As you have read before we do a lot of work in Ishinomaki City and the surrounding areas. One of the blessings of going to meet with people in the temporary housing units is that many times other places will hear about us and ask us to visit them.
We are so grateful that the Texas team was able to help with our ministry at one of our newest contacts. The team brought a craft for everyone to make and then sang Texas songs. They even did a line dance which was a was a hit.
This particular unit has expressed their openness to Christianity. We are thankful for this opportunity to serve and pray for many more. The Texas team also helped with our English ministry. We had a Texas theme with crafts, sketch drawings, bandanas, Texas songs, and a lot of laughs.
We can’t thank the BGCT and the team members enough for all they have done. We pray you were blessed as much as you blessed us and the people of Japan!
Enjoy some of the photos!
We visited Oshika Preschool.
Each child received special gifts from Texas. A huge thank you to everyone who donated these gifts!
Love their smile!
Sang some fun songs in the gathering room at one of the temporary housings.
The residents sang with us!
Everyone enjoyed line dancing!
We delivered fresh vegetables to each family.
The leader of this temporary housing. She is so sweet and we love getting to know her and her husband.
So thankful for a blessed time of fellowship. We look forward to visiting them again!
The June typhoon was not all that headlined for us here in Sendai. We were pleased to host a great group of Texans from the BGCT. Twelve individuals from all over Texas came to help the people of Japan. One of the areas we visited was Tono in Iwate Prefecture. The BGCT has been in contact with the Japan Baptist Convention since the March 11th earthquake. The BGCT has supported the JBC with their disaster relief work in multiple ways.
One of the needs of the temporary housing units is a place to meet. Although displaced, the housing units have become vital communities and having a place to meet in large area’s is crucial. We pray that the friendship between the convention and the warm heart people of Otsushi Town will continue.
The Texas team handed out hand crafted bags of gifts donated by the generous churches of Texas. Iwate is not one of our usual areas of ministry due to its three hour drive. But, we are in close contact with the church leaders in the area who are working with the temporary housing units. They were so blessed by the Texas team. It can be very lonely at times to be away from other churches. We are glad the Texas team members met the Christian leaders in that area.
The team also got a chance to see one of the schools destroyed by the tsunami. Yet to be demolished, the baseball diamond behind the school is still used today.
Thank you Texas for loving on the people of Iwate and we would ask that you remember to pray for the ministry of the church leaders as they minister to the people there.
Praying together in front of the destroyed school.
In front of the temporary housing where we delivered gifts from Texas.
This is a quick update to let you all know that the team from Texas has arrived here safely. After such a LONG trip, they got here around 2 AM this morning! We know they were tired but they were up early and ready to start a new day!
It has been fun getting to know them and serving with them! We hosted a Texas themed party for the children this afternoon and so many kids and their moms came!
We have a lot more to share, but will end this post with one photo so that we can get ready for our trip to Iwate. We are leaving early in the morning to visit the disaster areas in the north. Please pray for our safe trip and fellowship with those in the temporary housings. Thank you for your prayers! We will post more when we come back!
Hello everyone. We would like to take a moment and ask for your prayers. As many of you know we have been planning and anticipating a team from Texas. We are thankful to say that they arrived to Japan safely. However, they are now caught in a typhoon. They began their trip on the Shinkansen (Rapid Train) but were forced to stop due to power outages. We praise the Lord for their safety. Please pray for their continued safety and strength as they wait for the power to be restored. At the moment there is not a lot that can be done other than to wait and pray as the storm passes. Also please keep in mind those forced to evacuate their homes due to high winds and flash floods. We thank you so much for your commitment to prayer and to the work being done here in Japan.
Last week, we went to Iwate prefecture for the Tohoku Ministers’ Retreat. The ministers in Tohoku area have been having this retreat every spring, but they were not able to meet last year due to the earthquake. When we had a disaster relief meeting back in January, we realized that the earthquake and tsunami had affected many of the ministers emotionally, physically, spiritually, and financially. They have been working so hard to meet the needs of the people in the disaster areas and also their church members. They haven’t had any time to get away and rest. But we also knew that it would be difficult for many of them to pay for the retreat. This retreat is not only for the ministers but also for their families. It means they would have to pay for the whole family.
Then, we remembered the sweet faces of the BGCT (Baptist General Convention of Texas) leaders that we had met back in November. They were concerned about the ministers who were working in the disaster areas and shared their desire to help them. We wrote them and asked if they would be able to help by covering some of the cost of the retreat. They wrote back immediately saying “YES”.
Thanks to their huge help, we were able to host the ministers’ retreat and everyone had a blessed time together. We had plenty of time to worship, to pray, to share, and to rest. As one of the newest families in the area, it was great getting to know all the ministers and their families. We were encouraged to feel their love for God and for people in Tohoku area. Everyone shared about his/her experiences with disaster relief work, and it was evident that God has been using each one of them in many ways. Even though it has not been an easy journey, we all agreed that we want to continue loving and helping those in need.
We took the kids to the nearby snow mountain and we all had a blast! One of the kids was from Fukushima and it was good to see him have fun outside. Please pray for him and all the other kids in Fukushima. Even though they live outside of the evacuation zone, the radiation level is still high and they can’t play outside. Many moms have left Fukushima with their kids, but there are still many more that cannot leave due to different reasons. Please pray for God’s protection and guidance. Also, pray for parents as they make important decisions for their families. We are in the process of planning a new program for the kids that go to churches in Fukushima. We want to invite them to places outside of Fukushima for a week or two during their breaks and give them a chance to be away from high radiation level. It will require lots of planing and money. Please pray for God’s wisdom for us and also for His provision as we work on this.
Here are some pictures from the retreat!
Opening worship service.
Prayer time.
Dinner time!
Getting ready to ski!
Little kids enjoyed sledding.
Don’t you love his smile?
BINGO time!
Please pray for this family from Fukushima.
Luke loved playing with him!
Snowball fight! All the adults had fun, too!
Group photo. There were more people who came after this photo was taken. We all had such a great time together.
Thank you, BGCT, for making this retreat possible! We are so thankful that we were able to be a part of this time of fellowship. Thank you for touching our lives in such a special way! Please continue to pray for the ministers and their families in Tohoku area as we keep ministering to those in the disaster areas.
