Living Hope Missions

2012-01-03T16:28:00.003-05:00

Back home.

2010-08-05T13:22:00.003-04:00

As all of you guys are aware by now, we have made it back to Atlanta safe & sound. :)

These past few weeks in Tokyo were full of challenges, growth, and love.

We look forward to tell you all about our trip.

See you all soon.

Love,

Diana.

P.S. Sorry for the randomness of this entry; I felt the need to give our 2010 missions blog some sort of closure & not leave it up in the air. :]

Good morning / afternoon / evening.

2010-07-28T17:49:00.009-04:00

This is Diana with an update. :]

To be honest, these last few days have brought a ton of stress upon stress among all of us - and yes, it was evident. From lack of sleep, to stress brought on by students & each other, the reasons behind our emotions were plenty. I, too, had my stresses & negativity inside of me and I got even more discouraged by witnessing my brothers & sisters having negativity as well. I decided to try to be an encouraging light to each & every one of us here by masking my stress to lift everyone up, artificially. Of course, that backfired and ended up in a failure.

I distinctively remember Pastor Young's sermon a few Sundays ago:

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." -Romans 12:9

My attempt to love others failed not only because I was suppressing my own feelings inside, but also because I didn't cast my anxieties to the good Lord. My love wasn't genuine.

It's kinda neat how God places you in these kinds of situations. Before the trip, I asked for more challenges to come my way. I feel like a stronger person each time He helps me overcome them.

We've been sharing our testimonies every night. It's such a great blessing to hear the journeys that my brothers and sisters have come from and are going through.

Today is our last day of classes. Tomorrow, we'll be having a party & a graduation ceremony for the children. It's been a great experience having the pleasure to teach these children.

With (genuine) love,

Diana.

Sorry for the late post!

2010-07-28T11:30:00.001-04:00

hey everyone this is andrea:)

This is the first time ever blogging so bear with me please.

Okay, for me in the beginning, I wasn't used to being served and catered to and it made me extremely uncomfortable.I was so troubled but Pastor Young told me that I need to learn to accept it. There is this woman in particular, she has SUCH A LOVING HEART. I don't know anyone who loves to serve more than she.

The past few days, it's been pretty difficult because of the stress. So yesterday, we started to talk (just us girls) and and rebuke each other with loving hearts. Grace shared how Pastor Young said when we rebuke, we should come to tears. I think through that talk, we were able to undertand a lot better. Also, the kids are so lovable and bright. At first, they didn't listen and we were worried .But through God's grace, the kids are learning and absorbing what we say.We are having Hanabi(fireworks) tomorrow!

See you soon! :)

My Prayer Request:

1. I pray that we make a core girl group.

2. We soak in as much as possible.

3. Trust in Him through the good and especially through the bad.

Guess Who?!?

2010-07-25T10:48:00.002-04:00

haha hey guys it is your truly Samuel Kim again :]

Andrea really wanted to blog today but the internet went down in her room so God has given me the privilege of giving you guys an update of our mission here in this beautiful country of Japan.

As you all know today was the sabbath today. If you think that our days back home are long of having a youth service and EM service and bible studies, it is even longer in Tomei International Church. They have a total of four services back to back. It is quite exhausting for the Pastors and for the members. Nonetheless, God pours out overabundant blessings for every single service! It is so exciting to see God working here in this petite but Christ centered church.

Today during the main service Andrea and I had the opportunity to give our Testimonies. It was a nervous but blessful experience for both of our christian walks. We got to profess our love for our Lord and to encourage the congregation here of how God led us to the Japan missions team. We both got to talk about our passions and the hard work we did to raise money for the trip.

Another blessing today was that my sister and I had the privilege of seeing one of our mother's close friends today. She is a christian artist that has been performing for 30 years. Her name is Choi Myoung Ja. The entire congregation got to hear her beautiful performance and be motivated to continue to strive for our God. she reminded us to be thankful to God for all of the blessings he is giving in our lives even in the mist of our sufferings. She was adamant about her belief that our hearts should always be thankful and faithful to our God even though our world, our health, our worldly possessions, and even our families are not doing so well. It was such a big encouragement for me to feel thankfulness to our God today. It reminded me of my lack in devotion and love for first and formost our God, my parents, my friends, and our beautiful church.

Enough about me! How about a little update on our team in general. To tell you guys the truth, Our team is struggling a little bit to love each other, but WE KNOW our God's grace is enough to cover all of our sins. We are continuing to rebuke and love each other by looking over each other's sins. We humbly and urgently ask you for your continual prayer for our unity as a missions team. We will be starting our second and final week of english camp tommorrow and we are all very excited. All of our members are working hard to prep and be ready to teach these children.

Our park and soccer field/running track is really helping to ease our stress levels and give us endorphins to blow of some steam for a lack of a better term. Thank God for providing us such a nice place to work out and fellowships with one another! We are all thankful for that place.

Some prayer requests we have for you guys:

1. Our unity as a group and as representatives of our church back home and God to have attitudes and actions that reflect God and strive for his character.

2. Pray for Andy and Alice as they take up the mantle to lead us to give them patience, Christ's love, and wisdom.

3. Pray for the children, parents, and the church members here. (everything= their faith, love for God, their evangelical heart for Japan)

4. My sister's leg, It has gotten better thanks to God and your powerful prayers. We ask that you continue to pray for a full healing

5. We ask that you pray for Pastor Young, for his energy and recuperation from an arduous journey back to the states. Pray for his health but more importantly for his love for our God so that he can continue to love and serve us back home with vigor and strength.

Thank you so much for reading and prayers

we love you guys!

your brother sam

p.s

please do comment and say hi so that we may be encouraged by you guys. thank you.

Greetings Earthlings!

2010-07-24T10:35:00.004-04:00

Hello brothers and sisters!!

This is I, Joanna Choi. Some of you are probably like, who is this girl? hah. :]
I attend bible study at Jae-il church on fridays so that is how I was given the opportunity to go on this mission trip. So hopefully in the future, I would love to talk to you guys in person about my experience in Japan.

Back to the missions.

Today was a day of rest from the summer camp which resulted in a day of exploring. It was quite fun and intense for the group. Of course it was physically tiring because we walked everywhere today but I saw it more as an adventure and somewhat memorable.

We went to the Menji temple and explored Harajuku today!

For those who do not know, Menji is one of the biggest temples in Japan and worldwide tourist attraction.

Personally, this temple was an awakening for me. It absolutely shook me to the core. I was pretty amazed and shocked by the environment and the people's efforts there. This is where God showed me the heart of Japan and how far away they had fallen. I experienced the spiritual culture to the fullness. As we entered the temple, we were greeted by a huge gate and a long path covered with scenery on the way to the temple. It was beautiful seeing God's creation and experiencing the surrounding natural beauty. As we entered the courts of the temple, it was filled with tourists and of course the Japanese. The part that troubled me was the area where thousands of people wrote their prayers and also where they prayed to their "god." As the group explored the premises, I was able to read a handful of prayers. These prayers are written on wooden blocks and were promised to be answered by this "god." A prayer block costs approximately five dollars. It was burdensome to see how many blocks filled the walls. It was heartbreaking to see how many people endlessly poured their hope and faith upon this fake idol. The fact that they had to purchase something in order for their prayers to be heard was ridiculous, disturbing. Prayer is a direct communication we have with God and is not something worth of monetary amount for it is priceless. We do not need money to talk to God, almost as if there is a toll we need to pay in order to communicate with our Father. But of course, these people did not know that. These people were the lost, the desperate, the broken.

These people were looking to the counterfeit image of God rather than the real heavenly Father.

We as humans all have an inner instinct that there is something greater out there. For us as Christians, we have the truth, we have the solution and it is our joy to spread the Gospel.

For me, I was fighting an inner battle within myself. As I saw people drop in coins and than start to pray to this fake idol, I started to pray for them saying God, forgive them for they do not know. They are ignorant and foolish so have mercy on them, please. Show them grace, that endlessly flows from the cross. But then I struggled with the thought that what if they did know, but they were being prideful and did not want to surrender to Him?

So fellow brothers and sisters, I ask for all of us as a body of Christ to continually pray for God to break the pride, the selfishness, the insecurity of this nation. That instead of turning to the fake solutions, whether in false idols or materialism, they will seek the light, the truth. That they will see the freedom in the goodness of God and His light and not the artificial comfort in the darkness.

And as for me and the team, pray that we will trust in the sovereignty of God and know His will is ultimately greater than ours.

thanks for reading!!!
we shall update again soon!

peace out. Joanna.

2010-07-24T08:07:00.002-04:00

Hey guys,

This is the first picture slideshow that we showed to the kids. Figured you'd like to see it. WORD.

Picture slide show day 1 from Nicholas Lee on Vimeo.

Sam Posting AGAIN! yay

2010-07-23T11:10:00.004-04:00

HELLO! GOMBOW WAH! from Japan.

Some blessings that we have had is that Andy and Alice samoneem :] got here safely. It is such a big encouragement to see them here safe and sound. On the other hand, we were really sad to see Pastor Young go today. He has been such a good shepherd and teacher to us this past week, but we know that you guys really missed him too! We continue to pray for his safe return to you guys and I hope you are encouraged to hear his experience and blessings during the trip.

On another note, We finished our first week of school today. God has been continuing to pour out blessings and giving us cute children to love. We are so thankful for God's sovereignty. He only gives us as much as we can handle and he shows us his glory daily. Our God is great. ( no sarcasm at all, he really is)

Also, we went out to eat at the sushi go round.(all you can eat sushi) for the first time the other night. It was everything we hoped for. One thing we realized is that fruit here is very expensive. We found $120 dollar melons, mangos, and grapes. The watermelons are $40-80. The standard of living here is quite high, everything is so expensive. The smallest bill they have is $10 and the rest are coins.

I wanted to encourage you guys with some quotes that have stuck in my mind:

"Do you want to live forever?
all the children scream YES!!~
Did you know that Jesus will allow you to live forever if you believe in him.
Do you believe in him?
all the children scream YES!!~" P.Young's Sermon Today

"Show not just general love but christ's love" Andy
"God will meet you where you are." Andy

Last thing I wanted to share with you guys is the appreciation the church has for us to come here and teach English. The church congregation shared with us the struggle and hardship of evangelizing to the people here in Japan. They shared that Japanese people do not get to know each other or make relationships without having a "context." (meaning a specific purpose) This makes it really hard for a church goer to share their faith and evangelize with folks you dig? Therefore, this small english camp gives them the "context" to share the beautiful gospel with the parents and children through English!

ok that is all for tonight for me, we miss you guys very much!

your brother in Christ,

Sam

From Diana and Grace

2010-07-22T11:49:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone,

It's Diana and Grace! We're finally writing an entry here.

It feels like time's going by so fast and slow at the same time. This past week has been seriously awesome, especially the people and the food. We have been challenged physically and mentally, but God is teaching us patience and love. The team has been learning how to share and be good brothers and sisters to each other. We definitely are GROWING with one another.

Grace's leg has been feeling better lately. Andrea's allergies are getting better as well.
Thank you guys for your constant prayers & care. We will continue to work hard towards fulfilling His plan with confidence, knowing that you all have us in your prayers.

Pastor Young is leaving for Atlanta tonight (7/23) and Andy & Alice are flying in. Let's all pray for their safe travels.

Enjoy this quick netbook recorded video. (It's nothing fancy like Nicholas' vid, but it'll do. :])

Love,

Grace & Diana

Sam posting from Tokyo!

2010-07-22T09:39:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone back home!

We miss you all and cannot wait to see you when we get back home. God has been blessing us everyday in so many different ways. It is so encouraging for us to see God's work here in his ministry here at Tomei International Church. We can really see and experience the Body of Christ at work in this church. The congregation here is all doing their part in some form or fashion to get what needs to get done at this church. From all of the mothers and volunteers cooking almost every meal for us and volunteers cleaning the church day in and day out, It has really encouraged myself to want more Christ in my life. The love they have for their church and for their Pastor Kim Shinho and for the children continues to blow my mind. In my mind I know that all of their work and efforts cannot exist without their love for our God.

The children are pretty awesome. We got to know all of the kids names and it seems like we have been here more than a week. The classes are going very smoothly now and the kids are focused.We hope they are learning alot! More importantly, we pray for the children and their parent's salvation continuously.

God is giving us all a blessful time here with the students, the parents, the church, the food, the site seeing, each other, and most importantly himself. I know that God is growing each and every one of our member''s hearts and continuing to inspire us to seek his kingdom.

I humbly ask for your continuous prayers back home. It is such an encouragement for us to hear your comments and prayers for us. We love you guys back home and hope you are doing well.

in our God's hands,

Samuel Kim

Hello from Joseph in Japan! :)

2010-07-22T02:18:00.002-04:00

Ohayo gozaimas! :)

Today, we finished our 4th day of English Camp and it has been nothing short of blessings, blessings, and more blessings....plus a little chaos here and there but nothing that can't be handled or covered over by love :)

We thank all of you for your prayers and concerns for our team here. We are consistently reminding ourselves that we are not here just as a 9 member team, but we are all here as one body in Christ.

All of us are taking massive amounts of pictures and videos so please stay tuned! Some prayers requests that we ask are:

-Grace's leg, she is still in a lot of pain from time to time but so encouraged because of how she is handling it and not complaining (it is japan and we have to walk around a lot)

-For the kids and the parents, that they may come to know Christ and experience is unconditional love for them

-For our bodies, even though we get exhausted from the day that we may not give up and enjoy the exhaustiveness of it all for Him and Him alone.

-The nation of Japan, that some way, some how...Japan would come to know Christ MORE!!! :)

We love you and thank you all. As i would like to end my speeches in Japan, Go-Chi-so-sa-mah! (inside joke....that phrase means "i ate well")

-Joseph S. Lee

Video blog 1.

2010-07-21T17:58:00.002-04:00

Japan V-Blog 1 from Nicholas Lee on Vimeo.

This is the first video blog of our trip! We haven't been able to update as much as we would like to due to internet problems but we'll post as often as possible. :)

Thank you so much for all of your prayers!

First Day

2010-07-20T08:53:00.003-04:00

Monday, July 19 2010

Great Is Our God! Yesterday, we caught up with our sister Sophie! Boy, can that girl speak Japanese. We were encouraged to hear how much the Lord has grown her over the past year. If you get a chance, corner her and make her tell you her testimony! You will be blessed! : )

We had our first class today and each one of us was overwhelmed. The students were extremely energetic, running everywhere and being disruptive in most of our classes. On top of that, about 4 unexpected high school students joined the English camp. We weren't ready for that! This added another dimension and challenge to our curriculum. Even though many surprises have been sprung upon us, our trust is fully in our Lord. We know that the Lord will provide in marvelous ways. We know that today is part of his sovereign plan and we look forward to see what He has in store tomorrow. We ask all of you to continue to pray for us, our students, and the parents.

Our role in Tomei International Church English Camp is to be the bait. We bring in the mothers (since most of the fathers work) by offering this very, very wonderful camp. Then Rev. Shinho Kim gathers the mothers and has a Bible study to share the gospel. Please pray that many of these mothers come to know the Lord!

For our outing, we went to Ueno and walked through the stores and generally got a feel of the city life. We can't overstate enough, but Japan has everything. Our prayers are that the Lord may open the floodgates of his mercy on this country. Let's keep on knocking!

We love all of you back home and pray that your Sunday worship was a true blessing! Praise God that we all worship the same God no matter where we are!

Our God Rocks!

Japan Missions Team 2010

Beating Jetlag

2010-07-20T08:49:00.002-04:00

Sunday, January 18, 2010

Greetings!

After three full days in Japan, we finally beat jet lag. Most of us thought that we would be okay in a day or two, but our bodies told us otherwise. Randomly, each one of us would succumb and pass out in the middle of the day. We would ridicule the sleeping one (lovingly of course) but eventually all, but Joanna, could be found sprawling on the floor...

Sunday service gave us the opportunity to worship with our brothers and sisters in Japan. Grace & Joseph both gave their testimonies and Pastor Young spoke on "Joy." We were all touched by the zeal of the congregation as they sang and prayed for us, one another, and Japan.

We are looking forward to our first day of teaching tomorrow! Please continue to pray!

In His Love,

Japan Missions Team 2010

2010-07-16T17:54:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone back home!

This is our First of many Blog entries for our 2010 Missions Team!

We have arrived safe and sound last night to Tomei International Church.
Our flights went as smoothly as possible. We thank God for blessing us with good pilots and stewardesses!

My first impression of the church here was cozy. It is a three story church with the cafeteria in the first floor, the chapel in the second, and Pastor Kim Shinho+bedrooms/classrooms on the third.

The church members are as welcoming and loving as all of the previous teams have stated and the town we are in is nice.

We have a soccer field and a park workout area next to the church. Joseph, Jeremiah and I went running this morning and explored the neighborhood. I am already starting to realize a difference in our two countries. They are subtle but still there.

Our agenda for today is to finalize all of our planning for the english camp and to continue to get used to the time change.

Some of our Prayer Requests:

1. Prayer for our hearts to continue to grow in love for our God, so that we can love the people in Japan even more.

2. Prayer for our team to understand and work well together.

3. For Tomei Church to grow in spirit and number with this opportunity to reach out to the community.

4. For my sister's, Grace Kim, leg. She is still has a lot of pain in her leg.

in God's hands,

Sam

Guess What...

2009-07-30T10:30:00.000-04:00

Guess what...we're done.
Already done, today was our last day and it feels like the children just started to warm up to us
God is good! His love endures forever.

God safely delivered all of us through the camp. For me, it was encouraging to see familiar faces during the camp; continuing and building relationships that was started last year. These kids grow sooooo fast and they are sooooo cute, you can't help but just to love.

Camp ran pretty smoothly, it was physically draining dealing with younger children but during the time God provided us with extra strength to endure.
Although we were/are only a team of five, we had tremendous help from Tomei Church and the mothers. We had assistant teachers for each of our classes, delicious lunch from the mothers, and continual prayer from all you guys. We did what we can do, now we will continue to pray for God to move and change in the hearts of the children, the mothers, and the nation of Japan.

Did you know...
there are approximately 800,000 idols that the Japanese believe
and Christianity is merely just 1 of the 800,000.
Please pray that the people of Japan will know that God is the One and Only God. That this nation will come to know Christ.
Throughout the camp God taught us to love,

Please pray:

For our remaining time in Japan to be restful and fruitful
Safe travels (everyone is leaving on diffferent dates; Alice-Aug 2, Pastor Kim-Aug 3, Young Jin and Matthew-Aug 4, and Anne-Aug 5)
For our, KFPC Living Hope, continual partnership with Tomei International Christian Church
For the children and the families of the children to come to know Christ as their personal savior
For the nation of Japan to know our One and Only Living God

Japan Update

2009-07-26T20:23:00.000-04:00

I was asked to do a short update... :D

- Pastor Young is leaving today...pray that he will have a safe trip back!

- The Japanese sushi is delicious

- Please pray for our children and their mothers...a couple of them came to Sunday service!

- The Japanese scenery is beautiful. (Rainbow bridge is especially beautiful)

- Please pray for Pastor Kim Shinho and this church. Pray that the church can reach out to Japan. Pastor Kim and the church has been so kind to us. We are overwhelmed with their generosity and love. :D

- Matt

First Day of Tomei English Camp!

2009-07-23T20:22:00.009-04:00

Hello minnasan! Thank you very much for all your prayers thus far! God has continued to bless us during our first day of Tomei English Camp, and we are so grateful to have this opportunity to teach these brilliant, young kids. It is such a blessing to see many of the children from last year participate again with us! Please pray that all of them may be focused in their classes and continue to learn about God during these next 10 days.

Although our bodies are exhausted, we are strengthened just knowing that God is still working in His Kingdom here. We just hope that we can continue to be empowered by God's grace and mercy.

Also, we were able to wear yukatas (below) and go see the hanabi (fireworks) to celebrate the beginning of summer! Japan is a rich country filled with emptiness and thirst for a purpose and a need for God. Let us pray that our fellow brothers and sisters here will stay encouraged and continue to take an active role in bringing these families into faith! :)

Thank you once again!

In a few hours...

2009-07-19T04:30:00.004-04:00

Our team will be heading to Japan in just a few hours!
Praise God for the answered prayers and grace he has already lavished on our team. He reminds us of his goodness again and again.

As we are traveling, please continue to pray for the health and unity of the team.

More updates will be made as we arrive and serve so be sure to check the blog!

With hearts of praise at 4am,
The Japan Mission Team

Yes, we are going back!

2009-07-09T22:32:00.011-04:00

2009 Japan Mission Team

[Pastor Young Choi, Alice Kim, Matthew Paek, Anne Park, and Young Jin Yang]

"My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations," says the Lord Almighty.
[Malachi 1:11, TNIV]

We are going back to Japan in order to proclaim the love that surpasses all knowledge and to share the joy of salvation.

Statistics still say less than 1% of Japan's population claim to be Christian but we know God is faithfully continuing his work for the people of Japan. Although there are fewer workers going this year, He is calling more believers to go with us in prayer to carry out His will for this nation. As we earnestly seek to shine Christ in this dark country, we pray that you will join us in the effort of sharing and testifying that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.

Please join us in prayer for:

Prayerful and compelling hearts for the people of Japan (including yours)
Hearts of love that will clearly exemplify God through our activities
Growth by serving and loving one another.

In Christ alone,
The Japan Mission Team

[Missions Support Letter]
http://www.livinghopeatl.org/japan_09.jpg

2008-08-16T11:38:00.002-04:00

All are invited to:

Japan Missions Dinner

When: August 23, 3008
Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Where: Korean First Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall
6175 Lawrenceville Hwy, Tucker, GA 3008
Cost: $15 (all funds go to Japan Missions Fund)
What: 3 course meal and stories from Japan
Semi Formal Attire

Please RSVP by Wednesday August 20, 2008 to the following email,
ann3.park@gmail.com.

Closing Time: Tomei Zoo...

2008-07-27T10:09:00.005-04:00

HELLO!!!! : )

First of all, thank you for keeping us in your prayers. We are truly being stretched and blessed. This is truly an amazing experience for all of our team members here. We are being taught patience, love, teamwork, and grace each and every day.

Tomorrow is our last day of camp. :( Sadly, it has come to an end already! We still remember the very first day of camp. It was not what we expected and it was so exhausting and tiring. But now we don't know where the time has gone! We are still in the midst of preparing for tomorrow. As we prepare our last curriculum and print out the certificates and make goodie bags for the kids, we can truly feel how much we fell in love with these kids. As we mentioned before (I think?) the kids' ages ranged from 5 to 18. It was hard to cater to all of them equally but at the same time, we truly formed an unforgettable relationship with each and every one of them. Some of the kids had to leave camp early to go to Korea and it was so hard saying good-bye to them, but we are so thankful for having the chance to serve them.

As we do prayers, testimonies, devotionals, and early morning prayers each day, we are constantly being reminded of God's unending grace, love, and mercy for each and every one of us. It truly teaches us to love and serve these kids with a humble heart and a stronger mindset.

Please keep on praying for our missions team! We are realizing each and every day how truly powerful prayers are.

In Christ's love,
the Japan Missions Team

More Than Half Way Done!

2008-07-25T04:19:00.007-04:00

Ohio minnasan [a.k.a. Good morning everyone]! Hahaha :) We truly apologize for not updating every day, but we have been extremely busy taking care of the smaller details now that the English camp is well on its way. I am happy to report that we are feeling less exhausted each day, but God has still been challenging us throughout our time here in Japan. Please pray that our team will not get so discouraged/stressed and that we will be able to work as one unit during our stay here.

Yesterday evening, after the English camp was over, the team went out on an excursion to see the fireworks at Arakawa River. As we were watching the entire event, which lasted for almost two hours, we realized how rich this country is with its resources but how poor they were in spirit. They can afford to buy so many things, but they have yet to receive the true love that comes from God alone. Please pray for Japan that their hearts can be changed and that our coming here and teaching English are a sign that God's kingdom is forever growing.

Our entire team is grateful to every single one of you for your wonderful prayers. We are struggling, but Christ's love stands strong among us. May the children see the peace and strength of God's righteousness through our actions with them and with each other.

An Empty Nation

2008-07-21T10:13:00.010-04:00

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is doing great back in the US! :0) The missions team and I have been busy with the English Camp that we haven't had much time to update the blog. Nonetheless, God has been extremely good to us day in and day out.

But even so, we fall short of His glory. In all honesty, we all have been stressed, frustrated, discouraged, etc., in one way or another, and God is truly stretching us (which we know is a great thing :D ) Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We have been tremendously blessed by them.

Today, the team and I had a debriefing after our day (it was a very smooth day praise the Lord! ^^ ). But as we went around to share prayer requests, one thing struck us hard, and it was a huge realization. Japan, and the people in it, have EVERYTHING...except the most important thing. Everything from TV enabled cellphones, 7 story toy stores, to the most updated technology in the whole world are all right at their fingertips. Yet, 98% have never even heard the name of Jesus Christ. It is very heart wrenching to know that they are praying to something that does not exist, that will not respond to their needs. The spiritual warfare is everywhere, but sometimes, we get distracted by the flashy lights and the awe of Tokyo.

As we go from one day to another in our camp, please pray that God will leave a mark on the hearts of these students through our actions, our words, and the way we interact with one another. If we do not do anything to change the spiritual course of this nation, it will simply become a footnote in the pages of history, such as past civilizations.

Please continually keep the nation of Japan, the people of Japan, and us in your prayers. And we will continue to keep you updated :)

From "Tomei Zoo"

2008-07-19T06:08:00.023-04:00

The Team

We're glad to report our first day of Tomei Junior English Camp went well! The students enjoyed themselves throughout the day, getting acquainted with each other and with the teachers. Through the time we spent with the kids, we grew eager to reflect and to spread the love of Christ to these children. We are prayerfully awaiting for our Lord to work in these children's (and their family's) hearts.

Although there were many unexpected challenges during the day, our Lord is always faithful. Our gauge of the students' age, attention span, and English proficiency was inaccurate, to say the least. Much of our original planning fell short of capturing the kids' attentions but God willing, He provided us with impromptu games, teaching activities, and general guidance throughout the day and we are grateful.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Though our bodies may tire and our patience may run low, we are reminded to keep our hearts focused on Christ, having a purpose for our work. We are reminded to discipline our bodies and to exercise self-control in order that we can be efficient workers for Christ.

As we continue to modify our curriculum and structure for the camp, we are hopeful that you will keep these few things in your prayers:

For the hearts of the children, for them to experience the Christ's love through us
For the staff at Tomei International Christian Church, pray for blessings upon them for offering so much of their time and energy preparing for this English camp
For our curriculum and structure, so that we may present excellence to the students and their parents as we are Christ's testimony
For physical rejuvenation and healing, some of us have gotten sick these past few days

As always, we are ever grateful for your prayers and support.

'Till next time!

Konnichiwa!!!

2008-07-18T00:08:00.015-04:00

Narita Airport

Ohayoo-gozaimas! Today is our 3rd full day here in Japan. We all made it here safely. Thank you all for your prayers, and we ask you to please continue to do so as we strive to do God's work here.

In the past 2 days, we were able to spend a little time sight seeing after our morning preparations. The first day, we went traveled around Asakusa district and visited Sensoji Temple and the surrounding area. Large strips of shops surrounded the outside of the temple gates. As we entered into the courtyard of the temple, there were a few people praying, but mostly, there were a lot of tourists walking around. But because of the hustle and bustle of the place, it was easy to forget that this place was in fact a place of worship.

Sensoji Temple

Yesterday, we went to the district of Harajuku, and visited the Meiji Temple. This temple was dedicated to the emperor and empress of the Meiji Era, to enshrine their souls for their influential role in modernizing Japan. This temple was more tranquil, and we were able to sit and watch people coming into the temple and pray.

Meiji Temple

Witnessing these events were an eye opener to all of us. It was really heart-breaking to see people seeking answers from gods that are not there, that are non-existent. They pray to things that were man made, and put their hopes into things that cannot give them what they're hoping for.

Tomorrow will the be start of our English camp. As we prepare for the coming 10 days, we know there's a lot of work ahead of us. Pray that God will give us the strength we need as we face challenges of showing God's love to a people that are seeking for hope.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord for the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
~ Matthew 9:36-38

Departure

2008-07-14T00:05:00.006-04:00

God is good...Amen!

It's been a tough week. We are in the midst of a spiritual warfare.
God's been teaching us to rely on His strength, wisdom, and guidance.
We are truly being stretched in many different directions:

One of our members have been in a car wreck.
One lost their passport and therefore departure date has been postponed.
One has an expired passport and is unable to join us.
There have been minor incidents in all of our lives in the past week.

However, we've come to trust in the Lord wholeheartedly. Trusting in His everlasting love, faithfulness, and guidance. We are reminded that God uses all things for His glory. We humbly ask for your prayers.

There is more to come. But as we travel please pray for.

Safe Travels - two of our team-members are traveling by themselves.
Spiritual Warfare - to guard our hearts, to fix our eyes on Christ

Greetings...

2008-07-08T14:28:00.039-04:00

Hello everyone!

The mission blog is up and running! We thank you for all the support and welcome you to join us as we journey together through the sharing of the Gospel in the heart of "the Rising Sun" - Tokyo, Japan.

As our departure date approaches, we eagerly wait in anticipation for what God is preparing ahead of us. Even though we have and will continue to face trials and difficulties, we do not fear because God is good, and He is greater and mightier then anything else of all the world. We ask you to continue to pray for our hearts as we strive to plan and carry out what God has called us to do. Pray that our eyes may be fixed on Him, that we may seek him for strength and wisdom, and that we may have a burning desire to spread the Gospel through our lives.

Like any modern country with material wealth and national prosperity, it is easy for the hearts of the people to be led astray and become blinded by monetary and financial gains. The riches of this world tells us lies about how unnecessary God is, and how all we need is to rely on our own strength. And with the weight of the world on our shoulders, our hearts are completely overwhelmed by the burdens and tragically become a place of darkness. We then turn to various means, such as false religions, bodily pleasures, and/or substance abuse, to alleviate, escape, and cope with the burdens. This is even visible within the communities we live in. It is only by the grace of God that we live in a society that is based mostly on Christian values and beliefs. But this is not true for Japan. Today, roughly only 1 to 2 million Japanese are Christians. That translate to just about 1% of Japan's population. And even though Japan may be considered a Shintoistic and/or Buddhistic society, in actuality, religion does not play a big role in the everyday life of most Japanese. Secularism and materialism dominate the way of life. This is why there is a great need for the Gospel to be preached there.

So, we ask you to please pray for the people of Japan. Pray that the lies of this world will no longer have its grip on this nation, and that His light will shine bright like a beacon of hope in the darkness of Japan. Pray that God will soften their hearts, giving them a desire to know Christ, so that He may grant them true joy and peace that only comes from the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In His grace and mercy,
The Japan Mission Team