3. Pray for the health, future and salvation of the 100,000 refugees and the ongoing recovery work.
4. Pray that God would bring revival to this country as a result of the work the church is doing. May people know their need for Jesus and may the church’s actions be a testimony as to the welcome of the love of God for the Japanese.
5. Pray for Satomi and Jonathan. Pray that we would continue to be held in God’s arms, given strength. Pray for our future as we continue to serve and next year will need to decide where and how to continue ministry.

Enjoy the pictures!!!

Almost a month later…

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

-1 Corinthians 10:13

He will show you a way out…

This past Monday during our school’s morning gathering, the director, Rev. Otsu, shared this passage of scripture with us. He took us beyond that point saying not only will God provide a way out of this situation for us and Japan, but God will be with us to bring us out, imagine the footsteps poem. We guess that’s what many of us have continued to think about over the past 3 and a half weeks. What is God doing? As the Jewish man screamed watching one of his brethren suffer has he hung in a concentration camp, “Where is God?” Or to explain it further, why did this earthquake and tsunami and nuclear disaster happen at this time, in this place. And though we are tempted to say God is not here, God has removed his protection from us, God says he will provide a way out from the temptation to say that, we will be able to stand this testing. Hallelujah. We serve a risen savior who has been tempted to think it was all over, but who overcame the root of sin.

It’s been about 10 days since we last wrote to you all. Although life has continued and we are making progress in getting our program ready, campus ready, and getting plans for our near future ready, many of us continue to struggle in our hearts and minds. We’ll give an overview of the past 10 days and also try to share some of our feelings.

In regards to the campus, things have gotten much more normal. We have moved back into our offices and the life of the school that seemed to have freeze on March 11th, seems to be continuing. Jonathan and 2 other staff had a computer orientation today, an orientation that was to happen much sooner as the current IT staff is leaving us soon. Servers, networks, pinging, etc… it’s like learning a foreign language! In regards to the buildings around campus, we have been able to clean up most of the buildings and got rid of a lot of trash. Some things were ruined in the earthquake, others were found in corners, seemingly not used for 20 years. The workshop, farm shop, dorms and our main administrative and educational building are now in working order. There is still repair jobs that will continue in these places but people are living and working on campus again. Koinonia House, the main place of food and fellowship is still a no go zone. Jon reported last time that we would not need to tear down this building. We received further explanation that we don’t have to tear it down now, but it is heavily recommended to happen within the next couple of years. The earthquake although not destroying the structure, seriously weakened it with the bottom floor now too dangerous to hold meetings, and the future earthquakes, even if they are small, will continue to shake the structures. So with limited time and resources, we are now working at getting the walls and ceiling up in the dining hall so that at least this year we can eat and hold meetings there soon. As the program is still supposed to begin in May, we have about 3 weeks to get things to a usable state.

There are a few areas that are not so urgent but will need further work, including the storage sheds and the building holding our second hand shop, water in some of the animal sheds, the outdoor stage and some landscaping type of work. We still are thinking how best to use volunteer groups and professionals, so if anyone has skills in these areas and groups would like to come, let us know!

We are slowly getting on with planning the 2011 program as well. Because of the loss of 1 month we have had to shorten some parts of the training but also have been able to think again about the core values of our training and school. Although we still cannot be sure because the power plant in Fukushima is still unstable, and rumors are it might take months to get things to a stable level, we are at least making plans and looking at our options so that we can continue Ari in some way. Something that has been incredibly encouraging is the voice of the graduates and previous volunteers of ARI.

Although daily wages in many of our graduates countries are several dollars a day, many alumni groups have sent us money, in the hundreds of dollars. We continue to receive letters and emails of support, and we even received a fax today just to tell us “we are praying for you.” One of our graduates wrote a poem and sent it out to ask signatures of support from other graduates to say that Mother ARI cannot stop, she must go on nurturing her children. These words and actions show us that our work has much more meaning then we can even imagine.

We have had a stream of previous volunteers come and be with us even if it was just for a night. All of them are shocked and have become an incredible help to us with their hands, their prayers, their words and their smiles. The more we see their dedication to help ARI get back on its feet and continue with the work God has given it to do, the more encouraged we are that we are not merely following a human idea, but that God is empowering us to carry on a mission to the world. We are called to share the love of Jesus Christ in a highly practical and meaningful way that will have affects on people, communities, and history for years to come.

Satomi and Jonathan, we’ve also continued to think about our lives and what God has called us to do here at this time. This past Saturday we joined others in the ARI gospel choir and other local choirs and bands in giving a concert at a local refugee center. You could see a look of just being lost on their faces. Yet as we sang, smiles and joy began to appear. We also began serving a new church this past Sunday and although the church is small, meaning you can count the number of people in worship on your 2 hands, we left worship this past Sunday with hope. The church seems to represent our lives in some way. Although the church is small, being like that for years now, and there is very little visible hope as to how it will grow and affect the community around it for our Lord Jesus Christ, we left worship this past Sunday with hope in our hearts. Everyday in Japan is a reminder of what Rev. Paul Shew, UMC missionary to Aoyama Gakuin University, called the “new reality of Japan.” There is fear about the unknown of the continuing nuclear crisis, people continue to suffer in the north with many still missing and cleanup not even started in many towns and villages. Reading the newspaper or looking at Japanese news seems to only share more reasons for despair. Even the words the Japanese use to encourage one another, ganbare, invoke a sense that we haven’t tried hard enough and need to try harder. Yet in the midst of all this, we, here at ARI, remember that our God continues to control history. God is still here with us and has not removed his protection from us. God is working miracle after miracle in the lives and communities around us. The conversations we are having with people are deeper, the questions Japanese are asking us about our faith are more profound. There is hope that we can see, there is a way out that we know God will provide us.

Finally, before we give you our prayer requests we want to thank so many of you for your help. Many of you have given financially, some not only once. Many of you have committed to constantly praying for us, many of you have called and emailed us with words of encouragement, streaming with love. Many of you have offered to come, and continue to ask what we need. Thank you, thank you and thank you. May God give back to you double the blessing you have been to us.

For those who still want to help, I continue to ask you to think of coming and working for the rebuilding of Japan within the next year. You can also continue to give financially. This disaster has been on such a scale, that TIME magazine is saying that the damage in Japan is a reported 235 billion dollars from the Tsunami and Earthquake alone. To put some perspective to this, the damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was 1/3 of this, put at 81 billion dollars. So consider giving to the United Methodist Relief organization, UMCOR, or think of giving directly to us here at ARI, through AFARI, as we rebuild and continue to supply food and clothing to people in evacuation centers both in this area and further north.

And as always we ask for your continued prayers: (sorry they’re so long)

1)Pray for Japan. We have heard from our friends who are helping up north that many people in the devastated areas still have very little access to fresh food and water. Many people are said to be surviving on three meals of only bread a day. Many people are in such despair that many areas are not able to begin to clean up, they are still in shock and trauma. We’ve also heard stories of suicide because of the earthquake and because of the lack of a future many people seem to feel. Pray that God will use the churches and aid workers to bring help to the 200,000 or so people still living in evacuation centers. Pray that they can find new housing and work.

2)Many schools are supposed to begin this week and next, and the children are not ready for school and many of the schools are still acting as evacuation centers. Jesus says bring the little children to me. Let us bring the children to God in our prayers. Ask that teachers, parents and churches would have wisdom to share with them, that the gospel could be shared with many children and their parents so that people can have hope for a new day.

3)The power plant situation is still unstable with still no end in sight. Chernobyl lasted 2 weeks, we’re almost to 4 weeks of leaking. Although there has been progress things are still not good. Pray for wisdom to bring the power plant under control. Pray that God would continue to keep the wind off of Japan and would protect the water and the earth that is being contaminated. Pray for the safety of the millions of people around the plant. We know of several Christians working at the plant as well. Pray that they can shine the light of Christ to their coworkers, brining strength and hope at this difficult time.

4)Continue to pray for the farmers in Northern Japan. Some of those committing suicide are farmers. Pray that their produce will become safe soon and their land will be able to yield good and safe crops. Pray for their futures as their land and livelihoods are still under threat.

5)Pray for the Japanese church. They are doing much to help people. In particular National Council of Churches in Japan and CRASH Japan are two groups of churches taking the lead in rescue and aid efforts. Pray that the aid will reach those in need and that the gospel will be front in center in the help and the lives of those helping. Pray that the church can show people where their salvation can be found and that people’s hearts will be open to accept salvation and join the work of the church.

6)Pray for ARI. We are still trying to figure out a way to continue our program this way in as safe a way as possible. Not one of the incoming participants has said they do not want to come because of the disaster, but several could not get visas. Pray that the participants will have wisdom in deciding to come. Pray that God will guide our program and show them what it means to be a grass roots leader, and that what we are learning now can be a part of that. Pray for the Board of Directors and Staff Steering Committee to make wise decisions. Continue to pray for our safety.

7)Pray for Satomi and Jonathan. Although we are tired, God has truly given us a strength to continue to support people at ARI. God is also sending many opportunities with staff, volunteers, and people in the community around us to share the good news and hope of Jesus Christ, the reason for our faith. Pray that we can do it in word and deed and be good stewards of everything God has given us.

Day 12, and the count goes on

“Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”

-2 Corinthians 12:8-9

We’ve had several requests about an update on how we’re doing at the school and what’s happening with the rescue efforts in Japan. Jon’s decided to take the next 25 minutes that he managed to squeeze away to try and do that for everyone.

In regards to ARI, things are slowly moving along. We got really good news yesterday. The structural damage that we thought would make us have to tear down the Koinonia House is not as bad as the inspector first thought. We still have to tear down most of the inside of the building and fix some floor and walls, but the building is standing intact. Amen! Work has already begun on the upper floor, which will allow us to have a dining room again, which can also act as a multipurpose room allowing us to continue with the program this year. The first floor though is a little more damaged and will need more extensive work, so until we can raise support and find time, help and professionals we will keep it closed.

We have continued to work in the main building where our offices, library and classroom is located. One worry from the inspector is that the weight of the library was too much for the second floor, so we are in the middle of cleaning it up, at least creating path ways to walk around in:), and will bring the books downstairs until we can get things situated. But this will allow us to return to our offices, hopefully by next month getting us back into a little since of normal.

The rest of our time has been spent between getting vegetables, rice and potatoes ready for planting and getting our own houses and lives in order. Although our house didn’t suffer much damage, some of the staff members still are not able to live in their houses but continue to make repairs .

Finally, we have been able to connect with a local refugee center. It’s being held at the local park’s hall and gymnasium. Although the original plan was to house 50 people for a week’s time, that has turned into an expected 500 people this week and people will be able to stay longer. What got us involved was a call from a former staff member. We were planning on sending food up to Sendai and other Tsunami afflicted areas, something we have done a little, when the former staff member called and shared that the local government was opening a shelter up but would not be providing food. Between her work, a couple of visits by us, and God’s hand, the government decided to open the kitchen to volunteers and allow us and others to donate food for the refugees. God has blessed us with the opportunity to serve so many people through these efforts. We also have enlisted help from others in Japan. If you are in Japan you may send us food, diapers, clothing, etc… and we will pass it on to the local shelter. We still continue to house several refugees ourselves and do all we can do to support people caught in the middle of this disaster. Many of the people coming here are not only escaping the destruction of the earthquake and tsunami, but also the powerplant. And that continues to press in on us.

The situation with the powerplant has not seemed to changed much. There has been seeming improvements and other setbacks. The radiation in our area has dropped to a third of what it was last week, but still above normal. But it’s effects have continued. Now leafy vegetables and milk in the neighboring prefectures are prohibited from being sold to other places in Japan and many stores will also not buy these things from our own prefecture because of our proximity. This is a double whammy for the farmers in Japan. Not only have they been hurt by the timing of the disaster and it’s destruction the fields, but now the radiation is beginning to affect the food and water which means their livelihoods are all but shot, not too mention the danger to their health. As far as we know, our food is still ok, but we are in the process of getting it checked and are cautious in what we are eating and drinking. Please be in prayer for this situation, for us, the farmers, and the health of people throughout Japan.

As far as the situation regarding the relief efforts in the north, there is good and bad news. For the most part people continue to remain calm, although 1 mile lines at the gas station are not so rare, long lines to get in grocery stores are normal and in parts of Japan not directly affected by the earthquake, toilet paper, tissue, bottled water, noodles, and rice are almost impossible to buy. But most people continue to wait. We have heard that some of the areas around the powerplant are not getting food, medicine, and other necessities shipped in, leading several staff members to spend Sunday delivering this to them. They said that people are not starving, but the fear of the radiation is keeping many people away, including delivery trucks. Other parts up north, people are waiting for food, having maybe 1 meal a day, and dealing with the ongoing cold with what blankets and clothes that have been donated. The highway north from Tokyo through our area continues to be limited to emergency vehicles and rescue operations, making it hard for people to leave the affected areas. We’ve heard that there has been some stealing, looting and things that you normally associate with these disasters, but they seem to be the occasional and not the normal reaction. Maybe that’s something to thank God for. But while many are struggling and foreigners are heading home, there is so much help coming to Japan from those overseas and the Japanese people themselves. My colleague, whose wife and children headed south to stay with her family for a while, said that the grocery stores were also empty down there. But the reason is because people are buying and sending what they can to those in the disaster areas. God is working where we might not expect it.

As we come to a close, and 2 more scary aftershocks shake us around (the 4^th or 5^th of substance today) and it’s already 20 minutes over what was allotted to write, we want to share how we are doing and what you can be doing to help before giving you prayer requests.

Satomi has been helping in the kitchen and keeping and eye on the news regarding the powerplant. She’s tired, but hanging in there. We both shared how at this time you realize that the only thing that is important is life, every other thing is really meaningless. We had our car packed to evacuate that 2^nd night, but nothing that most people might ordinarily value was in their, a few changes of clothes, food, passports, wallets and a computer. Jonathan is also busy with cleanup, getting the farm ready and packing eggs each day for churches, the evacuation center and a local farmers market. He’s also tired, but the last few nights have been restful nights, allowing his stress to be reduced a little. Both of us are finding strength in the words of scripture, the testimony of others around us, prayer and the supportive words from our friends and family. At the school prayer meeting last night, one staff member shared that this was the first time she’s been through a communal disaster. She also shared how God has been her strength. The scripture shared above has given us all great strength. Although we all feel weak and powerless to change anything that an earthquake can bring, we know that when we let go of our strength, the Holy Spirit gives us more strength than is humanly possible. We have experienced in our lives that when we our weak, He is strong, For the Power of Christ works best when we are weak and say have thy way.

What can you do to help? You can contact groups like UMCOR, Salvation Army, and Samaritan Purse, all of which are doing great work of relief in the middle of the disaster in the name of Christ. They are taking donations and money, participate as you can. You can also support our recovery work, the help we are giving to refugees, and our yearly program through sending money to AFARI. Finally, you can start planning a mission trip to come and help in Japan this coming summer, fall, even next year. There will be lots of work all around Japan as we seek to recover and I am sure it could use hands, and your witness of the gospel, bringing hope to so many people that are now on the verge of despair.

Finally, you can pray, pray, pray! Believe it or not, we have been able to feel your prayers. We should all be dead tired (or even dead) and sick now but we are continuing because of the power of God working through your prayers.

Please pray for:

1. The ongoing recovery efforts in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima. Pray that the rescuers will be open to the leading of God and that they will be led to the people who need the help most and reach them

2. Pray for the powerplant situation. The winds have also blown inland this week leading to more worries about radiation. Pray that God will control the winds, sending them away from people and pray that the workers get the plant stable, without further leaks of radiation.

3. Pray for the effects of the powerplant. Please remember the farmers in Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures. Pray that they will be healthy, that their food will be healthy and they will be able to sell their food. Also pray for the future that they won’t face discrimination because of where they are from.

4. Pray for ARI and Tochigi prefecture. Our food is still deemed safe but it could change at anytime. Pray that the farmers will be able to continue their work and pray for our health and our future. Pray that God will give us wisdom as we continue to plan for the coming year. Pray that God will bring the powerplant and radiation situation under control giving us confidence about continuing our program. If God’s will is different, pray that we can know God’s will and act accordingly.

5. Pray for Satomi and Jonathan. As we seek to comfort and minister to others and do recovery work, we have seen in ourselves and other missionaries tiredness. Pray that God will give us strength to continue to serve and witness to people. Pray people’s hearts will be open and the gospel communicated clearly. Finally pray that we will know our limits and rest when we need to, continually relying on God to fill us up with his strength in our weaknesses.

Life in the middle of a disaster zone

This is a letter that was passed on to me from another missionary friend.  Hopefully it will help you see life in the middle of the earthquake.  There are many people like Izumi and this person.  Keep praying and supporting the people here.  God willing, Japan will see a better day.

And the letter….

> Dear Friends and Family
>
> Life here has become one of living day to day. I am staying with the
> mother of my best friend, Izumi. Her home is two minutes from my
> unlivable shack. Izumi has moved in there, too, as her own home is in
> shambles after the major quake. She goes there daily to straighten
> things out.
>
> Each morning and evening we watch the news. Our daily lives are
> nose-to-nose with the immediate world around us, so seeing a larger
> picture is important. But even so, we are much more focused on
> day-to-day living.
>
> As I said, in the morning Izumi usually heads to her home, while I set
> out to find food. Lack of rice is a big problem. But vegetables and
> protein are also high on the list. I know of a small four-generation
> grocery store tucked way back in a neighborhood with narrow, twisting
> alleyways. The chain stores on main streets are closed or only open a
> few hours each day due to lack of supplies. But smaller ones off the
> beaten track are more promising.
>
> To my utter amazement and delight, this place was to open at 3 pm. So,
> I joined the line of people waiting for that hope-filled hour. The wind
> was fiercely cold and the wait almost two hours before I was able to
> enter the shop.
>
> Very wisely, the owners were allowing only five people in at one time.
> They had food because of farmer relatives who had brought in a large
> truck of vegetables and fruit earlier in the day. Most places permit
> people to buy only five or ten items, but in this beautiful place, the
> owners, deep with understanding, did not set a limit.
>
> It was a real delight to watch people come out of the shop with bags
> full of such items as potatoes, cabbage, daikon, carrots, yams, and
> other sturdy vegetables. The look of joy on their faces was palpable. I
> got my share, too, and as I pedaled home on my bicycle, I found another
> wee shop selling two-kilo bags of rice. So it was indeed a fortunate
> day. When I got back to Izumi’s mom’s home, we all laughed and clapped
> for joy.
>
> Since I will have to move from this shack of mine, I wandered over to a
> real estate office nearby to let them know my desires. Miraculously it
> was open. The woman was there to clean up and also because there was
> running water. There was none in her home and with her daughter’s
> newborn child, washing diapers was a problem. So she scrubbed nappies
> while we discussed housing for me.
>
> To shift focus off my immediate experiences, please let me continue
> sharing beautiful, life-affirming things that are happening all around.
> I am ceaselessly in awe of the emergency infrastructure here. There are
> not enough supplies, which everyone knows, but the excellently
> organized system is running like clockwork to the best of its
> overstretched abilities.
>
> To give a few examples, evacuation shelters are all over every city.
> Food, water, and heat are there, although very limited. Mats and
> blankets, again in short supply, are also there. People are collecting
> wood from damaged buildings and making fires for heating and cooking.
> Volunteers welcome evacuees and help in whatever way they can.
> Firefighters and policemen carry the old and injured into shelters on
> their backs. And shelters have designated leaders to head meetings and
> make decisions.
>
> People in the shelters are supporting one another. They massage each
> other’s legs and shoulders, sit in close circles for human contact,
> read stories to kids, or simply hold hands. They are grateful for
> whatever goodness comes their way. “I feel so fortunate. We are able to
> eat at least once a day,” one woman said.
>
> And people are being very creative. Some are out collecting snow in
> plastic bags. The water from it can be used to flush toilets or wash
> dishes.
>
> Today one young able man, who was helping his parents clean up the
> remains of their home, was called into the reserves. He had no choice,
> but was not happy about this turn of events. But his mother said, “We
> need him here, of course, but his service to others, to many, is more
> important than for only us.”
>
> During the day people go out to search for missing family members. TV
> crews are there, of course, and often stop people for interviews.
> Emotional wounds are deep and vast. People’s intense efforts to contain
> grief is painful to witness. No overt wailing. But tears and silence
> everywhere.
>
> “Shigata ga nai” is a Japanese expression that roughly translated
> means, “It cannot be helped.” It also implies a sense of enduring what
> is happening and of making the best of whatever situation you are in.
> That concept is an integral part of everyday life here, not only now,
> but always. This emergency situation is surely one of “shigata ga nai”.
> And everywhere people are saying, “We have to soldier on. There is no
> other way.”