Over 9 months later, people in the disaster area still live in temporary homes. Half of the 61,000 homes in Ishinomaki were lost in the tsunami. Difficulty still continues. More homes need to be rebuilt.
Hiroaki Yonai, chairman of the Japan Baptist Church Association (Rengo), was brought to tears when children of the Koinonia Academy of Kibagare Slum, Nairobi, Kenya, sent a check for $600 to aid Japanese children orphaned by the March 11, 2011 earthquake/tsunami. The 78 Kenyan orphans gave from their poverty – some from their lunch money. The gift amount equals the Kenyan orphanage’s annual education budget.
Said pastor Yonai, “We were amazed and so moved by their passion.”
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
