GospelRest » Updates/News

Hot Time Summer in The City

John — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:08:07 +0000

Ah, summer in Tokyo. Some say it has been long with typical days in the 90s with 80% + humidity. With Elaine a bit tied down with her foot and John with his busiest summer ever we have stayed in Tokyo most of the time. Fortunately, both of us have not had any physical problems with the heat (except cabin fever). We did have a few glorious vacation days by the lake near Mount Fuji to enjoy the natural air conditioning of the mountains. The weather was excellent and the lake never more inviting. Camping outdoors is also good as we get away from email, phones, computers and TV.

Intensive Prayer – September

John — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:05:46 +0000

1. Research on Leaders of Reproducing Church in Japan has been in high gear throughout the summer. God has really blessed with some clear information about what and how the church in Japan must change. The project should be wrapped no later than mid-September so continue to pray.
2. Short-term missionary Mas Kobayashi is coming 9/16-11/4 to relieve some weary pastors by preaching and teaching for a few weeks so they can get some rest. Several have challenging health or family problems. He needs many prayers.
3. Thanks for your encouragements and sympathies about John’s travails with computers in July. August has thankfully been uneventful. John will get a new notebook soon and using the “old old” computer until then.
4. Beth began her elementary art teaching position and is doing great. Both she and her unborn baby daughter are doing very well. Tim is doing well but still looking for work. Continue to pray God’s blessing on both of them.
5. Elaine is still struggling with foot pain. This type of problem often has a long recovery time. She is gradually more mobile but has to take special precautions. Pray for complete healing.
6. The yen hit a 15-year high against the dollar just a few days ago. This is affecting our financial support situation and of course the entire Japan mission. Ask God to supply every missionary their support needs during this lean time.
7. September means a busy schedule of travel and meetings. Elaine’s cooking, needlepoint, and Bible studies resume. John will be busy with coaching four pastors, planning the church planters’ BootCamp in November, and handling the role of Field Coordinator. Pray for strength and that we may be good encouragers. Pray too for key decisions made at several meetings.
- Elaine trip to Kansai Christian School Board 9/10-11
- John’s trip to Gifu (coaching) and Nara (mission executive meeting) 9/14-15
- Elaine’s LeadNet meeting 9/17
- Elaine’s Bible Study 9/19
- Key CPI Leadership Team meeting 10/05

Intensive Prayer – August

John — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 22:01:28 +0000

1. John had a whirlwind trip to Kyoto and Osaka to help some pastors from a church in California line up partners for church planting ministry in Japan. They were able to meet with some key Japanese pastors in the area which are looking for church planting partnerships. Continue to pray for these. If you are also interested please let us know!
2. In preparation for the November CPI BootCamp we had a great operations team meeting in mid-July. Thanks for praying.
3. John enjoyed an alumni luncheon with fellow graduates from Trinity Evan. Divinity School. One of John’s project readers was also in attendance.
4. John was quite glad when we closed the page on July. He started out with a two-week summer cold. On the same day John lost his hard drive and the hard drive on the new backup computer. Thanks to God crucial research and files were all backed up. Later in the month our refrigerated died.
5. Thank God for the growing ownership of church planting multiplication within the Rengo and especially the leadership at the National Evangelism Department meetings. Last month the mission met with the Rengo to plan to assist more church planters, help churches birth churches, and encourage more evangelism.
6. Thank you for praying for Elaine and her battle with terrible foot pain with Plantar Fasciitis. She has been taking care of herself but recovery is slow; she is about 80% now.
7. Elaine attended the funeral of one of the ladies from her craft class. This has brought a fresh understanding of the urgency to share the Gospel with Japanese.
8. August is hot! Yesterday the discomfort index was 113 degrees. Both of us have to be careful of our health in this environment. This hot season usually ends in the middle of September.
9. Ask God to grant Beth energy, wisdom, and ability as she eases into her elementary art teaching position this month. She and the baby are doing great.

JAPAN A CLOUDED OUTLOOK

John — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:01:42 +0000

The August cover issue of Time Magazine Asian edition caught my attention: A Clouded Outlook. Over these last few years, we have felt being in Japan that the hope index in Japan has been dangerously eroded. People in Japan are pretty beat down these days. Time observes, “Japan’s political leadership is paralyzed, its corporate elite befuddled, its people agonized about the future.” These are the same people we live and work with everyday.

Decades ago “Japan didn’t need answers; Japan was the answer” as the article said. The Japan which was an envy of the world is not working and becoming loathsome to the Japanese. The global decline in the economy hit Japan twice as hard than the US. Besides the overall economic situation, recently the Prime Minister quit and another one took his place. Last month’s elections proved that people are unhappy with the lack of progress. One of our friends close to some legislators agrees with us that there is not much short of a crisis that will change the situation. Michael Schuman asserts, “And yet no one in Japan is doing very much about it.” In a place with already normal crises of earthquakes and typhoons we are concerned. What will pull Japan out from under this cloud?

The church of Jesus Christ has great opportunities to bring renewed hope to people with the good news. What people are seeking in Japan is the living God that will fill their emptiness and hopelessness. Like us those short-term missionaries that have been recently working in Japan all agree that Japanese are very open right now. What a tremendous time to be in Japan! Not since the end of World War II are the people searching for answers.

Japanese culture is very concerned with saving face and will not quickly advocate risk or the possibility of failure. Radical change and models of church ministry need to be developed. What is even more concerning is that the church in Japan in some areas is equally paralyzed.

Maybe you can be involved in praying, sending, and supporting new church movements throughout Japan. Join us in praying for wisdom that the development of new church movements would be dynamic faith-driven community transforming congregations. These faith-communities can drive the gloomy clouds away and birth new hope and outlook in changed hearts.

For the full Time article see http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2005689,00.html

Crisis in the Japanese Home

John — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 07:50:52 +0000

In this current age of crisis, we are facing major problems in Japanese homes. Society has a major influence on couples and family sexual morals. Abuse and violence are problems in the home. Our mission is to bring recovery to family relationships and to help families grow in a healthy manner. This society does not create a healthy environment for children. While children are growing, they get caught in the pressure of competitive society and there are many bullying problems at school. These are serious social problems. There are other serious problems, including the use of cell phones and the internet for harming children. Children today are facing these kinds of increasing problems. Adults are at a loss to know how to deal with these problems. We need to review our mission to youth and help children grow up in a healthy manner, cooperating with families and schools. Therefore, we must study the problems at a deeper level and work on cooperating.

* From the Sapporo Declaration of the 5^th Japan Congress of Evangelism

Grandparents!?

John — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 07:15:38 +0000

We have some good family news to share with you. Beth and Dustin are expecting a child in December! Elaine and I will become grandparents! The baby is expected just before Christmas. So far Beth is doing very well and dealing with all the changes. We were already planning to go back for Christmas for vacation and family visits so this is great timing. Elaine plans to stay two more weeks and help out while she does work in the US. We appreciate your prayers for Dustin, Beth, and the baby as they go through this exciting time in their life.

More on Tokyo 2010

John — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 07:13:32 +0000

The Tokyo 2010 consultation was a celebration of the 100^th anniversary of the Edinburgh 1910, the first global missions conference. The first conference was historic in many senses and sparks from that first conference continue today. Tokyo 2010 attended from delegates from over 140 countries was modeled after the original Edinburgh conference though this time a majority of the attendees were non-westerners, sending missionaries from anywhere to everywhere. Tokyo 2010 was the first of four international mission conferences in 2010. More information including the Tokyo Declaration can be found at www.tokyo2010.org. Thank you for praying for John’s presentation on New Churches in Japan just part of one of 17 seminars one day. From evaluations the seminar was very effective.

Crisis in Japan

John — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 07:47:59 +0000

In Japan, abuse at home, bullying at school, unemployment problems, drug addiction, and impulsive indiscriminate killings show the increasingly serious problems of society. Moreover, the political right is gaining strength, as can be seen in schools where the national anthem and the national flag are enforced, as well as in the movement to revise the pacifist Constitution. Therefore, mission in Japan is in the midst of severe circumstances. Church members are aging and the number of young people are decreasing. Some pastors are quitting under difficult situations. Some churches have no pastors or are being closed. The influence of cults and the occurrence of various kinds of harassment are intensifying in the church.

* From the Sapporo Declaration of the 5^th Japan Congress of Evangelism

Japanese Pastor Repents

John — Mon, 31 May 2010 21:13:44 +0000

At the recent Tokyo 2010 Global Missions Consultation, a highlight was one highly respected Japanese church leader who had a heartfelt and very open confession, public repentance, and an appeal for forgiveness from nations and people who had suffered during the Pacific War. He did not mince words but spoke more honestly than I have heard from other contexts. Even after 65 years this is still an emotional topic.

Along with his contrition and appeal for forgiveness was an appeal for all Christian groups to work in unity, for us to love our neighbors and be unified in our need of Christ. For more information see: http://au.christiantoday.com/article/japanese-pastor-repented-for-japans-past-sins-sought-for-unity-in-christ/8246.htm Also there was a reading of the Tokyo 2010 Declaration which was signed by numerous groups which I am represented in Japan, in North America and Missiological Associations. http://www.tokyo2010.org/conference/Tokyo_2010_Declaration.pdf.

More on Suicide in Japan

John — Sat, 29 May 2010 07:01:11 +0000

An earlier blog on suicide was at http://www.gospelrest.com/suicide-and-the-japan-economy/

Japan suffers over 30,000 suicides annually for the last 12 years. Also it is estimated that upwards of 10 times that number attempt but do not succeed at suicide. Suicide is viewed with scorn by people throughout society. Talk about suicide is considered taboo and people are viewed as losers who commit suicide. Those victims of suicide are cut off from help from others. One prominent psychiatrist, Hasami Hirayama, sees the vicious cycle of society pressure and emotional problems as both contributors of suicide. The means of helping people with these problems is not to ostracize them but to care for them compassionately. Japan really needs a change of heart and Christians who have the good news for people should be in the lead in providing answers. Pray and help.