God is good. His work is amazing. He provides everything. Iwaki was truly a blessing. The fellowship with all the people at the Global Mission Chapel was amazing. The spirit of the Lord filled the church. It was amazing. Absolutely amazing.
The day started a little earlier than I like. We headed out to Ishinomaki at 3A.M. Our plan was to serve food to the people at 8A.M, so we had to leave at 3A.M to make it to Ishinomaki in time. Luckily I was able to sleep in the back seat. God has truly blessed us with Yu. She is our translator/driver. She drove almost the whole way to Ishinomaki. Her heart is a serving heart. God bless her.
When we arrived to the city, you could see the destruction of the tsunami/earthquake. Pictures and videos do not compare till you see it with your own eyes. One thing that stood out was a pile of garbage(pieces of homes, trees, etc.). This pile was almost a block long and 50+ feet high. It was a very sad site. It's hard to describe the emotions I felt when I saw this.
We arrived at our destination where we were to prepare and serve food to victims of the tragedy. It was raining for most of the morning. Before we started anything we prayed. We prayed that if it were to rain it would rain, but if God were to stop the rain, it would truly be a blessing. The power of prayer is amazing. The rain stopped a half an hour later. The weather was great the rest of the day. God is good.
To serve the victims of the tsunami was truly a blessing. They were so thankful for the work that was being done for them. Smiles were on the faces of eveyone. It was a honor to help.
The people of Japan are in such need of help. There is much work still needed to be done. More importantly, they are in need of prayer. Please pray for the people of Japan. I pray they will be open and willing to listen to us. I pray that they will learn that God is the answer during this rough time. Our God is a loving God.
God is good.
Jordan
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Day 3 In Iwaki
Wow, just finished eating dinner with 55 other people. Our team made Thai Curry tonight and it was a huge hit. For lunch we made Hawaii style poke over rice, which was new for most everyone, and well received. Yesterday we made pasta thee different ways, lemon butter, anchovy olive oil and a Japanese style spagetti dish that used hot dog, bacon, ketchup, mayo, okonomiyaki sauce and onion. The Japanese people really like that style, the others were hitting the anchovy and lemon butter.
We will leave heer at 3am this morning enroute to Ishinomaki to do work with a partner church.
What a praise these past few days have been. The worship and praise has been awesome, the devotion time is great and the staff here has been so good to us.
Although I have not been out in the field since we got here, Jason, Jordan and Haj has, I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the volunteers by preparing the meals. Pastor Mori reminded us all this morning that it doesn't matter what your job may be, every job is important in God's eyes. One thing that I really appreciated about being at this church in Japan. It was clearly evident that the Pastor does not control this place of worship. He allows the people to do what God has called them to do, serve. Pastor Mori is a good Shepard, very open to letting others take a lead in their gifted areas, much like Pastor Joe.
Global Mission Chapel is a very vibrant and active church in the relief and recovery effort. We worked along side people from Norway, Finland, Korea, Hawaii, Canada, Denver, and of course many from Japan. One mother and her two teen sons drove from Kumamoto, a 32 hour drive, one way! I would highly recommend a return team to GMC, there is much work to be done. We even have an open offer from a a man who has offered to be our transportation on the next trip, he is an ex-pat who does transportation as his ministry.
Jordan will share tomorrow about the work that our team did.
Thank you all for your prayers, thoughts and comments. Have to sleep now. Wake up alarm in 3 hours.
Aloha,
Mike for the team
We will leave heer at 3am this morning enroute to Ishinomaki to do work with a partner church.
What a praise these past few days have been. The worship and praise has been awesome, the devotion time is great and the staff here has been so good to us.
Although I have not been out in the field since we got here, Jason, Jordan and Haj has, I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the volunteers by preparing the meals. Pastor Mori reminded us all this morning that it doesn't matter what your job may be, every job is important in God's eyes. One thing that I really appreciated about being at this church in Japan. It was clearly evident that the Pastor does not control this place of worship. He allows the people to do what God has called them to do, serve. Pastor Mori is a good Shepard, very open to letting others take a lead in their gifted areas, much like Pastor Joe.
Global Mission Chapel is a very vibrant and active church in the relief and recovery effort. We worked along side people from Norway, Finland, Korea, Hawaii, Canada, Denver, and of course many from Japan. One mother and her two teen sons drove from Kumamoto, a 32 hour drive, one way! I would highly recommend a return team to GMC, there is much work to be done. We even have an open offer from a a man who has offered to be our transportation on the next trip, he is an ex-pat who does transportation as his ministry.
Jordan will share tomorrow about the work that our team did.
Thank you all for your prayers, thoughts and comments. Have to sleep now. Wake up alarm in 3 hours.
Aloha,
Mike for the team
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Our Day in Iwaki City
Our first full day in Iwaki
Hello this is Jason,
Where do I begin? I will start with waking up at 5:30 AM to hit the shower before others begin waking up, 5 min shower, record time in my book! After that I opened the morning with my Daily Bread. At that time Jordan was awake and I asked him if he wanted to join me and he agreed and we shared our quiet time together. The verse of the day was Matthew 6:16, "When you fast, do not be like the hypocrites." Gods word spoke to me and this is what I learned; We can all do fancy things in order to gain acknowledgement from our peers , but for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, we worship or fast between us and God, no one else needs to know.
After that, we had an awesome morning of praise worship and prayer. Followed by the AM meeting where we found out what we would be doing for the day. Our team volunteered to clean the house, then prepare the volunteers lunch and dinner. Our team, along with Yuko-san as our grocery guide, went to a nearby grocery store to get the ingredients. After that, Jordan, Haj and I went to a relief center about a 50 minute drive away to serve a Maguro dinner to about 30 displaced people. After prep and serving and eating, we had time to interact with some of the people. Haj was able to sit and talk to two men and gave massages, while Jordan and I played with the children until it was time to leave. It seemed that the children enjoyed playing with some new people:)
We then returned to Global Missions Chapel just in time for PM meeting (worship and sharing what you and your team had done today). Finished dishes then went out for ice cream. Great way to end a busy busy busy long day. :)
Hello this is Jason,
Where do I begin? I will start with waking up at 5:30 AM to hit the shower before others begin waking up, 5 min shower, record time in my book! After that I opened the morning with my Daily Bread. At that time Jordan was awake and I asked him if he wanted to join me and he agreed and we shared our quiet time together. The verse of the day was Matthew 6:16, "When you fast, do not be like the hypocrites." Gods word spoke to me and this is what I learned; We can all do fancy things in order to gain acknowledgement from our peers , but for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, we worship or fast between us and God, no one else needs to know.
After that, we had an awesome morning of praise worship and prayer. Followed by the AM meeting where we found out what we would be doing for the day. Our team volunteered to clean the house, then prepare the volunteers lunch and dinner. Our team, along with Yuko-san as our grocery guide, went to a nearby grocery store to get the ingredients. After that, Jordan, Haj and I went to a relief center about a 50 minute drive away to serve a Maguro dinner to about 30 displaced people. After prep and serving and eating, we had time to interact with some of the people. Haj was able to sit and talk to two men and gave massages, while Jordan and I played with the children until it was time to leave. It seemed that the children enjoyed playing with some new people:)
We then returned to Global Missions Chapel just in time for PM meeting (worship and sharing what you and your team had done today). Finished dishes then went out for ice cream. Great way to end a busy busy busy long day. :)
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
New Look Same Blog
While trying to figure out how to upload photos to our blog, I changed the template design to a "new" template and can't figure out how to change it back. Haha, and I still didn't figure out how to upload pics. Oh well, hope you like the new look. It matches our day right now, as it is raining lightly and there is water on our front window. It is 4:25 am Japan time and I have been awake for an hour. The other thre are sleeping, all with distinct "breathing patterns" that are quite funny.
I just felt the building shake, another aftershock. It is the second one I felt here since arriving in Fukushima. I actually heard this mini quake before I felt it. Weird but yeah, I heard it.
Today we will be working in Global Mission Chapel kitchen, preparing the meals for the 25 volunteers. We will go shopping and purchase food for lunch and dinner, then prepare and cook. We have had a request for pasta and Mexican food. We' ll see what is at the food store and take it from there. Pray for us please, that we will be equipped to prepare a decent meal. Last night we ate miso soup, onigiri, kim chi, salad and stewed daikon. Great meal, pray that our meal is acceptable whatever He plans for us.
We will also have the opportunity to meet more people from Iwaki City, share brownies and cards, listen to their stories, and spread his love.
Thanking you for your prayer.
Arigato,
Mike for the Team
I just felt the building shake, another aftershock. It is the second one I felt here since arriving in Fukushima. I actually heard this mini quake before I felt it. Weird but yeah, I heard it.
Today we will be working in Global Mission Chapel kitchen, preparing the meals for the 25 volunteers. We will go shopping and purchase food for lunch and dinner, then prepare and cook. We have had a request for pasta and Mexican food. We' ll see what is at the food store and take it from there. Pray for us please, that we will be equipped to prepare a decent meal. Last night we ate miso soup, onigiri, kim chi, salad and stewed daikon. Great meal, pray that our meal is acceptable whatever He plans for us.
We will also have the opportunity to meet more people from Iwaki City, share brownies and cards, listen to their stories, and spread his love.
Thanking you for your prayer.
Arigato,
Mike for the Team
Awesome Day In Iwaki City
We made it to Iwaki City after a five hour drive. The traffic was very light, praises because it could have been a longer drive with traffic.
We all were welcomed by the church administrator, Yuko san, who welcomed us with such warmth! After registering us and showing us around, we were free until dinner time. We are at the Global Mission Chapel (GBC), a huge building which was a former Pachinko parlor used for gambling. The City government recently partnered with GBC to give away donated goods to the citizens of Iwaki. Every day people can come to GBC and after a short interview, they can come and sit and talk, receive free goods, and children can play with volunteers.
We got to meet and talk with the different volunteers who are from Japan, Korea, USA, and even Norway. it was fun sharing our backgrounds. The Life Support Center or Cafe as it is known, was where we brought the brownies and cards. I can not write about the joy that was on the faces of the volunteers as they saw the brownies and read the cards. They all said that it was a GREAT idea and they were sooooooo thankful. They began to hand out the brownies and cards to people who were in the Cafe. Everyone loved the cards, many compliments. Prayerfully, the words will help relieve the pain from the disaster.
One family actually came back to the Cafe with a neighbor to get them a card and brownie pack and a young teen boy came back for brownies for his 7 brothers and sisters!
Thank you all for your efforts to make cards and bake brownies, God is using them for his glory!
We all were welcomed by the church administrator, Yuko san, who welcomed us with such warmth! After registering us and showing us around, we were free until dinner time. We are at the Global Mission Chapel (GBC), a huge building which was a former Pachinko parlor used for gambling. The City government recently partnered with GBC to give away donated goods to the citizens of Iwaki. Every day people can come to GBC and after a short interview, they can come and sit and talk, receive free goods, and children can play with volunteers.
We got to meet and talk with the different volunteers who are from Japan, Korea, USA, and even Norway. it was fun sharing our backgrounds. The Life Support Center or Cafe as it is known, was where we brought the brownies and cards. I can not write about the joy that was on the faces of the volunteers as they saw the brownies and read the cards. They all said that it was a GREAT idea and they were sooooooo thankful. They began to hand out the brownies and cards to people who were in the Cafe. Everyone loved the cards, many compliments. Prayerfully, the words will help relieve the pain from the disaster.
One family actually came back to the Cafe with a neighbor to get them a card and brownie pack and a young teen boy came back for brownies for his 7 brothers and sisters!
Thank you all for your efforts to make cards and bake brownies, God is using them for his glory!
In Fukushima Prefecture Iwaki City
Made our way up north to the Tohoku area via Yu chan's fantastic driving and Daisuke's prompting. Was awed by the devastating power of the tsunami and the earthquake. We are currently staying at the Global Mission Chapel near the downtown area of Iwaki working with other volunteers. Tomorrow we cook for the relief program. Weather has been relatively cool according to the locals. Thanks again for your prayers.
Blessings,
Haj
Blessings,
Haj
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Arrival
greetings from Japan! Yes, we all made it safely. The weather as expected is hot and humid and a lot of people. we are currently waiting for our ride to Ichinomiya. Mike and I were seated in business class and the service was so good I had three meals and a wonderful dessert! Man, I literally rolled off the plane after hiding all those groceries and was smiling all the way to customs!
thanks for all your prayers,
Haj
thanks for all your prayers,
Haj
We Arrived in Tokyo Safely
We are all here safely. The flight was shorter than scheduled by 50 minutes. Favorable winds I guess.
We feel good, a bit tired which is good because it is 10:00 pm here yet our watches show 7 am California time.
Jordan and Jason were able to stretch out in three seats across and managed to get some sleep. Haj and I had to tough it out in Executive Class seats. Haj fully enjoyed the all you can eat order anytime menu. He ordered a beef sukiyaki set with an extra bowl of rice, then a mini set of misoyaki butterfish and rice, then later, curry rice for breakfast! Dude can put away some groceries!
We are waiting for our ride. Daisuke, Cheryl, Kimikazu and Yu-chan are coming with a big van and Kimi's small van.
Looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us!
We feel good, a bit tired which is good because it is 10:00 pm here yet our watches show 7 am California time.
Jordan and Jason were able to stretch out in three seats across and managed to get some sleep. Haj and I had to tough it out in Executive Class seats. Haj fully enjoyed the all you can eat order anytime menu. He ordered a beef sukiyaki set with an extra bowl of rice, then a mini set of misoyaki butterfish and rice, then later, curry rice for breakfast! Dude can put away some groceries!
We are waiting for our ride. Daisuke, Cheryl, Kimikazu and Yu-chan are coming with a big van and Kimi's small van.
Looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us!
Monday, July 25, 2011
On Board and Ready for Japan
We made it through check in, security and boarding. Waiting to push back in 10 minutes. Praise God for great seats.
Aloha
Aloha
In Fremont Packing for Japan
Jason and I arrived safely at 6:15 am this morning. He crashed and I ran errands. Slept for a few hours, then met up with Haj. Finishing up the packing and getting ready for the drive to the airport. Lot's of boxes and bags to take.
Thank you Japan Airlines for taking good care of us!
Thank you Japan Airlines for taking good care of us!
Blessings Continue for our Team
Praise God for awesome timing. See the email below just received from Christian Surfers Japan
Hey Mike,
How are you? Getting ready to be here soon?
We have been given some money from some churches to help with Tohoku. As we can't send up a team this month we would like to help you guys out with helping pay for gas and tollways. Just need someone to write a short report about the trip and how God uses you guys. We will send this report onto the churches. I will leave about 30000yen in the glove compartment of the car. Please keep all the reciepts so we can account for the money.
Look forward to catching up with you guys.
Blessings,
Dave
Hey Mike,
How are you? Getting ready to be here soon?
We have been given some money from some churches to help with Tohoku. As we can't send up a team this month we would like to help you guys out with helping pay for gas and tollways. Just need someone to write a short report about the trip and how God uses you guys. We will send this report onto the churches. I will leave about 30000yen in the glove compartment of the car. Please keep all the reciepts so we can account for the money.
Look forward to catching up with you guys.
Blessings,
Dave
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Getting Ready To Return To California
Jason and I along with Jody and her two sisters have been in Honolulu for the past few days, preparing for a memorial service.
Jody's mother Charlotte Ching, went to be with the Lord and the family will celebrate her life tomorrow. Please pray for the Ching family, especially Jody's father Godfrey. Jody and Chase will remain in Honolulu while Jason and I return tonight in order to prepare for our departure to Japan. Please pray for our safe travel and for our preparations as a team for tomorrow evenings departure.
Jody's mother Charlotte Ching, went to be with the Lord and the family will celebrate her life tomorrow. Please pray for the Ching family, especially Jody's father Godfrey. Jody and Chase will remain in Honolulu while Jason and I return tonight in order to prepare for our departure to Japan. Please pray for our safe travel and for our preparations as a team for tomorrow evenings departure.
Worship in Kahuku Hawaii Sunday Morning
Got a big boost from worship service today at Hope Chapel Kahuku. The message was titled "The Power of God's Word" from the book of Hebrews 4:12-13.
God used this time to calm my heart about the upcoming mission trip to Japan. My worries of not being ready, forgetting something, cancelations, a whole lot of stuff. I was reassured again that GOD is in control and through prayer and obedience, he will lead us!
Thank you Lord for your word, your strength, and your comfort.
God used this time to calm my heart about the upcoming mission trip to Japan. My worries of not being ready, forgetting something, cancelations, a whole lot of stuff. I was reassured again that GOD is in control and through prayer and obedience, he will lead us!
Thank you Lord for your word, your strength, and your comfort.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Our First Blog
Welcome to the 2011 Tohoku-Chiba Japan Mission Team Blog Site. This is our first attempt at mission field blogging. We have no idea how this will work so bear with us. Please check often for updates, photos, and experiences. Thank you for your prayers and support.
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