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.)
Please mobilize prayer for the Japan CPI 2011 National Conference. Send prayer requests to your church and denominational and mission headquarters. Get the word out to pray for this conference. A suggested words are below.
In the shadows of the triple disasters in Japan, next week the JEMA Church Planting Institute (CPI) will hold their Japan National Conference (Nov 9-11). There are over 300 missionaries, pastors, and workers coming along with nearly 100 children. Ask God to bless everyone with a new vision for church multiplication and that God may ignite them with His renewal. Beseech God to surprise us with his presence and also work miracles in Japan, a country with little true hope. www.conf.jcpi.net
Please pray for John and Elaine Mehn this November!
1. Disaster Response Team Nebraska (team #8) leaves Nov 3 until the 12th. Yas Yoneda will again be leading the group; pray that God would use them to minister in word and deed with disaster survivors. This will be Tim’s last team trip before he leaves Nov 19th. Pray as we plan for more teams to come help.
2. CPI National Conference Nov 9-11. This conference, in spite the effect of the disasters, will be bigger than the last conference. There are nearly 325 adults coming with 100 kids! Ask God to bless everyone who comes that they may have a new vision for church multiplication and that God may ignite us with His renewal. Pray as preparations continue that the entire staff may be encouraged. Both John and Elaine will be training in renewal, John on church planting and John has the closing main session on The Church Sent in Compassion. Ask God to surprise us with his presence and also work miracles in Japan, a country with little true hope.
3. Pray that God would supply all the funding for Rengo pastors to attend the church planting summit and the conference. God has been generous the last several weeks but it appears we are a bit short.
4. Throughout the month, we have lunch appointments with our Japanese friends, outreach classes, Bible studies, and mentoring meetings. Pray we would have tender hearts and energy to help everyone we meet.
5. Nov 22-23 John and Yas Yoneda head to Shizuoka for the Rengo Annual Meeting. Pray that every church leader would be obedient to God’s will for their church.
6. Nov 24-26 Converge Worldwide Japan Mission Fall Field Council. Elaine and John will be giving our pre-home assignment term statements to the mission. We will be discussing disaster response, ministry assignments, and future plans. Ask God to grant his great wisdom and that we may have new insights to old problems. Pray that as we meet along with Asian Director, David Jahnke, that God would touch all our hearts.
7. Nov 27-30 Elaine, John and Yas’s trip to Tohoku to give Christmas greetings to our friends. Pray that we may have skill in sharing the gospel in a sensitive way with each family. Also ask God to grant great wisdom for the JEMA Tohoku Relief Consultation meeting in Sendai we will be attending.
8. We are also beginning preparations for Home Assignment and our Mehn 2012 Compassion for Japan Tour. Ask God to grant that our entire schedule would be completed before we leave Japan in mid-December.
9. OTHER STUFF – A series of articles highlighting the results of John’s doctoral work began with the fall 2011 issue of the Japan Harvest. “Lessons from Japanese Leaders Reproducing Churches.” Let us know if you would like to take a peek at this article.
Since May 2011, Converge Worldwide teams have been working in partnership with Samaritan’s Purse (SP) and their associates in Ishinomaki. This video highlights the kind of ministry that SP does throughout the region, like distributing home kits and being involved in reconstruction. Many of us have met country director Matt Svenson and a few of us worked with kickboxing pastor Kishinami.
If you are interesting in working as a volunteer we can introduce you to wonderful people like those hightlighted in this video.
1. Praise God that the Retool Kit training event went very well in Kyoto at the beginning of the month. Ray Swatkowski and Gary Harrison were the trainers. John was able to participate.
2. Thanks for praying for Elaine’s meeting with several Japanese pastor’s wives in coaching, prayer and fellowship for their LeadNET group.
3. We hope to have a dinner party with the “Agape Kai” group of Japanese couples at our home on 10/30. Pray for the opportunities to share Christ.
4. October will be a very busy time preparing for events in November. November brings a disaster team from Cameroon, the CPI National Conference, Rengo Annual Meeting, Japan Field Council, and Elaine, John, & Yas’ trip to Tohoku. Pray for wisdom, patience, efficiency, teamwork, and faith in God amidst the pressure.
CPI National Conference (11/9-11) preparations are going very well. Over 250 are registered already . Both Elaine and John have many duties. John was “drafted” to give the closing message on “Compassionate Church Multiplication.” Pray for preparations, teamwork, and even more people to register. There is still time for some people reading this to volunteer as a children’s worker or other key positions. If you are interested just let us know. www.conf.jcpi.net.
The next volunteer team “The Michigan Team” will leave on the 17th and return the 28th. Our new Disaster Team Coordinator, Yas Yoneda, will be leading this team. Fortunately they are a small team with only one who is not a veteran and cannot speak Japanese. They will continue ministry in Shintate and Urayashiki neighborhoods of Ishinomiya. The team will also be involved in some outreach events. Tim Mehn will again join this team. Please pray for safety, good teamwork, and lots of opportunity to share about Christ. To pray for Japan and Japan relief check out the special website: http://groups.google.com/group/Pray4Japan.
Thanks for your prayers as John spoke in a church in the disaster area on 9.11, 6 months after the triple disasters. John had nothing to say but God had a lot to say about what Jesus would do if he was in Tohoku.
Carpenters and Builders Now Needed
Along with general volunteers, we need builders and carpenters to come help us with the rebuilding phase. Along with teams this fall we need teams for next spring and summer. Pray that God would raise up these workers for this important neighborhood rebuilding ministry. Please contact Converge Worldwide if you are interested in joining a team. http://www.convergeworldwide.org/reach-nations/japan-relief.
John
I was so happy to be a part of Converge Worldwide mission team. We all made such a great team together. Like you said we could of never picked this team from all over the place, coming together as one time and not knowing each other. . I was happy to see these people’s faces when we were done. I never wanted these two weeks to end it came so fast like it did. Thank you for all the planning that you did to make this trip possible. Thank you for your hard for and for all the work you’re still doing in Japan.
Elaine, it was really nice meeting you for the short time I was there. Thank you for all the work you and John do for the Japanese people.
MAYBE JOIN ONE OF OUR DISASTER RESPONSE TEAMS IN JAPAN. ENJOY BEING USED BY GOD, DEVELOPING GREAT TEAMWORK, AND MAKING GREAT FRIENDS. PRAY ABOUT COMING.
On Friday our Mars Hill team finished “mudding out” Ms. D’s house. On Tuesday we will be power washing it and bleaching it. Then we will let it dry before it is rebuilt. But even though we are done there is even more help coming. The day it was completed the Samaritan’s Purse construction manager came and inspected the house and gave approval for it to be in their rebuilding plan. So they will pay for basic remodeling costs. Praise God!
BUT HELP! Now we need to help recruit carpenters and builders to help in this next phase of helping Ms. D have a more normal home before winter. Please pray for Ms. D. that she may find Christ as her savior. Also pray that carpenters would be soon recruited to rebuild her house.
CARPENTERS NEEDED
Help Converge Worldwide rebuild first floors of homes damaged by the tsunami in partnership with Samaritan’s Purse. The types of repairs to be completed are: installations of floor/wall insulation, sub-floor, drywall, exterior walls, and enclose window and door openings. Samaritan’s Purse will provide team members with orientation, instructions, power tools and supplies to do the job. All we encourage you to bring your own hand tools (hammer, tape-measure, tool belt, squares, cutting knives). While volunteer teams may have little experience, it is necessary that some individuals with each team have some experience in carpentry. Carpenters will be assigned for work with Japanese carpenters or lead carpenters. Please apply at the Converge website www.convergeworldwide.org/japanmission.
The ministry of Japan Disaster Response is the cover article for Converge Point our church movement publication. This article highlights the work of John and Elaine Mehn (among a myriad of others). You can read the article online at http://cvrg.us/fall2011. A great summary of our last team ministry together was blogged at Phil Tsai’s website http://www.filtsai.com/blargh_comments.php?blarghId=2154.
We have had over 4 teams from the States from 8 churches and volunteers totaling nearly 50. Our compassionate response to the disaster has taken several thankful turns in the last several weeks. 1) We are beginning to see people return to their homes and our outreach/community events are gathering them together. 2) We have broadened our scope by also working in a community neighboring Shintate, 3) We are in an aggressive rebuilding program partnering with Samaritan’s Purse. We need many more volunteers to help complete mudouts to prepare these homes for rebuild.
