Swenson Special Prayer Alert (Aug. 6)

Greetings in the name of our Savior from the Swensons in Minneapolis! We are pleased to report that we have cleared one of the hurdles we mentioned in our last update; specifically we received clearance on our Family Assignment! Thank you for praying for the key conversations that took place last week! And praise the Lord with us that they went well!

However, we do still have an urgent prayer request for you to lift up before the Lord and to consider concerning our financial support. We must raise $1,500/month in new commitments or increases in the next seven days! It sounds impossible, but we are trusting God to supply this need.

The reason for the rush is that our oldest son, Micah, is enrolled to complete his senior year at Christian Academy in Japan (CAJ) in Tokyo. CAJ’s school year begins on August 25, and we have concerns that it will hinder his progress toward graduation if he is too delayed in starting classes. If Micah is not able to get to Japan to enter CAJ very early in the fall term, we would likely need to delay our departure to Japan until the end of the school year, i.e., June 2015. This is because it would not be feasible for him to enter CAJ in the middle of his senior year, even at the semester break. Jonah is also registered to attend CAJ, and being that he is entering 9th grade, it would be best for him if he could begin his high school studies at CAJ for the sake of continuity.

Along with Micah and the other children, we are eager to return to Japan! We long to serve as instruments of God’s love and grace among the Japanese people and to bring the hope of the Gospel of Christ in that spiritually needy land. Will you join us in asking God to supply the financial need we are facing?

If God is leading you to partner with us financially (monthly/quarterly/yearly), you may indicate your commitment by going to our ministry page (WorldVenture.com/gaswenson), selecting Make a Commitment, and then following the instructions. Or you may simply let us know by phone or email, and we will be happy to help you to set up your partnership with us. 

PRAISE:

·        For clearance on our Family Assignment.

·        For opportunities in July to share about our Japan ministry and vision at churches in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

·     That the kids have been forbearing in the face of uncertainty about the timing of our return to Japan.

PRAY:

·         That God would supply $1,500 per month in new support.

·         For flexibility to plan for contingencies.

·         For grace to walk by faith in the face of uncertainty.

Walking by faith,

Greg & Asa Swenson

Email: gaswenson@gmail.com

Greg’s Cell:         612-978-6327

Asa’s Cell:            612-978-6389

To contribute or to make or change a support commitment, you may go to our secure WorldVenture ministry page (WorldVenture.com/gaswenson) and click on Give Now or Make a Commitment on the left hand side of the page. OR you may send to:

WorldVenture

1501 W. Mineral Ave.

Littleton, CO 80120

(Please note missionary # 019 on checks).

日本での働きのために ― ７日間チャレンジ

ミネアポリスよりご挨拶申し上げます。 ご無沙汰しております。こちらに一時帰国のために成田を旅立ってからあっという間に一年が過ぎました。 お元気でいらっしゃいますでしょうか？お祈りに支えられて、神様から多くの養いと癒しをいただいた一年でした。

今、日本での新しい働きのために、宣教団ワールドベンチャーと最終的な打ち合わせに毎日忙しくしています。神様はこの一年の間に、新しいビジョンとパートナシップの可能性を与えて下さり、私達の心は既に日本に飛んでいます。

けれども、一つだけ、日本に戻るための障害になっているものがあります。 そのためにお祈りいただけたら感謝です。宣教師として日本に戻るためには、活動資金が定められた基準の100%に満たされなくてはなりません。尊い献金を既に多くの方が捧げて下さり、 あと、月額で合計、1,500ドル(約15万円)献金してくださる、教会や個人の方が与えられれば日本行きの許可が下りるところまでとなりました。このメールの最後の方に詳しく説明させて頂いていますが、日本円でも簡単に献金できます。

私達一家は、信仰によってこの1,500ドルを７日間の間に募るというチャレンジを神様から与えられました。これは私達自身の力や知恵で決して起こせるものではありません。神様だけにしかできないことだと思います。

なぜ、７日間なのかというと、 長男のマイカは今年の8月から高校の最終学年に入ります。彼は日本での適応に苦労し、様々な試練を通りましたが、この一年の間に神様が多くの奇跡を起こして下さり、彼の中に日本に対する愛情を泉のように起こして下さいました。そして最後の学年を日本で過ごすことを強く希望し、その目標を持ったことで、目覚ましく回復していきました。

東京の学校は８月２５日に始まります。もしその日に間に合わないと、最終学年のため、途中復学は非常に難しく日本行きはあきらめて、アメリカで高校を終える形になってしまいます。家族としても、日本帰国が更に一年延びる形になってしまいます。

私達は家族として、日本にイエス様の愛を伝える使命を与えられていると強く確信しています。そしてそれが神様からのものであるならば、必ず道を開いて下さると信じています。今、アイデアの段階ですが、コーヒショップを経営しながら地域の伝道と礼拝の拠点を築いていくビジョンを模索しています。更に詳しく知りたい方は、お返事ください。

もし、神様からの促しがありましたら、私たちの宣教のパートナーになって頂けないでしょうか？今まで宣教師をサポートされたことがない方も、小さな額でも、私達にではなく、神様への礼拝になり、祝福が１０倍にも１００倍にもなることも私たちの願いです。

このアピールに応答してくださる方、また質問がある方はどうぞこのメールに直接お返事ください。

また既に捧げて下さっている方、またお祈りで支えて下さっている方、本当にありがとうございます。

神様からの祝福が皆様にありますように。

スウェンソン・ぐれっぐ、亜佐
Greg & Asa Swenson
メールアドレス: gaswenson@gmail.com

 

月定献金を捧げてくださる方は以下の手順を行って頂ければ幸いです：

1)      私たちにメールにて以下の項目をお知らせください：

·         氏名

·         連絡先（住所、電話番号、メールアドレス）

·         献金の金額と頻度

2)      振込先：

·         郵便振替：    １０２１０－６２５７３４７１
名義：            ＳＷＥＮＳＯＮ宣教師支援会

·         銀鉱振込：    ゆうちょ銀行・支店名：〇二八（ゼロニハチ）
口座番号：    ６２５７３４７
名義：            ＳＷＥＮＳＯＮ宣教師支援会

海辺の街

茅ヶ崎という街に引っ越しをしました。　宣教師として日本に来て以来、どの街で働くかお祈りしていました。　　神奈川で育ちながらも茅ヶ崎や湘南の地域はなぜか遠い存在でした。けれども茅ヶ崎の教会に毎週のようにインターンとして参加させていただくようになり、子供たちは週に何回も電車にのって子供プログラムに通うようになりいつの間にか、この土地に根付くようになってしまいました。




震災の直後に茅ヶ崎の海岸側にある借家の契約を結びました。
震災直後の辛かったのは、東北に支援にいきたかったのに、引っ越し準備で思うことができなかったこと、また東北に赴任する話を断って、神奈川に留まることを決めたことでした。
神様のされることは私たちの思いを超えていて、理解できないことが多くあります。　けれども神様は全てを支配されているお方なので私たちはただついて行きたいと思います。　
大津波のあったあと、海辺に住む方たちの心の中には自分たちの力を超えたものがこの世にあり、また永遠への備えをしなくてはならない、という思いが強く与えられているように思います。
海辺の町に私たちを送ってくださったことの意味がわかり始めています。　　
この地で神様がしてくださる奇跡を少しづつお分かちできたらと思います！　また都会に住まれている方、ぜひ穏やかなこの地に癒されにいらしてください！　
　

SPECIAL PRAYER UPDATE - March 12, 2011

Greetings from the Swensons in a Japan that is reeling from the shock of the massive earthquake that occurred on Friday (3/11).

Many of you have sent us e-mail & Facebook messages inquiring about our situation and expressing your concern for us and assuring us of your prayers. Thank you so much for your concern, especially your prayers for us and for the people of Japan.

We are all fine. It was a bit of a harrowing experience when the earthquake occurred, the initial one lasting perhaps five minutes or so. One of our dressers toppled over, but otherwise, everything seemed to be intact. We're a ways from the coast, so the tsunami was not an immediate threat to us personally.

We were at home when the quake hit, hosting a small makeshift collaborative prayer & strategy meeting for reaching Japan with the Gospel of Christ. Because the Tokyo train system was shut down at the time, I ended up driving our friends back to their homes in Kawasaki.. Of course, the roads were jammed--it took about five hours to travel less than 20 miles, but by God's grace, I was able to get back home by 1:00am after dropping off our friends.

As we receive the reports of the aftermath of this catastrophe, the gravity of the situation has begun to sink in. The Tohoku (or northeast) region of Japan got hit the worst, both in terms of quake damage and tsunami devastation. This is the area where I (Greg) grew up, where my parents and their missionary colleagues primarily served in church planting ministry, and where many of the churches affiliated with our mission are located.

We have heard from the head of the church association that most of the churches are OK and are accounted for, but there are a number of churches for which making contact was impossible. One of these, Fukushima First Bible Baptist Church pastored by Akira Sato, was one of the churches we visited during our Tohoku trip last August. It is located about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Unit 1 of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which is in a state of emergency due to cooling system failures. Everyone within 10km of the plant was ordered to evacuate the area. Pray for Pastor Sato, his family and the Fukushima church.

One of the members of Shonan Grace Chapel, Mr. Y.O. (with whom I've had breakfast fellowships with in the past), has family living near the Sendai Airport (about 250 miles north of Tokyo), an area that was swept over by a tsunami. Although he has not been able to make direct contact with his parents (he did make contact with his sister earlier), we just learned that Mr. O. received word indirectly that his family members (parents & siblings, all believers) are safe and together. PTL! Nevertheless, please continue to pray for this family, the Shiogama church they are a part of, as well as the many other churches along the Pacific seaboard severely affected by this calamity.

Finally, pray that the light and love of our Lord Jesus would shine in and through us and the church all across Japan during this tumultuous time. And that God would open the hearts of many to the Gospel of Church in the wake of this disaster.

Swenson Prayer Update - 12/1/2010

It has been a while since our last update, and we apologize for the hiatus.

We had a wonderful time October 10-11 at the 25th annual Keisen Vision Festa, at the base of Mt. Bandai in Fukushima Prefecture, overlooking the beautiful lake, Inawashiro-ko. We had a wonderful time of fellowship with fellow believers, both from Shonan as well from other chapels across the Keisen network. We were also able to gain a better grasp of the Keisen Vision of church growth and multiplication, two driving texts being Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8.

Waiting for the bullet train at Tokyo Station on our trip to KVF

The National Bandai Youth Center (Fukushima Prefecture), where we stayed for the KVF event, is a very economical place to lodge as it is government subsidized. However, one of the conditions for staying there is that all lodging guests perform certain assigned chores as well as attend the traditional flag lowering and raising ceremonies in the evening and morning, respectively.

Flag Lowering Ceremony

Flag Raising Ceremony

KVF - Main Session

Late October and much of November was a busy time for us. Micah, Jonah, and Karin enjoyed participating in the home school spelling celebration at CAJ on 10/22; Ellen participated in a story time activity for preschoolers. Then on 10/25 we had our annual field conference at JBF's headquarters next door to CAJ. We enjoyed the time of fellowship, worship, and a challenge from the Word from WorldVenture's Asia director, Marty Shaw. Prior to that event it was our pleasure to host Marty & his wife to connect about our life & ministry in Japan.

On 11/3 we participated in the annual Kanto region CB Family Festa at Midorino Chapel (which also happens to be part of the Keisen Network) in Ibaraki Prefecture. This was a joint celebration of CB churches in the Kanto region; Greg helped lead the worship time with guitar & vocals during the main sessions.

November 7th was a significant day in the church life of Shonan Grace Chapel as Tatsuki Toshida was formally installed as pastor there after completing three years of church based seminary training Keisen Christ Church (the "mother church" of the Keisen Network in Yonezawa, Yamagata Pref.). It was Tatsuki's parents, Teiichi & Akiko, who started Shonan Grace fifteen years ago as lay ministers when a job transfer brought Mr. (Teiichi) Toshida from a five-year job assignment in Yonezawa back to their hometown of Chigasaki. Tatsuki was still in junior high school at the time. So this was indeed an auspicious occasion.

Group photo at Shonan after Tatsuki's installation service

We had a wonderful time at the 3-day / 2-night CHEA Japan Christian home schooling seminar Nov. 18-20 with some 400+ attendees (including children) at a beautiful hotel nestled in the northern Japan Alps in Hakuba (Nagano Pref.). The main sessions and workshops were both encouraging and thought provoking. The keynote speakers were a couple from Maryland connected with Sovereign Grace Ministries, an attorney and his wife, along with their daughter, one of six children, all of whom were home schooled. Their presentations were very compelling, both through the stories of their journey and through their explanation and application of biblical truth, and we were challenged to rethink some of our assumptions regarding children's education. CHEA had a fantastic program of organized activities for kids from preschool through the teen years while the parents attended the sessions, including an indoor "field day" event. Of course, we also enjoyed the onsen (hot spring) baths, the 100+ choice buffet, not to mention the breathtaking view of the surrounding snowcapped mountains. We thank God for the many blessings great and small of this experience.

Snowcapped peaks of the northern Japan Alps in the distance

CHEA Kids Activities

Micah & Jonah engaged in an intense game of four square

Jonah engaged in an intense pillow fight contest

Karin & friend Manaka

Ellen enjoying herself

The shot below is of us (or half our family anyway) with the Onjoji family whom we have gotten to know in no small measure through Karin's friends with their daughter, Manaka. We got to know Manaka and her mother through the home school camp we attended up at Kinshuko back in August. This time, Karin & Manaka were like two peas in a pod. Greg's connection with the husband/father, Tetsuo, goes back some twenty years when he was still single and living in Tachikawa (western Tokyo) on a job assignment as an engineer. Greg met Tetsuo (who was also still single at the time) through a young adult group at a SEND church nearby where Greg was living. Since Tetsuo wasn't able to make it to the summer home school camp, this was their first meeting after all those years!



Since November 23rd was a Japanese holiday (the equivalent of Labor Day in the U.S. -- the American Thanksgiving Day is not a holiday here), we celebrated Thanksgiving a couple of days early with some of our fellow JBF missionaries at one of their homes on the other (northeast) side of Tokyo. Besides the traditional turkey dinner, we enjoyed singing hymns of thanks, playing some indoor games, a walk, keep-away soccer in the park, and reconnecting with each other.

Thank you for your continued prayers on our behalf regarding our future post-internship ministry assignment. It seems that things are beginning to crystallize on this front. On 10/27, we met with our Church Multiplication Team leader, Paul Sadler, and our internship mentor & supervisor, Pastor Okita, and had a good discussion that was helpful in narrowing our focus regarding our future ministry. One of the potential ministry partners that seems to be consistently bubbling to the top is Shonan Grace Chapel, which has already been serving as our primary ministry venue for our internship. More recently, this past Saturday (11/27), we met with Mr. & Mrs. Toshida and son, Pastor Tatsuki, to discuss the possibility of an ongoing partnering with Shonan. We believe this pivotal meeting was both encouraging and beneficial for all parties involved. There are a number of issues and details that have to be worked out, but we are beginning to sense that this might be the direction in which God is leading.

December is probably one of the busiest times for those involved in ministry in Japan, and it will prove to be no exception for us in the coming weeks. You can refer to the complete list of events below, but just to highlight a couple of events, we plan to host a Christmas Tea event at Shonan Grace on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 18. Several neighborhood families are being invited to this event. Besides the tea time, we hope to do some fun activities, caroling, and Greg will share a brief message about the significance of Christmas. Pray for the planning & preparation for this event as well as for the event itself, including an anointing on the message. Pray also that those invited will be able and willing to attend.

The other Christmas event we wish to highlight is a dinner party we plan to host on Christmas Day to which we are inviting Japanese "returnees" who have lived in the U.S. (mainly MN). Most of those being invited are believers, but some are not; some seem to have strayed away from the faith. Pray that this will not only be a enjoyable time of sweet fellowship, but also an occasion when hearts will be drawn to the Savior.

Swenson Calendar of Events:
Sat. 12/4, 6-9pm - TAC Christmas party: Greg plans to attend this event sponsored by his Japanese language school, and there may be opportunity for witness through song at this event.
Sun. 12/5, 3-4:30pm - Grace C.A.F.E. @ Denen Grace (Greg leading worship)
Thur. 12/9, 3-5pm - Preschool Christmas party @ Shonan Grace Chapel (Asa & Ellen attending)
Fri. 12/17, 6-8pm - Youth Christmas party @ Shonan (Micah attending)
Sat. 12/18, 1:30-3:30pm - Family Christmas Tea @ Shonan (Greg & Asa hosting)
Sun. 12/19
10:30am - 12 noon: Christmas worship service @ Shonan
Noon - 2pm: Christmas celebration @ Shonan
Wed. 12/22, 4-6pm - Kids' Christmas party @ Shonan
Fri. 12/24, 8-9pm - Candlelight service @ Shonan
Sat. 12/25 Christmas dinner @ Swenson home

Swenson Prayer Update - October 8, 2010

As we have settled down in to our autumn routine, we are thankful for the pleasant, mild weather that is typical of this time of year in Japan. This past Tuesday, October 5th, marked our one year anniversary since arriving in Japan. It is hard to believe that we have been here a year. We praise the Lord for supplying the grace and strength needed to make adjustments to living and serving here in this Land of the Rising Sun.

Thank you for praying for our outreach cookout at Shonan Grace Chapel on September 19th. We had a good group, including three unchurched couples. Greg was able to share some words from Scripture concerning relational dynamics in the context of marriage. It also opened up an opportunity for some honest discussion about some marital challenges being faced by one couple in particular. We along with the folks at Shonan are hoping to perhaps view the Japanese version of the movie Fireproof with one or more of these couples. Pray that in the context of these issues, the Gospel message may be appropriately shared and applied and that God would work in the hearts of these pre-Christians to receive the love, forgiveness and redemption freely offered in Christ.

The kids continue to enjoy their involvement with the kids' program at Shonan. Below is Micah in an intense Twister match with one of the volunteer workers:

October 2nd was Ellen's birthday -- she turned four. However, it was also a day that Asa played the koto (Japanese harp), participating in a recital in Tokyo in honor of her longtime koto teacher who is retiring at 80 years old (Asa took koto lessons from her for twelve years, beginning when she was six years old). The recital was composed of performances of an array of traditional Japanese instruments in varying numbers and combinations. Asa was glad to be able to reconnect with her teacher after many years and to receive instruction from her over the past several months in preparation for this recital. Our hope is that she will have opportunity to use her ability to play the koto in ministry in the future.

Asa Performing (center)

Of course, we could not forget that it was in fact Ellen's birthday that day. We celebrated by going to a conveyer belt sushi restaurant, and then enjoying a decorated cake in her honor.

Yummm! Salmon sushi!!


Four-year-old Birthday Girl

Ellen & Karin

This Sunday & Monday (Oct. 10-11) we plan to attend (along with a number of folks from Shonan Grace) an annual event called the Keisen Vision Festa (KVF) a couple hundred miles north of us in the mountains of Fukushima Prefecture. KVF is sponsored by the Keisen (pronounced "KAY-sen") Network of which Shonan Grace is a part ("keisen" means "grace spring [as in fountain]" or "spring of grace"). This network is a church planting movement within the Japan Conservative Baptist Association (our mission's partnering church association), and employs the concept of networking as a church multiplication strategy. Pastor Hiroshi Kawasaki, whose church in Yamagata we visited in August, presents an excellent overview of this networking strategy concept at the following link:

www.asianaccess.org/opportunities/cp-by-networking.html

We look forward with anticipation to participating in KVF, worshiping the Lord with brothers and sisters from across the Keisen Network, connecting with folks from other Keisen chapels, and learning more in depth about the Keisen vision. Micah will be going a day early -- Saturday (10/9) -- to participate in a youth event they have planned. Pray for safe travels (bus & train) and that this will be an encouraging, transforming, and significant time for all involved.

Continue to pray for God's clear leading in our post-internship ministry placement for next spring. We have been hashing through various issues related to this next step, and we will need to have discussions with various parties to discern a sense of where and how the Lord might be pleased for us to serve. One important component in this process, we believe, will be a meeting with Paul Sadler (JBF's CMT Leader) and Pastor Okita (our "Barnabas" mentor) planned for Wednesday afternoon, October 27th.

Swenson Prayer Update - September 16, 2010

After weathering the hottest summer on record in Japan (pardon the pun), it finally cooled down this week. We have also gotten much needed rain after little if any rain since late July. Thank you so much for your faithful prayers over the past month or so. The Lord has been gracious to us. Here are some of the highlights of recent weeks.

The two-night children’s camp Aug. 20-22 at Shonan Grace Chapel went well, which our three older kids (Micah, Jonah & Karin) attended. They lodged at the church, but had both organized and less structured activities at other venues. We were able to help oversee the grilling for lunch on Saturday (8/21) at a camping area along a river in the mountains about an hour or so away. Some of the group decided to play a game of Uno in a manmade fishing stream that ran through the picnic area (using waterproof cards of course).

We had a wonderful time with Greg’s niece, Lindsey, visiting us for a couple of weeks or so (8/26 – 9/8), her first time to visit Japan.

She had always wanted to see the land where her mother (Greg’s sister) grew up, so this proved to be one special college graduation gift from her parents. We enjoyed being able to introduce her to some of the folks at the fellowships where we are involved as well as to see some sights, both in the city and in the country, and just to have her in our daily routine at home.

Fellowshipping over lunch at Shonan Grace Chapel

One of the areas we were able to visit during Lindsey’s stay with us was Koriyama, one of the places where Greg grew up (during his junior high and high school years), located about160 miles north of Tokyo. Pastor Otao, the current pastor of Koriyama Bible Baptist Church (planted by Greg’s parents years ago) had previously asked us to visit to consider the possibility of a ministry partnership, so we went up for a couple of days (8/31 – 9/2). One of the first things we did was to see the house where Greg’s family lived (left photo below) as well as the old traditional Japanese style house which served as the church’s first meeting place during its fledgling years (right photo). The man with the hat in the shot of the church is Pastor Otao.

On Thursday morning (9/2), we joined the prayer meeting at Koriyama Baptist in their current building, where Greg shared a brief testimony toward the end of the meeting. Later, we had a chance to interact with Pastor & Mrs. Otao about the ministry needs in their area and what role a missionary might play in a potential ministry partnership.

The sanctuary of Koriyama Baptist’s current building (built in 1994).
They still use the pulpit that Greg’s dad built back in the late 1970s!

With this last visit to the Koriyama church, we believe this concludes our series of visits to churches with a view toward a possible ministry partnership after the conclusion of our internship next spring. So we move into the phase of prayerfully considering all the factors involved (including vision, burdens, giftings, ministry needs, family needs, etc.) in deciding where the Lord would have us serve, seeking counsel as needed.

The kids have begun their second year of home school and are working on getting back into a rhythm. Greg also resumed his Japanese classes last week though at a somewhat reduced load.

This Sunday evening (9/19), we are planning to have another grilling outreach gathering at Shonan Grace Chapel. Again, several unchurched neighborhood families have been invited, though some of the kids from these families attend the kids’ program at Shonan. We have been told that some of the marriages in these families are experiencing strain, so we would like to bring the message of Gospel to bear in a winsome and appropriate way in light of some the challenges being faced in these family relationships.