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.