We are Back in the US. Thanks for your prayers for us as we made the transition from one home in Japan to another home in the US. It is good to be back. We were greeted by friends, family, and the flu on arrival. We are settling in, got reliable transportation, and set up our respective offices. Of course, the highlight was being with all our extended family for Christmas. All four generations were together. A great Christmas present was Tim landing a contract welding job working in Rockford. Pray for his continued success in this difficult economy.
Our 7 month Home Assignment begins this month with visits to three states.
Jan 7-8 Faith Church of Grayslake, Grayslake, IL
Jan 15 Temple Baptist Church, Rockford, IL
Jan 21-23 Cornerstone Baptist Church, Ludington, MI
Jan 28-29 Baptist Tabernacle, Kenosha, WI
Please pray for the impact of our visits in large and small groups in each of these churches. Continue to pray as wisdom is given in completing our speaking tour schedule. Pray for safety in traveling and adequate pacing through the tour schedule.
Japan Disaster Response – Things are a bit quiet but more short-term workers will arrive this month for long-term service. Also we are expecting several teams to head to Japan from both the US and Canada in the next few months. More goods are being distributed, more homes are being remodeled, and ministry to children and youth are developing. Pray for a permanent place for ministry in the communities in Ishinomaki where we are focusing.
Pray for Our Support – We will not be allowed to return to Japan on time unless our support is at 100%. Right now our support is hovering just over 90%. Pray that more would join in partnership with us, both churches and individuals. We could really use any increase to continue the work of equipping church planters and meeting practical needs through disaster relief. Consider a one-time gift or maybe regular giving throughout the year. To give to our ministry see the Converge Worldwide website http://www.convergeworldwide.org/give/49651. Just click donation.
INTENSIVE PRAYER TEAM – January 2012
Accelerating Spiritual Renewal and Church Planting Movements
John and Elaine Mehn – Converge Worldwide (BGC) Missionaries to Japan
Just before Christmas Yas Yoneda and John and Elaine Mehn went to Tohoku to visit families who have received Converge Worldwide help since the earthquake and tsunami. Here are the highlights from each of the team members.
Yas – The trip to the Ishinomaki city with John and Elaine to visit some 20 families stricken by the tsunami was a rewarding experience. We prepared to bring these dear friends a grand Christmas greeting with Elaine’s handmade ornaments, a box of Christmas cookies, a Christmas card, and a Bible. John and I know firsthand how hard “mudding” is and how important it is to do a thorough job, but we hardly saw a finished product until now. To see a house completely refurbished and sit down with the families in their warm living room made me realize all the hard work was worth the effort. I know it took a “village” to do the job and I wish each and every one of you could have experienced these grateful and welcoming families. Your hard work set the tone for sharing with them the gospel message. Thank you volunteers and thank you brothers and sisters who prayed for all of us. I suspect the dividends will continue to come in as we continue this important work of spreading God’s message of love and forgiveness.
Elaine – Over the months of John making trips to help in Ishinomaki I have heard lots of names but now I have faces and personalities to go with those names. Even though this was my first time to meet the people we visited, I felt like I had known them for years. Each of the ladies we talked with were people that I would love to have as my neighbors so we could sit and talk often. It was such a blessing to me to be able to bring hope to people who had lost so much but even more so to see smiles return. Yes, there is still much to do and the emotional pain will continue but in Christ we can have hope for a bright future.
John – We have shared about Mr. and Mrs. S. whose home and interior decorating business were nearly completely destroyed by the tsunami. He has to go to the hospital every other day for four hours of dialysis. Mr. S. invited us into his workroom that earlier we had helped to restore. Over coffee we talked for nearly an hour, exchanged our Christmas greetings and shared with him a Bible. He was very open to the gospel. He shared that he found the Buddhism that he was raised on was meaningless to him. I explained how Elaine and I both personally know how futile religion can be. I told him that we had met Jesus Christ personally and we hoped he would too. He was very intrigued by a personal relationship with God himself. Pray that God would continue to help them rebuild from this tragedy and also to know the God of Hope personally.
The CPI National Conference in Nov was larger than the last one in 2009. God really worked and so many people were encouraged, equipped, and re-envisioned for evangelism and church planting in Japan. Many were able to share their stories about the 3.11 triple disasters and also their current ministries. Many left with more refined plans for their ministry future. Thanks for praying. John probably gave his best CPI message ever. Elaine and John’s training was also affective. The total attendance plans to start over 400 churches and over 700 small groups in the next 2 to 5 years. Also they want to start 285 new ministries and deploy over 200 new church planters.
Thank you for praying for the Rengo Annual Meeting and the Japan Mission Field Council. There were some car problems but not on the road and so much work was completed. Elaine and I leave the field knowing we have these great relationships.
Success for Tim – Having just returned from his 3 months doing relief work in Japan, Tim is contemplating returning to help with the final steps for the Samaritan Purse building program which ends March 10th. Pray for wisdom from God regarding this next step.
We leave in two weeks (Dec 19th) to return to the US for our Home Assignment tour. This will be our longest time away from Japan in nearly a decade. Our schedule is filling up but we are still awaiting news from some of our partnering churches. Pray for preparations to leave, we both have so much to do.
A few days ago we had someone ask about our financial situation. Here are the facts. We have ended the last two years over 100% of our needed financial support. But due to the overall global economy and the declining dollar against the yen this year will be the most challenging. When we came to Japan the dollar was 200 yen, now it is 75, an all-time low. This means gasoline (reg) is $7 a gal and milk is $7.50 a gal. Our personal support is behind about $900 per month. We could really use any increase to continue the work of equipping church planters and meeting practical needs through disaster relief. Consider a one-time gift or maybe regular giving throughout the year. To give to our ministry see the Converge Worldwide website http://www.convergeworldwide.org/give/49651 Just click donation.
Every year Elaine invites all the women from her various cooking, needlepoint and Bible classes to our home to celebrate Christmas. They sing Christmas Carols (note the video) and share a Christmas message from an invited guest. Today, December 5th, 24 women came and heard Chiho Nakano, our pastor’s wife, share the meaning of Christmas with them at the Tea. The house is packed with women who really have a great time. They all went home with the Campus Crusade produced Legacy CD of light jazz music and message. Except for Elaine and Chiho all of these women are pre-Christians, pray for the message of Christmas to become real to them.
Last week I had someone ask about our financial situation. I thought more of you would like the facts. We have ended the last two years over 100% of our needed financial support. But due to the overall global economy and the declining dollar against the yen this year will be the most challenging. When we came to Japan the dollar was 200 yen, now it is 75, an all time low. This means gasoline (reg) is $7 a gal and milk is $7.50 a gal. Our personal support is behind about $900 per month. We could really use any increase to continue the work of equipping church planters and meeting practical needs through disaster relief. Consider a one-time gift or maybe regular giving throughout the year.
In addition, we have some projects we are raising money for. Church Planting Summits for the church planters in the Rengo. Funds for further development in CPI training and support for church planters. Please contact us directly about this.
Some of you may be unable to give financially but there is something very important you can do. Pray that God would supply these financial needs and that His Kingdom would be advanced.
The 1,000 year tsunami occurred over 8 months ago but the struggle continues for victims. Since May Converge Worldwide has sent 8 disaster response teams focusing mainly the in Shintate and Urayashiki neighborhoods of Ishinomaki, one of the cities the tsunami hit the hardest. Over 60 volunteers from 11 different churches have worked over 5,390 man hours (1) distributing relief supplies and goods to 874 individuals totaling over $2,800 dollars and (2) removing the mud and sludge left by the tsunami from 25 homes and preparing them for carpenters to rebuild them.
“Without you here with us, we would lose all hope.” Tsunami Disaster Victim
Evangelism has occurred with personal sharing of faith stories with over 50 victims’ families, distributing literature, and community outreach events. Future ministry will connect more with people through cafés, sports clubs, children and youth ministry. The call has gone out for more volunteers especially carpenters and builders.
After the 3.11 quake we almost cancelled the CPI National Conference. I am glad we didn’t. This biennial conference was bigger than in 2009! On November 9-11, nearly 340 missionaries, pastors, and laypeople gathered (along with over 100 children). The theme was “together” church planting in the wake of the quake. Many of those in attendance were from the Tohoku disaster areas or had worked there in ministry this past year.
“We were struggling hard, but we got new encouragement, courage, and vision through CPI.” 2011 Conference Participant
The conference was a time of spiritual refreshment, inspiration, encouragement, and challenge for those attending. This was the first time the main sessions were from an all Japan cast. These speakers, who have been extensively involved in disaster response ministry, including two pastors from the disaster area, challenged those attending to be gospel-centered in all they do and to be compassionate like Jesus as the church extends to new areas. The main sessions used a new small group format for integration and application.
The conference had 20 Core Training sessions on evangelism, discipleship, small groups, prayer, worship, and other church planting training. Several sessions on personal care and support for those in ministry were sponsored by JEMA Member Care.
Over 50 leaders met with CPI leaders where the leaders listened to them answer this question. “Over the next 2-5 years, what are some practical ways to advance God’s Kingdom to increase the number of disciples, leaders, and churches in Japan?” We are still compiling the answers which were extremely creative and helpful.
As well many attendees felt that now is a great opportunity in Japan. Over 90 missionaries and 30 Japanese reported they plan to start new ministries, groups, and churches in the next 2-5 years. They believe that the church as a sending agency would plant more churches. This would extend Christ’s great compassion to Japan and beyond. Pray that God would make that happen.
Upcoming ministry will be Church Planter BootCamps in various regions (Kanto Nov 5-7, 2012) as well as more support and resourcing of church planters. The dates for the 2013 CPI Conference were set for November 11-15.
Happy Thanksgiving. If anytime where was a time to be thankful in Japan it is now. So grateful that God has sustained us through the disasters and empowered us to mobilize others to help. The whole situation is sobering about how fragile life is and how easy it would be for civilization to break down. We are thankful to God for these and many lessons from disaster victims. God Bless and Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Let’s thank God for his provision for us and many, many others. (While writing this right now there was just a small earthquake.)
We are Back in the US. Thanks for your prayers for us as we made the transition from one home in Japan to another home in the US. It is good to be back. We were greeted by friends, family, and the flu on arrival. We are settling in, got reliable transportation, and set up our respective offices. Of course, the highlight was being with all our extended family for Christmas. All four generations were together. A great Christmas present was Tim landing a contract welding job working in Rockford. Pray for his continued success in this difficult economy. 
Yas – The trip to the Ishinomaki city with John and Elaine to visit some 20 families stricken by the tsunami was a rewarding experience. We prepared to bring these dear friends a grand Christmas greeting with Elaine’s handmade ornaments, a box of Christmas cookies, a Christmas card, and a Bible. John and I know firsthand how hard “mudding” is and how important it is to do a thorough job, but we hardly saw a finished product until now. To see a house completely refurbished and sit down with the families in their warm living room made me realize all the hard work was worth the effort. I know it took a “village” to do the job and I wish each and every one of you could have experienced these grateful and welcoming families. Your hard work set the tone for sharing with them the gospel message. Thank you volunteers and thank you brothers and sisters who prayed for all of us. I suspect the dividends will continue to come in as we continue this important work of spreading God’s message of love and forgiveness.
After the 3.11 quake we almost cancelled the CPI National Conference. I am glad we didn’t. This biennial conference was bigger than in 2009! On November 9-11, nearly 340 missionaries, pastors, and laypeople gathered (along with over 100 children). The theme was “together” church planting in the wake of the quake. Many of those in attendance were from the Tohoku disaster areas or had worked there in ministry this past year. 
The conference had 20 Core Training sessions on evangelism, discipleship, small groups, prayer, worship, and other church planting training. Several sessions on personal care and support for those in ministry were sponsored by JEMA Member Care. 
