I’m titling this blog “final thoughts”, but I hope it doesn’t actually work out to be the last time I post about this subject.  Pauline and I will begin a six-month home assignment in January, so I won’t be able to get back to Iwate prefecture for some time.  From what I’ve heard, however, the relief and recovery efforts will take a long time.  People who live in government-sponsored temporary housing facilites have been promised two years of residency, after which they will (supposedly) have to move out.  That means that there is a possibility for me to make further trips even through March of 2013.

I’m adding this postscript, if you can call it that, because of what happened on the day Matt and I left Miyako to head back to Fujisawa.  We were able to meet with Pastor Iwatsuka of Miyako Community Church for breakfast at a McDonalds in town, and had a great conversation with him.  I had met him on my first trip, and had seen from a distance his pastoral compassion for people, but had not had a chance to talk with him.  During this trip, and especially while eating breakfast with him, I got to see more of what is in his heart.

With Pastor Iwatsuka at McDonalds in Miyako

We got on to the topic of the training that he and other full-time Christian workers in the area have had for ministering to people who have experienced such trauma in their lives.  Pastor Iwatsuka said that in the days soon after the tsunami that some pastors had been given some basic training, but they desperately need more.  They need to provide a more thoroughgoing care for people who are still dealing with the shock of suffering and loss, while trying to rebuild their lives.

They also need care themselves.  Pastor Iwatsuka mentioned that on the previous day in making visits to people in the temporary housing units he had spoken with about 150 individuals.  That makes for a long, intense day!  And this has been going on since March 11.  He said that sometimes he goes out from his home standing straight and tall, full of joy, but comes home with his shoulders drooping and his head bowed down from the weight of peoples problems.

Please understand that this pastor is not complaining.  If anything he is thankful to have the chance to provide “care for people’s hearts”.  He is also excited that a certain number have opened their hearts to listen to the good news about Jesus and to consider believing in Him.

I came away each time from my trips to Miyako with a sense of joy that I had been able to help in this incredible ministry to some wonderful people.  At the same time, I am not fooling myself by thinking that what I have done in just a few days has made a huge difference.  My contributions, and those by others who make short trips, is relatively small.  But put together the total efforts of volunteers since March 11, and place that within the day-to-day ministries of those who actually live and work full time in Miyako (and other places along the coast of northeast Honshu island), and the end result is something incredibly significant.

I pray for Pastor Iwatsuka, for Michio Nagata, and others in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures who by their faithful and constant presence bring help and hope to many needy people.  I pray that God will heal their tiredness and provide them with new strength to continue.  I know that He is working in and through them, and it has been my great privilege to get to know and work with them, even if for a short time.

On our last day of volunteer work (December 1), we went to a temporary housing unit in the town of Yamada, just to the south of Miyako.  As was the case on the previous day, this was a place I had visited on my first trip in October, and it was great to recognize people and be remembered.

I was asked to sit on the front porch of the community center and play my banjo while volunteers and staff went around to knock on doors and invite people to come out.  Once we had a number of people come in to the building, we started the program.  It followed the same pattern as the previous day: I did about 20 minutes of banjo while the residents were treated to lunch and coffee, and then the Robbins taught everyone how to make Christmas wreaths.  After the program, the residents were given a chance to go through the winter clothes, scarves and hats that the Robbins brought to find something to take home.

Residents proudly show off their hand-made Christmas wreaths

Residents looking for warm winter clothing

It was great to have everyone sing along with me on a couple of songs!  One was “Grandfathers Clock”, which has been known in Japan and given new life by popular recording artist Ken Hirai.  The other tune was “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”, which is the most well-known Christian song in this country.  It’s often sung at Christian-style weddings, which have become popular over the last few decades.

There was one major difference I noticed between the temporary housing units in Miyako and Yamada.  In Miyako, which has a larger population and therefore many more of these units scattered within the city limits, there is a Social Welfare Cooperative Association which has responsibility for the buildings and the residents.  On the previous day we saw a gentleman in an orange vest (visible in one of the pictures from yesterday’s blog), who worked for the association and made sure our event went smoothly.

In Yamada, however, things are structured differently.  One of the residents of the temporary housing facility was chosen to be the Neighborhood Association president, and she connects with the town government and works with volunteer groups.  This woman was there at our event on this day, and because she lives there she knew much more about this new, temporary community.  She helped us as volunteers really connect with the residents!

Pastor Iwatsuka with the Neighborhood Association president

The next day Matt and I were to head back to Fujisawa, and it seemed to us that the time in Iwate working as volunteers had gone by so quickly!  We knew that we had done very little in comparison with the long-term needs of the victims of the tsunami.  But we were grateful that we were part of a larger team: other volunteers who from right after the earthquake and tsunami keep going to the disaster areas to help out, pastors, missionaries and others who live in the area and work full-time in disaster relief, and generous people in a number of countries who have sent contributions to make possible the work that continues today.  For me that especially includes people in Covenant churches in North America who have contributed through Covenant World Relief.

Full-time worker Michio Nagata counseling with a resident

One of the great things about returning to volunteer in Miyako was that I got to visit a couple of places I had helped at in October.  On Wednesday, November 30, we went to a temporary housing facility in Taro, which is a more rural part of the city.  As people gathered at the housing facility, all I had to say was “Do you remember the takoyaki?” (Takoyaki are small dumplings with bits of octopus and other things mixed in)  People immediately remembered the time when another volunteer group I was with prepared this and a noodle dish for the residents.  It seemed to mean a lot to them that I had remembered them and had come back for another visit.

Once again I played my banjo.  This time people were eating a simple lunch as I played, and at times it seemed like they weren’t really listening.  But afterward one woman spoke of how music really speaks to her heart, and how little music is available in the temporary housing facility.

We were joined by David and Naomi Robbins, missionaries with another organization who work in Nagano prefecture.  They came with boxes full of winter clothing, jackets, and scarfs and hats knit by a woman in their church.  The residents were very excited to have the chance to look for things they could wear as winter approached.

David and Naomi also brought supplies for making Christmas wreaths.  As Naomi taught the residents how to do this, and David provided assistance, we could see that everyone was excited to have something to brighten their living quarters.  I would assume that most of them had lost not only their homes to the tsunami, but also pictures and decorations.  Making their own wreaths and putting them up in their new (if temporary) homes seemed to bring a glimmer of joy.

Women in the Taro housing facility making Christmas wreaths

Matt and I were available to help with distributing food and cleaning up afterward, as well as to provide whatever assistance David and Naomi needed with the wreath-making.  Let me say a word about Matt.  He came along with me to Miyako not knowing what help he could offer, but with a willingness to do whatever he was asked.  Michio Nagata told me that he was just the kind of volunteer who was most welcome.  Matt cheerfully responded when asked to do something, and tried to find other things to do without being asked.  He only spoke a bit of Japanese, but I’m sure his good attitude communicated much to the other volunteers as well as the residents of the temporary housing facilities.

Matt cutting up cardboard boxes to make rings for wreath-making

One other note.  I saw one addition to the housing facilities, and that was that each apartment had its own “front porch”.  Just a small enclosed area with a sliding door attached to the front door, this kind of porch will serve in the winter as a place to brush snow off coats and boots, and will be one more barrier against the cold.  I didn’t see any of these on any of the temporary housing buildings in October, so a lot of time and effort had gone into building them.  It was a reminder to me that a very long and cold winter is coming, and made me wonder how these residents will fare.

After my time in October helping out in the tsunami areas of the Pacific coast of Iwate prefecture, I was eager to get back and help once again.  The week of November 28-December 2 gave me that chance.  This time I went with Matt Williams.  Matt is 25, and is from Redeemer Covenant Church in Minneapolis, MN – one of our faithful supporting churches.

Matt and I left early on the morning of Monday the 28th, and took the same route I travelled when I went up in October.  We left the Tohoku express highway in Ichinoseki, and went due east to the coastal city of Kesennuma.  From there we worked our way north up the coast to the city of Miyako.  Since I had been there before, it was good to see it through Matt’s eyes, as he was looking on the devastation for the first time.

Devastation from the tsunami remains in the port city of Kesennuma

What struck me there, as it did in the other cities and towns along the coast, was how little had changed.  The rubble was perhaps a bit more sorted through and put in neat piles, and there was some construction work to improve roads and clear out remaining concrete foundations.  But overall the scenes weren’t too much different than six weeks earlier.  Perhaps it was unrealistic to expect much change.  In any case, I came away with a sense of how enormous the tasks of hauling away rubble and rebuilding communities continue to be.

Sorted piles of rubble in Taro

Matt and I arrived in Miyako as it was getting dark.  We had nothing to do that night but get settled in and await the next morning.  Tuesday, November 29, started with blue skies, but quickly turned overcast.  It would be gray skies each day until the day we left.

After meeting with Pastor Kazuo Iwatsuka of Miyako Community Church, Michio Nagata (the young man from one of our Japan Covenant churches who now works full-time in relief efforts) and other volunteers outside of the Miyako train station, we went on to a temporary housing unit where we bagged supplies for distribution to about 100 homes.  The supplies included laundry detergent, fragrant bath salts, and chemical packs that when crushed give off heat to warm cold hands.  Interestingly, the laundry detergent is specifically made for drying clothes indoors after washing – residents of the temporary housing units do not have clothes dryers, and most do not have laundry poles for drying clothes outside.  Some of the 100 bags of supplies were distributed that morning, while the rest were distributed at other housing units over the next two days.

Bagging supplies for distribution in the temporary housing units in Miyako

Our next job was to put on a “mobile cafe” for the residents.  We had coffee, tea and some baked goods ready for whomever came to the community room in the midst of the housing unit.  Pastor Iwatsuka said, however, that this would be the first time a group of volunteers from the 3.11 Iwate Church Network had visited, and he told us not to be surprised if no one came to the community room.

Pastor Iwatsuka was ready for this.  He had asked me to bring my banjo to Miyako, and on this day he asked me to sit outside the community building and play!  As I did, one woman and then another poked their heads outside their doors to see what was going on.  That gave Pastor Iwatsuka and the other volunteers the opportunity to chat with them, and to encourage them to come for coffee.  After only ten minutes we had a small group gathered outside to listen to the banjo.  They seemed to enjoy talking to our staff, and with each other.

Hoping for an audience!

With Pastor Iwatsuka as residents begin to come to listen

...and they came!

One of the things that seems to be lacking in the daily lives of people in the temporary housing units is music.  I was glad to be able to offer a bit of that, even though bluegrass and the banjo are relatively unknown here.

Beyond that, Pastor Iwatsuka was quite excited to be able to get into yet another government provided temporary housing unit in his city.  This was a good beginning, and from this should come opportunities to develop relationships, find out what needs people have, and provide some loving care and attention to those who have lost so much.

Our original plan was for Grant to head back home on Saturday, as he had ministry obligations on Sunday.  I intended to stay until the following Tuesday, in order to help more in the relief efforts.  I also wanted to attend worship at Morioka Bible Baptist Church, the church which the Japan Covenant began cooperating with after the tsunami.

Unfortunately, Michio let us know that there would not be any work I could help with during that time.  It turns out that volunteer teams tend to arrive on a Monday, and leave on a Friday or Saturday.  That pattern has been going on for several months now, and it was not possible to create work just for me to do on Saturday and Monday.  There was also nothing scheduled for Friday, so Grant and I decided we would head back together that day.

Base camp worker Michio Nagata

It was disappointing for me not to be able to stay and help longer.  At the same time, I had heard from Michio and others how important it is for volunteers to go with the real needs on the ground, and not place personal satisfaction or agendas ahead of this.  So I gave thanks to God for what I had been able to be part of, and Grant and I headed home.

Taro base camp, our home for a few days

Friday morning dawned bright and beautiful, and on our way from Taro to Miyako we stopped at a scenic spot to take some pictures.  Looking at the beauty of the ocean from this location made it seem like the tsunami had never happened.

From there we drove into Miyako, and stopped for breakfast at a McDonalds.  While we were eating, a young man walked by our table and greeted us in English with a “Good morning!”  He quickly moved on, but five minutes later was back again to try talking with us in our language.  After a bit he caught on that we could speak Japanese, and switched to that.  We spent about half an hour getting acquainted.

This young man works in and elder-care facility.  He lives in Miyako, but was away from home when the tsunami hit.  Coming home and seeing the destruction was quite a shock.  He went on to ask us why we were in his town, he was quite moved to hear that we were helping with disaster relief.  I thought he was going to open up more with us, but perhaps hearing that we were involved in Christian church work, he switched the conversation to American sports (he’s a Boston Celtics fan!) and politics.

He and I exchanged phone and email information, and have become friends on Facebook.  We hope to get together when I head back to Taro/Miyako at the end of November.  So I left the base camp in Taro feeling somewhat disappointed that there was no more work for me to do, and yet meeting the young man at the McDonalds was a blessing – maybe even something God was doing and will continue in the future!

God is definitely at work in Iwate prefecture, and in other areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami.  People in crisis are being cared for.  Christians from a variety of church backgrounds are coming together to serve in Jesus’ name.  And those of us who serve are learning lessons about humility and being a servant.  What direction will all this take in the future?  I have no idea.  But I look forward to getting back and seeing my new friends, and doing what I can to help out.

Sunrise on the beautiful Iwate coast

On Thursday, our second full day, volunteers from the other churches went to the town of Kamaishi to help out.  That left Grant and me to work with Michio on food distribution.  We first went to a house in the center of Miyako, which was being rented by a group of churches from Hokkaido.  There we met with several of the volunteers from these churches, and together put together more than thirty bags of groceries.  The bags included potatoes, onions, green peppers and a box mix for making curry.

Bags of food ready for distribution

One of the difficulties people have faced in the aftermath of the tsunami is the inequity of the suffering.  Those who have lost homes and have been moved into government-run temporary housing units, like the ones we visited the day before, receive many kinds of assistance.  It would seem at first that those whose homes were not destroyed in the tsunami were very fortunate.  Yet because they did not lose their homes, they are in some ways ignored by the systems that have been established to help people in need.  They may have a house to sleep in, and yet may have lost jobs, cars, or other things people rely on each day.

A residential street that seems unaffected by the disaster

For this reason we took the bags of groceries back to Taro, and went inland and uphill, away from the lowland areas and the ruin left by the tsunami.  Along two narrow streets, each next to a rushing creek, are houses that are intact.  They make it seem like everyone who lives there have not been affected by the disaster.  But these are the houses we visited, offering at each place a bag of food.

Bringing bags of food to homes along one street

We were instructed to identify ourselves as being sent by the Miyako Community Church, the only Christian church in the area.  Non-Christians in this town would not have felt any connection to my church in Fujisawa, several hundreds of miles away.  But they recognized the name of the local church, and our reaching out in the church’s name may provide for further opportunities for a caring contact.

We were also told to take time to listen to anyone who seemed to want to talk.  Michio was the best at doing this, because he has been living and working out of the base camp for several months now, and has gotten to know so many of the people in the area.  But many seemed eager to talk with those of us who had only been in town for a few days.

Volunteers chatting with one of the villagers

One such person was a woman we met on the street.  She was just getting back home from Miyako, where she had been to see her doctor about her blood pressure.  An older woman who walked with a cane, the trip into the city and back by bus (more than half an hour each way, with only one bus each hour) was about all she had energy for that day.  With no car and no food store within walking distance, I wondered what she was planning to do for supper.  She was quite happy to get a bag of food from us, and very willing to share about her health concerns.

As we visited with her and others who lived on these two streets, I noticed several things.  First, everyone welcomed us once they knew that we were connected to the local church.  Second, no one was embarrassed to receive some food.  On the other hand, there was no sense of anyone feeling that they were entitled to it either.  At one home a woman asked if we also had rice, which we did not.  At another, a woman asked if she could get a couple more bags of food for friends who were visiting, but since we were at the end of our supplies, we had to say no.  In neither case was there resentment or anger; both women smiled and expressed gratitude for what we were able to bring.

Michio told me later that the local government is very much aware of what this 3.11 Iwate Church Network is doing.  At the beginning, this new organization met with local officials to find out what the needs are and what the might do to help.  As I wrote about above, there are some people who fall through the cracks in the government relief programs, so city and town officials have been grateful for the local church and volunteers who can fill these needs.

Michio's van, with decals for the Japan Covenant's "United Project" and the 3.11 Iwate Church Network

Going door-to-door to bring bags of food may not seem like much.  We only covered 30-40 homes, and only for one afternoon.  But I believe that as Christian volunteers have continued this ministry for many months, and will continue to do so, significant relationships will be established with people who have lost so much in the tsunami.  As we did in the previous day, we let people know that they are not forgotten.  Not forgotten by people who are concerned, and not forgotten by a God who loves them.

On our first full day in Tohoku, we woke up at seven a.m. for morning devotions.  One of the pastors in the group spoke about mustard seed and leaven.  He talked about how our work may seem small, but what God is doing in the midst of it may turn out to be greater than we could have imagined.

After breakfast, some of the volunteers went ahead to a temporary housing facility to set up for what we would be doing there.  Five of us stayed behind at the base camp to welcome a woman from the town of Taro, who read from a story book about a tsunami that had occurred there many years ago.  She then spoke of her own experience in the tsunami that occurred in March, of how she ran to check on her children at school, ran back to her house to get a few things, and then ran for higher ground – all the while wondering if the coming tsunami would hit before she could get to safety.

Hearing the story of a previous tsunami

We then went to “Taro temporary housing #5″, a group of buildings put up shortly after the tsunami to house people who had lost their homes, or whose homes were unlivable.  There at the community center in the middle of the buildings we put on a simple lunch.  A man in one of the volunteer groups was able to make soba noodles from scratch, and some of the volunteers helped him.  The rest of us worked on making “takoyaki”, or little round dumplings filled with bits of octopus, shrimp, and other things.  Grant and I were quickly put to work helping to make these!

Temporary housing units in Taro

Making soba noodles while a resident looks on

Gary and Grant making takoyaki

Takoyaki - ready to eat!

As the two teams worked, some of the residents of the temporary homes came out to the community center to see what we were doing, and to enjoy the food.  Our work was not only to feed them, but to talk with them, hear their stories, and find out how they were doing.  Pastor Iwatsuka from Miyako Community Church was with us to provide a local church connection.

Sharing food and conversation with the residents

Once everyone had enough to eat and we cleaned up, we moved on to Yamada, a town just south of Miyako, to another temporary housing community where we did the same thing all over again.  This time we encouraged residents of the community to take a turn making the takoyaki.  At first they were hesitant, but once one woman gave it a try, most everyone else was willing to join in!  Working and eating together provided some great opportunities for our team, and also Pastor Iwatsuka, to have some important conversations with the residents.

Making takoyaki with the residents in Yamada

I spent some time chatting with a woman and her two grandchildren.  She spoke of the difficulties of being uprooted and suddenly having to live with new neighbors.  Because she and the other residents have lost their homes and many of them have lost work, she said it will probably be two years before she and many of her new neighbors will be able to move out of the temporary houses into homes of their own.

Map of the temporary housing facility in Yamada

Offerings that have come through Covenant World Relief, an arm of the Evangelical Covenant Church, as well as offerings from the Taiwan Covenant Church and from the  Japan Covenant itself, have made this work possible.  Funds are used to buy supplies and food, and to cover transportation costs for volunteers as they serve.  A portion of these offerings have been used to buy a van for Michio Nagata to use in his work in coordinating volunteer teams and getting supplies and food to people in need.

What struck me most during this day was the joy on people’s faces.  They seemed genuinely happy and grateful that we had come from quite a distance to bring assistance.  We assured them that even though seven months had passed since the tsunami, they were not forgotten.  They may not have understood that we were doing it out of love for them because of Jesus’ love for us, but they knew that we came as Christians.  They welcomed us with gratitude, and with open hearts that I have not often encountered in this country.

Grant Buchholtz with residents at the Taro housing facility

One week ago today, for the first time I went up to Tohoku – Japanese for “northeast” – specifically, the east coast of Iwate prefecture.  This is the northern end of the Japanese coast that was devastated by the earthquake and resulting tsunami on March 11.  Last Tuesday was October 11 – exactly seven months since the earthquake and tsunami.  I left on a Tuesday, and returned on a Friday.  Today I want to write a bit about what I experienced last Tuesday, and then each of the next few days post on this blog about what I saw and did that day last week.

Five of us left at 5 a.m. – Japan Covenant mission co-workers Tim Johnson and Grant Buchholtz, and Byron and Judy Amundsen from our Covenant World Mission office in Chicago.  Of the five of us, only Tim Johnson had been to the disaster areas before.

The first thing that was striking about this trip was to see so many Japanese Self-Defense Force and police vehicles moving on the expressway.  Even seven months after the tsunami, these vehicles were moving people and supplies to where there is still great need.

We got off of the expressway at about 10:30, and took a local road to head to the coast.  Once we reached the coast, we drove into the afternoon through cities and towns that are well known here in Japan for having suffered so much in the tsunami: Kesennuma, Rikuzen Takata, Ofunato, Kamaishi, Otsuchi, Miyako.  At each of these places we saw the current state of post-disaster conditions.

While there are still areas with ruined buildings which need to be either torn down or renovated, most of what we saw was a mixture of bare foundations of buildings and piles of debris.  Some of the piles had even been sorted- scrap metal here, housing materials there, and mountains of ruined cars, vans and trucks.  And in places there were also fishing boats that had been cast inland by the tsunami.

Damaged building in Kesennuma

Fishing boat washed inland

None of it was surprising, as I had seen video reports on TV and pictures taken by our missionaries and pastors and members in the Japan Covenant who had already taken part in relief efforts.  Yet to see it in person, without the limitations of a camera angle, and to see the ruined homes and businesses in town after town, is a different matter.  It becomes difficult to believe that one geological event could impact such a large area.  And we were only looking at the northern end of the disaster!

In Miyako, Tim Johnson wanted to stop in at a Japanese inn which had served as a base camp for relief work done by the 3.11 Iwate Church Network in the first weeks after the tsunami.  This Network is the group that our Japan Covenant has connected with for directing our financial resources and volunteers to an area where they can be used to help people in need.

This inn, the Nisshokan, is a three-story building on the main road that goes along the east coast of Iwate prefecture.  Not far from the ocean, it had been damaged and Mr. and Mrs. Abe, the owners, injured in the tsunami.  Tim wanted to stop in and see how this couple was doing.  We found the Mr. and Mrs. Abe, a couple in their 70′s, doing quite well.  The first floor of the building, which sustained the worst of the damage, had been remodeled.  Mr. Abe was moved to tears, remembering how months ago Tim and also fellow missionary Jay Haworth had worked on making a new front door for the inn.

The Abes are not Christians, but Mr. Abe reported with obvious gratefulness that two local pastors continued to check in on them to make sure they were doing okay – even months after the base camp was moved to another location.  After taking time to drink coffee and listen to Mr. Abe’s stories, Tim asked if he could pray for the couple.  Mr. Abe did not hesitate, but seemed glad to have Tim ask for God’s continued blessings on the two of them.

Our group with Mr. and Mrs. Abe

We then got back in my van and drove north out of Miyako to the town of Taro.  This town had boasted of a massive, 10-meter high (30 feet) sea wall that was to protect the residents and buildings from damage from tsunamis.  Unfortunately, the tsunami was high enough to sweep over the sea wall and bring tremendous loss of life and damage to the town.  We parked the car near the sea wall and climbed stairs to get a view from the top.  In the areas close to sea level, almost nothing was left standing.

View of the center of Taro from the sea wall

At about 5:30 p.m., Grant and I saw off Tim and the Amundsens at Miyako station for their train ride back to Tokyo (Byron and Judy were returning to the U.S. the next day), and then the two of us went to the base camp in Taro where we would stay for the next few nights.  The base camp is an old, run-down lodge, and is being used to store supplies being distributed and provide a place to sleep for volunteers.  At the base camp we met the volunteers we would be working with, and also Michio Nagata, a 21-year old young man from one of our Japan Covenant churches who runs the base camp and coordinates the work of the volunteer teams.

Michio Nagata, second from right, with volunteers

Grant and I were tired from a long day driving/riding in the car, but also excited to think about what we would be doing over the next few days.  More on that beginning tomorrow!

(Gary writing) In addition to the work of sharing the gospel, and planting and developing a church, God has blessed me with another opportunity for ministry.  Pastor Yuji Sekino, a friend of ours and director of Covenant Seminary in Tokyo, asked me to teach a course on missiology at the school.  The previous teacher had resigned, and Sekino was looking for someone to take over the course.

Some have asked me what “missiology” is all about.  To put it simply, missiology is the study of what God is doing to redeem his fallen and broken world, and how we human beings can fit into that work.

The course covers three areas – biblical foundations, history of mission, and mission methodology and contemporary issues.  I’ve been teaching the course since October, during the fall/winter semester.  Since it’s my first time to teach the material, it’s taken a lot of time to prepare for each class session.  It also means I’ve had to review what I learned when I was in seminary and what I’ve read since, and get caught up on the most recent scholarship in the field.

This semester I have three students.  Two are Japanese, and one is from Korea.  The small size and the international flavor of the class (three ethnicities represented when you include me) has made for an exciting start!  Quite often the students are teaching me about what certain aspects of missiology mean in their own cultures.

It has been especially exciting to help my students open their eyes to God’s work in the wider world.  Christians in any country/culture can easily fall into a pattern of thinking, praying for and working on only their local church and community.  Through the study of “Missio Dei”, or God’s mission, we learn how our local situation is part of a larger context.

A typical class at Covenant Seminary

Covenant Seminary was started by Covenant missionaries not long after they began work in Japan in 1949.  Initially it was thought that the school would only serve Covenant students.  It quickly became evident that there would not be enough students from the Covenant to keep the school going, and so enrollment was opened up to students from other evangelical denominations and independent churches.

At its height, more than 120 students attended classes at Covenant Seminary.  Currently, there are more than 70 students.  Classes are held in the mornings and evenings, with some students living in dorms on campus and most others commuting from home.  All students start in the “Basic” track, and after completing this a good number go on to a track for those preparing to become pastors.  There are 13 teachers, and five of us are pastors or missionaries working in the Japan Covenant.  All of the teachers are involved in the ministry of a local church.

I’m excited that I have the opportunity each week to share what I’m learning with my students and to learn from them about what God is doing in his world!

Wow!  Writing on the blog after another long gap in time – our last entry was in September of last year!  Not exactly what we started out wanting to do.  We’ll see what happens after this, but our intentions are to be more frequent in posting.  A lot has happened since our last entry, so it will take a few posts to update our story.

We’d like to take space in this post to write about the dedication of our new building for Shonan Community Church.  This happened at the end of November, but we had already moved in and started worshiping in our new space at the end of October.  The dedication service was a chance for people in other Japan Covenant Churches as well as a few from other churches to join us in giving thanks to God for his blessings.  And those blessings are not just the building – it’s also the new neighborhood God has led us to, to get to know people in this community and share in their lives.

So many people have been part of our move to a new community, and so it was important to have a chance for them to gather with us and see the building and our location.  It was wonderful to have them all join with us in giving thanks to God in song and prayer.  Our church music team led the singing, and as usual we had piano, violin, guitar, djembe and shamisen (Japanese traditional three-string instrument).

Pastor Sekino, head of the denomination’s Evangelism Committee, gave a summary of the events that led to our move.  We also had greetings from other Japan Covenant pastors, and a greeting from Pastor Ito from the church that let us use their retreat facility as a place to worship while we waited for our new building to be completed.

We were flooded with so many offerings from our guests.  Those offerings are helping us to pay for furnishings and supplies needed to get started in the new building.  But beyond the gifts were the many words of encouragement, the many comments that people had been praying for us and will continue to do so.  They are all excited with us for the possibilities in ministry and outreach that lie ahead!

Toward the end of the dedication we had a special moment in which we honored Mr. Ito of Ippei Fudosan, the real estate and construction company which helped us sell our previous property, buy our new property, and build our building.  Mr. Ito spent so many hours with us, beginning at least three years ago, as we went through the process of moving to our new location.  He is not a Christian, but has had some chances to hear the gospel through our connection with him.

Japan Covenant chairman Pastor Shimizu gives Mr. Ito a certificate of appreciation

At the end of the day, we all knew our work was just beginning, but we were filled with excitement and confidence that God has been and will continue to be at work in this community.  We’re so thankful that we get to be part of that work!