Living Water for a Thirsty Land

海辺の街

2011-05-30T08:07:00.007+09:00

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

2011-03-12T17:17:00.003+09:00

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

2010-12-01T15:52:00.021+09:00

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

2010-11-30T00:35:00.009+09:00

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

2010-11-30T00:11:00.004+09:00

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.

Swenson Prayer Update - August 19, 2010

2010-11-29T23:30:00.010+09:00

Greetings from the Swensons in a very hot and humid Japan! The last few weeks have been busy ones for the Swenson household. Thank you for praying for us in during these summer days. Here is a summary of our praise & prayer items. Further below, some of these points are fleshed out in more detail (with some photos as well).

PRAISE:
1) We now officially own the Toyota Noah minivan we had been borrowing from another missionary couple since last December as we were able to work out a purchase arrangement with them.
2) Greg & Micah had smooth travels to L.A. and back and for a fabulous gathering at Greg's 30-year CAJ Class of '80 reunion July 23-24. Greg had a chance to share with several former classmates how God led him into his mid-life career shift into missions. Greg & Micah also spent time with missionary friends who minister to Japanese living in the L.A. area.
3) Greg was able to help lead the worship time at a debut English service on 8/1 at Denen Grace Chapel, which they plan to have the first Sunday afternoon of the month.
4) We had great family road trip up north in the Tohoku region: We visited a couple churches that have expressed an interest in partnering with us in ministry. We believe these onsite visits will prove helpful as we seek God’s leading as to our future ministry assignment. We also attended a home school camp for a couple of days which the whole family enjoyed, and we visited a dear ministry friend who was like a family member to Greg’s family of origin when he was growing up in Japan.
5) That Asa was able to get her Japanese driver’s license issued as a transfer from her MN license (and an old expired Japanese license). Summoning the courage to drive here, on the other hand, may well be a matter prayer for her.

PRAY:
1) For the children's camp at Shonan Grace Chapel this weekend (Aug. 20-22), for preparation & planning and for safety in activities and spiritual quickening in little hearts in response to messages given. Three of our kids (Micah, Jonah & Karin) will be attending, and we plan to help with the BBQ details on Saturday (8/21).
2) Greg's niece, Lindsey, recently graduated from college and plans to visit us here in Japan 8/25 - 9/8 (her first time in Japan). Pray for safe travels and that her time here with us will be both pleasant and significant at this stage in her life.
3) For continued progress on administrative tasks and a software project that Greg needs to complete. For wise & balanced time management.
4) For wisdom and discernment as we continue to explore and consider several ministry opportunities as possible ministry assignment locales after our internship concludes next spring. Besides the two churches we visited on our Tohoku road trip, one of our current (internship) ministry partners, Shonan Grace Chapel, has formally indicated their interest in having us partner with them in ministry long term.
5) For wisdom, grace, patience and stamina for Greg & Asa in the challenges of parenting, and that the Lord’s grace and peace would reign in our household as we seek to serve as instruments of His mercy in this land.

30 Year Reunion…

PRAISE that Greg & Micah had smooth travels to Southern California and back and for a fabulous gathering at Greg’s 30-year CAJ (Christian Academy in Japan) Class of ’80 reunion July 23-24. A total of 36 people from Greg’s class (plus family & friends) attended the event, 12 of whom had spent time boarding in the dorm (left photo); of this number, there were four of us (right photo) whose parents served as missionaries in Japan under C.B.F.M.S., now known as WorldVenture, the mission we are currently with. (The would-be fifth person missing from this subgroup was Greg’s childhood friend, Mark Schiefer, who went to be with the Lord when his life was cut short in a car accident in 1981.) The reunion proved to be personally significant for Greg as he was able to re-forge friendships from many years ago. He also had a chance to share with several former classmates how God led him into his mid-life career shift into missions.

Grace C.A.F.E.
Denen Grace Chapel is one of two fellowships we have been primarily involved with during our internship period (the other being Shonan Grace Chapel), and they have had a strong emphasis on welcoming internationals and Japanese returnees from abroad (whether seekers or believers) with bilingual aspects to their ministry. On Sunday afternoon, August 1st, Greg was able to help lead the worship along with Pastor Kondo at Denen Grace’s debut English worship service with a coffee house twist, dubbed Grace C.A.F.E. (Christ And Fellowship in English), with 30+ attending, including kids; fellow WorldVenture missionary Kevin Laverman (who started Denen) gave a brief message which was followed by small group discussion. For the time being, Denen is planning to have this service monthly, on the first Sunday of the month. We’re not sure what course this new ministry will take, but for now, we’re delighted to help support Grace C.A.F.E. through worship leading and relationship building as the Lord leads.

Our Journey North…
On August 2nd, less than a week after Greg & Micah’s return from L.A., our family embarked on a weeklong road trip up north into the Tohoku region (the northeast region of Japan’s main island of Honshu), where Greg grew up.

Aug. 2-4: Our first stop (for 2 nights) was at Fukushima First Bible Baptist Church, led by Pastor Akira Sato, near the Pacific coast in Fukushima Prefecture, one of the church groups that has indicated an interest in having us partner with them in ministry after we complete our current internship period next spring. This church has a thriving, diverse set of ministries and has some innovative ideas for reaching their local community for Christ. Pastor & Mrs. Sato (photo: third from left & far right, respectively) have been serving at Fukushima First for some 26 years, beginning back when Greg’s parents were still tending their church plant 50 miles east in the 1980s. The photo is of one of their periodic (thrice yearly) meetings of affiliated pastors & ministry workers serving in the same prefecture; we were able to meet, fellowship with, and be encouraged by these dear servants of the Lord.

Aug. 4-6: From there we went further north (& west) up to Kinshuko camp in Iwate Prefecture for a 3 day/2 night home school camp. There were close to forty people across eight families, with the life stages ranging from infancy to that of grandfather. Located in the heart of the mountains the camp venue afforded the kids the opportunity to explore and learn about God’s creation in nature from a biblical perspective. There were also sessions for the parents to learn and discuss some of the fundamental underlying principles of home schooling and interact about practical issues involved with this method of teaching. There was also a good deal of fun activities mixed in as well. These two shots were from our river activity (left: Karin collecting stones for a subsequent craft project; right: Micah preparing to take the plunge into the water amidst the swarming Abu horse flies).

Aug. 6-7: Following the home school camp, we headed further west into Akita Prefecture where we visited a dear friend in the city of Yokote, Greg’s childhood home. Miss Shige Sasaki dedicated her life to fulltime vocational ministry, especially in evangelism, discipleship, and church planting work, and served in a vital capacity at two church plants where Greg’s parents were involved. Though officially retired now, at seventy-something, Shige-san is still involved in ministry with a house church meeting in her home. She was always like family—a virtual aunt to Greg. So it would be an understatement to say that we had a meaningful reunion. During our stay in Yokote, we visited the site of the house where Greg’s family used to live when he was very young (age 0~5). The building was gone and the property was overgrown with vegetation, but we were able to speak the woman next door whose children used to play with Greg and his sister whom the mother clearly remembered.

Aug. 7-9: From Yokote, we headed back south to our final stop in Yamagata, where we participated in the worship service of Yamagata Christian Fellowship (YCF), a church plant started by veteran Japanese pastor, Hiroshi Kawasaki, a contemporary of Greg’s dad. This is another church that has expressed interest in partnering with us in ministry. We had a chance to learn about their vision and philosophy of ministry. YCF has a strong emphasis of not only on maintaining right biblical teaching but also on small groups and mutual accountability. They also view missionary partnership as a strategic tactic for growing this church plant. Here is a shot of Greg with Pastor Kawasaki.

Also while in Yamagata, we were able to view the Hanagasa (“flower hat”) festival parade of national fame in downtown Yamagata on Saturday evening (8/7). On Sunday afternoon (8/8), we took a drive up to the hot springs of Mt. Zao, also well known in Japan. The shots below are of the parade and of some of us enjoying a hot spring foot bath.

Thank you so much for your prayers! They are vital to our life and ministry!

Your partners in ministry in Japan,

Greg & Asa Swenson
Micah, Jonah, Karin, Ellen

Swenson Prayer Update - 7/14/2010

2010-11-29T23:13:00.004+09:00

This is a follow-up to our Swenson prayer update earlier this month.

God is good! Thank you for praying with us for our 4th of July outreach cookout at Shonan Grace Chapel. We had a wonderful time getting to know some new people who came, and everyone seemed to enjoy their time there. A couple of neighborhood families came who were invited through personal contacts with church member. Also, an unsaved husband of one of the church members came—in fact, he arrived early and was a huge help with the grilling. Greg was able to share some reflections about his own life story and how God led us back to Japan. He also shared briefly from John 8:32 & 10:10. Some parts of what he shared seemed to strike a chord with people as it opened up some interaction about some heart issues. Again, thanks for praying and please continue to pray that relationships of eternal significance will blossom from these contacts.

GREAT SCOTT!! THERE'S A TEENAGER IN THE HOUSE! Yes, it's true. We have indeed been initiated into the set of households (is there some sort of club?) with (or who have had) one or more teenagers. Our son, Micah, turned 13 on July 8th. We celebrated this milestone as a family by, among other things, going to Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama, which has an amusement park and a fabulous aquarium. We would greatly appreciate your prayers for Micah, that he will mature well in every facet of his life, especially that he will grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.

Redeeming the time… Greg completed his spring term of language classes on July 7th, and is now on a "summer break" of sorts until fall classes resume in September. We have several things scheduled this summer (see below), but Greg also has some catch-up work to do on some mission related administrative tasks as well as a software project to complete. Pray that he will be able to catch up on these details over the next few weeks.

A 30 year reunion… As you probably know, Greg grew up on the mission field in Japan. What some of you may not know is that he graduated from high school at CAJ (Christian Academy in Japan), a K-12 Christian boarding school in Tokyo, in June of 1980. His graduating class is hosting its 30 year reunion July 23-25 in the Los Angeles area, and by His grace, the Lord has made provision, both financial and otherwise, for Greg & Micah to attend this event of personal significance. Their itinerary will be brief--they depart from Japan on 7/22 and arrive back home on 7/27 (departing LAX on 7/26). Pray for safe travels and meaningful times of connecting with people (fellow MKs/TCKs as well as some MN friends & supporters) and for encouraging bonding times as father & son as Greg & Micah spend this extended time together away from the rest of the family. Pray also for Asa as she holds down the fort back home with Jonah, Karin and Ellen.

Looking ahead… We're thankful that we have been able to schedule some appointments to visit a couple of churches up north in early August, as we seek to discern the Lord's leading regarding our future ministry assignment after our internship concludes next spring. God willing, we hope to have a clear sense of which church we will be partnering with by the end of the year. Pray for both good camaraderie as well as clear discernment as we meet with the pastors and other leaders in these churches:
· Aug. 3-4: Fukushima First Baptist Bible Church in Fukushima Prefecture (near the Pacific coast)
· Aug. 7-8: Yamagata Christian Fellowship in Yamagata City
Between these two visits we plan to attend a home school camp August 4-6 at Kinshuko Bible Camp even further north (where Greg attended the Teamwork Meeting), and then visit a dear friend.. But more on that later…

Again, thank you for your prayers! They are vital to our life and ministry. Also, let us know how we can be praying for you!

Swenson Prayer Update - 6/7/2010

2010-11-29T22:46:00.009+09:00

Thank you for your faithful prayers for us here in Japan! Here are some of the highlights of the Swensons over the past month or so.

We very much enjoyed having the Tebow family, missionary friends from MN, visit us last month (May 9-12) on their way back to the States from Thailand where they have been serving in Bible translation ministry. Their kids and ours seemed to hit it off well.

We had a wonderful time fellowshipping and worshiping the Lord together in song at the tonkatsu (pork cutlet) party we hosted on May 15 for the folks at Shonan Grace Chapel. We had fewer numbers due to some scheduling conflicts, but we were able to get to better acquainted with those who did come. We are hoping to help with an outreach event at Shonan early next month (see below under "Prayer Points").

Greg had an encouraging and enriching time at the Teamwork Meeting at Kinshuko Bible Camp (up north in Iwate Prefecture) May 17-19, fellowshipping with and learning from missionary colleagues and national pastors. It was Greg’s first time back at Kinshuko in 27 years with many nostalgic memories from the many times he went there while growing up in Japan. Praise also that Greg’s devotional message went well, receiving positive feedback. The T.M. also offered a chance to connect with pastors about potential ministry partnership opportunities in the future.

The CHEA (Church & Home Education Association) Japan home schooling convention we attended in Tokyo May 28-29 was fantastic. We were simply amazed to see how many Japanese families are home schooling these days. They brought in several of the speakers from the U.S., including keynote speakers, Phil & Suzy Downer. It was encouraging to hear the biblical principles fleshed out in practical ways to help parents understand that home schooling is not merely about educating your children, but about discipling them to become more Christ like.On a related note, we have more or less decided to continue home schooling our kids into the next school year. Thank you for praying with us in this regard.
While at the CHEA conference we met a man, Phil Broman, who has been instrumental in the growth of CHEA Japan. Having arrived in Japan from Duluth, MN 57 years ago as a teenager with a call to bring the Gospel to the Japanese, He and his brothers faithfully for served for many years in their evangelistic endeavors, including establishing a highly reputable yochien (preschool/kindergarten) in Sendai. May God cause the sown seed of their labors to bear much fruit. Here is a shot of Greg with Phil.
We mentioned in our last update the need for Greg to obtain a Japanese driver's license as his international one expires in October, and we are happy to report that the local driver's license test center issued me one just this past Friday (6/4) without requiring him to take either a written or driving test (the only test they required was an eye exam which he passed). We had heard reports that the Japanese authorities were clamping down on waiving exam requirements for foreign license holders, so Greg was fully prepared to have to take (& retake) tests repeatedly ever the course of perhaps several weeks (virtually no one passes the driving test the first time), but they were apparently satisfied with the documentation provided (which included every MN license he was issued since 1981 plus an expired Japanese license from when he was working in Tokyo in the early 1990s). PTL!! Thanks so much for praying!

Prayer Points:

Pray that Jonah & Micah will have enjoyable, spiritually enriching times as they attend Joy Bible Camp at SEND's Okutama Bible Chalet June 18-22 (Jonah) and June 23-28 (Micah).

The people at Shonan Grace are tentatively planning an "American style" family barbeque outreach event on July 4, inviting several neighborhood families, and I've been asked to share a brief message from the Bible at the event. Pray for the preparation and planning process and that God would prepare the hearts of the unbelievers who come.

Please continue to pray for our future ministry assignment.. Some pastors I connected with at the Teamwork Meeting expressed sincere interest in partnering with us in ministry. We're hoping to schedule some visits to churches over the summer, perhaps into the fall, to explore more in-depth potential ministry opportunities. Since we hope to begin as early as next April (2011), we would like to have this matter decided by the end of the year.

Finally, we would appreciate your prayers regarding our financial situation. Due to several factors -- namely, support attrition, increased support costs, and a weaker dollar -- presently we are significantly under funded. Our current support level is at about 81% which translates into a shortfall of about $1670 per month. The field's leadership team has temporarily granted Greg permission to engage in consulting work on a limited basis for a past Stateside client of his to help shore up some of the shortfall, but it has been difficult to work this into our schedule.

Thank you so much for praying!!

Together with you for the Gospel of Christ in Japan,

Greg & Asa Swenson
Micah, Jonah, Karin, Ellen

Mk from Thiland and Mk from Japan

2010-05-20T22:21:00.003+09:00

Mk from Thailand and Mk from Japan, what they have common? They love each other`s company:) Their mom and dad have been long time Friend, now they belong to some church in the states, both of them are serving as missionaries in Asia. They are all home schooled in English, so if there is a chance to spend time together, that is the best thing you can imagine.

well, the Tebows stopped by Japan for several days on their way back to the states for the home assignment. We had fun!!!!!! Visiting old castle, stopping by Mr, doughnuts for the snack, riding express train, playing `Risk` late at night.

That was the wonderful memories MKs can have.

Thank Tebows to make an effort to stop by. And come again!!!

Swenson Prayer Update - 5/3/2010

2010-05-03T13:04:00.002+09:00

We apologize that it has been so long since our last update. After a rather long, cold, and damp winter here in Japan (lingering into April), we are thankful that the weather finally seems to have turned a corner in becoming more spring like (warmer and sunnier) over the last week or so. Here is an update on our recent happenings.

We enjoyed having a dear Japanese sister in Christ, staying with us over the past few days visiting from Shikoku (southwestern Japan), whom we got to know in Minnesota while she was studying there several years back. She came to know the Lord while in the U.S. and was part of our Japanese fellowship at our home church in Minneapolis. We have been encouraged to see how she has grown in her walk with the Lord and that she is plugged into a local church in her area since returning to Japan.
We are thankful that we have gradually been able to plug into ministry in our internship locales of Shonan Grace Chapel & Denen Grace Chapel and that we've been able to develop relationships with people at both locations. Greg was invited to join the worship team at Shonan on a periodic basis, and last week (Sun. 4/25), he played the guitar during the service as part of the team. Greg also had a chance to lead a men's discussion group at Denen in March which turned out to be an instructive experience for Greg in understanding the perspectives of the participating members. Also, Greg has been privileged to continue to meet with Mr. O. of Shonan periodically (usually on a Friday morning) at a coffee shop for fellowship, to encourage one another in the Word, and to pray for each other. We are also planning to host another fellowship dinner for the people of Shonan on Saturday evening, May 15.
We were encouraged by helpful meetings with several leaders concerning our current internship and our future assignment upon the completion of our internship next spring (2011).
We were so grateful for a wonderful time of refreshment, renewal and recreation at our mission's annual field retreat at a beautiful resort on the Pacific coast last month (April 17-19), which the whole family enjoyed. We were blessed by the messages on heaven given by a pastor from Victoria, BC who has been serving our mission in Japan over the past ten years or so by coming with his wife to these annual retreats to pastor the missionaries in this way.
The kids have continued to enjoy their involvement in the kids' program at Shonan. In addition to all the kids participating in the Sunday afternoon program (on the Sundays we are at Shonan), Micah & Jonah also attend the programs Shonan has on Tuesday & Friday afternoons (after school's out). Moreover, Micah has begun attending a group started for middle schoolers last month (April is the start of the school year in Japan), also on Fridays. This not only gives our children a chance to rub shoulders with other kids, but it also is helping them improve their Japanese.
Home schooling has taken a lion's share of Asa's time and energy, but things have settled in to a reasonable rhythm since the first of the year and the kids have been making progress in their studies. We recently received the results of achievement test that Micah & Jonah took on March 31st, and we were very encouraged with how they did. We are planning to attend a home schooling convention in Tokyo later this month. We are still considering the possibility of other education options in the near future, but we decided it would be best to finish out the current (Sept. - June) school year before making a change.
Asa has resumed playing the koto (Japanese harp) recently. She started taking lessons from the same lady who taught her beginning in 1st grade through high school. The koto teacher is 80 years old and is only now thinking about retiring from teaching!
It was a blessing to attend part of the All Nations Returnee Conference March 19-20 focusing on ministering to and equipping Japanese who became Christians while living abroad. We were thankful that the minor injury Micah sustained on his eyebrow when he fell in the hotel lobby as we were about to leave the ANRC was not worse than it was and that the wound healed well.
Jonah had a great time at soccer camp in late March (Micah did not go due to his injury). He is now very interested attending the summer Bible camp they announced at the camp.

PRAY:

For clear direction and vision concerning our future assignment after our internship ends next spring, including location, type of ministry, the kind of partnership with the Domei (the Japanese church association affiliated with our mission), and family issues to be considered (children's education, etc.).
That we would have a good time of fellowship with missionary friends who will be visiting us for a few days next week on their way from Thailand back to the U.S.
For the fellowship dinner we plan to host on May 15 for the people of Shonan, that it will be a time of mutual edification and encouragement.
For Greg's participation in a joint Teamwork meeting (between JBF missionaries and Domei pastors) May 17-19 in northern Japan as he is scheduled to give a devotional testimony Tuesday morning (5/18).
For wisdom and direction in considering educational options for our children. Presently, we are thinking about the possibility of sending the boys to a church based school which uses an English curriculum while continuing to home school Karin.
That Greg will be able to successfully obtain his Japanese driver's license soon. Presently, he is able to drive with the international license he was issued before coming to Japan last fall, but that is only good for one year. There are a number of requirements that have to be met.
That we will be able to cultivate meaningful, redemptive relationships with those among whom we live and serve.

Your partners for the Gospel in Japan
Greg & Asa Swenson

A death.....

2008-09-27T13:06:00.001+09:00

Just recently, people in Japan were shocked by a death of 6 years old boy.
Here is the story. The boy and his mom were at Play ground and she realized her boy was missing. She and some other people started a search for him . Half hour later, he was found dead at restroom near by the play ground. Mom was broken with tears. Couple days later police arrested a killer of the boy. That was his own mother who killed him.
How this could happen?
This mother was very caring, even she made him carry a cell phone with GPS so that she knows where he was and was ready to help him any time.

This mother had some physical problem and often had to ask her son for assistance as she uses restroom. The day, her son was not happy, he didn't want to assist her, and said some harsh word on her. " I don't want to have a mom who is a handy capped"
That word was a final push to make his mom to be a killer. She strangled her own son and tried to hide it.

She was depressed, lonely, suicidal... There were many reasons and factors that lead this tragedy. However not many people are talking about this boy's final word to his mother.
I know children says harsh things but not really means it. They say whatever in their heart and don't think twice before they say it. It is O.K. because they are just a kid.
Well, in this case that was not O.K. That killed him. The word changed his loving mother to a monster. He said wrong words to wrong person,,, a depressed mother.

I started to wonder,,,, Do I really understand the power of words. Am I using this powerful weapon very carefully? Have I killed anyone with word in a past? ( I should ask my own children and husband) Have I made someone a killer because of my sinful attitude and words?

Amazingly, God is teaching me about this matter at "Desiring God conference " this weekend.
The theme of this year is.....".The power of words and wonder of God. "
You can read or listen to the sessions on line at http://www.desiringgod.org/
More than 3200 people are gathering Minneapolis to ponder about this heavy issue.
I will write about it later...

A birth....

2008-09-16T07:31:00.000+09:00

Recently, God gave me an opportunity to witness a birth. No I was not in a hospital but in a quiet coffee shop. No, a woman didn't have an emergency birth there. I am talking about the spiritual birth.

One Saturday afternoon, I was introduce to a sweet Japanese lady who was eager to learn more about the Bible and Christianity. My Friend has been a faithful witness of Christ for her . She has been laboring more than a year to introduce Christ to this lady (I call her A-san here). Out of blue my friend called me with saying "Would you talk to A-san about Christianity? she is really seeking"
So here I was, meeting someone who were very to close to be born spiritually for very first time. I didn't know what to expect or what to say but just praying that I would be sensitive to the holy spirit. We spent about an hour to talk about her back ground , her doubt and fear about making a decision. It was like a baby who almost peak out her head but refusing to go, maybe waiting for the final push. She wanted to believe but something was holding her back. Again she asked me a very simple but significant question. "Would you tell me what faith really is? " I said " I think faith is to walk with living God who created you and give you every blessing of your life" She paused and all sudden tears rolled down her cheeks.
" A peace just come down to me, the peace I never had before, I can't deny Him anymore"

A new birth. Her face was beaming with joy. I was a simple witness of what God had done. He just gave her new life and that was clear demonstration of His power.

I had to admit I had been struggling about faith myself. The long process of support raise pushed me to spiritual dessert time to time. It was God who arranged everything so that I could be encouraged by this new birth. I started to cry too, because I saw a power of living God who can give brand new life and a beatiful new born!

Our visit at Faith Baptist church (Park Rapids)

2008-09-04T06:07:00.000+09:00

One Saturday morning, we left home for Park Rapids MN. Faith Baptist church of Park rapids graciously invited us again as a family. That was busy weekend but we were greeted by wonderful people of the church, beautiful prairie and lakes.

On the way to Park Rapids, we stopped by Long Prairie to meet a retired missionary ,

Helen ,who served in Japan along with Greg's parents. She showed us pictures of baby Greg and told me she was there when he came home from hospital. She is one of our faithful supporters and prayer worrier. That was very very special visit.

We said good by to Helen and hit the road again to Park Rapids, Along the way we spotted Amish girls and a wagon, they were selling quilts , baskets and baked goods. Their chocolate cookies were the best!! I could visit there again just for the cookies.

At Faith Baptist church, Pastor Russ Paulson welcomed us with warm smile and introduce us to the congregation. They were wonderful God's family that reach out community as well as around the world! Kids became little bit antsy after they had to greet for 3 services for the weekend but they seemed felt very comfortable at the church. They especially loved to visit Lake Itasca when we had little free time. That was such a treat. Thank you for having us! It was such a privilege to present the needs of Japan and it was wonderful to meet people who have passion for His kingdom.

On the way home, Micah said "Ah~, That was the best church visit ever " as he bite into sub way sandwich for our late supper . All kids went to sleep in our van shortly after that. Maybe this kind of moments are the most memorable moment of their childhood. Mom and Dad, every body with mini Van took long trips to visit churches, big sky , cattle, simple meals , sleep in the van, but we were all together and dreaming about life in Japan..... I am already miss the beautiful prairie we saw at this trip.

Humle begening......

2008-08-19T07:51:00.000+09:00

Crossing Mississippi by foot

We visited Lake Itasca where mighty Mississippi's head water was located last weekend. Kids were so excited to find out how this river begins . Surrounding by beautiful forest, Lake Itasca looked like ordinary Minnesota lake. Where the river begins, you see rocks lying across the "river" where you can actually cross Mississippi with just few steps. It was impressive . And before I knew it, kids were other side of river!

It was not like seeing Niagara falls or something like that. But I considered this experience was one of the kind you will never forget. Water was so calm and peaceful. It was so refreshing and welcoming. Kids can swim in lake and also Mississippi river which is like little creek. However, everybody there seemed to be touched by the fact they were dipping their feet where the great river just begins.

A humble beginning of mighty river. It is hard to imagine this creek leads to Gulf of Mexico.

Our vision and imagination is so limited compare to what God creates. We might never be able to see where He leads us as far as our ministry in Japan but by God's grace, we would like to be a little creek which gives joy to people and leads to greatness of God.

By the way, kids went far beyond just dipping their feet there, as we leave they were wet from head to toe and very content.

16 years ago, we were just two..

2008-08-14T10:42:00.000+09:00

16 years ago, I met a young lady from Japan who just arrived to the States to attend a school in Colorado. I (Asa) was doing internship for my seminary degree at Japanese church in Denver area for the summer.

Miwa and I connected immediately and became good friends through Bible study, student out reach ministry. I sensed that she had very sincere interest in Bible even though that was very new to her. God brought so many Christians on her short time there , the seeds were planted and she returned home couple month later.

A year later I also returned to Japan. We kept in touch even though we lived in different islands of Japan. One day she called me to tell she was going to be baptized at her home town. I was so excited. By God's grace I was able to make a trip to witness her baptism!

Following the year I moved back to MN to marry Greg. Miwa took a trip to U.S. to attend our wedding and she was my personal attendant for the day. I still remember right before I walk down the isle, she prayed for me as I was so nervous.

Couple years later Miwa met a single missionary from Ohio at nursing school in Japan. They fell in love and married. They lived in Japan several years before Mike, Miwa's husband took a position as an associate pastor of CB church in Ohio. Now with their 2 cute boys, they visited us this summer!

It was amazing to see our children and their children created instant bounding with each other .

Just like I and Miwa was that way 16 years ago. They had great great time together .

Strangers must think they were brothers or cousins!

While kids were having fun together , adults shared God's grace and goodness for thier lives, and challenges as a minister or a minister to be or as their wives.

As I write this blog entry, I again see how God coordinated to gave me a very special sister in Christ 16 years ago. I had no idea we would share so many common grounds in future. It was amazing to see how her life was transformed and grow mature as a follower of Christ and now serving for Him.

This is the reason I want to go to mission field! I want to meet people who are looking for the meaning of life and witness their lives will transformed in Christ. I want to meet people like Miwa and watch them grow all over again!

Desing God Japan???

2008-07-22T12:34:00.000+09:00

Back in May, Greg and I (and Ellen) visited the Desiring God office to meet with Bill Walsh, DG's International Outreach director. Desiring God is a ministry which has strong ties to our home church, Bethlehem Baptist. They distribute John Piper's written, audio, and video materials, organize regional and national conferences, and offer various online resources as well. Pastor Piper's sermons and books have had a significant impact not only on churches in North America and the English speaking world, but also on Christians all over the world.

At the time we met with Mr. Walsh, he had just returned from a trip to Asia and was very excited about the opportunities for partnerships with missionaries around the world who serve as points of contacts for distributing Piper's materials for the encouragement of local national believers and church leaders as well as other missionaries on the field. Of course, we are excited too! We would love to share in DG's vision of spreading a passion for God's supremacy. Greg and I have been blessed to sit under Pastor Piper's teaching for over 12 years (over 20 for Greg). His Bible-saturated, God-centered teaching has had a significant impact on my walk with Christ. Through the ministry of this church, God sustained me and helped me to endure long, cold winters and loneliness away from home! It was a precious time for my spiritual growth as my passion was nurtured for the spreading God's glory among my own people. So... we are dreaming that we could perhaps be used as an agent of Desiring God in Japan, somehow, some way.

In case you didn't know, two of Pastor Piper's books have been translated in Japanese. Here is a picture of a dozen or so copies of the Japanese translation of Piper's Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ on a shelf in the stockroom of the DG office. You can purchase them if you wish to give copies to your Japanese friends. One of our friends, who was part of our Japanese fellowship at Bethlehem when she lived in Minnesota, has excellent translation skills, and she is eager to translate more of Piper's works into Japanese. We are dreaming of perhaps creating a Japanese website and posting his sermons.

So... would you pray for this dream? We can't wait to see what God will do through this prospective partnership. We feel like God is ahead of us, showing us so many opportunities for ministry in Japan. We are trusting and praying that the rest of our financial support comes in soon so that we can be there!!

Welcome Home!

2008-06-29T12:20:00.000+09:00

Our Oldest son Micah spent 5 nights 6 days at Lake Shatak Bible Camp last week. This was big deal for almost 11 years old and also his family.

He was so excited to be away from home but his siblings missed him terribly.

We prayed for him every morning and night and Micah seemed was too busy to thinks about home.

Family discipleship ministry of Bethlehem does extraordinary job to organize this high energy , fun filling yet highly spiritual youth camp.

Kids were well fed with words and Bible messages.

Now, I (Asa) grown up in Japanese church and had participated in church camps but it seems there is no comparison between them as far as how much fun they have at the camp. Real life Clue ,Moon light swimming , Cabin raid, all kinds of crazy games.... I wish Japanese kids could experience this kind of pure fun as well as good solid Bible teaching. There is no room for computer games or Nintendo. Would someone consider to come to Japan for summer and lead this kind of high energy camp??

Here is a picture of Micah and his cabin counselor

Mr.Wennis, when they returend from camp. He is in TBI track II program.

We really thank him who ate , slept and prayed with Micah and other boys in a hot summer cabin. It must be some experience!!

Did Micah have changed through this camp experience? From out side it is just his skin got tan. However, inside, we convinced that God planted lots of seeds in him. Most of kids at the camp memorized more than 10 long verses. We are looking forward to see the seed will produce fruits someday. Welcome Home Micah!!

All Nations Fellwship Weekend Retreat

2008-06-16T12:26:00.000+09:00

All Nations Fellowship is a ministry of Bethelehem Baptist church where people from all over the world get toghther every Sunday morning. We are like a church within a church. We have worship time, prayer time, Bible study time and of course, fellwoship! We are a very colurful group. People come from all different kinds of nationalities, backgrounds and languages, but we have a very strong sense of comunity. It has been such a blessing to be a part of this group these last couple of years, and it has been a joy to participate in leading the worship times for this group.

Last week (the weekend of June 6-8), ANF held their anuual retreat at Covenant Pines Bible Camp in McGregor, MN, and that was a taste of heaven! I am convinced that God created the lakes of Minnesota to display His presence. The beauty of His creation and the sweet fellowship with other internationals were truly a gift from the Lord.

Greg led the worship team for this retreat this year and that was very rewarding ministry. We got know each other very well and enjoy to lead worship songs from India, Africa, and Japan. I played the koto (Japanese harp) with the worship band for the Japanese song. I have enjoyed using this traditional instrument for worshiping the Lord. Traditionally, the koto was used to play music for the gods of a Shinto shrine. But we have found that this instrument blends beautifully with western instruments such as the piano and guitar. It is my desire that the koto will be used to worship the God of all cultures. So as I have opportunity, I would like to transpose more worship songs into koto music.

Planting seeds.....

2008-05-29T12:30:00.000+09:00

After the long winter , spring is so precious and beautiful. I realized my plants are much healthier and grow quicker this year. The long and cold winter has done something good to our yard.
Kids are also spending more time out side this year also. They are more excited about gardening too. They are happy to do whatever,, weeding , shovelling, watering .
I bought some seeds for Karin's birthday and 3 of our children couldn't wait to plant them.

First they thought they could just take seeds, scatter them and that's it. They thought they will see beautiful flowers couple days later. Instead of that they founded themselves spending much more time for prep work. Weeding, plowing , bring some soil from compost site,
smoothing the ground also. I told them that seeds are like babies, they need nice soft bed
and also light fluffy blanket. If the blankets are too thin, they don't survive and if that is too heavy, they will not glow healthier. As I was talking to kids, I started to think about the support discovery. There are some similarity between planting seeds and support raise.

When we were appointed, we felt like we would see our beautiful result of support discovery right away. We didn't think much about weeding , plowing, watering, moving soil here and there.
That was very childlike view of support discovery.
We have been doing lot of ground prep work for last tow years. We had seen some beautiful flowers and fruits which were given to us. Also we see some ground which need more plowing
and watering. Also we see the ground where we just need to wait with faith.

Now it's almost June, kids are patiently waiting for the sprout. They faithfully water them and also get mad when ants are caring away some of their seeds. They are hopeful and enjoying the process.
So if kids can wait, why we can't wait for our ministry partners to sprout.
Lord give us faith to wait and wisdom to nurture the relationship with potential partners.
Lord teach as many as lessons as we press on this support discovery so that we become more effective minister of the gospel.
Our current monthly support level is about 60%. We are grateful and hopeful. Please pray for us!!!

He asked for our prayer card!

2008-05-22T13:21:00.000+09:00

The Lord has sent us another big surprise for us back in April. I am not sure how many people may recognize who is the gentleman in a center of this picture. Yes, he is Mark Hall , the leading singer of Casting Crowns. This award wining christian band was in our town last April, and God used them to encourage us greatly. How this happened ?

We have been using christian Internet accountability software called "Covenant Eye"

They called us out of blue and offered us the opportunity to serve them at Casting Crowns concert. CE has been invited by Casting Crown to present their ministry during intermission of their concert. They were looking for someone who can be at their table here in MN.

We were given 4 free ticket of the best seat of (10-th row from very front), as well as meet & greet passes. We were escorted to the back stage and actually met the whole band members. I never had such experience in my life, as well as our boys. We were very excited. We were the first ones of greeting line and you know what , we almost didn't recognize which one was Mark Hall. He looked so casual and humble , dressing like clue members. (I recognized his pants has a hole. another benefit of getting a seat so close to the stage.) The back stage of excel energy center of the day was almost like a church fellowship hall. There was a guy who has no interesting being a star singer . He was anything but a youth pastor who could sing and write songs.

We only had our prayer cards to ask for his autograph. Greg explained to him we were missionary appointees to Japan, then Mark asked for another prayer card for him to keep! We didn't expect him to support us but what an encouragement that was. He took a moment to show his interest in someone's ministry even though he is an extremely busy person.

We needed a reminder that God is not too busy for us and He takes a time when we need Him. Yes God has our prayer card on His desk and doing what ever He can do for us every moment .

About Casting Crown concert that night ? We had a great worship time. They are such a ministry minded group of people. No wonder God is using them in amazing ways. Asa was personally touched by the song "Every man" from thier newest album.

That song reminded me the great needs of lost sheeps in Japan.

10 wonderful gifts God gave us through our trip to Japan.

2008-05-16T12:15:00.000+09:00

I would like to bring you back to the Japan trip we had back in March again.

Here is Top 10 list of God's blessing from the trip.

The gift of prayers of many saints.

The gift of last minute air plain tickets and the best seats arrangement.

The gift of indescribable peace in the midst of a sad situation..my mother might be dying...

The gift of my mom's smile and sweet spirit even though she was very weak

The gift of a loving husband who understood my pain and took care 3 kids by himself for 2 weeks and brought them to Japan to be reunited with me.

The gift of the miracle of healing which my mom received from the Lord.

The gift of the realization that God is indeed working in Japan. He loves this country

The gift of the precious time we had with extended family. They are all believers!

The gift of our children falling in love with Japan.

The gift of a fruitful time with field leaders, including our mentor, pastor Ookita.

We never dreamed about making this kind of trip at this time of year . That was simply a gift from God. I am so glad I received it. His gifts are so precious I will not exchange with anything even though that comes with pains sometimes (or many times). The pain often make me realize how precious the relationship with God is.

Happy Birthday Karin!!

2008-05-11T13:33:00.000+09:00

Happy Birthday Karin! May 10th was your birthdday. You are finally 5 years old. You think 5 is the best age of your life.

Yes maybe that is true. We are learning everyday how much 5 years old can do and bring us joy and fresh prospect to life. At Home, you spend lot of time writing note to some one , saying " I love you..." You might start card making company someday. Even though Mommy sometimes complain how much paper you use and mess you make, we are very proud of your gift of encouragement. Mommy and Daddy and I am sure many other people need love note once a while. Keep the good work Karin ! We love you so much and God loves you even more like you can't imagine.

A Surprised gift from God

2008-05-06T04:43:00.000+09:00

God loves to give us surprised gifts . He works in amazing way. I need bring you back to the last February to explain what we have been thorough and God's faithfulness of every moment.

That was cold Sunday morning , I got a phone call from Japan which informed me my mother was hospitalized with critical condition. She has been battling cirrhosis; condition that lever became hard as a rock and slowly loose proper function. She sufferers from all kinds of complications but the most serious one is "internal bleeding" from her stomach. If that happens, she could bleed to death.
That day she vomited blood at home and was transferred to an emergency room. A doctor told my family she might have few days to live. I needed act quickly, two days later I was on an air plain with my youngest Ellen(16 month old ). God provided a ticket and seat for us in amazing way. I was sustained by unexplained peace for the whole trip. To make a long story short, my mother's condition improved dramatically, rest of my family joined us from MN later and we were able to have wonderful family time in Japan.

God often gives me situations that I can cry only to God, He hears cry of His children and send it back as a beautiful gifts. I Will post some of the detail of this surprise gift later but I shared some of the pictures with you for now.

Here I am to worship

2008-05-05T12:42:00.000+09:00

This is the first line for my blog and I want to dedicate my words here for my savior and the Lord, Jesus Christ. I hope that all I write here is honoring to Jesus and encouragement to others.

You will read my joy, excitements , as well as cries and discouragements. And also you will realize my strange grammars and expression as a non native speaker. Please bear with me. I am far from perfection but very excited about sharing my experiences as a Japanese woman who lives in the States , as a mom for 4 children and as a missionary appointee who is anticipating ministering in Japan with my husband Greg. I hope to share God's mercy and goodness with you through this broken (English) vessel. Yes, writing can be worship!