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A Pastor’s Update from Disaster Area -5

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.

March 26, Sat. We went over the hill in the snow to go to Miyako city. 8 of us men headed toward a house of “someone who needed help” that a local pastor told us about with a help of car navigation. We parked near the destination, and heard a “Hey!” calling out to us. We stood in front of the house, or is this a house? No it was an inn. We walked in and saw it in a terrible condition. Bent concrete walls, piled up mud, woods that shot into the room with the tsunami as they crashed the windows, rubbles. A couple hundred plates and food scattered, destroyed heavy machines in the kitchen… After four hours, we finished most of the cleaning out.

Then we talked to the inn keeper in his seventies. Looking at the ocean, he said “I don’t want to remember (about the tsunami)” with tears in his eyes. But slowly, he kindly shared with us about his experience of an unforgettable terror. “When the ‘wall-like water’ came, I was swept away before I knew it but was saved because I got stuck on something. My wife was swept into the cellar with the water but was rescued by the local fire fighters. We survived miraculously, but looking at the destruction it did, we thought we could never reopen the inn. But then, these helpers came out of nowhere.” He looked around the cleaned out room and said, “I guess there is also a saving god…” He told us with a wrinkled face to come back in 6 months and that he will treat us good fish. I couldn’t help myself but to ask if I could pray for him. In 6 months? I would rather see him again tomorrow and pray for him. Even if I couldn’t see him, I want to serve him through praying for him. (by Pastor Yoshiya Kondo in Morioka city, Iwate)

 

Pastor Kondo is shown in this picture in the center, crouching by the old man who is the inn keeper.


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A Pastor’s Update from Disaster Area -4

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.

Visited an evacuation shelter in Otsuchi town. The average age of the evacuees is apparently high. I listened to their story. “All the young ones got swallowed up by the tsunami when they went back toward the ocean (trying to rescue the people who were left behind)…”

When they come to themselves after being in so much shock and tension, what weighs heavily on their minds is the worries for future. Rebuilding the town…? The reality is: who could possibly be the ones to rebuild it? It’s not just the support and rescue needed now. It is needed that in the 10, 20 years to come, the Church serves these communities, brings the gospel, and be the ones to rebuild the town. But then I face the reality that there are so few churches in the area. I pray that there will be churches in Iwate that will be the ones to help rebuild the town. That the prayers and thoughts will not be temporary but be continued, and that new ministries will spring up from among them. I pray that from the bottom of my heart. (by Pastor Yoshiya Kondo in Morioka city, Iwate)

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A Pastor’s Update from Disaster Area -3

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.

An isolated disaster area with blocked roads. I heard a sudden, lively laugh, looked back, and saw a little girl running toward me chasing the ball. A lady standing next to me says almost to herself, “That voice is what keeps me going…” The little girl caught up with the ball, picked it up and looked up, and all around her were mountains of rubbles and Self-Defense Force soldiers trying to rescue some people underneath all that.

How do the children see this abnormal sight that’s not in TV, but right in front of their eyes? How do their hearts perceive their town that went through so much change? We are going to get some volunteers to go play with the children in evacuation centers starting this weekend. May God protect the hearts of children.  (by Pastor Yoshiya Kondo)

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A Pastor’s Update from Disaster Area -2

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.

Otsuchi town, Iwate. The city is completely destructed, rubbles everywhere we see. 35 town officials including the mayor were killed or are missing and the village is no longer functional. Walked into a small, isolated village on the hill where the roads and lifeline have been cut off, talked to some people there. “We have so little information, are we forgotten?” I told them, “No, just yesterday I saw news coverage about this town on TV!” “So we’re not forgotten…..” They told me that about 80 people are living in 7 houses since the tsunami. “Sounds tough… Must have been scary…” “……” “What do you want right now?” “Sanitizers, masks, medicines, clothes… even bananas! Just saying… We’re glad just to have someone from outside to talk to. Thank you so much for coming.” They bowed many times as we left. That was yesterday.

Today, a team from Chiba, Singapore, Taiwan, and New Zealand drove up here to bring the relief aids in spite of a request on a short-notice. Together, we visited the same village. Arrived in the twilight, handed the goods that were requested the day before to the people who came out to meet us in surprise. Bananas too of course! …”We can’t believe you really came back.. No offense but we didn’t think you would really come back …. Thank you.. we can’t believe this…. Thank you…”

We drove 200km in two days going back and forth between Morioka city and Otsuchi town. I wish Iwate prefecture wasn’t this big, and that the disaster area was not so far. Does this physical distance also distance us from reaching to these people? No, we were able to meet some people even in the midst of tragedy. I remembered over and over the words I heard yesterday: “We’re glad just to talk to someone.” It’s not just the goods that we bring to them. The fear when tsunami hit, grief of losing loved ones, worries about future… we first listen to the bursting thoughts and emotions. A time like this enables us to serve this way. Love is what we bring to them. Somebody!  (by Pastor Yoshiya Kondo)

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A Pastor’s Update from Disaster Area -1

I (Tomo) know a pastor in Iwate prefecture (colored in the map on the left), Japan, where the coastal towns were devastated by the recent tsunami. Pastor Yoshiya Kondo has been driving into the disaster area to serve and minister to the people there. He posts updates on his Facebook with photos he took, and he has some great first-hand reports and about how great the spiritual needs are in the area. So I asked his permission to translate his updates into English and share them on our blog also, so that more people can pray more specifically for the people there.

Here’s the first one:

In Ofunato city in Iwate Prefecture, we first visited the church. There was a clear mark on the wall showing the water level of the tsunami. It was truly heart-breaking to see the destructed, mud-covered sight that had hardly any resemblance to what I remembered from when I attended their service a couple times in the past. But the day will come when a worship service is held at this place again, and the voices of praise will resound into heaven higher than ever before. We will pray and wait for that day. (by Pastor Yoshiya Kondo)

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Support Japan Relief Efforts

If you are interested in donating to help send relief to the victims of this disaster, we can recommend two organizations that are in a unique position to not only help to meet the great physical needs of the victims of this disaster, but also their equally great spiritual needs. If you would like to make a long term commitment to helping the people of Japan, we encourage you to consider becoming a monthly financial partner in our ministry as we eagerly prepare to move to Japan and begin sharing the hope and love of Christ Jesus with a people that has suffered so much.

SEND International has an ongoing church planting partnership with the Japanese Evangelical Church Association (JECA), of which Tomo’s home church in Japan is a member. SEND has established a project to equip local churches to minister to those who have been affected by this tragedy. Money given to this project will be distributed to churches in Japan, some of whom were in and near the actual disaster zones, to aide them in reaching out to those around them.

CRASH Japan is a Christian Japanese disaster relief organization. In the past they have responded to smaller scale disasters in Japan and neighboring countries in Asia. They currently have set up one base camp in the midst of the disaster and are receiving supplies from the government and other organizations to distribute to evacuees and those still living in the diaster areas. The scale of this disaster is far greater than any they have faced, and they are in great need of additional resources.

When the cities are rebuilt, the need will still remain…

Because of this terrible tragedy, Christians all over the world have turned to Japan with a heart of compassion. However as great as the physical needs of Japan are now in the wake of this disaster, the spiritual needs have been just as great for far longer. SEND International, along with many other mission agencies began work in Japan following the devastation caused by World War II. It is our prayer that God will send a second wave of missionaries to share the love of Christ with a nation that so desperately needs to receive it.

If God is calling you to a longer term commitment, we ask you to prayerfully consider becoming monthly financial partners with us. If you will commit to sending us to Japan, we will go to minister to the needs of the Japanese for the long term. God is calling us to plant new churches in Japan. Will you join us in this effort?

Click here to become a financial partner

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Japan Earthquake Update

As is in the news, the northeastern part of Japan was hit by a M8.8 earthquake at 2:45pm on Thursday, and tsunami hit the coastal towns. This is the biggest earthquake in the history of the country.

First of all, our family and relatives in Tokyo are all ok. And I haven’t heard that anyone I know has been hurt, missing, or lost their home. Thanks for the prayers.

As many of you might have already seen in the news, there are several small towns on the coast that were almost completely swept away as a whole, and thousands of people are still stranded on rooftops. Rescue efforts are slow since the whole areas are still completely flooded up to the roof. Roads and bridges are broken, and millions of people are without electricity with freezing weather at night. There have been many aftershocks, landslides, and fires in many places and many people are still buried. There are about 680 confirmed dead so far and there are reports about hundreds of more bodies on the coast that they cannot get to because of the water and the possibility of more tsunami. They expect the death toll to keep rising.

In the cities, all the public transportations stopped and many people were stranded in their workplaces, schools, etc. My dad was among them and he walked 4 hours to a nearby church and spent the night there. He found a couple buses running the next morning and made it home safely.

There are also two nuclear power plants on the coast where the tsunami hit, and one of them started to melt and they have been trying to cool it down with sea water. There has been a minor explosion in the power plant as well and 3 people were exposed to radiation. Many are afraid of meltdown.

I haven’t heard much about how the churches in the area are doing. Phones and e-mails are still either down or crowded, but I was told that Facebook has been very reliable.

Please pray:

  • That those who are buried or stranded will be rescued quickly.
  • For warmth, food and shelter for those who lost their homes or evacuating.
  • That there won’t be a serious damage at the nuclear power plant.
  • For the churches and Christians to be able to help those who are suffering.

Thank you again for your prayers and let us keep praying.

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Challenge to Evangelism #2 – Ancestor Worship

This week we’re going to be looking at the unique challenge presented by the Japanese tradition and belief in Ancestor worship. But before we get into that, I’d like to give another reason as to why I’m posting these challenges: awareness. Japan is very frequently overlooked when it comes to missions.  Most don’t recognize the need, because Japan seems to have it all together. In an economic, political and social sense they are doing very well in comparison to many other countries. Yet in a spiritual sense they are in desperate need of help.

Japan has proven to be among the most resistant places on earth in terms of receiving the Gospel. Right now in Japan there are no legal barriers to the spread of Christianity; there is freedom of speech, religion and the press. Missionaries are granted visas with little issue, and in fact missionaries have been serving freely, openly and actively in Japan for the last 60 years. Yet despite this openness and continuous activity the percentage of the population which has embraced Jesus Christ remains at less than 1%.

As you read about the challenges in Japan, and become aware of their desperate need for the gospel, I hope you will be motivated to do something about it.

Ancestor Worship

Practically speaking ancestor worship is something of a continuing of a relationship with a dead relative. Not only are distant “Ancestors” revered and respected, but dead grand parents, and parents as well. Many Japanese houses have a small shrine with mementos of their ancestors, small reminders of their lives. Food will be brought to them, and prayers for guidance and help are made. This sort of thing is also carried on at the grave-site, which is most often at a Buddhist Temple.  Japanese will visit the grave, clean it off, and share the things that have happened in the past year with their deceased relatives. To the Japanese this is a very respectful and honorable custom, it demonstrates love of ones family and respect for ones ancestors.

But to turn to Christ is to abandon the worship of all other gods. The practice of ancestor worship cannot coexist with the practice of worshiping the true God. This is a difficult thing, both for the convert, and the convert’s family to accept. To the family it is often viewed as though the convert is abandoning them. The converts parents may view this as a sign of disrespect, and fear that they will be alone and forgotten in the after-life, spirits drifting about  with no contact with their children or decedents. Fear of rejection by the family, and fear of being perceived to be rejecting the family is a strong barrier that prevents many from turning to follow Christ.

Pray
That Japanese would be freed from the bondage of praying to shrines and graves that cannot hear or help them and instead turn their Creator who loves them, hears them, and powerfully answers prayer. Pray that new believers will be able to demonstrate that they have an even greater love and respect for their families as a Christian than they did before.

Comment
How can Japanese Christians show that while they reject ancestor worship, they still love, honor and respect their ancestors and parents?

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How Would You Reach Japan?

Protestants have been laboring in Japan for over 150 years, proclaiming the gospel and discipling new believers. Yet despite the many years of ministry the population of Japan is still less than 1% Christian. I have often been asked why Japan seems so resistant to the Gospel. I can give no simple answer, however in talking with Japanese believers, pastors and missionaries I’ve been told of a number of challenges facing both evangelism and church growth.

This is to be the first of a series of blog posts discussing some of those challenges. I hope to bring to your attention one of these challenges each week, in no particular order. I have a number of reasons for doing this, but for now I’ll start with just mentioning one. I want to get your take on how to overcome these challenges. Lord willing Tomo and I will be moving to Japan this Summer, and before long we will begin to encounter these challenges and have to find ways where, by the grace of God, we can overcome them. I’d love to hear your Biblical and creative ideas on how to over come each of these challenges I will no doubt face in the future. Each Saturday please check back here, read up on the challenge, and comment with ideas on how it can be overcome.

Challenge to Evangelism #1 – People are Insanely Busy

The Japanese are hard workers. They appear to be far more committed to their careers, working much longer hours on average than we do in America. This is especially true in Tokyo. Men will commonly leave for work early in the morning to commute to their office and often work late into the night. On days when they do get off at a reasonable time, office culture encourages them to spend the evening hours drinking with their co-workers. Furthermore many Japanese men keep up this schedule six days a week, leaving only one day to rest and spend time with family. That day is of course Sunday.

It is no small thing to ask someone to spend their only day off once again commuting, this time to a church, and spend hours there rather than relaxing at home and just having some family time. To make matter’s worse, since Sunday is the typical day off, it is also the day that many events and celebrations are held, making it even more difficult to commit every Sunday to attending Church. To do so very likely means to miss out on watching children’s school performances and many holiday events.

Pray
That God would be seen to be so real, so worthy and lovely that men would powerfully drawn to Christ and joyously be compelled to rearrange their schedules to spend time worshiping Him, growing closer to Him and fellowshipping with His people.

Comment
How can Christians in Japan more effectively reach out to non-believers with such hectic schedules?

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Pray for Kanagawa -Part 2

Kanagawa’s capital, Yokohama, is the second largest city in the nation and where the Protestant Church began. In 1859, the first Protestant missionaries arrived in Yokohama, and a prayer meeting was started in 1872. Nine students were led to faith and eleven people from this group became the charter members of the first Protestant church in Japan, organized on March 10, 1872.

  • Population: 8,600,109
  • City with only 1 church: 1
  • Towns/villages with no church: 6
  • Church/person: 1: 17,269

Dec 26: Christian social welfare facilities such as Yokohama Training Center for the Blind (started 114 years ago) with 35 in training now, Japan Minakami School in Yokohama, and orphanages Elizabeth Sanders Home with 100 residents and Shiroyama School with 55 students.

Dec 27: One of the six unchurched town and villages, Kiyokawa Village, covers a wide mountainous area. Even though it has no church, a Christian ministry called Tanzawa Home is located there. The other five towns have fairly easy access to churches in adjacent areas. Pray that these areas will also have churches within their borders.

Dec 28: Pro-Life Japan provides various services including abortion prevention, medical attention for the mother’s health, support at childbirth, ad adoption placement. April 23 is set aside as “Sanctity of Life Day” in many churches.

*All information and prayer requests taken from “Operation Japan -Prayer Guide- Third Edition” -Japan Evangelical Missionary Association, 2005. To purchase a copy of “Operation Japan” book or the Interactive CD version, go to:http://www.jema.org/joomla15/index.php?option=com_banners&task=click&bid=10.