Lost in Tokyo

Not really. We have had excellent guides the whole time. But if we were on our own?.... Yes, we'd be lost by now. Anyway we have had some good meetings here with the Japan Covenant Team. That was yesterday. Then the day before, a great Easter service in Isesaki church in Gunma, north of Tokyo. See a few pictures below! The good ones were taken by our friend, Jim Peterson.

The Japan Covenant team (left to right): Jim Peterson, Gaius Berg, Kyung Ho Park (and 2 daughters) Gary Carlson, Peter Dutton, Jay Haworth, Ellen Haworth, Pauline Carlson, Ruthie Dutton, Miho Bucholst, Grant Buchholtz, Martha Berg, Andrea Johnson, Tim Johnson.

Ruthie making a point (not sure what it was, but definitely important!).

A couple of key members of the church in Gunma...

The building in which the Isesaki Church is currently meeting--shared with a Brazilian congregation.

Will the true Guamanians please stand up?

All the bumper stickers advertize "Guam, USA".

Indeed the wide, wide streets, the B-52's and F22-Raptors in the air, and the $10 meals reminded us that yes, in fact, this island is part of the United States. But when we finally laid our hands on a map and located the little speck in the middle of the Pacific, we saw that Guam's closest neighbors are Japan and Philippines. That would explain why all our fellow-tourists were unmistakably Japanese, and the staff in the stores mostly Philippino.

So, would the true "Guamanians" please stand up? "Not possible," we were told by Eric & Karyn Sorenson, Covenant project missionaries serving at the Pacific Islands University (and Seminary). The Chamorros, original inhabitants of Guam, have so inter-married and enculturated that it is virtually impossible to tell who a Chamorran is. All the more reason, they said, for the fierce pride of ethnic identity they are struggling to preserve.

Then there are the Yap-ese, Chuk-ese, and Palauans from the nearby Federated Micronesian States--all of them mixed together with a few "haoulies" (whities) and Philippinos in the Sorenson's little island school--the only private, accredited institution of higher learning on Guam.

Okay, so we're beginning to get the picture: this place only looks like the USA--it's actually a complicated, ethnically diverse mix of Pacific, Asian, and American culture. Of course, you could say the same about L.A., but put this mixture on a beautiful, tropical island teetering on the rim of the Marianas Trench, and you have a unique ministry setting with challenges all its own.

Those challenges and the rewards of ministry--at times tragic and ironic--were the topics of our conversations with Eric & Karyn over a period of three days. A recent trip to Yap Island--a place where, according to some estimates, up to 70% of pre-teenage girls are subjected to some kind of sexual abuse--was weighing heavily on Karyn's heart. As a credentialed counselor specializing in post-trauma counseling, Karyn feels she is just getting to the point, after 4 years, where she is beginning to understand the culture and dynamics of the young people with whom she and Eric are working. Ideas and plans and passion have been converging in her heart: maybe it's time. Maybe God can use her to make a difference in this tragic situation.

We watched as Eric taught his class on Revelaton. I thought, "I don't think this guy has taken very many classes on cross-cultural communication. But he has learned to communicate cross-culturally!" Yes, he was speaking in English. But as he put words out there we watched him carefully guage the reaction of his students. When blank stares came back, he stepped back 5 and went to a pass instead (by the way--that's an analogy from American football--and NOT the kind of communication that works well cross-culturally). He rephrased, used alternative words, and waited for feedback.

Pray for these servants! Passionate and talented. Perhaps a little too busy. But they've hit their stride and are praying about future directions. One Philippino waiter told me he was born and raised in Guam and was "dying to get off this stinkin' island". That was definitely NOT the sense we got from Eric & Karyn. They want to be used wherever God calls them and places them.

Our expanding household (no, we're not pregnant)!

Our household has once again expanded to two families.

Recently Peter and I were talking about a need to be more intentional in mentoring a few key relationships we have here in Thailand. But how to do this with our heavy travel schedule? When we get home we just want to "veg-out" and stay at home. Who are we kidding? This isn't likely to change, we decided.

The following day the Thai-Hmong managers of MVF, Tanadon and Yu, came to discuss some personal concerns. And the thought occurred to both of us--"Why not invite them to live with us?" It could be beneficial to both our families. Last year we'd invited them to join us, but they'd said no. The timing wasn't right. Then we realized that had they said yes, we wouldn't have had the special time we'd had with Dennis and Heather Choate over the past months.

But this time, the answer was "Yes". So we're back to being an extended family--the 4 of us and two precious little girls, Jamie 4, and Salapao 1. We didn't look for a big house--this was the only one available. But God has used it well. We've shared with Wessel, then Janet and Alan, Kevin and Ramona, Mary Jo, Dennis & Heather, and now this young family.

With this move, Peter and I realized, again, something about ourselves. Our best experiences, our deepest friendships, our most profound impact on lives has come when we shared closely with others. It was delightful to feel God's affirmation this morning in my reading. Henry Nouwen wrote in Gracias, "It is a privilege to have the time and freedom to practice this simple ministry of presence...I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn't be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them." We are looking forward to these shared times when we are home. Ruthie.

Visas, bureaucracy, and Silver Shadows

Yesterday, Peter and I found ourselves applying for a visa at the Chinese embassy in Bangkok. We arrived 15 minutes before the doors were to open, only to discover a long line of people snaking down the block. About then a vintage Rolls Royce Silver Shadow pulled up and an impeccably-dressed woman stepped out in her high heels. Hmm, we thought. I'll bet she won't be waiting in this line all morning like us...

Once inside, we found ourselves in a crush of people surrounding a man handing out forms. Were we American? Yes. We were given double sets of some papers, quadruples of others. We were quite confused. Apparently there were some printed notices on the walls, but we couldn't see for the crush of people. We were lucky enough to find some seats and started filling out forms.

Four pages of detailed information is what we were obliged to give. Where have we been in the last 12 months? What dates in each place? Why did we travel? Yikes...this is a bit tedious, flipping through the passport trying to find the in and out stamps! Half way through the process we realized we'd failed to get our queue number. So, Peter drilled his way through the crowd came back with numbers # 199 and #200. This was going to be a long morning. They were at #39...

I saw #197 flash up and I turned to glue my picture onto the application. When I glanced again the number was #202. I'd missed it--but rushed to the window to ask for mercy. I was met with a shake of the head--and a finger pointing to the queue machine. Now we were # 505 and #506. Yes, we'd be here all morning, for sure.

I have to confess that a few uncomplimentary words passed my lips--and a few unspoken negative thoughts. But I was brought up short as I remembered the experience of a Thai friend at the U.S. embassy. The consular officer tore her application into pieces and told her to not waste his time. There was no chance she'd ever get to visit the US.

That afternoon, as I went back to pick up the visas, I again saw the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow pull up. This time I was gratified to see our 'fancy lady' take her place in line, standing in the heat, getting crushed like the rest of us.

All this was a good reminder how easily we can slip into a sense of entitlement--and how unimportant we are, really, in the big scheme of things. But it was also a reminder of the importance of treating people with kindness and grace in all situations--even those with whom we don't have a personal connection. Ruthie.

Points for Prayer

April 17, 2011. Please read our new requests and updates below (in italics)

2011-006. Eric & Karyn Sorenson are praying about future directions in their ministry. They have been at Pacific Islands University & seminary four years as project missionaries.

2011-005. Pray for Jun Pejji and his family as they live in the midst of a mess while their house is renovated to become the future meeting place of the Pasig City church in Metro Manila. Pray also for the church pastors and leaders in the Infanta and Mindoro Island who are sacrificially serving in small, remote churches.

2011-004. MVF is still waiting for permission to import vitamins and minerals to go in our blended flour.

• More problems! The Thai FDA has rejected the paperwork from our supplier in Germany! Please pray for break-through. We are at our wits end!
  

2011-003. Missionaries and churches in Japan are mobilizing to bring relief and care for the suffering people of northern Japan. Please pray that they will come together in unity and have the funds to make a real difference in the communities in which they work.

• Jim Peterson, Jay Haworth, and and Tim Johnson have recently traveled north to some of the affected areas and are working closely with pastors and lay-people in the Japanese Covenant (NSKK) as well as other churches. Praise God for this united effort! We travel at the end of this week to visit missionaries and churches in Japan. The church will be celebrating its 60th anniversary on May 3. Gary Walter and Curt Peterson have made plans to be there. Pray for God's blessing on this celebration even in the midst of Japan's worst disaster since W.W.II.

2011-002. We're headed for the Philippines and Guam. Please pray that we will have productive visits and that God would use us to bring encouragement to his workers on the front lines.

• We're now back from these visits. Thank God for meaningful productive visits to both these places of ministry!

2011-001. Kevin and Ramona are searching for jobs now in L.A. After a year working in Laos, our son and daughter-in-law, are back in Orange County contemplating further studies, and looking for work. Please pray that their interviews would go well and they would both find the jobs they need!

• The job search is going well for both our children, though nothing definite has turned up yet.

What's the Covenant Doing in the Philippines?

Having spent almost 40 years in Asia, Ruthie and I have had the joy of working alongside Philippinos in many different settings--in refugee camps, in Laos, in the States. But last week we finally had the opportunity to visit their homeland.

A week ago Friday, Pastor Jun Pejji met us at the Manila airport and warned us we'd better get some rest. We'd be traveling long hours for the next two days. Three small churches had been established through networks of friends and family. And we would visit them, he told us.


The story of these churches begins in Taiwan. The Covenant has no missionaries in the Philippines, but Philippinos working in factories in Taichung began meeting in a Covenant church there and a small Philippino church was established. The Taiwanese Covenant agreed to help develop pastoral leadership for this church by assisting in the seminary education of Jun Pejji, one of its promising leaders. When Jun's labor contract in the factory ended, he returned to Manila where he completed his studies and began a new church in Pasig City, one of Metro Manila's sprawling sub-cities. The Philippino congregation back in Taichung continues strong with another young pastor and the active involvement of Don & Lillian Dwight who also teach at Morrison Academy, an international school.

Today there are three small churches. So, starting at 6 each of the next two mornings we made long trips by car, bus, jeepney, motorized "tricycle", fast-moving "super-cats", and a lumbering ferry.

The "mother" church in Pasig City is in transition--the small, cramped facility in which they had been meeting fronted on a busy street with no parking and little room for meeting. And rent payments were high. So Jun and his church leadership have decided to move the church to his house located on a quiet side-street. They are currently in the process of moving out of one-half of the house and renovating it to be used for regular church meetings.

The Infanta church is located in a small coastal community directly east of Manila. The church leadership sent a talented young couple, their worship leaders from the Pasig City church, to take up the reins of this small congregation. We were impressed by the dedication and sacrifice this young couple is making--living in one room at the back of the simple church building. Pictured below is their simple "parsonage" under construction. When it is finished they will move out of their one-room quarters at the back of the church--into this.

The final church we visited required a five hour journey from the heart of Manila to the heart of the southern island of Mindoro. Located in the middle of beautiful banana and coconut plantations, we worshiped with about 20 Tagalog and tribal speakers, dedicated 3 children, and extrapolated a wonderful sermon from the 4-5 English words we understood. After a delicious meal and reception at the home of the lay couple who spear-headed this church, we headed back to Manila, arriving just short of 2 AM.


What's the Covenant doing in the Philippines? Through the sacrificial service of Philippino pastors and lay-leaders, churches are being established with virtually no outside funding and resources. Pray for our brothers and sisters in this unique and colorful place.

Points for Prayer ( 7 April , 2011 )

• MVF is still waiting for permission to import vitamins and minerals to go in our blended flour. Please pray that permission would be granted this week! When that happens, we give the green light to a company in Germany to ship the vitamins. Hopefully in a week or two we will be able to produce food for our first contract!

• Missionaries and churches in Japan are mobilizing to bring relief and care for the suffering people of northern Japan. Please pray that they will come together in unity and have the funds to make a real difference in the communities in which they work.

• We're headed for the Philippines and Guam.

Please pray that we will have productive visits and that God would use us to bring encouragement to his workers on the front lines.

• Kevin and Ramona are searching for jobs now in L.A. After a year working in Laos, our son and daughter-in-law, are back in Orange County contemplating further studies, and looking for work. Please pray that their interviews would go well and they would both find the jobs they need!