Well this certainly is the new normal as our mission has had increased activity on the disaster response front. We have moved from distributing goods, cleaning up, to building, and now a few steps from permanent ministry. Since May I have been up to my neck in disaster response work involved in leading teams of nearly 50 people to Shintate Ishinomaki City from 8 different churches in the US. These include Bethlehem Baptist Minneapolis (John Piper’s Church). Next month I will have a team from Mars Hill (church) in Seattle. There have also been many already in Japan and Japanese who have joined these teams, one a pre-believer from Elaine’s Bible class. Also this does not include the many dozens in teams our denomination has sent throughout Iwate and Miyagi prefectures.
One Converge Worldwide relief partner is Samaritan’s Purse. From our work in Ishinomaki mudding out and de constructing homes, Samaritan’s Purse has a rebuilding program. They want to rebuild over 300 homes by Christmas. In short, as they say, they want to rebuild everything we tore out of the homes.
Along with regular volunteers, we need builders and carpenters to come help us with the rebuilding phase. We need many more workers this fall. Teams will be sent this fall and more can be formed. 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.
The triple disaster in Japan has done at least one thing, eroded or destroyed hope. As missionaries our task is to bring lasting hope to people through the good news of Christ. This PowerPoint video outlines relief ministry of Converge Worldwide and specifically John & Elaine Mehn designed to bring hope to victims of these terrible disasters.
It has been 5 months since the 3.11 triple tragedies in northeast Japan. Many asked me has it returned to normal there yet. As I was working and hanging out with friends in the neighborhood of Ishinomaki I was pondering that question. Today we also drove by the port and through town.
Things have changed at least on the surface, much has been cleaned up, more things are working but it is far from normal. Normal is having bags of garbage piled along the street but being hauled away by trucks more often. Also normal means having a backhoe go up and down your street along with the entourage of dump trucks as they pick up rubble and remove houses. Some traffic lights still do not work. What is normal is the dust, the few that live 24 hours a day in their own home.
At Mrs. T’s house we have workers in and out each day trying to finish cleaning up. In the midst of this is a makeshift living room. It is hard to understand that people can live in a house under construction (and destruction). The other day in the midst of the banging of hammers there was their grandson playing a video game on their TV, both replaced since 3.11. At least for him playing a video game was more normal.
There is progress but this type of rebuilding work takes many man-hours. And each house for over half of this city needs this work. There are not enough carpenters and people with their houses severely damaged hardly can afford them. But at least this is the new normal. It has gone on already too long, and it continues to wear people’s souls. And then there is the rebuilding of hope, the cultivating of the spirit, and directing these people to the compassion of Christ. This may take longer.
What is not normal is how things are changing for those out of their homes. Soon the evacuation shelters will be empty but some still have no place to go. The temporary housing centers are filling up but there are not enough. People are trying to get back in their homes but the damage if frankly overwhelming for them.
This is a crucial time in relief. Now we have moved well beyond rescue and relief. We are now in the rebuilding phase and many are still waiting for a semblance of normal. If anything we need more workers now, we have the volunteer bases, we are prepared to receive teams with orientation and simple systems, and particularly we have lots of work.
INTENSIVE PRAYER TEAM
John and Elaine Mehn
Accelerating Spiritual Renewal and Church Planting Movements
Converge Worldwide (BGC) Missionaries to Japan
August 2011
This will be short as we are both still technically on vacation.
Thanks for praying for us through July. We have spent a few weeks in the US celebrating John’s 90th birthday (a bit early), visiting with our new granddaughter Molly (who is as wonderful as we were told), having a Pickett (Elaine’s family) reunion, and hanging out with our kids and the rest of our family. This area has had both record heat for July and the largest rainfall on record (due to thunderstorms).
WHAT TO PRAY FOR IN AUGUST
Well we hit the proverbial moving treadmill when we touch down. John is organizing another disaster relief team leaving on the 8th. This team will have participants from Hawaii, St. Louis, and Chicago. This will also be Ken and Gerry Milhouses last team. We will be pleased to have Mas Kobayashi going along too.
Two more teams are scheduled nearly back to back in September. Pray that other Team Coordinators arrive to help out.
August is notoriously hot in Tokyo (hotter than our time in Chicago). As the 3.11 earthquake and tsunami damaged some nuclear power plants we will be without air conditioning for the entire month. This is due to energy conservation in the entire Tokyo area. Elaine does not do well in the heat. Pray for safety and cool thoughts.
Ask God to bless the two Bible studies and a needlepoint class Elaine will have in August.
Pray for key decisions and planning going on as we look forward to this key CPI National Conference in November.
Ask God for creative wisdom for the Rengo National Evangelism Department later this month. John will be attending with the Field Coordinator, Jeff Chapman.
Japan is not the same and may never be again. We in Christian work talk about this being the “new normal.” What we will be doing in Japan has already changed and probably will continue to change. Four months after the triple disasters there are still many without their homes, many are still to be found, and people continue to suffer physically and emotionally. But the good news is that spiritually people are very open.
DISASTER RESPONSE TEAMS
Since May Converge Worldwide teams of 2, 7, 10, and 16 have already been deployed to the hard-hit areas. I (John) have been on all these teams working in 7 affected areas. We are cooperating with our Japanese partners the Rengo who are also sending teams. The mission purchased a 10 passenger van to assist the Rengo in sending teams. Later this week the Kokubunji church will be partnering for disaster response with a Japanese congregation in Vancouver, Canada. Pray as a more permanent ministry in the Tohoku area will be developed over the next few months spearheaded by the Rengo and partnered by the Japan Mission. Currently another team, led by Ken and Gerry Milhous, retired missionaries, is working in Ishinomaki City.
The Japan mission continues to recruit some Team Coordinators and also looking for volunteer teams to come in the fall and spring. We are planning to receive teams this fall and need them early next year and the spring. To serve in Japan individually or in a team go to www.convergeworldwide.org/japanmission. We also need you to pray. To pray for Japan and Japan relief http://groups.google.com/group/Pray4Japan. We are constantly posting new updates on Japan disaster response and our ministry updates at www.gospelrest.com. Check them out. Elaine and I recently posted a video outlining our disaster response ministry. Please share this video widely and also encourage your church to show it in their worship meetings. http://www.gospelrest.com/how-are-you-doing/.
CPI NATIONAL CONFERENCE
The 3.11 triple disasters spotlighted Japan’s need for many more churches. The CPI National Conference will be held Nov 9-11 at Fuji Hakone Land. This conference with the theme of “together” will be a very interactive format and will have a session on “Church Planting in the Wake of Disaster.” We hope together we will all learn compassionate church multiplication. First, pray for the preparations for this historical conference. Second, consider coming to Japan to help with the Children’s Ministry and other ministries.
FAMILY VACATION TIME – Our first grandchild, Molly, will have her baby dedication at Beth’s home church on July 24th. My mother will also be celebrating her 90th birthday with us. And Elaine has a family reunion with her siblings, which is a rare event. Of course, we will spend lots of time with our children Tim and Beth along with others. Pray that we get the rest we both need. Also pray that God would refresh us with himself, teach us and use us at this family time, and that God would grant new visions for the coming months and years.
ELAINE’S MINISTRIES have been growing. One Bible study member is currently on a team in Tohoku. Pray that the women that Elaine relates to would consider their eternal fate and their relationship to God during this time.
Thank you for praying for the EVANGELISM TRAINING for the Crossroad church. The training was very encouraging and went well. All are more motivated to share their faith and all are engaged in sharing “their story” with people in their lives. Pray for new opportunities to do this training again.
Dr. Ritsuko Narita was on our last team to Shintate Ishinomaki City. She wrote about one family that she had met. This story is still fresh in my mind as well.
Mrs. Matsukawa and her son, Ren, came to Mrs. Komatsu’s house where we were working. She told me that her husband, Mr. Matsukawa, passed away there when the Tsunami hit. They visited the place after 100 days passed. On March 11, Mrs. Matsukawa was on the way home from her work. Mr. Matsukawa and their two sons: Ren (12~13 yrs old) and Sora (10 yrs old) were swept away from their house. Ren was rescued by somebody who lived on the 2nd floor of the apartment, located next to Mrs. Komatsu’s house. Mr. Matsukawa was on the truck in front of Mrs. Komatsu’s house. Ren shouted to his classmate, Eiki, Mrs. Komatsu’s grandson, to rescue his father. So, Eiki cut the curtain, made a long strip, and threw it toward Mr. Matsukawa, but Mr. Matsukawa could not move there because he had hypothermia. Next day, he was found to be frozen to death there. I could not help crying about this sad story.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15).”
Ren watched his father’s death on that night. When Mrs. Matsukawa was telling us her story, Ren was emotionless. I cannot imagine how hard watching his father’s death was for Ren. Please pray for Matsukawa Family. I heard that they do not want to live in that area and will move to another place.
Please be in prayer for Converge Worldwide and other volunteers working with people like Mrs. Matsukawa. Ask that God would grant them tremendous compassion to listen and meet their deep heart needs.
A friend sent me this link to an article on 3 months after the triple disaster on 3.11. Several of these places I have worked, one with Elaine. We have seen a lot of change in the cosmetic nature of the disasters but for many people they are stressed, some even more so, as time wears on and wears them down. As the article said there are billions of dollars that will take to repair this. Some people will never recover. Already we are hearing of increased suicides amongst the survivors. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2001984/Japan-tsunami-earthquake-Pictures-recovery-3-months-later.html
I feel this is a great time to be out and helping people. Many are returning to their homes or getting into temporary shelters. They are seeking community that was lost. Now is the time for the church to step forward and bring a community of hope.
I also reported way back in March about Pastor Akira Sato. Here is an update on his and his church’s experience over the last 3 months. http://www.asianaccess.org/a2blog/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=356&blogId=1
Pray for our ministry partner Dean Bengtson, Lutheran Brethren Missionary. Today I was pointed to a nice article and photos of our ministry partner Dean Bengtson associate with Samaritan’s Purse. I have known Dean and his wife Linda for many years but we never teamed up for ministry before.
Several photos in this article include people from both Converge Worldwide/Rengo teams that ministered in Shintate in May and June. You may recognize some of the people.
More teams are being mobilized to continue to support Dean in his work to transform this neighborhood physically and spiritually. Continue to pray for Dean and Linda and all those working with them in Ishinomaki, Shintate neighborhood.
Thanks to God we are doing well. These last few months have been far from normal. Living in a country where the largest natural disaster has occurred changes normal significantly. For many people here their lives and businesses are ruined and they have to start over. We have been doing our best to mobilize our Converge Worldwide family along with our Rengo partners to be engaged in this process of transforming Japan. This has led us to travel to the Tohoku region with Japanese and US Converge teams. We are seeing people helped in practical ways and also seeing God work in their lives leading to the planting of new churches.
