The De La Courier

Meetings and Special Events

2012-01-28T21:01:00.003+09:00

With a free weekend between my class in Columbia and my meetings in Charlotte, I decided to look into a trip to see family. It turned out I could get to Rhode Island/Massachusetts for a decent fare, so took the chance to go see Stan's brother, Ed and family. We rarely get to "hang out" as family, so it was nice to be together with Ed and Marian, plus two of their three kids. It was a little chilly--but no snow and ice to hamper travel. I enjoyed worshiping at the church Ed pastors in Pocasset, MA.

Getting close for an iPhone self-portrait.

From January 17-19, five of us from Asian Access met with a number of staff of SIM USA in Charlotte, NC to talk through a variety of details of the transition we have ahead in the Strategic partnership. It was especially helpful for us all to meet face to face. There are a number of areas where we in Asian Access have one person doing what multiple departments cover in SIM. Obviously size is a factor there--and while at times it gets confusing in our discussions, we are realizing some of the benefits of multiple staff members doing key roles.

Left to Right: Jeffery (A2 Japan Leadership Team), Sue (A2 Japan Dir of Training), Eric (SIM USA Personnel Director) , Mary Jo (VP, A2 Japan), Emi (A2 HRD Director), and me (A2 Japan Leadership Team, Member Care). We were visiting the SIM International headquarters where we got a quick history of SIM. It was facinating!

While in Charlotte, I had a chance to talk with people about our family's transition, which is currently in process. I was learning how to file reimbursements; who we go to to ask the questions that invariably will come up; working through the process of getting our pay from SIM--a most important detail! As the De La Cour family discovers the questions, its up to us to document those areas so when others in Asian Access make the transition later in the year it will be easier to for them. It is a blessing that both the SIM and Asian Access operational staff are very supportive and accommodating while we work through these things.

With our trip to Charlotte finished, it was time for me to fly across the country to Southern California, where I was picked up by my daughter at 10 p.m. at night. We spent the weekend together, of course, catching up on life and shopping for things for me to take back.

Panda Express is always a favorite stop for A and me when in Southern California.

Saturday morning we attended my sister's ordination as a priest in the Anglican Church of North America. I felt so honored to represent our family--both those who are a part of the "great cloud of witnesses" who have gone before, and others who could not attend--and was given a role in the service.

It was great to be able to celebrate with Joyce on this most significant day!

Sunday we attended the 11 a.m. service at St. James Anglican church in Newport Beach, where Joyce had a key part in the communion. Then it was off to the area near LAX where after a lovely Sunday afternoon Starbucks visit, she dropped me off at my hotel. I was on the way to Japan the next morning.

These were full weeks--between my class, the SIM visit and the brief stop in California. But I rejoice in all that was experienced and accomplished. I am also thankful that I didn't have any flight delays in all my travels! This time of year, that is significant!

My "Organizational Member Care Service" Class

2012-01-16T12:17:00.000+09:00

Last week I was in Columbia, South Carolina for my third member care course in a Masters in Ministry Care at Columbia International University. This time our topic was Organizational Member Care Services, where we looked at mission, vision, needs assessments, and proposal presentation for a Member Care facilitator to use in working within their organization.

Ten of the 15 students had been in previous classes with me, which made it more enjoyable. There are people who are clinical counselors, pastoral counselors, and others like me who are facilitators.

The class was taught using "Adult Learning" principles, which meant that we had a lot of personal interaction and group presentations. With the breadth of experience in our group, and the variety of nations we represented, there were some very good interactions.

On Thursday we had to do a role-play with our "administrators" to present a proposal we had worked on throughout the week. Our profs were those administrators--much too nice, I might add! Dr. Laura Gardner (L) has contributed much to the member care field. Many of us have used her writings to help us establish our member care programs. Dr. Jim Smith (R) was one of her doctoral students, and oversees the Member Care program for his mission organization.

We gathered for a group photo on Friday before lunch. (We're missing one member of the class who cannot be photographed because of the sensitivity of their ministry location.)

I leave with some work left to finish--but much of it is very practical and my project is based on being sure to facilitate the transition for our Asian Access missionaries who are moving under the SIM USA banner this year.

Next week I'll be joined by four other Asian Access people in Charlotte, NC for meetings with SIM to work through details of our transition.

Today I was struck by the passage my brother in law preached (I'm weekending in Cape Cod with Stan's brother and family) from in 1 Corinthians 16:15 & 16

You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters, to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it.

The role of a Member Care person is to be the one who serves those who are serving. As one of my classmates said, they are "missionaries to the missionary." It is important to care and encourage those who are involved in front-line ministry -- and it was nice to see Paul confirming that role in the Corinthian church.

Things that Change and Things that stay the Same

2012-01-11T11:51:00.000+09:00

Inmid-November of last year, the announcement was made of a strategic partnership agreement between Asian Access andSIM USA. You can click this link to read the announcement here.

July, 2011 in Charlotte, NC

forStrategic Partnership Discussions

I (Faith) have been part of theteam helping to develop this relationship over the past year. According to the agreement, SIM USA willpartner with Asian Access (A2) to recruit and send missionaries to Japan to helpplant churches. SIM assumes responsibility for the functions of mobilization(recruiting missionaries), human resources (missionary training and U.S.‐based care) and financial accounting. Asian Access retainsresponsibility for championing the overall vision in Japan, managing thestrategy of missionary deployment through its vast network of Japanesechurches, and Japan-based missionary care.

Because of my involvement for thepast year, we have volunteered to be the first on-field career mission familyto make the transition to SIM USA. We are excited about the partnership and lookforward to the benefits we will gain from being a part of a larger missionorganization. We expect to discover where any glitches may be in the transitionover the next few months in order to help smooth the way for the other AsianAccess missionaries who will make the move later in the year.

In many ways, this change will not be noticeable to you unless you are a financial partner. We will becontinuing the same work in Japan, though we technically have become SIM USAmissionaries seconded (loaned) to Asian Access. Stan will continue to serve at the International Community Chapel ofSaitama (ICCS). I will continue to oversee Missionary Care for allmissionaries working with Asian Access in Japan.

If you are supporting ourministry financially, instructions for sending future support to SIM USA aregiven on the link labeled "How to support the De La Cours"at the top of this page. We will have “open accounts” in both organizations while this transition isunder way, so if you’ve already sent this month’s support to Asian Access, youdon’t need to be concerned. We do value and need your faithful and ongoinggifts!

ICCS and the Singaporean Christmas Team

2012-01-04T16:12:00.000+09:00

ICCS Christmas Project 2011 from Amanda Zhang on Vimeo.

Before we get too far past ...

2012-01-02T21:41:00.001+09:00

Here are a few highlights of our past few weeks--

STANTA CLAUS was called on to cheer up some kindergarten children who attend a
school nearby a friend's church. Not only did he bring joy to the children,
but also to a police man who happened to see him getting suited up
in the car on the way over from the train station.

A team from Singapore visited the Senior Day Care Center in our community where we had been a few weeks before with the Fisher family from Minnesota. They gave a full program and handed out gifts. The headmistress says that she feels freedom this month out of the year to share the gospel with those who come, and welcomed both teams.

The headmistress (in front) has the group introduce themselves.

On December 23 there was a Singaporean Christmas party, complete with food and games. Many of the Japanese ladies who attended are English Bible Study students from various classes affiliated with ICCS. They have met the team from Singapore the past four years, and have made some good connections with them.

Ken gave his testimony at the party. His mother attended. She hasn't made a profession of faith,
but she has certainly seen the changes in him. Ken has been working full time in
the emotional care ministries in the Fukushima area since April.

This year we were going to forego the caroling, because last year it started late (always after the Christmas Eve service) and neighbors of people we visited complained about the noise. However, several were very disappointed to hear of our plans, and the idea came that we should go caroling BEFORE Christmas Eve service.

Here is the group outside of one of the regular attenders of an English Bible class
( he's int he back right, holding up his gift bag).

And here they are talking with T-san, who comes regularly to our church, and whose daughter and son-in-law joined him for Candle Light service later.

We had a nice group for Christmas Eve service.

Candle light and singing of Silent Night.

Stan leading the singing

With Christmas Day being Sunday morning, we wondered who would come out. We were pleasantly surprised at the good turn-out!

The Singapore Team along with the Loh's (Campus Crusade missionaries and faithful members of ICCS) and us. These folks gave up Christmas at home to spend it in our church and sharing with people in our neighborhood.

On New Year's Sunday we had the same question--who would be there?

Along with a good number of regulars, we had two "alumni families" come with their small children. It was a treat to start the year off with our church family.

And finally, a few "purikura" photos we took with our girls a few days ago...

Don't you wish all cameras were that gracious!

Happy New Year from the De La Cour's in Japan!

Gifts from Jesus

2011-12-21T22:38:00.001+09:00

Today we had our "Gifts from Jesus" Christmas Bible study with the Ladies of ICCS. A couple of years ago I was introduced to this when on home assignment in California, and found it very intriguing. Friends sent the word document to me last year, and we had the gifts printed out, folded and put into a box.

This year, I decided I wanted to go a little more "gift-looking" in how we distributed them, so last night I took the gift cards (which I had reformatted to work better for my little scheme) and individually wrapped them.

The gift was wrapped in paper just a little bit larger than the card, so that it was framed on the written side.

I then rolled them up into small tubes, taped them and tied them up with ribbon.

When I got to the church this morning, I put the tubes into my pretty box, and placed it in front of the tree.

This is how the gifts looked when the box was opened. It made this so much more inviting than just pulling a paper out of the box--and increased the sense of receiving something of value. There are 30 unique gifts.

We started with a little food and coffee, and visiting around the tables. We had five members of a Campus Crusade team from Singapore join us--they are here to serve through Christmas. Here's a look at our three tables:

Once we had finished eating, we sang a few carols, I gave a short devotional from Philippians 2, and then I opened the box and let each person choose their gift. We then went around the room sharing what gifts we had received. It was interesting to hear each woman reflect on how they anticipated their gift to be used in their life. Some of them included:

A woman who will be relocating to her home country in the next year talked about how it will take COURAGE to leave her work in Japan, find a job at home, and live with her parents again.
Another who works with children talked about how PATIENCE will help her in those endeavors.
A woman with her own business said that she needed FORGIVENESS to develop on her interactions with her students and her family when she begins to resent them.
The mother of two teenage girls realized how much they needed ENCOURAGEMENT from her at this stage in life.
The woman who received UNCONDITIONAL LOVE became fairly transparent as she shared that she needed this in her marriage right now.
One of the Singaporean team shared how she was filled with GRATITUDE for many things, including that her elderly mother recently made a profession of faith and was baptized while in the hospital.

Nine of us are from the Bible Study and five are from the Singaporean group.

As I was wrapping the gifts last night, I wondered which one I would get. To be sure there were some that excited me more than others, but I decided that I would receive whatever came my way. (The first year I got this my gift was SERVICE--and that created a little struggle in my heart because "I'm a leader!"--Good sign I needed that gift!) This year I was given the gift of the WONDERFUL COUNSELOR! Of course, Jesus IS the Wonderful Counselor, and he's given us his Spirit to guide us the way we should go. I am certain that in this coming years there will be many times when I will be calling on this Wonderful Counselor. And I pray that I can internalize attributes of that Wonderful Counselor so that in my interactions with others they can also be encouraged in their life of faith.

Photos From Ishinomaki

2011-12-19T22:35:00.000+09:00

Our friends Dean and Linda, who were on the receiving end of our box of cookies last week, have sent photos from Ishinomaki. I'm including their comments on each photo.

Gift bags (cookies, a Christmas CD, tea) and misc items ready to go to Ishinomaki.

Others have donated different things, all meant to share the love of Christ with these people who have gone through so much. Along with our home made cookies were baskets of other items, including home made neck warmers, scarves and mittens. Things by themselves may seem insignificant, but look at what they do when included with a warm visit by Linda and Dean, who have poured their lives into this community:

Mrs. T choosing something out of the basket of knitted goods.
There are neck warmers, scarves, socks and mittens - all very warm and BEAUTIFULLY made.

Gramma was excited to get a neck warmer, as they are really in style here this year.
As you can see in the background, her house is still in the midst of construction.
Today she told us she can't sleep at nite because she's having flashbacks
of hearing people scream for help when the tsunami came.

Its been 9 months since the tsunami came pouring through this neighborhood. Please pray for these people who are haunted by the memories of those events. Thank God for those who are able to be there to encourage them.

Gramma will enjoy the cookies a lot :)

I love her smile--and I love Linda's apron!

Dean found Mr. S just as he was leaving his house.
He and his family will enjoy the homemade cookies made by our friends at ICCS
Church in Saitama.

Today's Christmas celebration was held at a community center type building
in the Watanoha neighborhood of Ishinomaki. As you can see,
the place was packed out...Including volunteers and sponsors, there are around 200 people.

I wonder how many were at a Christmas celebration for the first time in their lives!

Dean and Mrs. S - Dean did the house dedication service for her last weekend.
Samaritan's Purse does this for all the people in their house rebuilding program. In Japan
it's customary to hold a Shinto ceremony when building a new home.
Now, it's really cool to be able to do a Christian style ceremony
and ask God to bless the family as they begin again.

I LOVE this photo...of Pastor S talking with a gramma who came to the Christmas service.
Here they sit having a heart to heart discussion, hole in the wall behind them,
gramma decorated with Christmas tree garland...!!! :) These are amazing days!!

These truly ARE amazing days. We pray that the Spirit of the living God will be poured out in this city and this region.

Asian Access is preparing to send a team of missionaries to live in this area and work with visionary pastors and missionaries in early 2012. You can pray for all the preparations required over the next few months.

And we will continue to do what we can do from ICCS.

Cookies to go....to Ishinomaki

2011-12-12T20:53:00.000+09:00

Today we got together at ICCS to make cookies to go to the Shintate neighborhood of Ishinomaki where our friends, Dean and Linda, are coordinating ministry to survivors of the March 11 disasters. As they hold concerts or have visits with people in the neighborhood in small groups or individually, having good food is always welcome. And while we personally can't get up there and talk with the people right now, we can be a part of providing a special taste of Christmas for those visits.

E. is putting the chocolate kisses on "Peanut Blossom Cookies." Her family brought the two bags of chocolate kisses with them when they came to Japan to serve with us this month.

Dan and Stan broke apart a bunch of small letters that went into a special cookie press.
And Eri and A. rolled out sugar cookies.

With the press, we made cookies that said Love, Faith, Hope and Joy.

Bonnie has these small ginger bread boy and girl cookie cutters--
and nearly everyone took time to decorate the cookies

--each one was a unique masterpiece!

Each package was topped with cooking paper loosely folded to keep the cookies
from shifting and breaking in shipment.

The packages were taped closed and ribbon tied around them.

When we finished our project we gathered for a group photo.
We put together 66 boxes of cookies.

Tomorrow I will package all of these into one box and send it by delivery service to our friends. Perhaps by the end of the week they will have brought some LOVE, FAITH, HOPE, and JOY to people in Ishinomaki.

And for a glimpse of what God is doing there, this photo was taken at a Candlelight Service up there just a few days ago ~

The caption from our friend, Dean:

I'm overwhelmed by it.

Look at the faces...

55 people at a home concert...

that came together just three days ago...

no advertising...all by word of mouth...neighbors inviting neighbors...

the Lord is at work in people's hearts...

Can it be they're already that age?

2011-12-04T21:53:00.001+09:00

This past week we celebrated our sons' 17th birthday. So many people remember them as little boys, so I wanted to post the most recent photos we have of them.

The day of their birthday was a busy one at school, so in anticipation, we took time on the previous weekend to go out for a favorite meal of "yaki-niku" or Korean BBQ. And they aren't overly fond of cakes -- one suggested I give them the money I would have spent on an ice cream or store-bought cake...

Instead, I made the choice to cook up a pumpkin pie, and my daughter decorated it with the whipped cream. So at nearly 10 p.m. the night of their birthday we lit the candles and celebrated them. We had a nice time and with pleasant conversation. And they seemed satisfied.

The December, 2011 "De La Courier"

2011-12-02T09:14:00.001+09:00

Last week we were delayed three times in four days when traveling by train because of suicides on the line. The rate of suicide in Japan is the highest among developed countries according to the World Health Organization. It is expected to be even higher this year because of the triple disaster of March 11 (earthquake, tsunami and radiation), in addition to the ongoing economic crisis. Over and over again, we hear people talk about their need of HOPE.

We are grateful to be able to share the Hope of the World-- our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—with the people of Japan, as well as those from other countries who are currently residing here.

· At the International Community Chapel of Saitama (ICCS) we have taught the Word, encouraged the believers to grow in their faith, and nurtured those who are searching for God. Several of our members have been directly involved in emotional care of survivors, and we are caring for the care-givers.

· As a part of the response for the Shintate neighborhood in Ishinomaki, one of the cities devastated by the tsunami, ICCS has contributed clothing and funds and in a few weeks, Christmas cookies to be used in for a gospel concert and coffee time. Stan worked with a team from the Cornerstone Bible Church to physically “mud out” homes that are being restored to living order by Samaritan’s Purse carpenters. People in Shintate are saying "As long as volunteers are here we have hope! Please continue to help us!"

· Asian Access is preparing to move a team of missionaries to the area around the city of Sendai, working in churches affected by or actively serving in disaster-hit areas in the next few months. Faith has been a part of the leadership overseeing this decision and will continue to work to encourage the missionaries’ transition to living and serving in this area.

We are privileged to be a part of a mission that had a vision for partnership with national churches and pastors committed to seeing the transforming power of the Gospel at work in the lives of individuals and families. There is a great need for more workers to come to Japan and share the good news of Hope in Christ. Over the next few years Asian Access is prayerfully preparing to mobilize additional missionaries to help meet that need. We look forward to the coming year as there are some exciting developments in a strategic partnership with SIM USA which will help to propel the recruitment of these new missionaries. (More about this in our January letter!)

As “veteran missionaries” with gifts in pastoral care and encouragement, development and connecting, we believe God has strategic ministry for us to accomplish here in Japan during this time of mission growth. We are so grateful that He has made it possible for us to be here since 1979 (Stan) and 1984 (Faith). We could not have continued without the faithful prayers and generous financial backing of many over these years.

As we come to the close of 2011, would you prayerfully consider giving a special gift to enable us to carry on the ministries to which God has called us? We need $25,000 to allow us to reimburse expenses related to our children’s educational needs and begin 2012 with necessary reserves. In addition, we seek additional monthly givers to fill in the gap created by some who have been unable to continue their support for reasons from job loss to death.

We are so grateful for your faithful ministry of prayer and we thank you for your part in bringing the Good News of Hope to the people of Japan.

Instructions for giving are found by

clicking the tab at the top of the web page.

Reminders...

2011-11-24T15:36:00.001+09:00

We had an earthquake early this morning--the kind that rocked the bed, rousing me from a dream. It went on for a while, in a gentle but unsettling way. When it quieted down, I dropped back to sleep. While we haven't had too many recently, it only serves to remind me of the realities in which we live. As one news account put it, we live on the "ring of fire" -- the region where 90% of the world's quakes occur.

Today is Thanksgiving in America. For those who grew up with stories of pilgrims and Indians sharing that first meal together, it serves as a reminder of God's provision. For some who haven't grown up in America, it seems presumptuous to relegate thanksgiving to one day. Living overseas for nearly half my life, I think that the American traditions have faded in significance, and I personally am thirsting for a lifestyle of thanksgiving instead.

The past month, several of my friends have been posting things they are thankful for as their facebook statuses. A new one every day. Reminders of the stages of family from various accounts (a new child, a son back from Afghanistan, a daughter baptized).

We are enjoying a two-week visit from our daughter's fiance and can honestly say we are deeply thankful for God leading this couple together. I'm thankful for my husband, who continues to encourage me to pursue what God has called me to do. I'm thankful for our daughters who are growing into wonderful young women.

I realize, though, that right now that some of the reasons I have to be thankful are nested in a frame of loss. We are reminded this week of the heritage that God allowed us to grow up in, as Stan and I just passed the 13th anniversary of the death of his dad and my mom, 2 days apart. I'm thankful for our sons, even though we deal daily with the difficulty of attachment disorder. While we are thankful for this future son-law, their marriage will put our daughter in another country.

Most of all, I am thankful for the Sovereign, Loving, All-Powerful God, for He is good. And I am grateful for reminders that He is God, and I'm not!

We WILL celebrate "American Thanksgiving" on Saturday, with a turkey and the trimmings, thanks to chef Stan.. We'll have five De La Cours, (born in four countries), plus our Englishman and a Canadian around the table.

As long as volunteers are here we have hope!

2011-11-21T08:54:00.001+09:00

From our friend, Dean, working in Shintate, Ishinomaki:

Volunteers Needed!! ...as we approach December (and into winter!) the number of families asking for help is INCREASING! At the Alfie Concert on Saturday, four more families asked for help in cleaning and restoring their homes! Pray with us for an increase in volunteers. We need volunteers to help with mudding out houses...(which means, removing sheet rock from walls, then cleaning and removing dried mud from inside the walls, followed by removing the floors and dried mud/debris from under the floors and finally washing and disinfecting...so that carpenters can rebuild... Samaritan's Purse needs skilled carpenters who can volunteer for one month or longer! Very rewarding work!

Neighbors are telling us..."As long as volunteers are here we have hope! Please continue to help us!"

Looking back at CPI

2011-11-12T10:31:00.001+09:00

This week I have been at the 2011 National Gathering of the Japan Church Planter's Institute. I oversaw a counseling center for missionaries and Japanese pastors and church planters. This center is staffed with volunteers who have training relevant to the needs of the constituency at this conference.

I've written before about staff selection this year, and how God brought three Japanese counselors to join us. They were able to assist people from multiple countries, and two of them led a Stress Management seminar for Japanese pastors and families which was attended by nearly 20% of the Japanese in attendance at the conference.

One of the people who came was an education specialist for missionary families from all over the world. There were several non-North American mission families who were able to talk about their special educational needs with him. And a speech and language specialist came and offered assessments to 15 children during her visit. This is something that is rarely ever available for mission families on the field.

I led a workshop with 11 missionaries where we talked about stewardship of ourselves. I believe God used the time of interaction to reveal some things to each person, and in a sharing setting several were able to verbalize things that they hadn't been able to do before. A few have been very affected by the disaster of March 11.

Thank you for your prayers for God's direction and provision for the staff and the time together.

Modeling after some other major recent conferences, the leadership committee of CPI had everyone assigned to a table for the primary sessions. There was a brief reflection on a passage of Scripture around the table, followed by a plenary talk, and then reflection questions. I believe more people were engaged in the materials this way then before. It also provided an interesting opportunity to find out how life has been for people from around Japan. Since we live in the area affected in various ways by the earthquake and the radiation threats, and experienced the shortages after the quake, we have had an intense experience. There are others whose life was hardly affected by this at all. For those of us who have been "living with it" for the past 8 months, this was a little surprising.

Music for the conference was led by a couple, Shoko and Eiji Horii. They were staff with our mission many years ago in a music ministry called "SongRise." Their worship leadership was a tremendous blessing at CPI.

This is the view of Mt. Fuji outside my hotel window the first day. I had hoped I could get one more photo, but the following two days it was cloudy and raining. I got a call from my daughter this morning saying that Fuji is clearly visible today, with snow on the top...

The next conference will be held in 2013. We are tentatively planning on being on our next home assignment on those dates. I trust God will provide the right person to take over the organization and facilitation of the counseling center next time.

Thank you for praying for this center and for God's work through each of the staff. We hope that those who met with our staff will continue to find His grace, strength and guidance as they move to whatever "next step" they've been encouraged to take.

The "Maiko Performance"

2011-11-05T20:56:00.002+09:00

A few weeks ago, my daughter sent me a link to this facebook invitation. We decided it would be fun to go spend a little while together seeing something culturally Japanese, and so we put it on our calendar for this afternoon. Maiko are Geisha-in-training.

We didn't really know what the venue was going to be, but I looked it up on my iPhone this afternoon, and we headed out. When we got to the location, it turned out to be an upscale jewelry store in an upscale part of Tokyo. They were going to have four performances by the Maiko and we got there 10 minutes before the 4 p.m. show. There was a rick-shaw outside where people could get photos of themselves (we didn't opt for that). There were people all dressed up as if going to some fancy party, and others (like us) in casual clothes, out for an afternoon.

The two ladies dancing are Maiko. They performed a fall dance with fans (the lady sitting down was the musician).

The Maiko on the left has been studying for two years, the one in the center for five. The musician has been studying for seven.

Several of these photos are courtesy of my daughter, who was able to reach up over the crowd to take the photos. This shop was clearly too small for the number of people who showed up. And it was an extremely multinational group. We heard all kinds of languages, and listened to someone saying in Japanese "why are all these foreigners here?" (hint: its a cultural event...and its free...)

Not only were there lots of people like us who showed up, there were quite a number of people from the press, as well. It felt pretty crowded--not unlike what we would experience on a packed commuter train. The audience was four or five levels deep around the display cases, with not much room to move.

So this is how I was able to see the program. Through heads..I'm in the third "row" back . But we enjoyed going--and were glad that it didn't last too much longer than about 20 minutes. I guess if we had stayed around we could have gotten our picture taken with one of the Maiko. But Starbucks sounded more appealing at the time, so we slipped away.

photos from a recent download

2011-10-29T21:27:00.000+09:00

I believe that I posted this photo on a blog in August. We were up in Shichigahama, Miyagi prefecture, on a walk in an area that had been destroyed in the tsunami, and a collection of stuffed animals had been put together on one vacant lot. There were notes on some of the animals.

In early October, Stan and I went up there again, and on our walk one afternoon we passed the same place. Notice that more animals have been added to the collection, and the big tiger on the old TV stand has acquired a hat. Not only that, but ...

The animal box has been filled with cat food,and...

There is also a collection of individually wrapped KalKan packets.

I think about those who have made this a shrine to the memory of children and animals lost in the tsunami.

Then there was the Karaoke music book with the trophy someone had set up along the way in the middle of what was the tsunami equivalent of a ghost town--just the cement foundations. The town has done an incredible job of clearing away debris.

Some of those foundations seem to be suspended in air because the water swept under them washing away huge amounts of dirt.

To the left we could look across the breakwater to see the ferry heading in toward Sendai port.

I wonder how long some of these memory markers will remain. As we come to the 8 month mark in two weeks, and the weather is getting colder in this area, our thoughts go to the survivors who are living in temporary housing stacked right next to one another. How weary they must be after all they've experienced since March. Pray for their resilience, and that they would have an opportunity to be encouraged and cared for by God's people.

I am still grateful when...

2011-10-27T14:24:00.000+09:00

We have a full tank of gas in our car.
It means we can drive a long distance if we need to suddenly evacuate.
I can buy as much milk, bread, yogurt, rice, and toilet paper as I want to.
It means the supply chain is working again--but I like to keep stocked up these days.
The earthquake tremors I feel are almost unnoticeable, or last just a short while.
I think my reflexes are still on edge, but they are much better than they were.
I have my passport with me, we all have reentry permits that are active, and know where we can get a hold of them.
It means we could more easily leave the country if we needed to.

Faith

Focusing on November 8 - 11

2011-10-20T21:58:00.000+09:00

Faith at the 2009 Church Planter's Institute
National Gathering near Mt Fuji.

I am facilitating a Personal Development and Discovery Center at the upcoming Japan Church Planter's Institute's 2011 National Gathering of missionaries and Japanese church planters from November 8-11. The Center will provide opportunities for attendees to meet with counselors and coaches, as well as to elect to participate in seminars related to their well-being.

This is the third center with which I've been involved, the second I've been responsible to organize. We have had wonderfully qualified staff each time. This year I fully expect the center to be well utilized since most missionaries and Japanese church planters are dealing with an intensity of life following the disaster in March.

But in a year when missionaries in Japan have been so affected, and people around the world have been so much more aware of the needs of this country,why is it I have had a much more challenging time gathering the staff I had anticipated to attend? Two counseling centers that had sent multiple staff last time have opted not to come. A few others I've contacted with the specialties I've been looking for have also not been able to commit to coming. This doesn't mean I don't have staff, but I had anticipated the composition to look a little different.

I am expecting God to work in very precious ways with the staff I have. Three of the counselors are Japanese women who have been educated in the States, but are practicing in Japan now. They have the benefits of being bilingual, and understanding cross cultural issues. One turns out to have particular training in trauma. Several of them have been volunteering with a relief agency for the past months, and see the needs of our constituency for rest and restoration. There is a bilingual coach with a specialty in Japanese cross cultural conflict issues. I also have a veteran mission psychologist who travels through Japan several times a year who will lend his experience and insight to the group.

The other day, when I got the news that another set of psychologists with experience in trauma couldn't make it, I believe God gave me the assurance that He is providing everything/everyone that we need. I choose to be thankful, and look forward to watching Him work through this unique blend.

In addition to the counseling staff, we have two specialists to work with families. One is a speech and language therapist who has offered her time to come and do assessments for missionary families. These specialties are rarely available to families on the field, so this has already been well received. I am making appointments ahead of time for these. Another is an education consultant, particularly for families that are from non-American education systems (countries of the Commonwealth, Europe, Korea, Brazil, etc.)

As you think of it over the next few weeks, please be praying for the work of this center. Pray that those who are on the staff will have adequate rest and be prepared for their times of meeting with people. Pray for three of us who will be leading seminars related to stress, restoration, and where we go from here in Member Care.

Thanks!
Faith

Seven month reflections

2011-10-15T20:16:00.001+09:00

This past week we passed the seven month mark since the earthquake and tsunami. Trauma experts say this is the time generally of deepest despair and hopelessness, when the suicide rate tends to peak in fact.

There have been a number of stories in the media. This one is about how couples are finding more difficulties in their relationship.

As people have moved from living in gymnasiums and other shelters into temporary housing, they have lost a sense of community that kept them going for months after the events. In some neighborhoods there are attempts to bring people together which will aid in the emotional healing.

Some communities that have had to abandon their home want to be relocated together to a new location. One church from within the zone required to evacuate because of the nuclear accident, and its members stayed together at a conference center and hope to return to a new location where they can rebuild their church.

This week, Stan stopped by the Samaritans' Purse camp as he took a friend on a tour of the area. They have housing for many, but few are coming to volunteer right now. They are looking for carpenters to volunteer a month to help put in floors and walls for houses that have been "mudded out." The demand is so great--we have heard that Samaritan's Purse is offering to pay airfare for any carpenter that commits to working one month. They also have three month positions available. We are very impressed with the work of this organization and are always ready to recommend that people come work with them.

We know that there are many other places in the world experiencing natural disasters, and our hearts go out to them. But what we have seen in the past 7 months is a renewed interest in a country (Japan!) that we felt many in North American Christendom had written off their list.

God has opened a door to people and communities that were resistant to the gospel through this tragedy. The stories are so touching of people learning about God through the kindness and service of others. Mission organizations are sending people to the area to begin concerted church planting. Asian Access is also prayerfully making preparations to send a team up there early next year.

Living in a land of radiation...

2011-10-07T18:53:00.000+09:00

This illustration is making the rounds of facebook among people in Japan today. Depending on who we listen to, we either are or are not worried about the amount of radiation in our area.

From all I have seen, the top left illustration is probably the most accurate but there is a tremendous lack of trust among people in Japan these days. Who is telling us the truth?

An opportunity to show some care...

2011-10-03T16:38:00.001+09:00

From November 8-11 there will be a Japan Church Planter's Institute bi-annual conference being held near Mt. Fuji. Already there are over 100 missionaries and national pastors who are registered for this conference.

Along side the conference, I am coordinating a Personal Development and Consulting Center, where we will have counselors, coaches and educational specialists available to talk with the conference participants on personal and ministry related matters. As you might imagine for a population of missionaries who have been working under significant stress over the past 7 months, there should be no lack of those who want to meet with our staff.

Three of the staff are Japanese nationals who have trained in the US for their counseling degrees. Having the cross-cultural experience makes them very valuable members of the Center. But there is a catch...All the professionals who staff the center are expected to pay their way. We don't have funds for them through the parent organization I represent in this capacity (the Japan Evangelical Missionary Association, JEMA, and their member care committee). Nor does the Japan Church Planters Institute have additional funds for this purpose. But several of our national counselors are in need of financial help to attend. The average cost for a counselor coming from inside the country for those four days is between $650 and $800, inclusive of housing and conference fees, as well as transportation to and from Tokyo.

Here is how you might be able to help. If you are able to provide scholarship funds for these counselors, you would be investing in the health and well-being of missionaries in Japan as well as Japanese pastors and church planters who rarely have an opportunity to share their heart struggles with anyone.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Please feel free to send me a message ( you can use the comment feature if you wish) and I'll let you know how you can contribute to this.

While we're on the subject of the conference, I would like to be able to have Stan attend with me as well. We are praying for God to provide places for our sons to stay during that four-day period so we can get away. Please join us in that prayer!

God sightings

2011-09-30T09:01:00.001+09:00

This is a photo of volunteers praying together at the end of the day in the neighborhood where our Cornerstone Team worked this summer. Its not just volunteers, though. Neighbors who have been touched by the service of many believers from inside and outside Japan through relief, mudding out, rebuilding and emotional care are also joining the circle. Dean wrote that one neighbor looked out of his window and saw them praying and ran to join them.

Keep praying for God to establish his kingdom in the hearts of the people of Ishinomaki!

Spending time with the Mission Family

2011-09-29T23:21:00.000+09:00

Asian Access Missionaries (less 5 who had already gone by the time we had photos taken) along with at team from a church in Okinawa that ministered to the Asian Access children

Our mission family gathered in Kobe this past week for our "Fall Gathering." Originally scheduled for training for short-term church planting missionaries five years ago, the fall gathering has become an important time for all of us to be together. Our missionaries are located at the two extremities of Japan--Hokkaido and Okinawa--the Osaka and Tokyo areas on the main island of Honshu. We have done our best to keep in touch in this distributed fashion, but these face-to-face times are treasured.

This time all missionaries joined in as we looked at the Strengthsfinders results and talked about how we can each contribute to working better in teams and as an organization. We were reminded of our core values, and went through the Vision and Mission statements of our organization. We talked about our passions in ministry, and what it means to have a vibrant community. We talked about cultural changes in Japan in the last ten years (a surprising number were listed on the board), and sent the short-term missionaries on a cultural plunge into Osaka. We also reminded one another of some of the challenges of living cross-culturally, and encouraged each other to be more culturally aware. The whole time was bathed in prayer.

And...one of our missionaries headed to the hospital in labor part-way through the time (she lives nearby, and the hospital was actually closer to the seminar house than her house!) So by the time the gathering was over our mission family had increased by another little boy.

My new favorite book on parenting teens...

2011-09-19T10:07:00.001+09:00

I have been studying the Prophets for a Bible requirement of my Masters program at Columbia International University. We're going at quite a clip to do a survey of the prophets in one semester, so I'm only getting the highlights.

What surprised me the most in this course, is that I am encouraged as a parent while watching God deal with his rebellious and not so rebellious children. Why? Because when I read popular Christian parenting books, I'm left with the sense that if I only do A, B and C, my kids should comply and become model children. I don't think I'm the only parent who has found that my kids didn't read the books.

But when the Father of us all does A, B and C his kids still rebel or insist that they are doing what he asked while not having a right heart.They assume that because they're his kids he'll not allow bad things to happen to them, etc. And there ARE consequences to his children's decisions that are not pleasant. And he watches them go through pain and hardship. He reminds them over and over of what he would love to do for them if they would only change their hearts and their behavior.. He longs deeply to have them turn back and reconnect to him.

This is what the Sovereign Lord, The Holy One of Israel, says:
"Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it." Isaiah 30:15

I am not a perfect parent, but I'm grateful that the Perfect Parent had troubles with his kids...because it gives me hope. There is always hope. The prophets see a day when God's children are restored, and established. And it is fulfilled in Jesus. So I've decided that Isaiah is my new favorite book on parenting teens...

Faith

Why do you want to study the Bible?

2011-09-12T22:40:00.001+09:00

We sat around the table last Wednesday morning for the start of the new season of Ladies' Bible Study at ICCS. We are looking at the Over-Arching Story of the Bible and we started by talking about the Bible itself, it's structure and a bit about the canon and the transmission of the Scriptures. I included the illustration of the Bible as a Library of Smaller Books (from the Group Study Guide of Henrietta Mears' What the Bible is All About ) and already have had one lady tell me its been helpful to see how to categorize the various books.

But before that, I asked them why they wanted to study the Bible...

Several talked about wanting to know the Bible better, and there was general enthusiasm for putting the stories they've heard here and there in a context and time line. But the answer that sticks with me is from one woman who comes quite regularly.

"I have to take care of my elderly parents, and I am not happy. I heard that the Bible teaches about how to be happy, and I want that." This same woman has asked, "who is Abraham that Pastor Stan keeps talking about?" And she thought that Jesus wrote the Bible--a natural assumption for someone coming in new.

I have appreciated how the ladies care for one another, and especially how people have reached out to this woman. I hope that through our study she will come to find out not only that the Bible shows her how to be happy, but that she will discover that she is precious and loved very deeply by God.

This year I'm challenging them to memorize verses. Here's ours for this week:

While our study is primarily in English, we have made every effort to encourage those who are not strong in English to still feel like they have a place at the table.We are letting people choose which language they want to memorize. I am going to try the Japanese versions this year.

28 and counting

2011-09-09T22:20:00.000+09:00

We celebrate our 28th wedding anniversary on Saturday. It promises to be a hot and humid day in Tokyo, which reminds me (Faith) of the hottest day of the summer of 1983 -- our wedding day. We married in the old sanctuary of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois...which at the time was NOT air conditioned. My dear bridesmaids were in long sleeve taffeta dresses...I'm amazed they still keep in touch with me! I should also feel badly for the groomsmen in tuxes.

We've spent most of our married life in Japan--it was already a "given" before we married that we were coming here as career missionaries. That was back in the days when career meant long time, not 3to 5 years. God has given us plenty of opportunities to grow and be stretched in our relationship over those years. Some I've referred to in other blogs. We sung "Great is Thy Faithfulness" at our wedding, as well as at the memorial service for our sons 23 years ago. It is a challenge to be in a ministry family, and we are so thankful that we don't do this without the faithful guidance and enabling of our Lord.

Last year on home assignment we bought one-year passes to Disneyland and made a point of setting aside a day a month to get there to enjoy time together at "the happiest place on earth." Since we've been back here it has been harder to carve out those times, so we wanted to get it started again and tried to think of things to do to celebrate our anniversary. We looked at going to Kabuki, but the only seats available for this month were a bit out of our price range. Next week starts the Sumo tournament, and we thought about trying to get seats for that, the English reservation site had closed two days before! Maybe we'll take in a Japanese baseball game...

goodbye, old friend

2011-09-06T14:19:00.001+09:00

This morning when I went on blogger, my old template had disappeared...

I was pretty attached to the old template, and there are some add-ons that I had which don't appear on this one. I've been blogging for five years, and suppose it was time for an image-redo, but I would like to have been the one to make that decision!

We've spent some time looking through possible templates, and so far this is what we've chosen. I'm not 100% sold on it, but hope you find it pleasant enough as a backdrop to our posts.

Faith

Celebrations with some "extended family"

2011-09-05T20:43:00.001+09:00

Today we went to the TGI Friday's near Ueno Station in Tokyo to celebrate Stan's birthday lunch with our friends Carol and Doug. There are times in the course of our life here in Japan where we miss being with family. But we have been blessed with friends who have filled those spaces.

Our first connection with this couple was when our oldest daughters were in first grade and they rode the trains to school together. Those girls are in their mid 20's now. Many of those who were our close friends when we first came are no longer serving in Japan, so its especially nice to still have Carol and Doug as good friends and extended family.

From the President | "Grandma, Jesus is here...Jesus has brought us food"

2011-09-02T08:34:00.000+09:00

From the President | "Grandma, Jesus is here...Jesus has brought us food"

Back from ...vacation???

2011-08-19T21:14:00.000+09:00

We arrived home yesterday afternoon from 10 days at our cabin (less two for Stan who came back to Tokorozawa last weekend to preach at ICCS).

Frequently it is cooler up near the coast, but we had hot, humid weather for the full time we were there.

Usually to cool off, people head to the beach, but this time there was something different about going there, too. Not only are these shipping containers found all along the coast, but a lot of "garbage" is washing up on shore--only unlike the usual garbage, we find remnants of people's households.

Major beams from Japanese style houses, small knick knacks, pieces of bathroom fixtures, and lots of plastic. We saw this wooden mortar used for the tradition of pounding mochi (sweet rice). It stands about 1 1/2 feet high. Several times when taking beach walks, I felt like we were playing a game of "I spy..." as we looked through tangled piles of trash washed up.

Vacationing in the midst of a disaster site creates many different emotions. Every time we drove out of our area we drove through neighborhoods of foundations, displaced homes and vehicles, and piles and piles of trash.

All of the stores I usually would shop at had been affected by the tsunami. Many were still closed. Our favorite pork-cutlet (tonkatsu) shop had re-opened recently, but changed its menu and seemed to be run by different people. Even walking through my cabin would bring saddness as I realized so many of our belongings there have been purchased at stores that were destroyed.

One daughter grieved deeply as she revisited sites where she spent time with friends over the years.

Their evening walks to this lighthouse wound through a village that is gone. Even finding the path to the lighthouse was a challenge with the landscape changed by the massive waves.

One of the driveways across from the port with the lighthouse had this pile of stuffed animals collected from the rubble with notes written by those who had recovered them.

Broken boats, tanks and other equipment are still strewn along the coast. Absent were the usual sounds of summer--people playing on the beach, the lady in the snack shop announcing over the loud speaker that fried noodles (yakisoba) and roasted corn (tomorokoshi) were ready, the salesmen driving back and forth advertising delicious watermelon from Obanazawa, the fireworks being set off on the beach at awful times of night.

But present was the sight of resiliency and hope. This beach park was totally destroyed by the tsunami. The trees are gone, the bathhouse is in shambles in the middle of a tide pool, the walls are broken, the roads are in disrepair, and the community around it is gone. But a service group was putting together this memorial, planting flowers and pouring the cement for a reflecting pool. Across the street were sunflowers growing in the garden--all that remained of the homes were the cement foundations, but the owners had come back to tend the gardens. Some homes that had been vacant in June when we first went, were under repair in August.

I can't say I feel rested, and it wasn't a comfortable vacation, but it was good to be a part of our summer community for a few days, especially this year.

Holding our breath (figuratively...)

2011-08-05T09:36:00.000+09:00

Headlines about the world economy, and especially the value of the dollar versus the yen, once again have us holding our breath...

...and wondering why missionaries have to be so tuned in to exchange rates when there are other things we should be focusing on.

At the risk of sounding old when I first came to Japan in 1984, $1 bought 240 yen.(When Stan came for his first short-term ministry, $1 bought 360 yen). Two days ago $1 bought 77 yen. In the past year we've watched the value of the dollar drop around 15%.

Everything we buy now costs more, much more. A very simple explanation showed up in the Wall Street Journal yesterday-- Strong Yen for Dummies.

What does that mean in practical terms for the De La Cour's? Our costs that are all tied to yen require more dollars. Our support requirements figure keeps expanding without us doing anything different. Of course we are trying to figure out what we can do differently to absorb some of the increase. We would appreciate prayer that we have clarity and discernment to know where to make cut-backs.

The Cornerstone Bible Church Team in Tohoku

2011-08-02T09:55:00.000+09:00

On July 17, a team from one of our supporting churches, Cornerstone Bible Church in Glendora, California flew in to do relief work in Tohoku. They came to Tokorozawa for training, led by Stan and an Asian Access co-worker, Nozomi.

Here is the team, the morning they left Tokorozawa. They headed up to a Samaritan's Purse base camp north of Ishinomaki.

We chose to work in the Shintate neighborhood of Ishinomaki, after following the work done there via facebook, under the oversight of Dean Bengston ( a fellow "Rhodailanda" ...these two men may be the only missionaries from Rhode Island in Japan.)

Mornings started with prayer, and then ministry assignments were given out. We need to continue to pray that the care and effort to help this community through massive acts of service, along with those occasional opportunities to share the gospel with words brings the love of Christ clearly into focus for the residents of this community, and others like it.

Here is the entire group working one day. The signs say "gambaru Tohoku" or "hang in there Tohoku" and were provided by a Japanese friend of one of our team who works for the Rakuten Eagles, the regional baseball team.

In addition to our Cornerstone Team, other teams joined them each day at the site. One day there were about 20 people, another day over 40.

Nozomi helped translate for the team. They are talking to the owner of this house about the process of power washing and cleaning out the house.

This is what the first floor of houses in this area look like. They were flooded with sea water and muck for over a week. Some are not salvageable, but others can be stripped and power washed in anticipation of rebuilding.

Aaron gets ready to power wash this house, which would have already been stripped down to the beams and had mud shoveled out. Samaritan's Purse has provided much of the equipment necessary to get these jobs done.

This is what a house looks like after its been cleared out.

Another project the team worked on was clearing off a field used for growing vegetables. We have seen many people take time on this field via facebook postings. It is covered with muck, oil and salt. By the time our team got there, about 2/3 had been cleared little by little over a couple of weeks.

With the arrival of a team of 40, they were able to complete the work while the Cornerstone group was there. This family can begin to plant vegetables again!

There are several neighborhoods in Ishinomaki that are being focused on by mission-lead and church-led teams. Pray that the Word of God, being shown through the love and acts of service by those who have come will bring more and more into His kingdom and that many churches will be planted in this area.

The week following their work in Ishinomaki, the team came to Shichigahama, where we have our summer cabin. They helped with some much-needed projects on the cabin, as well as gave time to the community in clearing some garbage away from the road outside the cabin area. We were blessed by their service to us.

The night before they left for the airport to return home, we all got together for yaki-niku (roasted meat). It was an "all you can eat" place, and the guys really enjoyed it. It was fun for us to have our sons mingling with the team for the second week. They don't often get to interact with men, and we appreciated the efforts and time the team made to connect with them.

Finally it was time to send them back to California.

We are so thankful for them coming. Their care for the Japanese and for us was a great encouragement all around.

A Surprise Answer to Prayer

2011-08-01T23:33:00.000+09:00

In our first term as missionaries, back in the dark ages, I made friends with a woman from an English Bible class that I was teaching. Shortly before we left on our first home assignment she indicated an interest in professing faith in Christ. The trauma of our departure (two weeks after the premature birth and death of our twin sons) left me with no time to make arrangements for her follow up.

When I returned 18 months later, I didn't get a sense that she had grown much spiritually, and though we got together on occasion, it didn't seem that we were getting very far. She was having marriage and in-law problems (living in the in-law's home) and it was hard for her to keep in touch.

We ran across one another once at a department store where she was working, but her boss was circling around and we couldn't talk. Then about eight years ago I saw her in a train station, and we had a chance to talk, briefly.

Michiko has often been on my mind. There are times when I've been in that same train station and have prayed that God would bring us back together. I ran across a photo of the two of us from 25 years ago recently, and I wondered again how she was doing.

So today while shopping in a local department store, I was surprised when my name was called in Japanese--and there she was! Michiko had tried to send us a post card a couple of years ago and it was returned (we've moved twice since I last saw her). Both of us were wiping away tears as we expressed our personal desires to see one another over these past years. I honestly expected that she would have been divorced and left the area, so I was grateful to learn she was still here.

We exchanged cards with addresses, and I promised to contact her toward the end of August or early in September. She's a grandmother of two now, and has opened her own Baking School--a small classroom has been built on the family property--with room for two students. She showed me photos of her baked goods, and invited me to come.

This is a gift to me from God. I am so thankful to have met her again, and to now have her contact information. We don't live too far from one another--so I am looking forward to the opportunity to follow up. I do believe that God's Word will not return empty--and I'm looking forward to discovering how the Holy Spirit has been working in her heart over these last 20 some years.

Three weeks is a LONG TIME!

2011-07-20T15:00:00.000+09:00

I just got back from my 24 day trip to the States. I prefer not to be gone that long, but with a series of meetings, I couldn't help but extend this trip. As I sat on the plane coming home, I tried to remind myself of what I'd done the past three weeks!

My course at Columbia International University was on Member Care Counseling Skills. It was stretching and very useful. I still have one project left to complete, but it should only take a short time and I am looking forward to it.

My class ended on Friday, July 1. On the second I drove up to friends in Stuart, Virginia to spend the 4th of July holiday. They have a comfortable home on 60 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains. I spent several hours out in the hammock under some plum trees,ate wonderful BBQ ribs on the 4th, and had Bucky show me how to make jelly. I was also able to share with the adult Sunday School at Stuart Presbyterian Church that Sunday.

On the 5th I headed to Charlotte, North Carolina where I joined two others from Asian Access for meetings with another mission organization. We are talking about a strategic partnership with this group, and it was encouraging to see how God is working as we go forward in the process.

I flew to California on the 8th, in time to have pizza with the team heading to Japan from Cornerstone Bible Church. It was great to meet the men who have now arrived here to serve God and the Japanese in tangible ways.

The 9th was a highlight--my second daughter and I went to the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles to see Les Miserables. She is a musical theatre major, and needed this boost of encouragement and inspiration as she heads into her senior year this fall. The next day we met my sister for her birthday lunch at the Cheesecake Factory after church.

Monday and Tuesday, the 11th and 12th, the three of us on the A2 Japan Leadership team met to do some strategic planning. We are a newly formed team, and it was encouraging for us to work through core values as we look ahead to the next five years. We were inspired by the dreams of Japanese pastors for future ministry in the area affected by the earthquakes and tsunami. There was a follow up meeting on the 14th with my US based coworker in HRD.

Then on the 15th I headed to a retreat center outside of Newberg, OR for a family reunion on my father's maternal side of the family. My sister was one of the coordinators for this year. Dad had been an organizer of this event for many years previous, and several mentioned how they missed him this year. I have not been able to attend because of living overseas, so this was a special opportunity to join them.

Sunday I drove back to Portland in driving rain and got to see most of the Japan-US Women's Soccer game before I had to board the flight. When the announcement was made that Japan had won, there was modest response--until it was translated into Japanese. The large contingent of Japanese college students in the back of the plane responded with glee!

So now I'm home. But three weeks is a long time!

Stan took off 12 hours after I got here to head up to Tohoku with the Cornerstone Relief Team. They are going to be working in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture along side other teams and under the direction of another missionary from Rhode Island (Stan's home state).

And this morning the California daughter flew in--so now all four of our kids are home for a few weeks.

Pictures from home

2011-06-28T20:06:00.000+09:00

I am presently in Columbia, South Carolina for my second Member Care class of my graduate program in Missionary Care. It is a counseling skills and supervision class, which means I actually have to practice! I am being stretched, but am encouraged by the things I'm learning.

But as I was leaving Japan, I noticed that the Hosta plants outside our front gate were just about ready to bloom. The owners of our house have done a marvelous job of landscaping on a "postage stamp" size yard, along with containers, and we are the recipients of their work over the years. Since this is the first growing season we've been there, it has been fun to see the cycle of blooms. And I was disappointed that I would miss out on these.

Not to fear, though, because my dear husband has been taking photos and sending them to me over the past few days. This is a sweet gift to me!

Thanks, Stan!

Thank you, Lord, for the beauty of your creation!

Disaster tourist?

2011-06-19T21:48:00.000+09:00

One of the reasons we've avoided going up to to Miyagi Prefecture is that we haven't wanted to be a "disaster tourist." We have friends who have been actively involved in relief efforts, those who have been developing kokoro no kea (Emotional Care) programs, some who are journalists who have been recording and communicating the stories for others, and then Japanese coworkers who have been seeking to assess and meet the needs of pastors in the disaster area. Each of those have had important roles, and we honor them for what they've done.

But we haven't had the energy to do relief work up to this point, we aren't strong enough in the language to be involved in some of the emotional care work, we certainly aren't journalistic professionals. As I've written earlier, we've been dealing with some brown-out/burn-out issues and the thought of getting up to this area before now was overwhelming.

Now, however, it was time. We needed to open our cabin. We wanted to meet up with the current Asian Access Summer Team working in Ishinomaki. And we hoped to visit a possible site for a ministry team coming from Cornerstone Bible Church in Glendora, CA. So when we left Shichigahama on Friday, we headed up to Ishinomaki, about one hour away.

We didn't do a major survey of the area, and we didn't take one photo. But we did visit a site where a friend of ours is coordinating clean-up in a neighborhood outreach in conjunction with a small church nearby. It was very helpful to see what the work area looks like, and discover how people in the community have been gradually asking for teams to work at their homes. in these few blocks, the roads have been cleared, and gutters mucked and washed out by church-related teams coming from Japan and outside.

As we drove out of the area, we passed a group of JW's -- not helping, but canvasing what is left of the neighborhood with their materials.

Two blocks away from this neighborhood stood houses and streets still in shambles, and we didn't get to the worst part! We would have done more looking around but we had two reluctant passengers, and had seen signs that the highway out of the area was going to be shut down for repairs.

Its obvious that there will be plenty of work for months to come. We're thankful for all who have already given their time and energy to participate. We look forward to the team from Cornerstone coming mid-July.

Our first trip "back to Tak"

2011-06-19T18:13:00.000+09:00

We have not ventured out into the area hit by the triple disasters over the last three months. We've had a few personal reasons for not going, but we have had a very acute interest in the area, and we've visited "virtually" through many others' photos, videos and reports.

Since our boys are out of school now, it was time for us to go up to Shichigahama in Miyagi Prefecture, the town of our summer cabin. We took off on Wednesday of last week on a two night trip for the purpose of opening the cabin and then to assess possible places of ministry for a team coming in mid-July from one of our supporting churches.

We've passed the three month mark. The photos we saw of our town and the surrounding area that were taken a week or two after the quake and tsunami prepared us for the worst, but we were pleasantly surprised at the amount of effort that is ongoing in trying to bring things back to normal -- at least in some places.

There are places that haven't gotten very far in the process of repair--they have most of their parking lot cleared, and some blue tarps covering the now missing windows. This is a recycle shop.

Our favorite tonkatsu (pork cutlet)restaurant looks like they're busy trying to get things redone. We missed going there. All the bushes that had been surrounding the restaurant were gone.

We drove around the Jusco, a variety store, and saw cars still in the parking structure where they had been covered when the tsunami came through. Apparently some died in their cars. It was rather haunting. And stores across the way that were empty--glass windows gone, interior gutted.

When we turned into the neighborhood near our cabin, we were stunned. Its hard to visualize the topography until nothing is there between us and the sea but what is now trash, second floors of houses, roofs without houses under them, vehicles at odd angles. And between the shore and those places that are untouched (except visible damage in their roofs from the earthquakes) there are houses that go from a little water damage, to curtains flapping in the wind, as they have been for the past three months with windows broken, structural damage, high water lines. And then we got down to the place where all that is left are cement foundations.

Climbing the hill to our cabin, though, it seemed like life hadn't changed. These mostly old, wooden structures, some (like ours) balanced on rocks are still standing square. Opening the door for the first time, I saw the stand that hold the shampoo in the shower room had been tipped over, a pot that hangs on a hook in the kitchen had fallen, a cup with pens and pencils strewn across the kitchen floor.

The display items on the shelf of the wall quilt rack in the living room had fallen, but only one item was broken. Another few plastic stands had tipped over, and others had shimmied out from their usual places but were still standing. That was it. No major damage.

We did a little cleaning up and then Stan and I took a walk from the cabins toward the beach and around the neighborhood.

The gate to the cabin area is on the right--the water came through here, and was strong enough to move a heavy wooden tool shed, cement foundation and all, to the center of the parking lot. Judging by the junk still around, it was probably near the top of the fence. It was strange to be able to see not only the beach, but the other half of the cabin community from this position, because a house and a fish packing plant are missing.

From the beach we could look back through the row of trees to see the remnants of the neighborhood. City crews are working systematically to clear away debris.

Turning around 90 degrees, we could see the beach, with two shipping containers. These were on the dock at Sendai port, and had been washed out to sea with the tsunami, then back in. All along the coast there are containers. Some empty, others full. When we first saw photos of this area, the sand had been wiped out--and we discovered how deep these cement stairs actually are, but with time, sand is filling in again.

Junk continues to wash up on the beach, and there are pieces in the breakers--including what looked like the roof of a house or shed.

The sign showing where to evacuate in case of a tsunami had been propped up along a tree--we saw several signs on posts pointing to the nearest evacuation area. Usually the metal posts holding the signs were bent to the ground.

A little further on and we came to a field of stuff--what once was precious and important, but now looking like old, weathered, abandoned trash. Stan counted 8 vehicles in this field. I felt a sense of sacredness in this kind of junk.

But it has to go somewhere. In the background is the field the city is using to dispose of all the debris they've collected. It is at least two stories tall. They are sorting the garbage into types--appliances, metal, wood, etc. To the right of the photo is the "Aqua-Arena" which was a favorite water exercise, gymnasium and public bath facility. It has apparently shifted because of the earthquake and is now unusable.

We had a chance to talk with one of our friends who is a year-round resident, and she recounted the day of the quake and tsunami as best she could. Since they were without electricity and news from the outside world for several days, they thought they were the hardest hit, and didn't realize the extent of the damage outside this area. It was several weeks before they began to get an idea of what else had happened along the coast both north and south of them.

Missionaries have been going to this location for vacations since the late 1800's. Yet there is only a small church in the town. Our prayer is that as Christians come to work along side people from the community to meet the needs of the people of Shichigahama that there will be an open door to the Gospel.

Bye to the Johnstons!

2011-06-14T08:56:00.001+09:00

Our coworkers, Jeff and Nozomi and their children are returning to the States next month. They've been with our mission for a number of years, working primarily in administration in the US office, but spent the last four here in Japan.

The Asian Access staff in the Tokyo area got together last night to celebrate our time with this family. We have all enjoyed their presence here and loved seeing how God used each of them in sharing His love. While its hard to say goodbye, the great thing is that they continue on with Asian Access, so its more like "see you later."

Pentecost Sunday -- the United Day of Prayer for Japan

2011-06-13T22:27:00.000+09:00

Over the past five or six years Stan has been a part of the planning committee for the Global Day of Prayer, always held on Pentecost Sunday. This year, the committee decided that they would narrow down the focus and scheduled it to be a United Day of Prayer for Japan.

Stan served as "MC" with Mrs. Akiyama translating. She has been very involved in the prayer movement for the past four years.

There were two pastors who shared from their experiences as a result of the triple disaster in March. Pastor Mori, pictured above, serves in a church inside the "shelter in place" zone of the power plant. His church has become a community center for those who have remained. Through his extensive connections with the Christian community around Japan, they have been recipients of much many relief supplies and support.

The second was Pastor Sato (not pictured) whose church was the closest one to the nuclear power plant. Many in his congregation evacuated together, first to Yamagata, and now are living at a Christian camp outside Tokyo. His was a growing, vibrant church, which has suffered much, but continues to grow spiritually. They've had a number of people baptized, a wedding or two, and have honored church members who died in the tsunami through memorial services. They've discovered that the church is not a building, but the people.

We broke up into small groups to pray for these pastors and the ongoing ministries of their churches. We also spent time praying for the government and leaders in this country.

The music portion of the Prayer Day was provided by a worship team of Brazilians who are part of a prayer fellowship in this country. It was an encouragement to sing "You're the God of the City" in Japanese and English.

"There is no one like our God!"

We pray that more Japanese will come to know this God who loves them so much!

The TCK* and her Englishman

2011-06-06T09:00:00.001+09:00

Last Tuesday was a special day. Our oldest daughter, Noelle, became engaged to a delightful young man from England, Andy B. We are very grateful to God for leading these two together.

They met a year ago in Newport Beach, California where Andy had just arrived to do an internship at a church. This was the same church where my sister was ordained, and it was at the ordination that they first saw one another. He was in California for six weeks, and then returned home to his final year of theological studies at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. Noelle traveled to England from California, in September and December of 2010, then moved back to Japan this March (two days before the earthquake). Andy was supposed to come to Japan in March, but because of the earthquake and aftermath needed to reschedule to this past week.

Noelle has been teaching English at a couple of private schools, but is also registered with a couple of talent agencies here. A couple of months ago she auditioned for a Meiji period (1870's) made-for-TV-docu-drama, but then heard nothing so assumed the answer was "no." The week before Andy's arrival she found out that she had been cast for the role, and the shooting days were in the middle of his visit. Production was incredibly accommodating and arranged for Andy to accompany her to the shoot and to help out with background acting while he was there. Noelle's character was an American girl breaking out of the "Foreigners' Settlement" in 1870's Yokohama, making friends with a young Japanese man and being introduced to the Japanese culture.

Toward the end of the first day the formal photographer took a series of photos of the newly engaged couple, and gave the photos to Noelle on the second day.

Our favorite photo of this couple, so far!

Being protected by crew before the official photo shoot began...

These photos seem to be a metaphor for this couple.

Noelle is a TCK*, and has come to realize how much Japan is a part of her in the months she has been back. While she has been perceived as being "the American" by those who meet her, elsewhere, she is entirely a third culture kid inside. Getting married and moving to England next year will bring up some additional cross cultural challenges. Andy's visit to Japan was very encouraging and meaningful to them both. They would appreciate your prayers as they prepare for their life together.

*“A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents’ culture. The TCK frequently builds relationships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture may be assimilated into the TCK’s life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar background.”
David C. Pollock in Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds, David C. Pollock, Ruth E. Van Reken, Revised Edition (Boston: Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2009)

With Thanksgiving

2011-06-02T17:43:00.000+09:00

We closed on our parent's house this week. We are thankful that the house sold for a reasonable price, three months after putting it on the market in this current economy. God graciously provided local friends to help with many of the details of getting it "market-ready." We are blessed.

Visitors

2011-06-02T16:37:00.000+09:00

We have the joy of welcoming back a friend and former member of ICCS who returned home to Norway four years ago.

Today I was able to meet with Kjersti (center) and Ann. We had been in Bible Study together for several years before Kjersti left. It was encouraging to hear about how her family adjusted to Norway. Each of us had family stories to share with one another.

Being in an international church, we have many "alumni" who, like Kjersti and her family, have relocated elsewhere. Its always nice when they come back to see us.

We also have another visitor...

Our oldest daughter's special friend, Andy, arrived from England on Friday the 27th of May. More on this visit later...

Putting Words to our Strengths

2011-06-02T08:19:00.000+09:00

Last week many of our missionaries gathered at a seminar house in Kobe to go over the results of the StrengthsFinders assessments. This was an opportunity to explore each of our gifts and natural abilities in a group setting, so we could learn more about we individually can contribute to the ministry and leadership of Asian Access.

It was interesting to see our top five strengths summed up in single words.

Stan:

Belief
Context
Communication
Developer
Connectedness (also known as Spirituality)

Faith:

Connectedness
Input
Developer
Discipline
Maximizer

If you haven't worked with StrengthsFinder 2.0 these may seem a bit strange. But having gone through the definitions I was surprised at how perceptive the results were. And going around the room learning our co-workers top five helped answer questions about why they did things the way the did, and how they could better or best be used to serve God here in Japan.

In a short summary, Stan's strengths affirmed his commitment to core beliefs, a passion for history and a desire to get his message understood. Mine affirmed my mentor/teacher and encouraging role with a hunger for knowing more. Both of us are strong in "connectedness" which is another term for spirituality--where we believe that God is at work, that there are few coincidences in life and that everything has a reason. Stan as a pastor and I as a member care facilitator are both in places that use these strengths right now.

Each strength has "down sides" and we've got somethings to think about as we contemplate the materials we received. Its good to be challenged to grow and develop.

Just stopping by

2011-05-19T16:40:00.000+09:00

It has been over two weeks since I blogged. Its not that life is mundane or boring. Far from it!

We went out for Mother's Day lunch after church on the 8th.

That afternoon Stan and I took a walk with our oldest to the nearby park.

A little girl made friends with her. She also returned a softball, and stopped a soccer ball. She certainly attracted as much attention at the park as an adult as she did when she was our little girl!

On the 14th, Stan officiated at a wedding. He was looking particularly dapper in a clerical way as he donned a friends robe for the ceremony.

This wedding was of two professionals who were introduce to one another a few months ago. It was a joyous time of celebrating God's work in both their lives.

In between there have been numerous meetings, in my role as member care coordinator, pastor's wife, and parent. Yesterday was the final Ladies' Bible study for the spring -- we have a wrap up session on June 1.

Next week we have a trip to Kobe with other Asian Access Missionaries, where we will gather together to talk mission, vision, and leadership. We are looking forward to this, though we still have a few arrangements to make on the home-front.

Do you pray? We'd appreciate it!

A year...

2011-05-03T12:53:00.000+09:00

A year ago there was flooding in Nashville. After all the more recent news of natural disasters, why does this come to my mind? Because at the time, my Dad was living alone, in his condo just above the high water mark. He was in final stages of renal failure as a result of multiple myeloma, and his cognitive abilities were being compromised. We didn't realize how much until no one was able to communicate with him for several days... We reflected later that this seemed to be the acceleration point in his process of dying.

A year--what a year since then! At times over the year, I've felt like someone has body slammed me against a wall. I've written about transition,the family farewells and death of my Dad, moving, trying to settle, taking graduate courses, closing up our parents' house. There are other more personal things that don't go into a blog that have added to these. And then came the "Great East Japan Earthquake" and tsunami and the aftermath of living through radiation alerts and feeling unable to respond the way a "good missionary" should.

After listening to a friend talk about crisis response, and reading some articles in my member care library, I gave names to what I've been feeling--"brown out heading toward burn out." Some how, the act of labeling it, made a difference and I allowed myself to "stop."

In the aftermath of such a major event, the natural desire of caregivers is to get out there and DO SOMETHING! And while I am extremely grateful for those who were able to immediately respond, I realized that I couldn't. But it would be okay. My job was to build up my strength again, to listen to Christ when He said "come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matt 11:28)

And then I had to admit that a component of this has been grief. It surprised me, but when my Dad died, I began to really grieve my Mom's death 12 years earlier. I doubt that this is unusual, but it was a bit unexpected.

A week or so ago, I felt like I was walking out of a fog. Being able to go enjoy the cherry blossoms was a part of that. Discovering that my eyes and heart are focusing again on the seasonal changes in front of us here in Japan has helped. The Dogwoods are just finishing their blooming season, and the parks are filling with the Japanese carp flags that mark this season. Soon it will be summer, and the cicadas will begin humming.

So, it was a year ago that there was flooding in Nashville. The Lord was with my dear confused Dad while he sat alone in his home.

The Lord has been with a weary, burning out, grieving me.

"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalms 34:18

Finally, we're part of the community!

2011-05-03T12:28:00.000+09:00

We've lived in this neighborhood for eight months now, and all during that time I kept wondering when I would start getting the message folder.

Last month, one neighbor told me that technically our house was the next one in line to be the "block head" for the year (April to March), but they had decided to skip us and pass it on to the next neighbor. While some of our friends have experienced this honor (being in that position actually helped one friend in his work with neighborhood associations in the Tohoku area) I don't honestly think I have the language level and fortitude to take that role, so I am very grateful.

Last week, our neighbor on the other side (the one who speaks some English) asked me if it was okay for me to join the neighborhood association. I said of course we would. So this morning, I was handed the message folder for the first time.

The next challenge is trying to decipher whether what is included is important or not. This time we've got a few town newsletters, a note reporting on the amount of donations through the Japan Red Cross from our town, and the new garbage schedule. Gratefully I can tell this week what its all about. In past neighborhoods, there have been the annual donations to various causes, a sign up for the community sports day, notices of theft in the area, etc. I expect all of those will show up again...

I've honestly resented these in the past, but this neighborhood has been a little hard to figure out and make connections, so if getting the message folder at least has me in touch with the neighbors on either side of me, I'm thankful.

A special visit

2011-04-22T23:00:00.000+09:00

Stan just got back from California, where he had a chance to spend time with our college junior daughter. The trip was scheduled before the quake, but it seemed very timely when we thought about it afterward. They had several good blocks of time together, and Stan was able to see her in her school's performance of Romeo and Juliet twice.

A. was the first one we were in contact with after the quake -- thanks to our iPhone and Facebook connection. Here is some of our first messaging back and forth on March 11. The conference center we were in sent us to the coffee shop--and I was in the older part decorated with lots of antiques --many hanging from the ceiling. A., a veteran of many conferences in that location, immediately identified with our surroundings.

March 11 at 2:35pm

A the phone svc isn't working right now. We are okay but it was a wild ride and were still feeling aftershocks. Pray for B. Last I heard she was in tok. Don't know if the train is working now.

Sent via Facebook Mobile

March 11 at 2:36pm

Ok thanks, i am praying. Really hard actually. I have been trying her google phone account as well. I love you. I love dad. Are the boys with dad? or at school?

March 11 at 2:40pm

Boys are with us. Thanks for your prayers. Funny thing is that they have us waiting in the woodshed--can you imagine how it feels with each aftershock with all the stuff up above.

Sent via Facebook Mobile

March 11 at 2:41pm Report

ah scary! is the moose above you, or the saw? dude, i hope B's ok...

She will finish this semester the first week of May, and is hopeful of getting a class or two at a community college in the area. Those are hard to get in to with the budget cuts in the State of California, so we pray that God will allow her to make it into something helpful for her as she heads to her final year. We expect her to spend a few weeks with us here in Japan later in the summer.

Then and Now

2011-04-22T22:48:00.000+09:00

In many ways our life in the Tokyo area has returned to some level of "normal."

But not quite.

I still stock up on milk, whether we are down to our last liter or not. (Remember those are the size of a quart carton--not really that big for a family with two teenage boys). We filled up our gas tank today because it was nearing the half-full mark. On our last Costco trip they once again had the Kirkland brand toilet paper in stock and so we're amply supplied. We have bottled water stashed in various places just in case. And we are more aware of the need to conserve power.

So when I saw this You Tube tonight, I thought I'd share it with you. Tokyo continues to be a bustling place, in spite of the fact that over 500,000 foreigners left here in the month after the earthquake. But there are some differences--

Musing amid the Cherry Blossoms

2011-04-15T10:02:00.000+09:00

On the day that we crossed the "1000 earthquakes since March 11" line, my daughter and I decided to get over to our nearby park to see the Cherry Blossoms before they are all gone. The blooming season is short, and we were about a day or two late in seeing the fullness of the trees in the park, but still it was very lovely.

This weeping Cherry was lovely (sorry, I'm not an expert on names of the trees!) Many were standing around snapping photos of it.

Stan is in the States for a short time, and before he left he said he didn't have a photo of me! So here I am...

The park we went to is named "Kokukoen," the airplane park. This was the "kitty-hawk" of Japan, where 100 years ago Japan had its first airfield. There is an airplane museum, playgrounds and large sections of open expanse along with groves of trees.

It holds many memories for us.

Walking into the park yesterday from the parking lot, we went through the playground where I spent hours with each of my children. Then on past the little waterfall and stream that runs in the summer -- I remember learning to take towels and a change of clothes for our little ones.

Yesterday it was dry, but covered with a gentle layer of cherry blossom "snow."

But then the memories change to those that touch a deeper pain. Up past the knoll where we had a mission picnic on June 4, 1988 -- a blistering hot day and being 6 1/2 months pregnant with twins I was feeling especially awful. I remember yelling at Stan for the first time in our marriage that afternoon as we walked into the park.

I wasn't aware of it at the time, but I was in early stages of labor. Later that evening I gave birth to two perfectly formed little boys, who lived only a few hours. We learned after the fact that I had an "incompetent cervix," unable to hold babies full term. That whole experience is a story in itself, one that doesn't need to be told here. But following their birth, we had them cremated (the custom here in Japan), and we decided to scatter their ashes in this park.

There is a grove of trees, where we went on June 11, 1988 as a family of three -- our oldest daughter being 2 -- and we scattered the ashes after singing a few hymns. I have them marked in the index of the hymnal we used --

Fairest Lord Jesus

Jesus, I am resting , resting

Holy, Holy, Holy

O the deep, deep love of Jesus

To God be the Glory

We took a picture of the place, trees full of green, grass filled with clover, turned and walked away. We would be on a plane heading to our first home assignment within another week.

When we came back to Japan, we discovered that the grove of trees were actually cherry trees. A few years later, the park put up large lights in the spot, with a biplane structure around them.

As we walked past the place yesterday, there was a group having a hanami party (cherry blossom viewing party) in our "sacred ground." My daughter asked, "how old would they be now?"

In June, they would have been 23.

In most of our lives we have events that are "life-shaping." The pre-mature births and deaths of Andrew and Michael are a big one for me. For many, March 11, 2011 will be that. What we find when we get to those places, is that God is there. With His deep, deep love. Desiring us to rest in Him. And we pray "To God Be the Glory."

A drive into our summer community

2011-04-09T09:29:00.000+09:00

We found this You-Tube video of the drive into our summer community. The first part looks like a normal day, but soon into it the landscape changes and the drive ends. Another five minutes further and you would get to the "missionary resort" area.

Japan Relief: Assessment Teams and Base Camps

2011-04-06T18:55:00.000+09:00

Peter Thomson, A2 missionary and CRASH/Japan volunteer, shares about being on one of the first assessment teams in Sendai and helping to establish a base camp in the relief zone. Part of his job is to find out the needs of people and relay that info to the local Japanese churches who are delivering aid and hope.

In this informative clip, Peter shares firsthand about the current situation on the ground, the involvement of local Japanese churches, and how you can be involved in this effort.

A2's Japan Tsunami Page: http://asianaccess.org/japan

Pray & Stay Updated: http://asianaccess.org/tsunami-posts
Give: http://asianaccess.org/A2-Japan-Tsunami-Relief-Fund.html
Go: http://go2japan.org/tsunami-forum

In praise of relief agencies...

2011-04-05T09:12:00.000+09:00

I spent some time talking with an Asian Access missionary who has been in Sendai for the past two weeks. In his role he interfaced with Samaritan's Purse and Food for the Hungry staff and assisted in distribution of their supplies. Their experience with disaster relief has been invaluable, and their goods have been wisely chosen.

In the past two weeks since the first load from Samaritan's Purse arrived in Sendai, they have gone out of their way to obtain other things that become apparent as needs. They purchased large amounts of some goods from Costco here in Japan--is that why I can't find what I'm looking for? ;-) I'll gladly give those things up if they are being used for the relief effort in Tohoku!

Currently they recognize that people need transportation. So rather than bringing in bicycles from outside the country, they are going to the local bike shops to purchase the bikes. In doing this, they encourage the local economy and provide a basic need for people.

As my friend, Peter said:

Learned so much over the past two weeks. I love what is starting to happen. Samaritan's Purse is contracting with local businesses to supply goods that SP will give away. Instead of bringing in everything from far away, they will support local business in a time of great need. The businesses sell to SP and SP gives it to people who lost everything. Double win. Beautiful. So amazing. Needs change daily, one day they are ordering tens of thousands of pairs of underwear, the next they are buying bikes. All going free to people in great need. But the combo of buying local when possible and giving local is great to see, especially in expensive Japan.

I know that many times people want to do something tangible to help, and I am guilty of thinking that giving to a major relief agency is not that helpful. But I want to say that these agencies are doing a great job, and the financial donations people give are making a strategic difference in the lives of people.

"I'm not afraid!"

2011-04-02T10:22:00.000+09:00

Last Sunday I was reminded of the Frog and Toad story, Dragons and Giants by Arnold Lobel . In the story, Frog and Toad set out to see if they are as brave as the heroes in their reading book who fight dragons and giants. Here's a quote:

They came to a dark cave. A big snake came out of the cave.
“Hello lunch,” said the snake when he saw Frog and Toad.
He opened his wide mouth.
Frog and Toad jumped away. Toad was shaking.
“I’m not afraid!” he cried.

As I headed to the grocery store and saw it well stocked with milk, I just had to buy two more cartons--even though we had an ample supply at home. At that point, I realized I was like Toad shaking, "I'm not afraid!" Okay, I am a little afraid...

I have yet to really go without anything. We haven't had to adapt that much to shortages, and we now have a full tank of gas. Currently there are quotas on bottle watered and the yogurt section is empty (apparently thanks to the rescue of a grandma 9 days after the quake who lived off yogurt, there was a run on yogurt afterward!). Milk is usually available, bread can be found--or baked in my bread machine--and toilet paper is on the shelves again. But I do think we're all living with a heightened sense of fear.

Certainly seeing the Fukushima #1 Reactors on the news regularly adds to that fear. I now have some websites marked on my computer to check on the radiation levels in the air and water through-out Japan. If you track my facebook you know that I've been posting every article I've found by nuclear experts who say we're going to be okay. The Embassy has offered Potassium Iodide pills to every US citizen to have on hand just in case. (I recently learned that they are required to offer it to us by law--its not a matter of overreacting on their part.) Even yesterday as we visited our local physician for refills of our usual meds, he talked about people being anxious.

And I hear Toad's voice in me going "I'm not afraid!"

I had lunch with a friend from church yesterday, and we were talking about how life has the appearance of going back to normal. Do you know that there is more radiation in Hong Kong normally than there is in Tokyo with this crisis going on? Yet we live with this shadow of fear over us.

We have had the amazing privilege of living and serving Christ in one of the safest places in the world. Rarely do we worry about crime. The Japanese have been hyper vigilant about impurities in imported foods. We have a great medical system here. There are no civil wars and terrorist groups that impact our lives. While we haven't seen as many Japanese come to Christ, we can freely share without fear of reprisal and threats of death. My friends who worked in Afghanistan have come out with incredible stress-related illnesses including cancer. Other friends have served in countries where they've experienced multiple evacuations because of threats of violence. We move freely, have top notch communication, and more 24 hour stores than any other place I've visited in the US.

And now we are in an environment where many are living with background fear. With Toad we can say "I'm not afraid!" while quaking in our shoes. But Jesus offers us more than a chance to test our bravery. He offers us His peace.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

With His peace, I can truly say "I'm not afraid."

“Waiting for the Rising Sun: While trusting in God's only Son”

2011-03-28T09:00:00.000+09:00

“Waiting for the Rising Sun: While trusting in God's only Son”

by Greg Asimakoupoulos

"The ancient land of rising suns

still waits for dawn to finally come.

The nightmare of that afternoon

continues without end.

A quaking earth and monstrous waves

destroyed her dreams creating graves

for countless mothers, dads and kids

who died that dreadful day.

The cherry blossoms mask the fact

that everything is not in tact.

Whole villages have been destroyed

and hope's been washed away.

Mt. Fuji silently looks on

and weeps to realize what's gone.

Untapped potential, precious life,

the chance to say goodbye.

O God, give grace to these perplexed

who in their grief must face what's next.

Please penetrate their broken hearts

with that which pride prevents.

Be known as One who freely gave

His only Son who came to save

a world destroyed by death and sin

and human suffering."

http://www.partialobserver.com/article.cfm?id=3590

ISAIAH 50:4, “The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom,

so that I know how to comfort the weary.

Morning by morning he wakens me

and opens my understanding to his will.”

living in the "not quite normal"

2011-03-25T22:07:00.001+09:00

The past couple of weeks have been a little unnerving as things we assume to be normal haven't been available for us. Things are getting better, but it isn't like it used to be.

Gasoline:

Yesterday when Stan and I drove out to shop around 5 pm, we noticed that gas stations were just closing up. Recently, stations have opened for a few hours and have rationed fuel, with long lines of vehicles waiting to get in. Most have been closed by late morning. Since today marked two weeks since the earthquake, and the news has been telling us that gasoline supplies should be adequate, we've been hoping that we'd finally get a chance to fill our tank soon.

Its not that we were empty--we have seen God's mercy in the timing of our fill-ups right before and after the quake. In a normal month with normal driving we only fill it up once. But knowing that at anytime, the environment may change to a point where we would be compelled to leave Tokyo, we were looking forward to the time when we could get a full tank of gas.

Today, our regular station was open, without lines. I was free to "fill 'er up." Thank you God! One other friend wrote on facebook how he felt a load off his shoulders when he was able to drive away with a full tank of gas.

Milk:

Milk has been one of the staples rationed over the past weeks. Some stores have limited customers to 1 liter (~quart) per family. On some days, our family can go through three of those. Today there was no milk at the first store I visited. I decided to try one other store--the Seiyu near our church. Because of the rolling black outs, the normally 24 hour grocer is open about 9 hours, and it looked like they had gotten a new shipment of milk with just a few hours to go before closing. Gone were the signs restricting how many cartons I could buy. I brought my three cartons to the check-out, and the clerk stopped to refer to the "ration sign" before running them all through the scanner. Who knows what it will be like tomorrow...

Toilet Paper:

Apparently there is a history of toilet paper shortages in Japan during crises situations. It was one of the first things that people ran out to buy after the quake. We still had a reasonable stock from our last Costco batch, but did pick up a package at a Japanese store early on, just in case. Yesterday when we went back to Costco, there was no sign of toilet paper anywhere...who knows when the next shipment will come. But today at the Seiyu they again had toilet paper, without rationing.

Electricity:

We haven't quite figured out why, but our house seems to be in a "do not black-out" zone. Most of our friends have one to two 3-hour blackouts during the day. We were ready during the first few days, and when the times passed, we wondered if we misunderstood. We speculate that because we are near a train station or the city hall that perhaps our "grid" is off limits. Last night we drove past the block of apartments we called home last term and it was eerily black. And driving down the road it looks like stores are closed--when in fact they don't have their exterior lights on, and are using only half the interior lights. It reminds us of visits we've made to second-world countries. The news tells us that we will experience electricity shortages through the summer, at least.

Talkative People:

It has been a long time since I've had Japanese come up and start conversations with me. But recently, people have made an effort to ask us where we are from, and when we say we live here, they are surprised. There has been a great flight of foreigners from Japan in the last two weeks. The Japanese Immigration office had a record 10,000 people request re-entry permits on Wednesday of last week. We had one member from church write us thanking us for staying with the Japanese at this time.

It seems each day should bring us a little closer to normal, but we're not sure what that will look like anymore. Just today there is news of farmers in the area near the nuclear plant needing to dump milk because radiation levels are too high.

When we visited Moscow in 1996, we were introduced to the concept of "the possibility bag." The missionaries would carry shopping bags with then, in the possibility they might find something they needed while out and about. I may need to start thinking that way! From 24-hour grocery stores to "possibility bags"...life is not quite normal any more.

What I didn't learn in science class...

2011-03-25T08:22:00.000+09:00

Over the past two weeks, as the radiation threat here in Japan has been sensationalized in the press, many, many foreigners have left Tokyo. Some have left out of fear. Others have left because their sending organizations required them to get away. I have no reason to judge their decisions, but in making decisions for ourselves, we set off to figure out just what level of threat there is out there for us.

So we've been introduced to units of measurement that I don't ever remember from science class--dosage of radiation is measured in sieverts, and radioactivity is measured in becquerels. Sieverts are broken down into milli-sieverts and micro-sieverts. Each prefix divides the dosage by 1000, and we're being warned about micro-sievert dosages, little bitty ones...which is what we're experiencing.

This article from Forbes gives a good synopsis of the issue.

In my more sarcastic moments, I think about how last year on home assignment, I (Faith) had two MRI's, one CT scan and two x-rays. Considering my exposure to radiation in those, I should probably stay away from California...

A picture tells a thousand words

2011-03-20T23:35:00.000+09:00

One of the most interesting graphics that I have seen related to the earthquakes in Japan the past 9 days is this one called the Japan Quake Map. You must click it and then be prepared to watch the 600 + quakes and see their depth, radius and frequency.

We feel about 2-3 aftershocks a day...for the people in the central earthquake zone, this is a regular, ongoing, every 20-minutes to one-hour experience. It is very traumatic to live this way.

Spending time with our Church Family

2011-03-20T22:27:00.001+09:00

Last Sunday was the first Sunday after the Earthquake and Tsunami--and we were in Karuizawa with our mission family, not at ICCS with our church family. A week has passed, and the tragedies of the quakes, aftershocks (over 650 since the 11th), and tsunami have been added to with the problems at the nuclear reactors in Fukushima.

In that time we've had families leave the area to wait out the possible radiation effects, one family move to their home country, and another member unable to return from Europe because of airline schedule changes. As we made a list of all who would be gone today, I suddenly felt a panic because it was also our monthly covered dish Sunday, and those were the people who usually contributed the larger meals!

Even though there were a large number of people missing, there were others who attended with renewed interest in finding comfort and encouragement from God.

When covered dish time came, we went had a time of celebrating the March birthdays.

We also congratulated Ken, who graduated from Bible School on March 10.

And in spite of my anxiety about not enough food, we ended up with left overs!

Double your Contribution!

2011-03-20T08:36:00.000+09:00

Help us match $1,000,000 to bring relief to Japan following the Tsunami:

Asian Access received a $1,000,000 matching gift pledge to help meet the spiritual and physical needs of those who have been impacted by the devastating earthquakes and tsunami last week. This gift and the funds given to match the pledge will help us achieve our mission for Asian Access/Japan "to unite the church" and "extend the transforming power of the gospel."

Asian Access is working with our vast network of churches across the country (400 pastors and 1800 churches - nearly 25% of the congregations in Japan) and with CRASH--a ministry of Grace Church which has grown into the largest Christian coordinating agency--to help meet the spiritual and physical needs of several communities across the nation.

We know of nearly 300 churches in the Sendai area and Asian Access has already launched a disaster response team for CRASH to set up a relief base in the affected areas. A few churches ...

For more information, go to http://asianaccess.org/A2-Japan-Tsunami-Matching-Gift.html

Thank you! We pray that God will bring many, many more Japanese into His kingdom as a result of the ministries of mercy and hope.

Faith and Stan

One week later...

2011-03-18T22:17:00.000+09:00

It was a week ago that our lives were "rocked" by the first earthquake that has changed our lives. I would have to say that most of us are still living in some state of shock and grief. People have different ways of responding, but everyone is affected.

Today, Stan, Noelle and I went to say goodbye to friends who pushed their departure from Japan up by three months, following the quake. I can't imagine what they've gone through to be anywhere near prepared to leave the country within this week. We also talked with a missionary family who has been instructed to evacuate the area by their sending organization.

Afterward, Noelle and I went to the CRASH office to volunteer our services. I had been in touch already with the woman who is overseeing the finances, and it was the first time I could get down there to begin working with her. People are giving generously, and at the same time the expenses have ramped up, so there will be plenty of work for us to share.

At 2:46 p.m. we all stopped to remember the time of the first quake, and then to have a season of prayer. It was an emotion-filled session.

Noelle found a great spot to work--helping new volunteers into the office sign in, get registered and then to direct them to places to work. It looks to me like they were having fun at that table!

Another Asian Access missionary, Nozomi, has been a part of the group corresponding with volunteers who have contacted by e-mail and phone. Her bilingual ability has been very helpful.

At about 7:30 p.m. four of our missionaries from the Osaka area drove in with this two ton truck filled with donations. In addition to what the missionaries purchased, friends and neighbors contributed lots of supplies.

After unloading it into the CAJ cafeteria for storage, we got the group together with Pastor Hari for a celebration photo. Three of the men will be part of an advance team going up to the Sendai area tomorrow to set up a base camp for volunteer teams.

Finally, we never expected that the aftermath of the earthquakes and tsunami would be the fear of a nuclear crisis. We continue to watch the news and assess what our next steps will be. Several missions with leadership outside the country have pulled their staff out of the Tokyo area, while many missionaries themselves are feeling deeply drawn to remain and do the work. Today I spoke with several who were having to make decisions for themselves and their families. If you pray, please remember to pray that each one of us will have discernment as we daily assess the safety situation.

In the scope of missions around the world, Japan has been one of the safest fields in which to serve. We have very little terrorism, anarchy and criminal activity. I have often thought that if we 'die for the cause of Christ' it will be because of environment factors. For years our community was know to have a high level of dioxins. And now, there is a risk (at this time small in our geographic region) of radiation. We don't want to be foolish and set ourselves up for harm, but we still are not convinced that the danger to us, in our location, merits evacuation.

And there is so much to be done...

What about Radiation? and Was that another quake?

2011-03-16T19:51:00.000+09:00

I've seen several people refer to what is happening in Japan as a horror movie--earthquakes, tidal waves, and now radiation leakage from damaged nuclear power plants. Add to that frigid, cold weather, lack of fuel and electricity in the tsunami-ravaged areas, with continued aftershocks and it is dreadful.

In the Tokyo area we have been watching the nuclear reactor situation very closely. As an administrator with our mission, I am part of discussions about whether those of us in Tokyo should be evacuating from here. Each mission organization responds differently, and for a while we were all quite panicked based on the kind of information we were getting.

Yesterday we received three assurances that it is okay to stay put for the time being.

The first one was an explanation of the levels of radiation that were being thrown around in the press. When we hear its 10 times higher than normal, is that excessive, or is it 10 times more than a minute amount? How does that compare to what one normally gets in an X-ray? Seeing it written out was very helpful for us all to put into perspective that presently we are safe to stay in the Tokyo area.

I grew up with maps--and perhaps this will help you understand the distances we're talking about. Our home is near the A on the map--to the North West of Tokyo. The nuclear power plant having the problems is at B. The distance is 260 km (160 miles). The quake area is in Sendai at the very top of the map, 360 km from us.

The second and third assurances came in communiques from both the British Embassy and the American Embassy. The Japanese have set up a 20 km evacuation zone around the power plant, and a 30 km warning zone. Independent experts quoted in the Embassy reports said that we are safe in the Tokyo area.

Even with these assurances, though, there are some who have already taken off. There are Japanese who are highly concerned, and others who are not.

Stan and I have spent time talking through this for ourselves and believe we should be staying here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We continue to have earthquakes and aftershocks. It seems like they frequently occur around 10:30 or 11:00 at night, and at 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning...makes for broken sleep. I realize how tense our bodies are as we walk around wondering if we're feeling another earthquake.

Today was a very windy day. Our house is a three story house, with some "give" built in, so the wind was rocking the house quite a bit. Our physical responses were the same as when we feel a quake coming on.

How can we tell the difference? By looking at pull strings hanging from ceiling lamps...they don't move with the wind. They clearly move with an earthquake.

Pictures tell so many stories...

2011-03-16T19:21:00.001+09:00

This morning we stopped by the church. With all the concerns about radiation (that will be another blog entry!) I knew that anxiety was running high, so I sent out an e-mail last night cancelling today's study. Yet, I also knew that some might not read their e-mails, so I wanted to be there to meet and pray with people, just in case. I brought my daughter along with me, too.

Mrs. S had not looked at her e-mail, so was there getting the coffee set up for study. It was good to spend time with her, and find out how her family was doing. It had taken her daughter 4 hours to get to work today (a usual 1 hour commute) because the trains are still running irregularly. She is leaving on a planned cruise on Saturday, so we prayed for her safety and enjoyment.

After we left the church we went to the nearby grocery store--not really because we needed anything, but because we wanted to see what it looked like. I am pondering the instant ramen and cup-noodle shelves. There were signs restricting people from buying more than 2 per household. Its not our favorite food, but we do have six stashed away in case.

The bread shelves were empty. People had been limited to one per family according to the signs.

Other refrigerated items were also slim. Milk was non-existent. We have been told that there actually is food, but people's hording has taken it out of the system. Again, at this point we feel we are well supplied, but we will continue to watch as we go through these days.

On our way home we saw a tanker filling up the tank at a gas station that had run out of fuel yesterday. We're still okay with gas, having topped off before we left Karuizawa on Monday. In a normal month we only go through one tank, so we believe that with conservation we should be okay for a while.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We finally saw pictures of the area around our summer cabin. This small village of Shichigahama (7 beaches) has been our summer home for the past 12 years. We are honestly not concerned about the cabin--its only an old building that probably survived the quake in reasonable condition--but the devastation in the neighborhood surrounding the area of the cabins was heart-breaking.

This normally packed street is one we take regularly cutting through from one main street to another. For those who know, its the road near the McDonalds, heading toward Jusco.

This is the community near the beach between the two hills of cabins.

This is the road above what we call "the surfers' beach."

This is the beach between the hills, where those with young children often play.

This photo was one of several, showing a survivor. The house is across the street from the beach shown above. I love his expression!

There are actually about 40 photos of this area, which we spent time going through today. Seeing them left us even more sad. We were grateful to see some of the long-term residents in other photos. In comparison to photos of other areas, this almost seems like mild destruction. First had reports talk about driving into the tsunami areas, and how things go from normal to overwhelming so quickly.

CRASH Awareness

2011-03-16T14:29:00.000+09:00

So you want to know what's happening...and how you can help...

2011-03-15T12:00:00.002+09:00

We are so thankful for the response of friends regarding the situation here in Japan. Several have written asking what they can do.

DEFINITION OF THE CURRENT RESPONSE SITUATION:

The following definitions were given to be helpful for understanding the aftermath of a crisis like this.

Rescue: this is what is currently taking place. This is done by professionals, and we need to trust them with this phase.
Relief: can be defined as the urgent and temporary provision of emergency aid to reduce immediate suffering from a natural or man-made crisis. There is a need to halt the free fall, to stop the bleeding, and this is what relief attempts to do. It targets those who are largely incapable of helping themselves at the time. The Good Samaritan bandaging of the helpless and bleeding man is an excellent example of this. Once the rescue work is done and access to the region is opened to the public, groups on the ground here want to be ready to have teams going in bringing relief and initial assistance.
Rehabilitation: begins as soon as the bleeding stops. It seeks to restore people and their communities to the positive elements of their pre-crisis condition. The key feature of rehabilitation is a dynamic of working with the victims as they participate in their own recovery. This is a much longer term involvement. One way to engage with this is to get churches inside and outside of Japan to become sister churches with those in the affected zone, working through them to bring help in rebuilding the communities.

COMING TO HELP:

If you are interested in coming to Japan, I would suggest you not rush to the nearest airport! This is not the time for untrained teams to be coming into the country. Things are much too unstable here for this! There are professionals involved in the rescue, there are resident teams that are doing assessment for relief, and there are structures being constructed for coordinating outside teams for relief and rehabilitation. Instead it would be good to begin following the posts on the CRASH (Christian Relief Assistance Support and Hope ) . Many mission groups are mobilizing together through the experienced leadership of CRASH, and we will be doing our part to help in the work there.

As things stabilize, you can begin making plans for teams to come, but please do not expect missionaries to be available to support these teams unless you come through an organized structure such as CRASH. Asian Access is going to be working to assist churches where we have relationships within the Tohoku region beginning this summer. To get in on those conversations, please go to http://go2japan.org/tsunami-forum

GIVING FOR RELIEF:

Asian Access is collecting funds to be used in the relief efforts for Japan, directing them through our local network of churches in the affected area where we have had ongoing relationships.

CRASH is also collecting donations.

We encourage you to give through one of these organizations, because we know the funds will be used to directly impact the lives of the Japanese people, through the local churches in Tohoku.

PRAYING FOR JAPAN:

I am attaching a prayer list from the CRASH site. Since it was created, the Nuclear Power Plant situation has become even more serious. Honestly we don't know what this means for us at this time. (We live around 180 km from the power plant--the evacuation area is 30 km).

Bullet-point Prayer List
by anne.winters » Mon Mar 14, 2011 8:06 am
At 2:46 PM local time, March 11, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck Japan off the eastern coast of Miyagi, prefecture. This is the largest recorded earthquake ever to have struck Japan, and one of the five largest recorded earthquakes in the world. It has been days since the initial temblor, and heavy aftershocks are still being felt throughout northeastern Japan, with no way of knowing how long these aftershocks will continue. Some experts have said that there could be strong aftershocks of up to magnitude level 8 for six months. Please pray that the earthquakes will cease.
Pray also for the buildings that survived the initial shock, but are being hammered by the aftershocks. Many buildings still stand, but were weakened, and because of this strong aftershocks are very dangerous.
The devastation from the initial earthquake was compounded by heavy tsunami that hammered the east coast. Sendai City was hit the hardest, both by the temblor and the tsunami. Some towns were entirely obliterated by the tsunami. Please pray for the survivors and for those who are still stranded and missing.
The tsunami from the earthquake swept away entire cities, and there is still risk of further tsunami from large aftershocks. Please pray that the affected areas remain safe from further tsunami.
Due to the seismic activity, the ground level in much of coastal Japan actually sank, so sea water that came in during the tsunami is not receding. This is hampering relief efforts. Please pray that relief teams will be able to work safely in these areas.
In the wake of the earthquake, fires raged throughout affected areas. Pray for the victims of these fires and those who have lost their homes.
Hundreds of people are still stranded in damaged areas. These people have been without food, water, and heat in freezing temperatures for three days. Rescue is difficult due to tsunami water that will not recede. Please pray for their swift rescue.
Casualty reports are still coming in. The death toll estimates keep rising. There are over 2,000 confirmed dead. It is estimated that the death toll could exceed 10,000 in Miyagi prefecture alone. Pray for those who have lost their loved ones. Pray for those who are trapped and injured, as well as those who are missing friends and family.
In Fukushima Prefecture, two nuclear power plants are under a state of emergency. Three explosions have happened at the Fukushima Daiichi plant; one Saturday, one Monday, and one Tuesday. These explosions were caused by hydrogen build-up, and authorities assure that the reactors have not exploded. Those within 20 kilometers have been evacuated, and those within the area 20-30 km away have been advised to stay indoors to avoid radiation exposure. Please pray that the situation will get under control soon.
Pray also for the weather. With radiation being diffused into the air, wind or rain could carry it into populated areas and expose people. Pray that any wind will carry radiation out to sea rather than into populated areas. What's more, bitterly cold night-time temperatures could prove life-threatening for those who are trapped.
Public transit systems in Tokyo and the surrounding areas are taxed to the limit by this disaster, and the transportation companies are no longer confident that the infrastructure can handle rush hour traffic. Please pray that this transportation situation can be resolved.
Millions of homes in northeastern Japan are without power. This has led to Japanese power companies arranging planned blackouts to conserve energy. Millions of people are still without water. Pray for the power plants and water facilities to be able to resume their work, and pray for those who do not have these essential supplies.
Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in the coastal areas and the area around the Fukushima nuclear power plants. Please pray for them, and all who are having to stay in public shelters.
Relief workers are working around the clock to rescue survivors, but reaching many victims is proving incredibly difficult due to the rubble and water levels. Pray for the relief workers, that God would grant safety and stamina.
Pray for the Christians of Japan, that we would be able to mobilize relief efforts and provide for people's needs, both physical and spiritual.
Pray for areas where food, medicine, and drink shortages are occurring.
Gasoline shortages are starting to become a very large problem. Pray for gasoline for those who need it.
On Sunday afternoon, Shinmoedake volcano on the island of Kyushu erupted, spewing ash and boulders into the air. So far, no casualties have been reported. Pray for the safety of the people of Kyushu.
Please pray also for the other countries affected by the tsunami.
Pray for Japan's economy. There have already been massive losses, and it is quite likely that the long-term impact of this disaster on Japan's already-strained economy will be quite serious.

PRAY FOR US:
We are feeling the stress in many ways. We slept fairly well last night, except for an aftershock at 5 a.m. that woke us up briefly. We have just received news that our sons are out of school through the end of this week at least. Their school is making plans for some online virtual education opportunities, but we anticipate that getting their wholehearted cooperation will be difficult. Trying to decide what continues and what doesn't in ministry, too, is a bit challenging, especially as our different cultures have varying approaches to uncertainty. So please pray for peace in our hearts and our home, wisdom in what we should be doing, and guidance as we interact with our neighbors, our church family, and the CRASH outreach.

Monday night reflections

2011-03-14T21:46:00.000+09:00

When asked where I would most like to live in Japan, I have said "Sendai" in Miyagi prefecture. We have vacationed in a rustic cabin at a missionary vacation community called Takayama by the Sea* in the Sendai area nearly every summer for the past 12 years. Sendai is an interesting combination of progressive university city, small metropolitan area, international shipping center and fishing village.

Watching the photos and you-tube videos of this area over the past couple of days is heart-breaking. I keep looking for familiar sites. In the actual village where our cabin is located there are over 3,000 in shelters, and in the Sendai area 15,000 are living in temporary shelters. Seeing a community we drive past several times a year being inundated by the tsunami waves leaves us in speechless. The news stories tonight on the national network where they were interviewing families and friends brought us to tears.

We live about 5 hours away from Sendai, and spent the last five days at a retreat center another two hours away, in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture. While we felt the major quake and some of the aftershocks, we felt like we were living in a bubble. Logistically it was helpful in that we "knew where our people were." But it wasn't until coming back home today that we had a greater awareness of what changes have taken place in "normal" lifestyle.

We had been given advance warning that gas stations were running out of fuel, and lines were long, so we filled up before we left Karuizawa.
As we drove in, we saw those lines at three different stations we passed.
We were also told that grocery stores were empty--so we also shopped up there before we left. (This photo was taken by a friend.)

The electric company is beginning a rolling black out--today they were spotty in their application of it, but tomorrow we will be without electricity from 6:20 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. Our cooking stove is propane and doesn't require electricity, so we can heat up water and cook eggs for breakfast...but the rooms will be cold and we won't be able to take a shower until the electricity comes back on.
Our children's school is closed at least through Wednesday, while the administration tries to figure out the best approach with inconsistent train schedules (most students commute to school by train) and electrical blackouts.

One other dose of reality, came when we got out of our car after having arrived home from Karuizawa. A neighbor whom I've only met once ran past us and then quickly returned. She seemed anxious. I asked her how they had fared during the earthquake and she said they were okay...and then mentioned that she hadn't heard from her husband since the quake. What I understand is that he was working in Iwate Prefecture (one affected both by quakes and tsunami). She was trying to tell herself (and me) that he was probably okay -- its been hard to get cell phones to work, etc. While we haven't chatted with this family much, we have noticed the dad. He is a great dad, engages well and plays with his kids. Please pray that we will know how to be a support and an encouragement to Mrs. K and her two children as they wait for news on Mr. K.

I have a Bible study scheduled for Wednesday morning at ICCS. I sent out a note today to see if the ladies will be able to come. In our study of the Beatitudes, we will be looking at "Blessed are the Merciful" which seems quite time.

Finally, it is easy to be fearful. Whether its feeling the next aftershock, wondering if we'll be able to get food when our stock runs out, or knowing that the Japan Meteorological Society gives a 40% prediction for another earthquake of M6 or less over the next three days (It was 70% for one of M7 yesterday). And we are weary, which make it all the more challenging to handle the emotions well.

~~~~~

There are several churches in Miyagi and Fukushima that have been destroyed by the quake. Others have had to be evacuated because of their proximity to the nuclear power plants that are having such problems. Today I read a translated letter from a pastor in that area who plead for prayer for his people, many of whom are living in shelters. Over the next few weeks, there will be advance teams going into this area to figure out how groups can come and assist in rebuilding projects. This is not the time for groups to come--besides the situation continuing to be too unstable, the work that needs to be done now is the rescue and recovery efforts best done by professionals. Asian Access has worked with a number of churches in this region, and if anyone is interested in giving relief funds that will go to assisting the churches, please go to www.asianaccess.org and follow the links to the Japan Tsunami Relief Fund.

* For those interested in "Tak," the two hills of cabins seems to have been high enough but the beach and community around them were wiped out by the tsunami. We're waiting to get some first hand reports in a day or two.

Heading back to Tokyo on Monday

2011-03-13T22:34:00.000+09:00

Tomorrow we head to Tokyo--it will be a different life. We're told that there are gasoline shortages, stores are sold out of certain foods, toilet paper, etc. In addition, we will be experiencing two 3 hour 40 minute periods per day of no electricity. We've gone from being in a highly modern country to living like a third world country. Pray for us as we adapt.

A Kairos Moment for the Church in Japan

2011-03-13T07:27:00.000+09:00

We have been on "retreat" this week as the earth started to move in Japan. It has been an interesting season but has given us an opportunity to more effectively address our response as a mission organization to the tragedies in the area.

Asian Access President, Joe Handley, describes our response:

A Kairos Moment for the Church in Japan

As the Lord places it on your heart, please consider sending your gifts to the Japan Tsumani Relief Fund.

Thank you.

Saturday night

2011-03-12T22:44:00.000+09:00

Another night of aftershocks. Wondering when this will end! Our mission is discussing ways to help our Japanese church ministry partners in the affected area. In a day or two we'll have instructions for those wanting to give to this relief work.

I know some have been concerned but we are not close to the nuclear reactor.

If the trains are running we hope to have Noelle join us in the morning. Our retreat ends on Monday.

Thank you for your prayers!
Faith

2011-03-12T05:42:00.000+09:00

Dear Friends,

Most likely you have heard about the large earthquake, aftershocks and resulting tsunami here in Japan. Our family is safe – four of us are in the mountains of Nagano prefecture at a mission retreat, and our daughter Noelle, who just arrived in Japan on Tuesday, is at our home in Tokorozawa. It has been quite a shocking day for us all, and it’s taken some effort to find out about friends in various parts of the country. Amazingly while our cell phones haven’t been effective, we’ve been able to get news to one another via facebook and Skype. All our mission family is safe. Noelle tells us there were quite a few things that fell from shelves in our living room, some breakage, but our house is okay.

Please be praying for the people of Japan. This is a horrifying event, and watching the tsunami live on TV has been devastating. Earthquakes are occurring now in other areas of the country, and there is incredible destruction. In the midst of this please pray that God’s love, grace and mercy will be poured out on this country. The affect on the infrastructure of this country will take some time to figure out. There are, of course, questions of how we can be involved in ministering in the aftermath of this.

We were reminded of the words of Psalm 46:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
…
[God] says “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

... I wrote this last night, but had trouble getting on the internet. After being awakened by an earthquake at 4 a.m. I decided to get up and send this if possible. Thank you for your many inquires on how we are. We will most definitely continue to need your prayers. There continue to be earthquakes and aftershocks, and when daylight comes I know we will be stunned by the present state of damage and destruction.

Thank you once again for standing with us in the gap!

We are safe--but stunned

2011-03-11T23:47:00.000+09:00

Stan, the boys and I are in Karuizawa for our mission's annual retreat. Noelle is in Tokyo. We all have earthquake stories from today but are okay. However as you have seen from the news, there is tremendous devastation throughout certain areas. Please pray fir the people of Japan.

I will write more in a day or two.

New VP for A2 Japan!

2011-03-05T20:35:00.000+09:00

God has answered prayers for a new leader in our mission here in Japan.

hungering and thirsting for righteousness

2011-03-05T20:06:00.000+09:00

Our ladies Bible study at ICCS this spring is looking at the Beatitudes. I have been blessed to have a co-leader, and love watching Ann devour the text and reach out to the ladies in the class. Between my travels and focusing on my grad project, it has been nice to have someone else teaching the study.

But Ann is in Europe with her son, daughter-in-law, and (most importantly) granddaughter for a month, and it was my turn to lead on Wednesday. Our beatitude of the day was "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6 Going from physical examples of being hungry and thirsty, to spiritual examples was fairly easy for the ladies. We looked at passages in both the Old and New Testaments.

At lunch with the ICCS Ladies Bible Study after class

What fascinates me every time is how God speaks to people in ways I wasn't anticipating, and how sometimes the ones with the most profound understanding of the passage are those who haven't yet made a commitment to Christ. I have also found much joy in seeing individual women from the class show love to others who might be marginalized in other settings.

I expect that we will continue to hunger and thirst for righteousness. That was one of the main points of the study. Its not a once-for-all experience, but will continue until we are with the Lord.

In doing some cross-referencing in preparation for the study, I was reminded that in the last chapter of our Bible we're invited to

..."Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come;

and whoever wishes, let him

take the free gift of the water of life.

Revelation 22:17

Project finished!

2011-03-05T19:48:00.000+09:00

I completed my project for my CIU class last week, sent it off to two profs by e-mail, and felt like I had come up for air following a long underwater swim! Thank you all who prayed me through that experience.

I spent time looking at literature about missionary couples and their transition to on-field ministry, and believe I have a deeper understanding of challenges missionaries face when coming to Japan. After reading my paper, one of the profs suggested I look at literature related to missionaries in Western Europe, who face some issues similar to what we experience here.

One of my conclusions suggested missionary care facilitators get training to use a cultural assessment (Cerny Smith Assessment) in order to help people identify just where they are struggling in their adjustment to a culture. After finishing the paper last week, I was contacted by someone who is thinking of offering the training here in Japan this fall. That was encouraging and unexpected!

Next...I'm taking one of the Old Testament Survey courses online. This has a different set of discipline skills required.

Eco-friendly delivery service

2011-03-05T19:41:00.000+09:00

The other day as I headed to the office, I saw this parked near the corner. The black cat symbol means that this belongs to the KuroNeko Delivery service (something on the order of UPS or FedEx).

Usually I see delivery trucks stopping along the street, with the driver running in and out of businesses picking up or dropping off packages. They are timed, and have to keep things moving. We have had several friends' husbands work for these companies, and they have ended up on medical leave for exhaustion and overwork.

So seeing a bicycle-pulled-wagon is in interesting change of pace. It echoes back to an earlier time, with push-cart or pull-cart delivery services. It also expresses an "eco" approach to business...

Tapestry

2011-02-15T20:55:00.000+09:00

I have often heard the illustration of life being like a tapestry. We spend so much time looking at the back side, where there are loose threads, knots, colors mixed in strange ways, and seemingly little pattern -- yet when we turn it over, we see the grand design.

Right now my brain feels a bit like the back of that tapestry. I am nearing the home stretch of a project for my graduate class on Missionary Home Life. I have books open to articles that seem somewhat relevant, I've downloaded a couple of journal articles from professional journals, I have the Doctoral dissertation of my friend Sue next to me, and another electronic copy on my computer. I just was sent another dissertation from a willing source. I have friends and colleagues who are answering questions and e-mailing me their answers. And I have to somehow get these pieces all to weave into a beautiful piece by the 28th.

Meanwhile, I am learning things that confirm how important it is for missionary couples to make their relationship a priority. The marital satisfaction in the missionaries' first term is a good predictor of their future satisfaction. Patterns of behavior and communication that are set during those early, often tumultuous years, are hard to break.

In addition, it is coming even clearer that loneliness is a major challenge for missionaries here in Japan during that first term (and through out many missionaries' ministries). This culture tends to be quite closed to the outsider, and no matter how hard one might try, they rarely feel like they move to the inside. As one person said, "work begins as soon as you walk out your front door." I often feel like I walk on stage as soon as I leave my house--constantly being watched but seldom being acknowledged.

If you pray, please pray that I will be able to compile my many threads and thoughts into a very useful tool for encouragement and support of our missionary families.

Thanks.

Faith

Loneliness a national crisis in Japan

2011-02-02T16:05:00.001+09:00

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Broadcast: 01/02/2011

Reporter: Mark Willacy

Divorce, a plummeting birth rate and an increase in average lifespan are creating an epidemic of loneliness in Japan.

Transcript

ALI MOORE, PRESENTER: It's being described as a national crisis in Japan.

It's not political deadlock or economic meltdown, but loneliness. Within a couple of decades, single person households will be the dominant demographic in Japan, and there have been a litany of cases in recent times of dozens of people dying alone.

Increasing incidences of divorce, a plummeting birth rate and a lengthening average life span are making life an extremely solitary experience for millions.

But some see this lonely demographic as an untapped business opportunity, as North Asia correspondent Mark Willacy reports from Tokyo.

MARK WILLACY, REPORTER: In an empty park in Tokyo, Mokoto Asami is phoning a friend, albeit one he's never met. Yuzo Kikumoto offers a sympathetic ear, but at a price.

YUZO KIKUMOTO (voiceover translation): We charge $12 for every 10 minutes. We have about 1,500 registered customers.

MARK WILLACY: Yuzo Kikumoto operates the Listening Well Club, a phone service for lonely people to call in and discuss their personal problems.

MAKOTO ASAMI (voiceover translation): Basically, I don't have anyone I can express my true feeling to. I have a friend I can tell superficial stories to, but no-one I can speak honestly with. So I use the phone service instead.

MARK WILLACY: Ever since his divorce, Mokoto Asami has relied on the Listening Well Club for someone to talk to.

MAKOTO ASAMI (voiceover translation): I talk about my job. And grumble about my boss mainly. I can't talk about this with anyone else because they might regard me as petty. So I use the Listening Well Club instead.

MARK WILLACY: A former hairdresser, Yuzo Kikumoto regards himself as a natural listener. He's also a natural businessman, cashing in on the latest Japanese malaise: loneliness.

YUZO KIKUMOTO (voiceover translation): The most popular topics are the general problems with relationships, particularly at work. 20 to 30 per cent of my customers just grumble.

MARK WILLACY: But there are grumbles and there are genuine hard luck stories. Akiko Mukasa spends her days visiting the sick and the dying. Many of her patients are ending their days alone.

This afternoon, Nurse Mukasa is visiting Sueo Hatakeyama in the tiny one-room apartment where he's destined to die.

SUEO HATAKEYAMA (voiceover translation): My doctor says I have cancer. I don't know how long I have left to live. I might die tomorrow or the day after.

MARK WILLACY: Like thousands of others in Tokyo every year, Sueo Hatakeyama is destined to become a victim of a kodokushi, or a lonely death.

AKIKO MUKASA, NURSE (voiceover translation): By building up a relationship with a lonely person and growing a friendship with them, I think we can help ease their loneliness and sadness.

MARK WILLACY: Mr Hatakeyama has no family and he knows he hasn't got long left. And so he's thankful for Nurse Mukasa's visits.

SUEO HATAKEYAMA (voiceover translation): I feel cured by her visits because I'm always at home alone. At times like that, I think of the worst things, so I feel thankful that I can chat with Mukasa-son.

AKIKO MUKASA (voiceover translation): By building up a relationship with a lonely person and growing a friendship with them, I think we can help ease their loneliness and sadness.

MARK WILLACY: Back at Listening Well Club, Yuzo Kikumoto is still on the phone and still making money. His business is booming, just like the epidemic of loneliness here. But Mr Kikumoto denies it's easy money.

YUZO KIKUMOTO (voiceover translation): Once I had a woman who talked about her problems at work for seven hours. Her story took 30 minutes, but she repeated it for seven hours.

MARK WILLACY: Seven hours may feel like an eternity, but in Japan, loneliness can last a lifetime.

Mark Willacy, Lateline.

http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2011/s3127367.htm

Taking care of family business

2011-01-29T16:03:00.000+09:00

After my week of classes, I spent a week with my sister going through our parents' house in preparation for putting it on the market. Since none of us kids live nearby, we have had to manage this process through a few intensive visits.

We will be having an estate sale company take care of most of the stuff, so our job was to go through papers, photos and other select items, collecting what we want to keep, packing it for shipping, and properly handling the rest.

Its amazing what paperwork our parents' kept. (And for some of these things, it was hard to believe they actually moved it--at least 15 moves--before they settled in this place nearly 20 years ago).

We filled a friend's vehicle three times with material to take to the recycling bin. We packed all we wanted in bankers boxes, and saved out some old confidential financial paperwork for a shredding party at the end of the week.

In all, we have just over 40 boxes of papers, photos, and special memory items we'll store until we have time (and a place) to handle them.

In the end we were left with a lovely unit, nice furniture, but nothing that left us feeling overly tied to the place. They moved to Nashville 20 years ago, and Mom has been gone for 12 years. Dad had some help redecorating some of the house after Mom died, so there were places that felt even more distant to us. Of course, if any of the grandkids had been there, it would have felt totally different--this was Grandpa and Grandma's house for most of their lives.

As we closed the door, I realized it felt like a vacation condo--nothing there was personal, but there were special memories that we carried out with us.

Sweet discoveries were the letters our mom wrote to her parents as a young (20 year old) bride of two months during their voyage on the ship to their first missionary term in Brazil. There were many illustrations of the faith of these young people as they left their North Dakota and Minnesota communities to go via the docks of New York City to serve people in North East Brazil. And then there was the journal that Dad kept in their second missionary term. They returned to the States at the ripe old ages of 26 and 27.

There were some fun things, too, like the certificates they received for crossing the equator for the first time.

We ran across family photos and ancestry research we hadn't seen before. And there were some things missing that we expected to find. We keep reminding each other that its just stuff, but things I saw in the china cabinet a few years ago, like my grandparent's 25th anniversary commemorative bowl, were gone.

And now I'm back in Japan, hoping to get back into the groove of a busy, busy winter.

God works at Christmas

2011-01-29T15:45:00.000+09:00

Stan recently wrote the following summary of the wonderful work of God at ICCS over the Christmas season:

The young evangelist who came to Christ in my office a few years ago was finishing his Christmas message. He first asked if there were any in the group who had already believed in the Christian Message. One or two raised their hands. Then Ken-San asked if there were any who wanted to ask Jesus into their lives. He had asked the group to lower their heads and close their eyes.

I never do that! It is such a joy for me to see people raise their hands and I get to pray for the moving of the Spirit of God on many other friends in that room.

Mr. T was there along with his wife and adult daughter. Mr. T believed and was baptized during his college years. For some reason after he was married he stopped going to Church. That is, until three years ago. He was serving his Enoki-Cho neighborhood as the leader of the community group. Nearing 72, he was not in the best health. He started attending our services on the first week of August, three years ago. We had Communion that Sunday and as he walked up to take it, I said, “Mr. T, welcome home, sir.” He smiled. He has not missed many services since.

His daughter is a musician, who plays good classical guitar and flute. She has given a small concert for a church event. Her husband, the only one in his family who speaks English, recently returned to Japan after working for some time near Denver on a government project.

Mr. T’s wife told someone a few weeks before that she did not need our God as she was god of her own life. She was OK with that.

From the left: Mrs. T, their daughter and son-in law at the Christmas meeting

That was true until Ken asked that important question. I saw her shaking hand go up—in fact, her whole body was shaking! I looked around and saw her daughter’s hand had also gone up. In total, five adults from Enoki-Cho asked Christ into their lives that evening! Three others wanted more information. Japanese members from ICCS are involved in follow up of these decisions.

~~~~~~~

For three years in a row, teams of young people from Singapore have come during the week of Christmas to help our church in our outreach into our community of Enoki-cho. Two of this year’s group has been here previously. Annie and Ronny C. have a dynamic quality about them that showed the transforming Power of a Living God. They provided the ‘Auntie and Uncle’ relationship for the group. Ronny is also a very accomplished chef—and the church still has the smell of their love offerings! The key ingredient: garlic! Lots of it! A real fragrance of God’s Grace!

On Tuesday, after devotions, the team joined two other staff persons from Japan Campus Crusade for Christ and went into Tokyo to hand out Gospel tracts, to pray and to get a sense of the spiritual climate of Japan. Very few people accepted the handouts. The team saw the empty eyes of so many people, walking around, standing, riding the trains; empty and alone. And without the Lord who loves them.

The team had Prayer Walks,

a Children’s Christmas party,

a Singaporean cooking class and the Christmas Day Singaporean Christmas.

They also joined the traditional ICCS Christmas Caroling through our neighborhood on Christmas Eve.

When asked why they came to Japan at Christmas, many said it was because of a calling to serve Christ. We would like to see a team go from the International Community Chapel of Saitama (ICCS) and join them in their outreach to their neighbors. Please pray for willing hearts and open doors.
All to the Glory of God!

The classroom experience is over...and now the real work begins...

2011-01-17T05:50:00.000+09:00

The past week has been a stimulating experience as I gathered with 14 other students to study Missionary Home Life Enhancement Skills led by professors at Denver Seminary and Columbia International University. My classmates include people who have served for many years throughout the globe. Two thirds of them are DMin students, the rest of us are working on Masters degrees. Half of us were from non-clinical backgrounds, the other half are licensed counselors or on their way to qualifying

We looked at missionary families from "family systems" theory--how people work in relationship to one another. I've got lots of notes, lots of power points and a few interesting video clips on my computer now. And...I've got a big assignment to complete in the next month. I am to develop a psycho-educational program to proactively enrich an area of the missionary's personal home life.

Here are a a few ideas I'm exploring:

One idea has to do with helping missionary families with the transition of their kids to college. If you're a missionary parent, what do you wish you'd known before your kids left home. If you're a mk/tck, what do you wish you'd known before you left. These can include skills, knowledge, experiences, relationship matters.
Many missionaries work out of their homes. What issues have you encountered if you have experienced this? I'm looking for impact on the family, your time as a couple, and your effectiveness in ministry...both good and challenging.

I welcome any responses to those inquiries. If you don't have my e-mail address, please include yours in a comment at the end of this, and I will write you for your comments. (I will not publish your e-mail address).

One thing we all hope to do in our assignments is to develop programs that are actually usable, not just theoretical ideas. I am praying for for insight from the Lord and His people as I think through these ideas and begin formulate approaches.

Faith is Starting School

2011-01-10T10:38:00.000+09:00

Tomorrow I attend my first day of classes in a Masters program at Columbia International University, in Columbia, SC. I'm only here for one week. I've already read these plus one more book and written "book notes" on them. After the class I'll have a major project to complete within one month and submit online.

The course is called "Missionary Home Life Enhancement Skills" and it is a Doctorate level course that I and about 4 others are taking at a Master's level (the DMin folks have a few more books and at least one other project). The profs for the class are both former missionaries who teach in Graduate Counseling Programs. The students...well, I'll have to find out in the morning. I do know that there is one other woman like me--not a counselor but a Missionary Care Facilitator--who serves in Europe.

Other courses in Member Care will require me coming to Columbia (or Atlanta, or Northern Indiana where the course will wrap around the Mental Health and Missions Conference) from time to time. In between I am going to begin online courses to fulfill other requirements. I am excited about the opportunity to learn what I'm going to learn and to apply those things to our ministry in Japan.

I do have a few prayer requests--if you pray, please keep these in mind.

Jet lag--pray that I will be able to sleep well at night and have the mental stamina needed for the days. I am pretty tired right now and feel a little like I've got a cold coming on.
Insight--I want to be quick to catch what we're talking about, and I want to be strategic in applying it to my world.
Weather--there is a huge winter storm that is supposed to come through tomorrow. Since we only have 5 days of classes, it would be a great loss to miss one day. And since they aren't used to ice on the roads and I have to drive about 15 miles to campus, I'm concerned about traffic conditions.

The three De La Cour men are taking care of one another while I'm here. Pray that they will have rich times together. The night before I left we had one of the best "chats" with the boys that we've experienced in a long time.

And my first stop from Japan to South Carolina was in Southern California for a "sisters-sisters" time. The oldest flew in from her Christmas holidays in the south of England a few hours after I did. We enjoyed catching up all together.

Suicides in Japan top 30,000 for 13th straight year in 2010+

2011-01-08T02:46:00.000+09:00

LEAD: Suicides in Japan top 30,000 for 13th straight year in 2010+

The De La Cour's at Christmas, 2010

2010-12-28T18:50:00.000+09:00

This year there were five De La Cour's in Japan for Christmas.

We are thankful for the blessings of having A here on her winter break from University in Southern California. We were able to extend her visit with us five more days--thanks to a "no penalty for the first change" clause in her Korean Air ticket!

Our sons, Jn (left) and Jph have spent much of their time on games, though there has been wrestling practice a few days for Jph.

The sixth DLC is in England, having landed the day before the major snow that closed down Heathrow. She is enjoying a traditional English Christmas with friends there.

The week before Christmas was busy, and very fruitful--reports will be coming on the ministry of the Singaporean team at ICCS. Thank you to all who prayed for their visit.

We are enjoying a slower pace this week (except that I am reading furiously for a graduate course I'll be taking Jan 10-14 in Columbia, SC).

Memories of Christmas Past...

2010-12-23T18:43:00.000+09:00

Today while I was shopping at the Parco Department store, I heard the sound of children singing in the open mall between the store's two buildings. As I made my way to the second floor walkway overlooking the mall, I was able to see the children of the Kohitsuji Yochien (Little Lamb Preschool) giving their Christmas performance.

This is the preschool our oldest daughter attended. It was a "Christian" preschool, and a number of missionary children have attended through the years. While the photo above isn't very clear, it was obvious that they had provided some sort of Biblical Christmas drama as I saw some in their costumes.

A few minutes later I made my way to the ground floor, and saw the head teacher posing for photos with students. After they left, I spoke to her briefly and showed her a photo of my daughter (20 years later)... She told me to bring her to the school to visit the next time she comes back to Japan.

Listening to the kids sing, I had to take a short video clip--if you haven't heard Japanese children singing, you have missed something. I remember directors trying to get sound out of kids church choir back in the States, and thinking how different it is here!

ICCS' December Covered Dish Sunday

2010-12-19T20:26:00.001+09:00

The ICCS Family Photo, December 19, 2010

Gifts from God...

2010-12-15T21:57:00.000+09:00

Today at our Ladies Bible study we finished our fall series looking at The Father's Love Letter. This has been an interesting, encouraging study for the 10-12 ladies who have come regularly twice a month.

In light of it being the Christmas season, we wrapped up with a "gift-receiving opportunity." From a lovely gift box we each pulled out a "Gift from God" for this coming year. The options included gifts of the Spirit, names of God, fruit of the Spirit, etc. Having done this one year ago, I knew how a "random" gift could impact the receiver--so we decided to give it a try.

I drew "Faithfulness" which gave me a chuckle. It will be interesting to see how God will use faithfulness in Faith this year.

L received "Hope." A foreigner in Japan with limited Japanese language, she has been one to share Christ with many of her Japanese friends. There are changes ahead for her family. Good reasons for hope.

Y received "Courage." She mentioned that a few years ago she experienced a physical ailment that kept her at home. She grew more and more home-bound. A year ago she met two ladies from our church who invited her to Bible Study. She has since then been involved in three different studies. It has taken courage for her to get involved, but she has really appreciated it.

K received "Wonderful Counselor" as her gift. She has been working all year with a student that has difficulties, and while she feels like a poor counselor, this student achieved her first 100% on a test this past week.

S received "Gratitude." She has returned to Japan after a failed marriage to a foreigner and is struggling with major health issues. But she has such a grateful heart and is enjoying being with us for Bible Study.

Y received "Self-Control." This was her first time to the study, and while not a believer yet, she wants to know more. She cares for elderly parents full time and said she can be messy sometimes and needs to have more of this self-control. She also said that she can't do it by herself. Yet she was listening today--and told us she learned that the Spirit gives us the power to do those things that we cannot do on our own.

KS received "Patience." She told how her sister had come to Christ this past year and been baptized. She had patiently shared and waited for this to happen. It is not hard to believe that others in her family will make that decision, too, as she testifies patiently to God's work in her own life.

A received "Thankfulness." She is a new grandmother, with that grand baby coming from Europe for Christmas, and she is thankful. There are many other situations in her life that give her reasons for thankfulness.

It will be interesting to see how God uses these in each of our lives.

Joining the Go-Go Girls...

2010-12-13T17:17:00.000+09:00

A little more than 20 years ago, a Japanese friend of mine said she had joined the "Go-Go Girls." Looking at Mrs. N, I was a little surprised...she was reasonably conservative, a mother of three young adult children, and not what I pictured as a "Go-Go Girl," that is, until she pointed out to me that go is the Japanese word for the number five...

At that time, 55 seemed a LOOOONGGGG way off.

But today, I joined the "Go-Go Girls." I'm not ready for white boots and a short skirt...and don't think I ever will be.

I am, however, proudly wearing my sweatshirt (jumper for those of you from the UK) that shows that Disneyland and I have something in common.

I am grateful to celebrate 55 today. I'm grateful for God's love and mercy for me, for allowing me to be raised in a Christian home, for giving me a precious husband and four dear children. I pray I can be around for a lot longer, but I am thankful for the 55 years I've had, and look forward to this next year.

Sharing the Good News of Christmas -- Black Gospel style

2010-12-12T21:57:00.000+09:00

Our church has a small gospel choir that is part of the Hallelujah Gospel Family (HGF), a network of Gospel Choirs from churches around our area. These choirs serve as outreach ministries and attract many non-churched Japanese. Twice a year these choirs all gather together for a HGF concert, after a series of workshops leading up to the concert lead by a gospel singer from Los Angeles, Ray Sidney.

Last night was the joint concert in this area. Conveniently for us it was about a 15 minute walk from our house. There were at least 8 from our choir that participated. There were a lot more of us from ICCS who attended.

This year they had a special group -- it was parents and children from one church who sang Jesus Loves Me and a few other songs with the larger choir joining in. Some of the children had the music and movements down cold!

As I sat there, I realized that the mother, second from the left, was a former staff member of our office! Mayumi and her now 4 year old daughter were part of the group. Apparently she saw me, too, because a few minutes after they went off stage I got a tap on my shoulder, and there she was to greet me!

It has been interesting to go to these concerts over the years. This time I realized that they had taken a Japanese praise song, and arranged it in Black Gospel style. It is one song that apparently speaks to the Japanese heart very much, and I enjoyed hearing it presented in another form.

The concert ended with a rousing rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus. I guess that's appropriate for the Hallelujah Gospel Family...

a different kind of bell-ringer...

2010-12-05T20:18:00.000+09:00

Today I had to go to the larger train station one stop from ours to renew my sons' train passes.

While the area is decorated for Christmas, I was struck by the bell ringer...

A buddhist monk was standing with his bowl in one hand, a bell in the other, in the practice of takahatsu, or begging for alms. It seemed a bit ironic to me today.

We're used to seeing the Salvation Army bell-ringers in the U.S. and sometimes even here in Japan at Christmas time.

Another glimpse into why we need to share the Good News of Jesus' love here!

Hurray for Guidelines!

2010-11-29T15:33:00.000+09:00

When we got back from our home assignment, our car navigational system no longer had the ability to show back-up guidelines. We have a camera that helps us back up (you may remember that is how we park) and the system had always given us some lines to help in the alignment process.

But they were gone. I went to the user guide to try to figure out how to get a hold of them again, and the button I was supposed to push didn't even show up on the set-up screen. I thought about stopping by the dealership to see if they could help, though I feared looking like a dumb ____ (woman/ foreigner).

I originally learned how to back into parking places without the help of guidelines and a back-up camera, and I've been complimented several times on my skill. The most recent was yesterday at the church parking lot when an older Japanese man praised me in English as soon as I stepped out of the van. I was in a little shock at his comment--here he was in traditional Japanese clothing, with the wooden sandals, a cloth around his head, and for some strange reason, a huge gold "x" earring in his right ear--but I surprised him by responding in Japanese.

A couple of weeks ago, I turned the van on briefly to close the side mirrors, and then turned it off quickly. The next time I started the car, the navigational system looked like it was going to have a break-down...before getting to the normal start screen. I went to put the car in reverse, and there--

--were my guidelines!

It has taken a lot of pressure off of backing into the parking space in our house where we have to narrowly fit in between a corner of the house and the fence. (Pictured here is our church parking space).

I'm grateful for these guidelines but I'm even more grateful for the guidelines we find in the Bible. Life without the wise instruction from God is so chaotic and random. Remember, God promises that our lives are blessed if we keep His statutes and seek Him with all our heart. (Psalm 119)

A special anniversary

2010-11-25T14:27:00.000+09:00

I wrapped my US trip up with a visit to Nashville, where I met up with my sister and brother. It has been four months since we were together for Dad's funeral, and twelve years on Monday since Mom went to be with the Lord. We converged for a time of planning "next steps" together.

We made it out to visit our parent's graves. The gentle wind blowing through the fall late afternoon was quite different from the extremely hot and humid July afternoon at our last visit.

As followers of Jesus with the assurance of our parents' faith in Christ, we realized that while it is a good place to remember them, none of us had any sense of being "closer" to them there.

Back at the house we felt a bit like archaeologists, though, as we began going through files and boxes of family memories. We discovered some that we had never seen before, such as

Our mother's baby book!

We enjoyed the photo of our grandmother (who died before our brother was born) holding her little girl in this sweet book. On the page that asked about "baby's first Christmas" we read that they stayed home from the family gathering since the North Dakota temperatures that day were -30F. We all shuddered at that one!

There were a couple of elementary school autograph books. Almost everyone wrote in rhyme. Many of them were quite darling--some were surprisingly risqué in an elementary-student innocent way for the 40's... And imagine having your mom to be the first one to write in your book!

We found a stack of post cards written to our dad as a young boy from his grandfather. Since he didn't live with a father, his grandfather was quite an important person to him.

My brother brought several of his children with him on this trip. It was a delight to spend time with nieces and a nephew that I rarely get to see.

There was a lot of fun going on!

The night before we all left, we sat around the dining room table enjoying one another, so blessed to have this time. We don't know when we'll have our next "reunion" but we know we will have to start deliberately scheduling them.