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The Benefits of Being a Missionary from a Small Church

We’ve been support raising for a long time, and often wonder why God isn’t doing things faster. We want to be in Japan right now, working with Churches, learning the language, reaching out to tsunami victims, sharing the gospel and starting Churches — but instead we’re still here, raising support. We attend and serve at a very small church, which has made support raising difficult for us. Many have suggested that we should find a larger church that has more resources to send us to Japan. However I believe God has us where we are for a reason, and every once and awhile He gives a glimpse of why.

Recently a missionary in Japan, who is doing a lot of ministry in the Tohuku area where the Tsunami hit hardest, said something interesting. He said that because of the economy, most of the missionaries coming to help out were from large churches in America, because they are the ones who have the budget to send missionaries. However this missionary said that he would like to see missionaries from small churches coming to Japan for two reasons.

1. Most churches in Japan are very small. Ministry in a small church is very different from in a large church. Large churches have many people and resources. They are able to put together programs and find specialized people to commit to working in a single ministry. Often large churches can hire full time worship leaders, multiple pastors, youth leaders, Sunday school directors and administrators. The churches in Japan have none of these luxuries. Small churches in the US are much more similar to Japanese churches. As I’ve served in a small church God has blessed me to be able to work in many different ministries: leading Bible studies, Youth Group, serving as an elder and even filling in to preach from time to time. The longer I am here, the more experience I get serving in a small church and the more prepared I’ll be to serve in Japan in a Church with limited resources.

2. People from small churches have to persevere through longer periods of support raising. I used to think this was a negative. However the missionary said that missionaries who got their support easily often had a difficult time adapting to the hardships of ministry in Japan. The truth is, Japan is an extremely difficult country to do ministry in. Things happen slowly, and much patience and diligence is required before much fruit is seen. A long term mentality is needed, along with the mindset of patiently relying on God to work and provide. If support raising were easy for us, and happened quickly, we would be going to Japan perhaps expecting that ministry there would also be easy and happen quickly. However practicing patience and perseverance through support raising in a difficult economy with a limited number of contacts in reality is a blessing as God cultivates in us the character qualities that a missionary to Japan needs to have.

I believe God is putting us through a tailor made missionary training course, designed to prepare us for exactly the type of ministry He will involves us in Japan. He knows all of our weaknesses, He knows all the areas we need to improve in, and He is putting us through situations to refine us and equip us for the work He has ahead.

CORRECTION (9/26/2011): The original post cited the source as a friend of Tomo’s, however it was actually a missionary who relayed this information to Tomo’s friend.

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Indigenous Missions

Indigenous Missions is a bit of a hot topic right now. The idea is that in many cases it is more effective to support the work of national believers in a foreign country rather than sending foreign missionaries. In certain contexts this is indeed true. In many countries there is a growing, organized, Christian church full of believers eager to go into full time evangelistic ministry. But Japan is not there yet. There is a great shortage of full time workers. Pastors are in incredibly high demand because there are not enough men stepping into leadership. The Christian population is minuscule. The church has barely enough resources to survive, much less grow and expand. In fact I once asked a man who was working for an organization that is involved in indigenous missions in Asia if they were doing any work in Japan, or if he knew of any any agencies that were sponsoring indigenous missionaries in Japan. He responded that they were not, nor did he know of any. Merely sending money to Japanese believers is not enough to bring about fulfillment of the great commission. We need to send people, Christians who will give up their lives to love, serve, encourage and build up the church throughout strategic areas of Japan.

In a manner of speaking, our ultimate goal is to start an indigenous missions movement in Japan, by planting reproducing churches, discipling and training believers, ultimately sending them out to reach their fellow countrymen. Foreigners can’t reach the entire country, but we can enable and prepare national believers to. Our goal and hope  is to help establish reproducing churches that grow to maturity and multiply, sending out their own into ministry to take the gospel throughout Japan.

This is essentially what has already happened in the Philippines, in part due to the faithful ministry of missionaries there. The Evangelical population has grown to the point that they are now not only reaching their own people, but sending out missionaries to reach surrounding countries. Our previous mission, SEND International has been working there for many years and recently changed gears from primarily sending foreign missionaries to the Philippines to facilitating sending Filipino missionaries throughout the world. This is really what we want to see happen in Japan one day. But to get there we need to go there, and for us to go there we need people to send us there.

If you are interested in sending us to Japan, leave us a comment, or click here.

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So what is Buddhism all about?

Since I’m going to be living in Japan and starting (Christian) churches there I’m trying to get a better understanding of the people and culture. I recently read a book called “Beyond Buddhism” by J. Isamu Yamamoto.  Having never really taken the time to study exactly what Buddhism is about, it was very enlightening (heh) to read up on it.

The Buddha’s life is surrounded by myth and legend, making it somewhat difficult to piece together an accurate biography. The earliest written accounts were written around 300 years after his death. It’s generally accepted that Sidhartha Gautamma (The Buddha) was born in the sixth century BC in India. For all you Sunday School students out there, this was roughly around the time of the Babylonian captivity. Siddhartha was born a prince, into a life of wealth and privilege.

Legend has it that it was foretold that if Siddhartha remained in his fathers house he would grow up to be a great ruler, but if he ventured out into the world he would instead become the Buddha, a remover of ignorance from the world. Desiring that his son follow in his footsteps, he ordered that Siddhartha never be permitted to see any suffering or evil, and prevented him from leaving the palace grounds. Despite this Siddhartha managed to sneak into the city and witness the suffering of the common people. He decided to leave his life of wealth behind and search for truth.

After many years of meditation, wandering and leading a life of asceticism, Siddhartha one day sat under a fig tree to meditate. There he was tempted by Mara, an evil spirit, to pursue worldly things. After resisting Mara’s temptation, Siddhartha discovered the Four Holy Truths, and attained enlightenment. From then on he was the Buddha. The Four Holy Truths are:

  1. All life is grievous, self is a temporal creation cursed with suffering until deliverance is achieved.
  2. Suffering is caused by false desires of the senses have been deceived into clinging to the impermanent world.
  3. Deliverance from suffering is achieved when ones desires are suppressed, abandoned or rejected.
  4. The Noble Eightfold Path: right understanding, right aspirations, right speach, right conduct, right livihood, right effort, right concentration and right mindfulness.

Buddhism is based upon three central concepts: Samsara, Nirvanna and Karma.

Samsara is the belief in a a perpetual cycle of reincarnation. Buddhism teaches that all life is suffering, and thus being forced to continually live life over and over again is the worst fate imaginable, because it is nothing but an endless cycle of suffering.

Nirvana is the end of the cycle. It is to cease to exist and be aware, to no longer be an individual but to be one with the universe. It is the only escape from suffering, and it is what all Buddhists hope to attain eventually.

Karma is the belief that ones choices in life whether to do good or bad, will be rewarded or punished in future lives. Thus if you do good in your current life in your next life your situation will be better. If anything bad happens to you in this life it is punishment for something you did in a previous life.

Some Buddhist sects teach that the only way to reach Nirvana is to live the life of a Buddhist monk, which most Buddhists are unwilling to do. However if Buddhist layperson gives financially to the monasteries, and lives a moral life in accordance with the Buddhist ethic, in their next life they may be born as a person who is willing to enter into the monastery and be free of their worldly desires, and one day reach Nirvana.

Buddhism is founded upon a very bleak outlook on life. However I believe it’s understanding of this life is not far from the truth. The Buddha understood that this world is a very broken place, and he saw no hope of it ever getting better, to him the only way to escape suffering was to rid yourself of all desires and eventually to cease to exist all together. Through the Bible we understand that this world is indeed a bleak and hopeless place, broken by the wickedness of man, and condemned to suffer for all eternity. However it also tells of a marvelous loving God who went through incredible lengths to rescue those who repent of their sins and believe in His Son. Buddhism offers an escape of suffering through the cessation of all desires. Christ offers not merely an escape from suffering, but from the deserved wrath of God, and ultimately the fulfillment of all desires through an eternal relationship with our creator. In Christ we have hope.

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Didn’t qualify for Member Orientation this year

I know this post may come across as sort of a downer, but it’s not like that. The last few weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster with hopes rising and falling, frantic planning and lots of prayers. But somewhere in the middle of it all I felt like God was telling me to just let it go, that He had a plan and it just wasn’t what I thought it was.

First off thank you for all of your prayers. Second, please keep praying; we are still as committed as ever to getting to Japan, and even if we do have to put off our departure date till 2012, there’s still a ton that needs to happen before then. We’re at 34% of monthly support, so in order to leave by next Summer we’ve got to raise something like 5% a month, which is far above the rate that things have been going the last year. The need for the gospel to reach Japan is as great as ever, and there have been few periods in Japan’s history when it has been this open to the gospel.

We will certainly not be idle over the next year as we continue to prepare to serve God as church planters in Japan. We’re expecting a baby in December, and Tomo was actually a little relieved that moving to Japan before the birth was taken off the table. We’ll have a little more time to prepare for our new arrival without having to worry about packing up and moving across the Pacific. I’ve been serving as an elder at our little church here in San Juan Capistrano, and I feel as though God has given me a greater opportunity to serve the local church and learn how it needs to function, for which I am constantly grateful.

Thank you again for your prayers, we need them; and we need your partnership and support; and Japan needs the Gospel. Lord willing you will join us in meeting those needs in the coming year.

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Update: Now we Need 50%

First off thank you all so much for your prayers. It’s been pretty amazing to see God answer them each day the last three. But we need to ask you to pray for something a little bigger.

Due to a miscommunication in the SEND office, we were given the wrong amount to shoot for. In order to qualify to go to MOP we need to reach 50% by July 10. In other words we have a new deadline, and a higher target. If we don’t get an additional 16.5% (previously we were trying to raise an additional 8%) of our support by July10, we’ll almost certainly have to push back our departure to Summer 2012. More on that in a minute, but first, the good news.

Praises

1. Each day of the last three, God has provided one new supporter comitting $40/month. As you recall in the last Prayer update I mentioned that we needed to get one new $40/month supporter each day until the end of June, and asked that you pray for God to provide. That was Tuesday, three days ago, and sure enough, each day someone has decided to start supporting us at $40/month, or increase their support. I have been blown away to see God answer so clearly thus far. Now however, I need to ask you to pray that God provides two supporters each day for the next three weeks.

2. Due to God’s provision if we qualify for SEND’s Member Oriencation (by getting up to 50% by July 10), we will be able to afford to take the three weeks off of work needed to attend. I meant to ask you to pray about this, but forgot. It’s something we’ve been praying about for awile. When we started planning on going to MOP this Summer we realized that we wouldn’t be able to afford to take three weeks off of work. Technically to avoid having to push back our departure date we needed God to work two miracles: providing the supporters, and providing the finances to enable us to take time off of our jobs. As of this morning it looks like He has taken care of the second one, and that if we do get enough support to qualify to attend MOP we will be able to take the time off of work as well. So this was a huge answer to prayer.

3. Tomo is mostly over her cough. But still suffering from morning sickness :-(.

Prayer Request

1. That God provides an additional 16.5% of our support by July 10. Previously we set a goal of one new supporter a day for the next two weeks. Now it looks more like we will need 2 new supporters a day over the next three weeks. 1 Corinthians 4:8 comes to mind: “We are… perplexed, but not driven to despair.” I got two phone calls today while I was in a meeting. One was the call to let me know that we were accidentally told the wrong amount and that we needed to raise more than double what we thought. The other was a person calling to let us know that they wanted to increase their support by an additional $40/month. We aren’t sure what God is doing. But He is clearly doing something. If July 10th comes and goes and we have to push back our departure date till next year, then we trust that’s part of God’s perfect plan. But if it comes and we are at 50% we’ll know He worked a miracle. There could be no other logical explanation. This would not be the first time God has made a situation seem hopeless in order to demonstrate His ability to overcome obstacles that we cannot.

Judges 7:2-7

The LORD said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.'” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.

And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” So he brought the people down to the water.

And the LORD said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water.

And the LORD said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.”

2Corinthians 1:9
Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

Thank you all, and God Bless!

Dave and Tomo

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June Prayer Update

We’ve started a new Facebook Page. If any of you are on Facebook, please click here and Like the page to get updates! Dave and Tomo and Japan: on Facebook!

NOTE: We’ve learned that due to a miscommunication we actually need to raise more support than previously thought in order to attend MOP this Summer. We now need to be up to 50% by July 10. Please see the post above this one for an updated explanation of our situration, and please continue to pray that God will provide.

As always, I want to start by thanking you all for your prayers and support. It’s been a long journey so far, and many of you have been partnering with us since the begning. It is our sincere hope and expectation that one day, Lord willing, Tomo and I will be serving the Church in Japan. In light of all that is happening there now, we hope it will be soon, and invite you to pray with us that God will allow us to go to Japan shortly.

Prayer Requests

1. That God will provide an additional 7.5% of monthly support by the end of June. This is crucial. Unless we get to 40% of monthly support, we will be unable to attend SEND’s Member Orientation Program (MOP) in July, a required training that must be attended before departing for the field. If we do not get up to 40% we will have to wait until next Summer to attend MOP, and consequently push back our departure date till after that. Pray for David as he makes phone calls, and tries to find one person each day to invite to support us. We need one new commitment of $40 a month each day till the end of June to meet this goal.

2.  Pray for Tomo’s pregnancy and health. Tomo has been having a lot of morning sickness throughout most of the pregnancy, and on top of it has just come down with a pretty bad cough. Pray for healing, and that the morning sickness will ease up, and also that she will be able to gain weight, as its been difficult to do so with the nausea she’s been experiencing. Her due date is December 1st, and we’re not sure yet if its going to be a boy or a girl (we both want a boy!).

3. Pray for the outreach that Japanese churches are participating in the disaster areas in northern Japan. We’ve heard a lot of really encouraging stories coming out of there, and it seems as though God is begning to open hearts that were previously closed and unresponsive to the gospel. Pray for people to come to find salvation and hope through Christ Jesus, and that new churches will be planted in those areas.

A Word About Our Departure Date

Many have asked about when we will be going to Japan; we’re considering and praying about three dates. The earliest one would be September 1st. If we are not at 100% by then, we will wait here in America until after our baby is born, and then try to leave sometime in the Spring of 2012, again, if God provides the support. The latest we hope to leave would be late next Summer, 2012. Despite the slow going on the support raising, we still feel God’s calling just as strongly to go to Japan. And if God keeps us here, there seem to be many opportunities to be involved in ministry here that will only give us more experience, which, Lord willing will further prepare us to be effective missionaries in Japan. This entire experience has been very difficult, and yet at the same time we have seen God work in so many ways, and teach us so many things that we have little room to question why He hasn’t hurried things along, or sent us sooner. We’ll go exactly when He wants us to. But we’re praying that if He wills, it be soon!

Due to the rapidly approaching June 30th deadline, and the large impact it will have on our departure plans, I would invite you to please comit to praying each day till the end of June for God to bring us up to 40% of our comitted monthly support. Also, please pray that God would bring to mind someone that you feel would be willing and able to meet with us to hear about our ministry. If He does, please try to connect us. I would be greatly encouraged if you would let me know if you will be praying for us during the next two weeks.

Thank you all, and God Bless!

Dave and Tomo
www.gloryspeaking.com

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A Thanks to Our Supporters.

I was reading Luke last night when I came across some verses that reminded me why we’re raising support.

Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means. – Luke 8:1-3

As I was reading this I was struck by how Christ allowed His earthly ministry of proclaiming the gospel to be supported by the finances of a number of well off women who provided the for Him and the disciples out of their own means. It seemed to me that Christ would be the last person who would rely on the gifts of others to provide for Him. Indeed Christ demonstrated that there were no needs He could not meet Himself. Christ did not need anyone to give him food for He could multiply loaves to feed thousands. He had no need of shelter for He could command the wind and the weather. He had no need for money for He could pull coins out of the mouths of fishes. Yet as He went out preaching, He chose to rely on the generosity of these women. Why?

A better question would be why not? What better thing could these women possibly put their money towards? If God had blessed them with the ability to give, why should He withhold from them the opportunity? Undoubtedly the very reason God had gifted them with these finances was so that they could use them to further the kingdom of God.

We will be going to Japan to participate in the fulfillment of Christ’s last command to His people before leaving the earth. We will go to be involved in a similar ministry to His; proclaiming the gospel, making disciples and starting churches. And we will go with a similar support structure, relying upon the generosity of saints who realize that the very reason God has blessed them with finances is so that they can fund Christ’s work, for the glory of God.

So to all of our supporters, thank you for joining us in this ministry. Thank you for faithfully supporting the work of ministry as God has enabled and called you to do. Thank you for your partnership and prayers. Even as we are still on the early stages of embarking upon this particular ministry, I can’t wait to see what the end of it will be like, and what great things our Lord will do through the work of His people.

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Key to the Relief Work

This is a disaster relief update from Pastor Yoshiya Kondo in Morioka City, Iwate, in northern Japan.

There are doors that open as we continue our relief work in disaster area.

We have been visiting an elementary school which is one of the evacuation centers twice a week to play with children there. At first, it seemed like they were wondering in suspicion what kind of group we were. But as we kept visiting, they seemed to have gotten familiar with our faces and trusted us, and the person who checks us in now treats us completely differently.

At first: “Sooo, what kind of organization are you guys? …Please make sure you call us before you come.” Last week: “It would be a big help if you can come on this day.” Yesterday: “Please come anytime!”

We promise to the children “We will come again on this day!” when we leave the shelter.

Yesterday, two members joined us from Hokumin (Hokkaido Christian Mission Network) team. (Those coming on a short-term trip, please join.) Those who have been participating from Morioka repeatedly are starting to remember children’s names and their prayers deepening, even though they feel a little frustrated by the distance of 4-hour round trip. This ministry will expand to areas with temporary houses that will be built in the near future. In working in the disaster area, one of the key things has been to continue the relief work patiently as we build trust.

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A Childcare Center in Disaster Area

This is a disaster relief update from Pastor Yoshiya Kondo in Morioka city, Iwate, in northern Japan.

A sign in Taro district showing where the time capsule is buried.

A building in the coastal area of Taro district that’s left only with its framework was a “childcare center”. It’s horrifying even to imagine what happened here on March 11, around 3pm… This afternoon, I gathered my courage to ask at the Taro District General Office, “What happened to the children at that childcare center…?”  “The children who were left at the center were all safe” …..! I visited a place where the childcare workers and children are with Pastor Otsuka from Morioka Minami Church and the EMS team from America.

When the siren sounded, the workers took the children, some just woke up from their nap, others still sleeping, to a designated evacuation location. They didn’t go into the building because they were afraid of aftershocks. And as they looked back, they saw a wall of water almost reaching where they stood. The thirteen workers picked up the children frantically and ran and ran… and they saved 37 children. But some of the children who had already been picked up and gone home are gone… They shared with us in tears.

They told us their need was story books and toys that got swept away along with the building. It is such a wonder that the IBF team, which arrived late at night, happened to have brought storybooks. We will deliver these books tomorrow, hoping that there will be smiles on the faces of children and childcare workers as they open up the books even in the midst of such grief.

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God’s puzzle

This is an update from Pastor Yoshiya Kondo in Iwate prefecture, Japan, who has been serving and ministering in the disaster area since the tsunami.

The inn we helped cleaning out last week turns out to be a different house than the “house that needed help” that a pastor told us about! So we made a mistake. We then wondered, what was that “Hey!” about then??

Today, I wanted to see the inn keeper again and visited the inn. ME: “How’ve you been?”  INN KEEPER: “Oh!! Thank you! Thank you!” ME: “By the way, we have a little problem. As we keep helping the people in disaster area, it’s hard to drive from Morioka to Miyako every time because it’s so far. So we’re looking for a place where 5 or 10 people can spend some nights, just rolling on the floor is fine.” INN KEEPER: “Oh, yeah, sure, use my inn.” He offered happily on the spot.

Although the lifeline of water and electricity is still cut off, we ensured a shelter from wind and rain. That “Hey!”… The jigsaw puzzle of God’s plan is being put together. (by Pastor Yoshiya Kondo in Morioka city, Iwate)