Vol. 1.3 - March 2011 - Click on the Prayer Letter to Enlarge

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Here is the Video from which the Patrick Fung Quote Comes:

Patrick Fung, Lausanne 2010 from OMF Media on Vimeo.

About this video:
"OMF General Director, Patrick Fung recently spoke at The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Capetown, South Africa. Patrick spoke to the gathering of over 4,000 mission and church leaders about the inadequacy of the mission concept of global equilibrium in understanding diversity in unity. He focuses on the Lord’s power, the Lord’s redemption and the Lord’s sovereignty."

Report On OMF Teams Serving In Tsunami Disaster Area

As delivered by Luke at the East Japan Earthquake Joint Prayer Meeting of
27 March 2011

The Above Figures of the Dead and Missing are Now Out of Date

SLIDE 1

It is with great heaviness that I speak of these recent happenings along the Tohoku coast of Japan. The Tohoku has been my home since I was four years old and, naturally, I wish with all my heart the I were there now, to be a part of the OMF team that has been working in the disaster area for over a week now. It is a consolation, however, to have the opportunity to share with you tonight the ways in which the Lord has been allowing this team to honour His name through their labour of love.

スライド １

先日東北地方沿岸部を中心とした大震災についてお話しすることは私にとって非常に辛いことであります。東北地方は私が4歳の頃からずっと私の故郷であり、私は心の底から今すぐにでも日本に帰国してOMFのチームが震災に遭われた地域で奉仕している支援活動に加わることが出来たらと願っています。

それが出来ないのが現実ですが、しかし、今夜こうして皆様に、どのようにして主がOMFチームの愛の働きをとおして主の御名が崇められているかを分かち合わせていただけることを感謝します。

Hokkaido Regional Director's Report - Tsunami Relief in Iwate (from this month's Japan Journal)

「あの日にかえりたい」

“I Want to Return to Those Days”

by Mike McGinty

The dawn had just broken as I walked alone with my thoughts on the frozen ground near the Kamaishi harbor surveying the unimaginable destruction that seemed incongruous to the promise of a beautiful new day. Overturned cars, large ships beached on the shore, twisted train tracks, heaps of mud, empty foundations where houses once stood, roads plowed through the piles of rubbish everywhere testified of the power of an ocean that had swept across several coastal towns in northern Honshu caused by the earthquake on March 11^th. Mountains of every kind of debris representing the lives of the town’s inhabitants lay exposed for all to see but one particular item caught my eye… an old 45 rpm record. I had not seen one in several years so I wiped off the mud revealing the title of the song「あの日にかえりたい」. (Translated: “I Want to Return to Those Days”)

As I stood there quietly in the midst of so much sadness this song, written in another era, seemed to represent the heart cry of the survivors who were trying to pick up the pieces of their lives. Our team of six, assisted by John Elliot and Martin Ghent, had traveled from Sapporo to assist people in returning to those days but our efforts seemed feeble in light of the enormous needs. Loved ones who were missing were unlikely to return home. Possessions and homes that were destroyed would not be easily replaced. Community life would never be the same again. Previous plans and dreams had been swept away by the tsunami and were now subject to a new, harsh reality. A life of waiting in lines for gasoline, food and basic necessities was the new ‘normal’. Sleepless nights in evacuation centers with hundreds of others on hard wooden floors, dealing with constant mud, cold, frequent aftershocks and lack of personal hygiene would only serve to intensify the longing for those days that would never return.

While it was hard to witness so much personal loss, we were struck even further by the lack of evangelical churches in the areas that had been hit the hardest by the tsunami. We came for a few days with our shovels to clear away the debris and cooked food to feed the hungry, but who would stay behind to feed souls and share about the God of hope who alone can rebuild broken lives? Even if these people could somehow return to those days of the past, their most critical need would remain unmet as they needed to return to the God who created them. Herein lays the greater challenge we must face as a mission while we continue to do what we can to minister to immediate physical needs. The God who pleaded with His people: “Now return to me, and I will return to you” (Malachi 3:7), desires the same for the Japanese who cannot return to those days of the past. May God use us all in the coming days to offer help and hope to those in need.

Our week long journey of 1,700 km and a 4 hour ferry is now over but what did we bring back with us besides a lot of dirty clothes?

• A greater admiration for the Japanese people—Their ability to absorb tremendous losses and move forward in community was a tremendous example to us on a daily basis.
  
  
  
  
  
• Thankfulness for our team and those who supported us—Our immediate team embodied the diversity of OMF with three Swiss (Dieter, Sam & Pascal), a Singaporean (Chai Hwa), a Canadian (Rowena) and a Texan/American (myself) yet God enabled us to work together closely in difficult circumstances using our individual gifts for His unique purposes. Throughout the trip we were also keenly aware of the larger team that stood behind us praying and assisting in countless ways.
• Appreciation for the generosity of God’s people—The church, the missionary community and supporters back home gave sacrificially of their goods, money and time as prompted by the Holy Spirit. This seemed to touch the lives of those we ministered to throughout the week when they asked where the supplies and assistance came from.
  
  
  
  
  
• Amazement at God’s provision, guidance and protection—The provision of special police permits for the toll ways, protection from injuries, extra stamina and patience for difficult circumstances, incident free travel, divine appointments and places to sleep each night were constant reminders of our Heavenly Father’s care.
• Excitement of seeing the church in action—We crossed paths with several pastors, churches and organizations eager to help and united in purpose, overcoming the things that often divide us.

John Elliot's Report - Tsunami Relief in Iwate - 31 March 2011

What is needed most?  That depends on who you are.

The Nagoya team had relief goods to deliver. Having heard about the Ofunato church, they arrived cheerfully, arms loaded with goodies, only to discover we were in no way ready to become a depot. It’s still pretty grubby in the church, and there’s a lot of construction stuff and tools strewn around. So, they cheerfully trucked it up to the City Office. It is needed.

Meanwhile, the Nagano team (Okuyama, Koumura, Mizikusa, Satoh and Ishikawa) were burning through jobs at a great rate.

Concentrating on outside work, they finished clearing away the crushed storage shed, raked, de-mudded and leveled the space around the building, cleaned a park, and helped the neighbors. They need help.

Inside, the Pastor and members of the Kita Kami Baptist church were preparing for drywalling. One is a retired electrician; he checked the wiring for problems, and rigged a temporary fix to allow the generator to electrify the wiring. We needed electricity.

We also needed toilets. Armin Messer cleaned one in a local park; it was operable- except for the 4 inches of mud. Ofunato member  Ms. Kumagai checked with the water department and determined we could use the sewers. Another member, Mrs. Nimura, cleaned the shower and toilet room; the Nagano team cleaned the toilet, I installed it, and Armin closed the room in with drywall. A toilet for us, and one for the neighborhood.

As the nearest public toilet is a 10 minute drive, they were definitely needed!

It has been a long day. But, a lot of needed stuff got done.

One step at a time.

John Elliot

March 31  

Laurie and a friend (another missionary) are going down Friday to deliver relief goods and bring John home for the weekend. Praying for good conversations as we deliver them.

John Elliot's Report - Tsunami Relief in Iwate - 30 March 2011

Last night, a group of people showed up with a refrigerator for the Tono house. They also had a 45 gallon drum of fuel. In my semi-aware state of fatigue, I understood it was kerosene to be delivered to Ofunato. I assumed it was for the shelters. They assumed I knew what I was doing. Bad news.

John Elliot's Report - Tsunami Relief in Iwate - 29 March 2011

. . . how do we process what we’ve seen?  

While I was attacking the mud today 4 Junior High girls walked down the street. They too were looking for people to help (theoretically: I must admit, it looked a lot like 4 girls walking down the street having a good time). They spotted me, stopped in their tracks, and yelled “Gaijin!” (Foreigner! - not very PC, but, you get used to it).

This was a window of opportunity. I addressed them in English, and they just couldn’t resist coming closer for a look. The upshot was that, 2 minutes later they were washing down the parking lot. They worked very happily, asking how to say this and that in English. They seemed very carefree and lighthearted. We sat down to take a break, and I asked, “How are you doing? Are your houses okay?

The boldest, most talkative one piped up; ”Nope, my house is gone. I’m in a shelter.”

The other one decided to try English; ”My car - go river.”

Another added, “We don’t know where our car is”.

“Some of our classmates lost their parents.” One said, calmly.

Another added, “Yeah, and there was that school where the parents all went in the car to get their kids, got in a traffic jam, and died when the ripple came.”

“Did you hear the story of the boy in Omoto who went into town as soon as class was over to get chocolate for his girlfriend, and got caught in the ripple?” (They were calling the tsunami a rippuru, Japanese pronunciation for ripple.)

I was getting a bit uncomfortable. It was as though they were talking about something they saw on TV, not something that had devastated their town 2 weeks before. These were 13 and 14 year old girls. The break ended, and they went back to work, chattering and joking as before. Iwate people are famous for their stoicism, but I think this must be something else.

John Elliot's Report - Tsunami Relief in Iwate - 28 March 2011

Country towns rise early: TONO’s chime goes off at 6:00. I got up and had devotions, started my sermon for next week, grabbed some breakfast, and set out with Karen Ellrick, one half of the Tono house team. The Ellricks have no wheels, so Karen needed a ride for shopping. I needed a whole lot of drywall. We asked about drywall and insulation for the Ofunato Church at the information center near the station. We were directed to a building supplier who had what I needed. Half of the total amount was all the truck would carry; I will have to get the rest tomorrow. Karen shopped for household goods at the nearby 100 yen store, and I bought a huge amount of office supplies for the OFUNATO City Office. They are running on paper rather than computers these days, and were running short.