Japan Missionaries are Decreasing

This is a note that recently went out from Dan Iverson - the MTW country director for Japan. I'll pass it along here in its entirety.

(FYI - JEMA stands for "Japan Evangelical Missionary Association")

"JAPAN MISSIONARIES DECREASING: Jema annual meeting book says Jema missionary membership has decreased from about 1280 in 2003 to 980 in 2010, about a 24% decrease! “First aid: Stop the bleeding! Start the breathing!” If Japan church was strong, with a growing force of pastors and church planters, that would be a welcome thing for missionary numbers to decrease, as our national partners increase. But that is NOT the case. There are NOT enough pastors to replace the once retiring and dying. Japan is still the second largest unreached people group in the world after main people group of Bangladesh.

“Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest, to Japan!” Praise God that JPM / MTW is growing in number of missionaries in Japan. May we humbly give thanks, and seek to be an influence for raising more missionary and Japanese Kingdom workers in Japan."

Jesus Lover of My Soul

God's Amazing Grace

Reflecting on Michael Oh's blog about God's intervention in his life that subsequently led to God's intervention in Caleb's life has me in awe, once again, of God's Amazing Grace. I am reminded of the people and things God used in my life to call me to Himself when I was His enemy and living completely for myself. And the people and things He continues to use in my life because I still want things to go "my way" most of the time. I am so thankful for family members who kept praying for me (and Triston) when they saw no results. For the people who took the time to disciple us. For our home church that became like our second family. For God's patience with me, because He's not finished with me yet :-) The closer I get to Him, the more I realize what a "wretch" I am. Not was, am. But the good news is God loves me anyways! Not because of anything about me. It's all about Jesus and I am so grateful.

Despite Us, God Works (a blog post by Michael Oh)

Spring Break 1990 in Daytona Beach, Florida

I was a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania.

If it had been one year earlier I would have been at Daytona Beach to join in the partying. As it was, God had intervened mercifully in my life...

Aaron Keyes - Psalm 62

We're at about 50%!!!

We've been very encouraged by the Lord providing several new monthly partners recently! We are praying to get over that 50% hump and start moving towards 100%, but we need more partners. We are really hoping to be in Japan by late this summer (Lord willing). We have completed our training and now the only thing left is finances. MTW requires (as most mission organizations do) that we receive pledges for 100% of our needed monthly support, along with the needed money for one time expenses like airfare, etc., before we can be cleared to leave.

If you have been prayerfully considering partnering with us monthly and the Lord has confirmed an amount, you can send your pledge card in to MTW and it will help us get one step closer. What MTW needs to see is 100% pledged monthly. (If you need a pledge card, please let us know and we will be very happy to send you one:-)

If you haven't been considering partnering with us, would you? Japan is one of the most expensive places to live in the world and at times it is very tempting to just give up and say, "we can't do this". But thankfully, that's right where God wants us to be. We can't do it!! If He doesn't do it, it isn't going to happen. He's not going to give up on the people of Japan though and I'm certainly glad He didn't give up on me, so I'm not going to give up on Him.

Growing up in the US (especially in the south, "the Bible Belt"), it's hard to imagine not hearing about Jesus or being invited to a VBS or seeing a church on just about every corner. We take those things for granted. In Japan there are Buddhist temples everywhere instead of churches and shinto "traditions" instead of a real "relationship" with the One true God of the Universe. I think it's very hard for us, as Americans, to imagine. It's easy for us to think that because the Japanese "appear" to be doing OK, we don't need to be interfering with "their way of life". (I know I never really thought about the Japanese people as "needy" until the Lord laid it on my heart, but they have the greatest "need" of all!)

Everything is not OK in Japan. About 90 people a day commit suicide. Marriages and family relationships are in need of desperate help. Their gods of prosperity and luck can't comfort them when a loved one dies or give them strength to endure when they are diagnosed with a terminal illness. Buddha didn't die in their place to take away their sins so they could have eternal life. They need Jesus!

We are anxious to go and share our lives with the Japanese people whom God loves and created in His own image. We'd love for you to be a part of our team!