Friday, August 5th - Some More Thoughts So

Dear Loved Ones - It's Friday, August 5th, 11:45PM.  We've been home just two days now yet Japan seems so far away.  I've begun driving on the correct side of the road and haven't made any blunders.  If you saw the photos from the mission, you probably saw the one with the women in kimonos.  Hisako, from the Sendai church, helped each of the gals get ready, one by one.  She did their hair and got them fitted in their outfits.  They looked great.  The guys were just wearing shorts and t-shirts - we were able to get ourselves ready.  We just had to remember to button our pants and pull up our zippers.  We then went to the site of the festival, expecting maybe 150-200 people.  But there were over 500 people, I believe, when we got there.  A stage was set up for people to perform from and we were the third group to perform.   The first group was about a dozen boys, about 10 years old who danced and sang like pop performers you would see.  I'm glad we didn't have to follow them.  Next up was a group of about 12-15 seniors.  They sang a few songs and then it was our turn to perform.  We sang two songs, and with my fading memory, I can't remember the first one we sang.  Tsuguru accompanied us on the guitar for the first song and then we sang "Amazing Grace" a cappella.  Even without Hiroko to help us out with her wonderful singing, I think we sounded good.  The man who is in charge of the community center near the church also seemed to be in charge of the festival.  I think that's how we got the invitation to sing.  You just never know what God will use to touch the hearts of people, so maybe even our singing can be used by Him to reach out to people.
     Some people have asked me whether I would prefer to go back to Chino or Sendai if given the opportunity to return.  Of course, I haven't been asked yet.  Before going to Sendai I said I'd like to go back to Chino. Now, having gone to Sendai, I don't know.  I shared that with the people of Sendai - that they were just as wonderful as the people of Chino.  And then, just to make things even more unsettled, Hajime and Sanae Yumoto from the Chino church came to the Haneda airport to share dinner with us and then see us off to return home.  Seeing them brought back many wonderful memories of the people from Chino.  Going back to Japan - Chino or Sendai....I don't think that is a decision for me to make.  It is up to God and will be made by church leadership whether I ever go again.  It has been such a great blessing to go to Japan six times and be part of a mission team.  But we really do need new people to be part of these teams, younger people than me and Koby.  We need different people to have this experience so our church body will grow and mature in the area of outreach and missions.  I say this every time I return - please give serious thought to joining a mission team in the future.  The work we do is critical in a land that is less than 1% Christian - but you will also be transformed by the experience.  Thank you very, very much for taking the time to read this blog.  I hope that it has given you a sense of what the mission has been like and will encourage you to consider missions, also.  Thank you for your good wishes, financial support, and especially your prayer support.  God bless you and be with you always.  Love, Don  

Back Home Safely

Thursday, August 4th, 11:30PM.  We arrived home safely yesterday and received a warm welcome from about ten people from Crossway and the South Bay churches.  Although it was sad to say goodbye to the team members, it was good to be reunited with loved ones and to spend the night in my own bed.  I've been battling a cough for the past 5 days or so and won't be writing a long entry tonight.  I'll give you a few more photos from mission - I hope you enjoy them.  Love, Don

The ladies on the team dressed for our singing at the Sendai
community event.  

Students and families from EEC enjoying the Taco Party.

Sharing testimonies with the Onogawa survivors of the 2011
tsunami.

Shizuka trying her hand at archery 

A team picture at Matsushima Bay - considered 1of the top
3 scenic spots in Japan.

Singing at the Sendai festival.

Picture taken from the pulpit - the lest side of the morning
worship service.

The right side of the congregation at the worship service.


I'm going to close for now.  My cough is acting up and it's time to go to bed.   I'll write more about the mission next time.  God be with you.  Love, Don

Wednesday, August 3rd - Our Last Day in Japan

Dear Friends and Loved Ones - It's Wednesday, August 3rd, 8:30AM.  Yesterday, after a day of sightseeing, we returned to the Sendai church to eat the bento we bought at the train station, went to the onsen for the last time, and went to sleep for the last time in Japan.  Today was a luxury as we don't have to be ready for breakfast until 9AM.  After breakfast we will take the Shinkansen into Tokyo for a final day of sightseeing and shopping.  Our flight leaves Haneda at about 12:05AM, Thursday morning.  As I've shared in the past, we'll arrive at LAX on Wednesday.  I should cross the International Date Line more often to gain time on my life.  The trouble is, I'd have to cross it a few thousand times for it to make a real difference.  There are only 5 of us left at the church from the mission team now, and I dearly miss the presence of the other team members.  We were blessed by God in the people He chose to come to Sendai this year.  So much has happened since we selected the team in March, conducted planning meetings, and finally made our way here in July.  As I've said before, we come here with all of you standing beside us.  You have given us your spiritual, emotional, financial, and especially your prayer support.  We could not be here without you.  I will have more to say after we get back to the states, and I will post photos to let you see some of the people we've met and interacted with, events we have participated, and places we have gone.  Until that time, may God be with you, protect you, and bless you as He has done for us.  Love, Don

Tuesday, August 2 - In Aizuwakamatsu

Dear Loved Ones - It is Tuesday morning, August 2nd 5AM, and the remnants of the mission team are in a hotel in the city of Aizuwakamatsu.   There are five of us traveling together and sightseeing.  Yumiko and Charlie Chen, from the Crossway Church, joined us Sunday morning in time to worship with the team.  Danny gave his testimony and the team shared a song we sang at EEC.  Two children who attended EEC were there to help present the song with its dance movements.  I then gave the morning message.  You know these people have great trust in God when they allow me to stand before them and speak for 20-30 minutes.  But it is always a great blessing when I'm allowed to share with my brothers and sisters - whether it is 20 minutes or 20 seconds.  Because I don't have the Bible knowledge of Shizuka, who gave the sermon last week, my message was more of an extended testimony.  After the service, the church members gave us a going away luncheon.  Just like the welcoming luncheon last week, we sat at four clusters of tables - with church members and mission team members sharing lunch and spending time in conversation together.  At the end, we went around and everyone shared some thoughts about EEC, the mission team, and other personal thoughts.  It is always wonderful to hear from the church members, and it is always an emotional time for the team members to say thank you and goodbye to our hosts.  After the luncheon, Kumi, Tsuguru, Rhemus & Mielee were taken to the train station to take the Shinkansen (bullet train)  to Tokyo.  Tsuguru has lived in Japan this past year to attend college and has been interning at a church there.  He is already back at work assisting Aiichiro-sensei there.  Sensei was the one who drove the seminary students to Sendai to work together with us for EEC.  Mielee and Rhemus have reunited with their mother, Hiroko, and relatives.  Hiroko left the team after EEC ended to join her family in mourning the passing of her sister and to attend the funeral service.  She received news of the passing last Wednesday, during EEC.  In a letter, Hiroko gave me permission to share this information with you.  It is still heartbreaking to think about HIroko, Mielee & Rhemus and the loss of their loved one.  Please keep them in your prayers as they grieve and go through the healing process.  When the team left Sendai yesterday, Lauren stayed behind to join Yumiko to travel in Japan to connect with missionaries our church supports and to visit with pastors/churches that might be possible mission opportunities for the future.  Lauren and Yumiko represent our church's Missions Committee and serve as wonderful ambassadors for us.  It feels so strange to be in a group of only five people now.  But we are very blessed to have this opportunity for rest and relaxation - to sightsee and do some shopping to take gifts back home.  After sleeping on a futon for eleven nights, the mattress provided welcome support for these old bones last night.  After sightseeing today, we will go back to stay at the Sendai church for the night and then take the Shinkansen to Tokyo to do our last sightseeing until we leave from Haneday Airport just after midnight.  I don't know if I'll be able to write you again from Japan - if not, the next post will be from my Northridge, California home.  I'm going to take a short nap before joining my teammates for breakfast in the hotel lobby.  Danny, Koby & I shared one room last night, with Monica & Shizuka sharing the other one.  Thank you for covering us with your prayers and love for the past two weeks.  It will take time to process and reflect upon all that has happened - and I will not attempt to do it now.  God be with you forever and ever.  Love, Don
P.S. - I will send more photos later.        

Sunday, July 31st - Photos

Dear Friends and Loved Ones - Sunday, July 31st, 9:40AM.  I'll try to get some photos out to you while we have a break until the worship service.

The Sendai Community Center - about 4 houses down from
the church.  Bible Lessons, Crafts & Games were held here.
It was also the sleeping quarters for the men.

The Sendai Church with flags up for EEC.  The English class
and Music were held here.

The back of the sanctuary - the posters of the various events
were made by Tara Chiu of the Crossway church.

Another view of the sanctuary.

This was our caldron for the Olympic Flame.
We had a great lighting ceremony - with
cellophane  flames rising up from the caldron.

Kumi & Hiroko presenting a lesson in Bible Class.  They're
sharing the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho.

Monica & Danny presenting an English lesson.

Tsuguru & Shizuka leading the singing in the Music class.

Koby, Danny & Mutsumi on "Crazy Hair Day".

Masa on "Crazy Hair Day".

Four of the ladies from the Sendai Church.  

Koby & Don with Kawasaki-sensei from the
Chino church.  

Saturday, July 30th - Taco Party

Dear Loved Ones – It’s Saturday, July 30th, 5:30AM.  The time has flown by and now we’re down to the last two full days of serving in Sendai.  There is great joy for all we’ve experienced and how God has been able to use us to share the gospel of Jesus Christ – but there is a sadness growing in me that our mission is almost done.  Today we will have a “Taco Party” for the children who attended EEC and for their families.  This will start at noon, so after breakfast we will be busy getting ready for that.  In the evening there is a community festival and we will participate by singing two songs.  Our time for sharing is brief, but pray that God can touch hearts even through the singing of these songs.
  Yesterday we traveled to Onagawa, a community hit by the massive earthquake and devastating tsunami of 2011.  We met with seven people at a community center there.  Most of them were elderly women as the younger people were at work.  A young women with her 10-month old son also attended.  Koby and Lauren shared their testimonies of how they came to know Jesus Christ.  We pray that they will help in the eventual salvation of these dear women.  As we were driving into Onagawa, Nakada-sensei was describing and explaining the extent of damage and destruction to the area.  It is still hard to believe and imagine this seaside community is a place like those I saw in news videos five years ago.  Many new homes and businesses have been restored and replaced and there is a newness to many areas.  It is always nice to have new buildings, but they lack the warmth and sense of history that makes a place unique.  These women were neighbors before the tragedy and continue to be neighbors in their new homes.  I would imagine that their camaraderie has been very important in the slow and painful healing process for them.  It was a wonderful blessing to spend time in conversation with these women.  One of them brought a couple of plates of Hoya clams for us to eat – very tasty.  They have a different taste from clams I’m familiar with in chowder.  They are salty since they are washed with seawater to cleanse them.  The leader of the community center came by as we were leaving and he had a sack with some of these clams.  They have a single shell, shaped like a lemon with no apparent opening.  There soft shell is similar in color to a lobster.  I may have hesitated eating the clams if I had seen them earlier.  I later learned that the plates of clams would have probably cost over $50 – a very generous gift from these women.  During the conversation time we were able to share treats of shaved ice and cotton candy with them – having brought the machines to make them from the Sendai church.  After finishing with them, we went to nearby Matsushima to do a little sightseeing.  The bay there has a hundred small islands and is considered on of the top three scenic areas of Japan.  It is too bad we didn’t have time to take a boat excursion to view these islands.  We walked through the grounds of a nearby temple where a lot of work was being done.  I learned that the tsunami had left a lot of salt behind and steps were being taken to repair and restore the soil.  When planning the activities for this mission, Friday was set aside for relaxing and possibly sightseeing.  Visiting Onagawa was a great way to spend the day.  I’m going to be wrapping up this entry.  We have to clean up the room we stay in at the community center – putting away our futons and bedding and taking our luggage up to the church.  The center is being used by a group to prepare for the festival today.  Thank you again for your continued prayer support.  All is going well as the people from the Sendai, South Bay and Crossway churches have grown closer with each passing day.  May God watch over you and bless you.  Love, Don

Friday, July 29th - Onagawa

Dear Friends and Family – It is Friday morning, 4:45AM.  As I look back at the entries for this blog, I must apologize for not giving more details about the activities nor giving you a heads up on the things you can pray for.  I got up early to try and make up a little bit for that.  Today we will be traveling to Onagawa (?) to visit people who were impacted by the earthquake and tsunami of 2011.  This is a site of temporary housing – but apparently all the people have moved out of the temporary homes and are now in permanent ones.  This place is 2 hours away from the Sendai church and we will go to meet with some of these people to share time with them.  Koby and Lauren, I believe will be giving their testimonies to them.  We will also spend time talking with them and making shaved ice treats for them.  Nakada-sensei has shared with us that Christians are the only groups to respond and serve them from the time of disasters.  Other religious groups did not initially respond with aid and support, and the non-profit groups have departed after a couple of years.  But it is the Christian organizations that have been there from the beginning and are still there now.  Because of that, people see something different in us and have been more willing to look into Christianity to see what makes us different.  Unfortunately, as time has passed, the biases and pressures against us are returning as people go back to the religions and beliefs of their families and countrymen and are less willing to be different.  So we go out today hoping to share the love of Jesus Christ with those still open and wanting more than what they have trusted and believed in the past.  Pray for our visit today, that we may express the hope, confidence and joy that the salvation of Jesus Christ brings us.  But more importantly, pray for the churches that have sprung up and the missionaries who have moved into this region, that they will develop the long-term relationships that will bring lasting changes to lives of these people.  After our time there, we will spend the rest of our time doing a little bit of sightseeing.  Tomorrow, Nakada-sensei will be conducting his English conversation class with children again, and we will support him by having conversations with the students.  After that we will get ready for the “Taco Party” we are having for the children who attended EEC along with their parents and families.  We are buying the fixings from local markets and Costco.  I am very interested to see how authentic we are.  But of course the food is secondary to spending time with these people – but it never hurts to have tasty food to share with them.  In the evening we will go to a local festival which we will actually participate in.  Various groups will sing – and so will we.  We will only have about 10 minutes, but pray that God is able to use even that short time  to touch the hearts of people.  Sunday will be our last full day here in Sendai.  We will participate in the worship service – Danny will share his testimony and I will give the message.  Pray that our sharing with them will encourage them to continue strongly in their faith and good works.  The women members who have served alongside of us during EEC and have been preparing our meals are such marvelous people.  After serving at the church in Chino for five years, I was afraid that the mission this year would not be the same as previous years.  I was wrong.  Please thank God for Nakada-sensei, his wife and daughter and for all the members of the Sendai church – they have served us with  great hospitality and generosity.  There were only about 15 people attending their worship service last Sunday, but it seems like most of them have had a hand in taking care of us and volunteering for the EEC program.  I hope we can continue to come to Sendai for many years to come.  It’s 5:30AM now and I’m getting a little tired.  I’m going to take a quick nap before our 7AM prayer meeting.  I hope to get photos for you to see in the next blog entry.  Thank you for your prayer support during this mission trip.  I hope you can sense the impact they have had on our activities and relationships with people; how they have kept us safe and healthy; and how they have given us great encouragement and kept us focused on our Lord and Savior.  God bless you as we have been blessed in Sendai.  Love, Don

Thursday, July 28th - EEC Is Over For This Year

Thursday, July 28th – Last Day of EEC

Dear Friends and Loved Ones – It’s Thursday morning, July 28th, 5:50AM.  I have a few minutes to share some thoughts with you before our 6:30AM prayer meeting.  We formed our mission team back in March and have spent four months preparing for the EEC program here in Sendai and today is already the last day.  There is happiness in how well the program has gone, yet I feel an ache in my heart knowing this is the last day with the children we just met two days ago, and that most of the volunteers will be leaving us to return to their homes and to the seminary an hour after the children have gone home.  Sensei, the seminary students, Masa and Miki have become an integral part of our mission team – and their departure will create a hole in our team.  Masa is a 67 year old accountant who heard about the mission from a notice his church received from Nakada-sensei of the Sendai church.  He has never worked with children in a formal setting before, but was drawn to the opportunity to serve at EEC.  His kind nature and loving heart made him very useful in serving with a rambunctious group of fifth grade children.  He will return home where he and his wife will host a student from the Caribbean for a week.  Miki is an 18 year old graphic arts student whose talents are evident in posters around the camp.  A quiet young lady, she has led the youngest group of campers.  Her kindness and enthusiasm have encouraged the young children to participate wholeheartedly in the many activities of camp.  The three young seminary students will make wonderful pastors and servants for God in the near future.  We got just a glimpse of their knowledge, leadership, and musical talents – all very considerable.  But it is the loving hearts God has placed inside of them that I think will be their greatest strengths.  Sensei is a pastor in Tokyo, and Tsuguru is doing an internship there through the school he is attending.  Sensei is a very strong leader with a soft heart and loving nature.  He is very knowledgeable and has a great singing voice.  In my opinion, God will use him to do many great things in his lifetime.  This is just a quick thumbnail sketch of  the volunteers from Japan who have been a part of our mission team.  I wish we had more time to spend with them and could have gotten to know them even better.  The day will come, though, when we will be united forever in God’s presence.  I look forward to that day with great anticipation.  It’s time for me to leave now for the prayer meeting.  God be with you and guard and protect you.  Thank you once again for your prayers.  We have been so richly blessed thanks to you.  Love, Don

p.s. - I want to apologize for not including photos with the last few entries.  We've been very busy and I haven't been able to download the photos from my camera.  Also, we don't have wi-fi in the community center where the men sleep - only in the church.  So, it's been difficult to do all I want.  I will include some photos soon now that EEC is over.    

Wednesday, July 27th - 2nd Day of EEC is Over

Dear Friends and Loved Ones - It's 6PM Wednesday afternoon and EEC has been over for about 3 hours.  One of the team members received heartbreaking news today and the team shares in the pain of this dear loved one.  I probably won't be sharing the nature of the news - and I apologize for that.  It has been a very emotional afternoon for us.  Even with the assurance of God's love and compassion, it is hard to at times to have hope and confidence for the future.  What do people do when they have no God to turn to?  Please be in prayer for this loved one and their family.  I will have to stop for now, people are setting up for dinner and I am in the way.
  It's 7:20PM, we've finished dinner and cleaned up, so people are just hanging out in the sanctuary, where we have our meals.  There are people singing "Power of Your Love" - their harmony and wonderful voices makes my heart soar - I wish I could sing like them.  But right now I'm content just to listen.  The pastor from Tokyo is singing with Shizuka and Hiroko from the South Bay church.  They sound great, but it is wonderful to see their joy in singing together.  After the tears and pain from earlier in the day, this is a very welcome antidote.  One of the seminary students has now joined them.  I'm sorry, but I'm going to end this entry.  I want to just close my eyes and listen.  Tomorrow will be our last day of EEC.  If I don't get back to you before then, please keep us in your prayers.  God bless you forever and ever.  Love, Don

Wednesday, July 27th - A Few Thoughts

Dear Friends and Loved Ones – It’s 6AM Wednesday morning – it’s overcast as most of the days have been.  Although I love the sun when I’m home in L.A., the clouds keep the temperature down and the humidity hasn’t been bad.  We’ve only had light rain a few nights and it hasn’t disrupted our activities at all.  All this to say, the weather has been great and a wonderful blessing for us.  The men are just beginning to stir and get up to prepare for the day – our 2nd day of EEC.  It’s “Crazy Hair Day” so it will be fun to see what everyone has done to their hair.  For those of you who know me, I have no hair – so what am I going to do, you may ask.  I’ve cut off the right side of my mustache and chin whiskers.  I just have to remember to cut off the other half at the end of the day so I don't’ go to the onsen tonight looking like this.  At yesterday’s meeting after EEC, Nakada-sensei had all the volunteers share a positive from the day’s activities and a concern or suggestion.  I thought it was kind of a bummer to be sharing anything negative, but the things that were brought up were all legitimate concerns and could be easily remedied.  I think it was a great way for everyone to consider clearly how we can make the next two days of EEC even better.  The positive comments from everyone were wonderful to hear – an indication that everyone and everything is going well.  It’s been great to see how people from two churches in Southern California have meshed together with people from at least four churches in Japan along with students from a seminary in Tokyo to form a well-oiled machine.  Besides working well together, everyone has bonded very quickly.  Fortunately, many of the guys from the seminary speak English and I’ve enjoyed the time spent in conversation.  It’s too bad that the volunteers for EEC will be returning to their homes and to the seminary when the camp is over - I will miss them dearly.  The beehive is beginning to buzz now as the guys are awake and getting themselves ready for the day.  It’s about time for me to head over to the church for breakfast.  Thank you, as always, for your prayers and well-wishes.  They have ensured that all has gone according to God’s plan.  God bless you richly.  Love, Don    

Tuesday, July 26th - The First Day of EEC

Dear Loved Ones - It's 5:30PM and we've had an evaluation meeting for our first day of EEC.  People are resting and mingling about - waiting for dinner at 6PM.  Yesterday, volunteers began arriving to help us out - a senior gentleman from a sister church of the Sendai church.  Sendai sent out fliers to their sister churches asking for people to come and help out at EEC.  This man rode a bus for six hours to get here.  He is a very interesting guy with a great heart.  Another car drove up from Tokyo after a six hour drive.  There is a pastor, three seminary students, and a member of their church.  These young men have been a great blessing to our mission - the kids are always drawn to cute young men of strong character.  We also have the new pastor from Chino Christ Church - participating in the type of program that was at his church the last nine years.  Maybe we are headed back to Chino again next year.  We also have a young woman, a freshman in college.  She is a terrific artist, hopefully headed to a career in graphic design.  Her warmth and kind heart win her over with the young children in her group.  We also have some mature women from the Sendai church helping out with the five groups of children.  Their love and enthusiasm touches my heart deeply.  And then we have the church members who are helping out in the kitchen - preparing food for the mission team members and for the children at EEC.  This is a great mission team.  I don't have specific duties for EEC - my title is director.  I get to observe all the groups as they go to the five different activities.  There are no weaknesses in the leadership of the groups or the activities they attend.  The reactions of the children as they left today, picked up by their moms, was very positive - with a lot of smiles and enthusiastic waves.  I will have to stop for now.  We are getting ready to have dinner.
     It's now 7:15PM, we've finished dinner and cleaned up the sanctuary, vacuuming and mopping the floor, and are now waiting until 8PM when we will go to the onsen.  The onsen might seem like a luxury, and it is, but it would be extremely difficult for 25 people to share one shower at the church.  So we will make the sacrifice of going to the onsen again tonight.
     Today during lunch, an incident caught my eye that choked me up.  A little girl, about 4 or 5 years old was crying, from a toothache, I believe.  A member of the Sendai church put her on her lap as she sat on the floor - with the little girl face to face with her.  I could see Kinuko whispering to the little girl, then close her eyes and begin praying with her.  The little girl was quiet and seemed to calm down and be at ease.  That image continues to make me choke up.  It is just one of the many, many things that I witness on the mission trip that bless me greatly.
     Dinner was great tonight - the food was very tasty as usual, but it was the conversation with a couple of the men from Japan that fed my soul as the food fed my body.  It's hard to believe that our time in Sendai is about half way done.  The time is going by so quickly - I want to slow the clock down and stretch out time.  Shizuka and Tsuguru are teaching some of the songs we sing with the kids to the men from the seminary.  It is a sight to see these grown men singing children's songs with great enthusiasm.  I have to run off now.  I'm going to end for now.  Life is good - God is good.  May God bless you as we have been blessed in Sendai.  Love, Don

Sunday, July 24th - A Very Blessed Sunday

Dear Family & Loved Ones - It is 5:30PM and we have some time for ourselves right now.  The day began with a prayer meeting at 7AM, once again.  Nakada-sensei has been using the book of Acts to provide teaching and inspiration to us each morning.  It is such a great way to begin each morning.  After breakfast we had to move furniture around to prepare for the worship service.  There were about 18 people who came to the service - all of them full of enthusiasm.  We sang 5 songs with them to begin the service.  I thought our group was pretty impressive with our singing - in both talent and volume.  But the singing of the Sendai church members could be heard above our voices.  One woman in particular caught my attention.  She stood in the aisle with her arms and her voice reaching up to the heavens.  As I watched her my eyes started tearing up and my voice began cracking - I was so touched by her unashamed enthusiasm in worshipping her God.  I had to look at other people in the pews, but each time I glanced at her my reaction would be the same.  I found out after the service that Koby had the same reaction as me.  Rhemus gave his testimony and Shizuka presented the morning message and I know that the people of the Sendai church were greatly blessed.  After the service, the church gave us a welcoming lunch.  We split up and sat at four different tables - with each table having 3 mission team members with at least one being bilingual to translate the conversation going on with the 5 church members.  Then we went around and everyone said a little bit about themselves.  It was wonderful spending time with these wonderful people.  This is my first time serving in Sendai after going to Chino, Japan five times.  I love the people of Chino and thought I would never experience the same joy and blessings I received from spending time with them.  After spending just four days in Sendai, I am finding the same love and hospitality I have experienced in Chino.  God has blessed me greatly in so many ways.  I wish more of you folks would consider coming to Japan to serve on our missions here.   It is heartbreaking to consider that less than 1% of the Japanese know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Right now, Shizuka and Hiroko are singing duets - I assume some will be shared with the Sendai Church.  I close my eyes and allow my heart to soar with their voices.  In a few minutes we will be going out for dinner - Nakada-sensei is taking us out for sushi.  We are going to a restaurant that has a conveyor belt taking the sushi by your tables.  There are a few perks to being here.  Actually, there are many, many perks to being here.  Thanks to God for His love, mercy and grace - and for all of you who support us on this mission.  God bless you.  Love, Don

Shizuka giving the morning message.

Rhemus sharing his testimony and Kumi providing the
translation into Japanese.

Sunday, July 24th - A Wonderful Day of Sendai Hospitality

Dear Family & Loved Ones – It’s Sunday, July 24th at 12:30AM.  We’ve completed a day full of wonderful surprises and activities in our honor on Saturday.  After the prayer meeting and breakfast, we cleaned up the church and prepared it for activities we could watch and participate in.  At about 11AM, a group of people came to show us how mochi was pounded and formed into balls ready to eat.  For those of you who do not know about mochi, go to YouTube and look up “mochi pounding”.  This group brought a bowl and stand made from a single section of a tree trunk, large mallets to pound the rice, and ingredients to serve with the mochi; nori, kinaku, and red bean paste.  Although the mochi was already kneaded by a machine, it was fun pounding the mochi with the large mallets.  There is nothing like freshly made mochi.  At 2PM we had a dancing performance by a lady – is it called “odori”?  She performed to two traditional songs that I know my dad would enjoy – “old people music”.  There were then three presentations for us to participate in; calligraphy, flower arranging, and a tea ceremony.  We split up into three groups and moved to each of these activities.  My calligraphy looks like a child had written it.  I love when people compliment me even when I’ve made a mess of things.  I choose to always believe them.  In between the dancing and the other activities, Hiroko gave her testimony to the people who came to share their talents with us.  Most of these people are not believers, so it gave us a chance to share with them.  After all of this was finished, we put the furniture back in place and cleaned up, so the church will be ready for us to have our meeting and breakfast this morning.  We then went to the home of a church member, Kinuko Sasaki, I believe.  Many of the people who presented classes for us were also there.  We started by singing some church songs together, had testimonies given by Mielee and Shizuka, and a short message given by Nakada-sensei.  It was then time for some heavy duty eating.  There were three stations once again, just like with our classes.  One station had ingredients for us to make our own sushi:  rice, nori (seaweed), sashimi, veggies, and other things.  This one station would have been a great meal for by itself.  There was also a station where takoyaki (?) was made.  This is another one to look up on YouTube.  The third station had noodles that traveled down a trough in front of you.  The trough was made from bamboo, about 5 inches in diameter that had been cut in half.  Water carried the noodles down the trough and you would grab some with your chopsticks and place it into your bowl half-filled with broth.  I know this is probably hard to picture and even harder to believe, but it was wonderful.  Of course if you were at the end of the line, you might be getting crumbs off the chopsticks of the people ahead of you.  I was at the front of my line.  One of the daughters of our host had cancer during the past two years and was prayed for by the members of the mission team members from Crossway and South Bay churches.  She is now doing fine, and to express her gratitude gave gifts to all the team members – very nice gifts.  Although it is always a blessing to receive gifts, there was none better tonight than to share the meal and evening with Kinuko and her family – especially the daughter who has received God’s healing.  We finished the day with a visit to the….onsen.  The onsen is always great, but did not compare to the rest of the day.  The days’ activities were a great blessing and fun to do.  But the best part of them was how they brought people together.  We got to spend time with people who had never stepped foot into a Christian church before.  We were drawn closer to Nakada-sensei and his wife and daughter – as well as other members of the Sendai church.  And I believe it drew members of our mission team closer to one another through the activities we did together and the laughter we shared doing them.  It’s now past 1AM and I’m making more and more errors as I typeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.  Thank you once again for your prayer support – it makes a world of difference.  Later this morning we will present the worship service, with Rhemus giving his testimony, the team leading the singing, and Shizuka giving the message.  May God be given the honor and glory He deserves through our worship together with the Sendai Church.  God bless you, all.  Love, Don

Our friend from Sendai risks her hand and arm turning the
rice while Koby pounds it into mochi.

Danny putting some real muscle into pounding the mocha

Shizuka & Mielee shared their testimonies at the home of
Kinuko Sasaki prior to our feast. 

Hiroko & Kumi enjoying the meal in their typical
prim and proper manner.

Rhemus & Tsuguru waiting for the noodles to
come down the trough.  Koby is waiting at the
bottom to catch all that escape the two other
guys.

Nakada-sensei shows Koby & Danny how it's done.

Hiroko puts the finishing touches on her flower arrangement.

Lauren, Monica, Mielee & Shizuka enjoy making sushi.
They were even more pleased with consuming it.

Friday, July 22nd - Refreshed and Ready to Go

Brothers & Sisters and Loved Ones – It’s 6:15AM and it’s great to have a clear mind once again after a good’s night sleep.  The guys on the team sleep at the community center where many of the EEC activities will take place next week.  Everyone’s up and look bright-eyed and bushy tailed.  The gals sleep in the church and I’m sure they feel and look the same as us – maybe not quite as good looking, but that can’t be helped.
This morning we will gather at 7AM for a prayer meeting and then have breakfast at 7:40AM
I have to step away so we can clean the community center.  It is being used today so the guys have to take their things over to the church for today.  I’ll get back as soon as I can.
        Well, it's now 10AM and we have some free time for a little bit.  Lauren and Mielee are preparing their craft materials for EEC; Shizuka, Danny & Tsuguru are working on the music for the worship services we will be conducting on the two Sundays here.  There's a lot of energy and it feels real good to see all this enthusiasm.
         For our prayer meeting this morning, Nakada-sensei referenced Acts 14:19-22.  In this passage from the Bible, Paul's been beaten for speaking out about Jesus and left for dead.  His followers find him, pray for him and minister to his injuries.  Instead of taking off and getting away from his attackers, Paul goes back into to the city to continue sharing about Jesus Christ.  Through his actions, Paul encouraged his disciples to have the same boldness as himself and it leads to the strengthening of the faith of people in the area.  Nakada-sensei shared how Christians have been the only group to reach out and support the people affected by the earthquake and tsunami of 2011.  They continue to support these people after other non-profit organizations have come and gone.  People have been touched and impressed by the support they have received from Christians and have been drawn to this religion, but with time it becomes harder and harder for them to not fall back to the beliefs and traditions of their families and friends.  We hope that we can add to the efforts that will help break this cycle and encourage and support people to continue seeking after Jesus Christ.
          Right now, the first of three groups of people are headed out for a visitation with a church member.  Kumi, Danny & Monica will go there to provide fellowship and friendship with someone who is no longer able to come to the Sunday services.  This afternoon, Hiroko and I will go with Nakada-sensei to visit another former church member who no longer to come out.  Utsumi-san lost his wife to the tsunami and actually saw as she was washed away with her car.  She was unable to climb the 20 meters that would have saved her life.  I tear up as I think about visiting this man.  Please pray for him today and in the days to come - that he will find peace and hope for today and the  future in spite of his great loss.   We will also visit Brother Sato who is in the hospital.  Also this afternoon, Tsuguru, Mielee, Lauren & Danny will make a visit to a church members' home.  While these visitations are going on, Kumi and Shizuka will go to the Costco to buy supplies for a "Taco Party" that we will have with children and their families who come to EEC next week.  Dinner will be at 6PM, a prayer meeting at 7PM, practice and preparation for the Worship Service on Sunday.  To finish and complete the day we will go to the.........onsen.  I don't know if I'm going to use the pool that gives electric shocks/stimulation.  I think it may just be a plan to rid Japan of the "Ugly Americans" that come to visit them - those loud and impolite barbarians.  That's just my thought.  Our luggage and supplies have arrived from the airport so we can now get to all of the things we brought here.  Clean underwear!
          Thank you very much for your prayers - everything is going well.  We are all healthy and safe.  Shizuka and Hiroko are practicing a song in Japanese.  Even though I don't understand the lyrics, they sound like angels - I wish you were here to experience it.  May God bless you as we have been blessed on this trip.  Love, Don

A picture of the Sendai Church.  Our home for the next
two weeks.

Getting ready - our orientation meeting conducted by
Nakada-sensei.

Nakada-sensei conducting an English class with
neighborhood children.  

Thursday, July 21st

Dear Brothers and Sisters - It's 11:15PM Thursday night - the end of our first day in Sendai.  A lot has happened and most of the team has gone to bed.  There are a few of us still up - planning for tomorrow with Nakada-sensei (pastor of the Sendai church) and writing blogs.  It is hard to keep my eyes open and to concentrate on this blog, so I will write as long as as I can.  We left LAX at 1:20AM and arrived at Haneda Airport at 4:15AM.  After retrieving our luggage we exchanged our dollars for yen - and had most of our luggage sent to the Sendai church by takkyubin, so we didn't have to lug it around as we traveled by train to the Sendai church.  We rode a few trains before boarding the "Bullet Train" and getting to the Sendai church.  Most of the team members were able to take a nap while Nakada-sensei presented an English class to eight students.  Danny, Tsuguru and I spent time with the students with conversational English when their lesson was finished.  After dinner and cleaning up, we went to the onsen for soaking our bodies in the warm tubs.  I've tried not to mention the onsen year after year but this year we experienced something new.  Besides the five tubs of water at various temperatures there was also one that gave electric shocks.  Electric shocks and water do not sound like things that should go together.
     These last two sentences have taken about 5 minutes to write.  I am going to stop for tonight and get myself some rest.  Thank you to everyone who has been supporting us with your prayers.   I'll get back to you soon.  God bless you all.   Don
     

July 5th - Last Preparations

Crossway kids showing off their
Olympic torches.  

Dear Friends - For so long, the mission to Sendai this year seemed so far off- but suddenly it is only two weeks away.  We've had four planning meetings so far, and will have one more this coming Saturday.  We seem to be pretty well prepared and I haven't been receiving any frantic phone calls or emails from anyone.  Besides the planning and preparation meetings, we've also conducted a Sunday school session and led a worship service with the Japanese speaking congregation at Crossway Church.  By presenting the Sunday school program, we were able to give the Crossway staff a day off and it allowed us to have the experience of doing activities we will present in Sendai.  Lauren and Mielee did a craft activity with the kids and they made Olympic torches - to go along with our theme, "Olympics - The Greatest Victory."  The photo at the right shows the kids with their torches.   After they were finished they took a jog through the Crossway campus for their own torch relay.  We will be conducting two worship services while we are in Sendai - July 24th and July 31st.  On July 3rd we presented our first worship service to the nichigo (Japanese speaking) congregation of Crossway Church.  Rhemus gave his testimony, sharing about accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, with Kumi translating it into Japanese.  The entire team led the singing with Shizuka playing piano and Danny providing percussion.  And then Shizuka gave the morning message to us.  The singing sounded very good.  We have many wonderful singers, which is a great blessing.  They drown out the froggy voices
of the two old men on the mission team.

Shizuka presenting the message at the
Crossway Church Sunday service.

 We would appreciate and treasure your prayers as we prepare our lessons, activities, and most importantly, our hearts for the upcoming mission.  We will be leaving from LAX at 1:20AM on Wednesday, July 20th for our 10½ flight to the Haneda Airport.  Please pray that we will have the boldness and confidence to share the gospel, the message of salvation and redemption through Jesus Christ, in a manner which will entice and encourage the Japanese people to seek a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Thank you to all of you who have supported us with your financial and prayer support already.  God be with you and bless you.  Love, the Sendai 16 Mission Team  

Sendai 16 Mission Team

Front row:  Shizuka Sasaki (S), Kumi Furukawa (S), Lauren Yokomizo (C),
Monica Nishida (C), Mielee Payton (S), and Hiroko Payton (S)
Back row:  Don Hori (C), Rhemus Payton (S), Don Kobayashi (C),
and Daniel Inoue (S)    (S) South Bay Japanese Christian Fellowship
(C) Crossway Church of the San Fernando Valley

Greetings from the Sendai 16 mission team.  This is the third year that South Bay Japanese Christian Fellowship and Crossway Church of the San Fernando Valley are teaming to send a short-term mission team to the Sendai Church.  We have eleven team members - missing from the picture at the right is Tsuguru Kagiwada from the South Bay church, who is currently studying in Japan and will join us when we arrive there.
     Sendai is about 180 miles north of Tokyo.  It is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tohoku region, and the second largest city north of Tokyo with a population of over one million residents.  Coastal areas of the city suffered catastrophic damage from the magnitude 9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 2011.  Fortunately, the tsunami did not reach the area of the Sendai Church.  Tohoku Imperial University, the region's first university, was founded in Sendai in 1907.  It became the first Japanese university to admit women in 1913.  Sendai is nicknamed "The City of Trees."
     The main activity for the team while in Sendai is a three-day VBS-like program called English Experience Camp (EEC).  The camp is conducted at the Sendai Church with the purpose of bringing non-Christian children and their parents to the church.  Less than 1 per cent of Japanese citizens are Christian, and the culture discourages people from even entering the church.  We present a program emphasizing English instruction and that is the draw for parents to enroll their children.  We have five classes - English instruction, crafts, music, and games which are all presented in English.  The fifth class, Bible lessons, is presented in Japanese.  There will be two members of our team presenting each of the classes.  Nakada-sensei of the Sendai Church intends to limit enrollment to forty children this year.  The first year program had about twenty-five children and is steadily growing each year.  The Sendai Church does not have enough members to support the EEC program and invites members of sister churches to come for the three days, stay with us at the church, and to help present the EEC program.  They are hoping for six or seven volunteers this year.  The EEC program is really a partnership of brothers and sisters from many churches.  It is a great blessing to see how all the pieces fall into place to make this program possible.  Besides EEC, we will present two worship services while we are there, have English conversation classes, and do visitations.
     We have had three preparation meetings so far and the time together has been very fruitful.  Seven of the team members have served at Chino Christ Church in central Japan presenting a similar program, and four have served in Chino and Sendai previously.  Everyone is enthusiastic and quick to volunteer for the various tasks and responsibilities for the team.  We have a wonderful blend of people of various ages, talents, and personalities.  God has been very gracious in bringing this group of people together.  We leave for Japan from LAX on July 20th and will return on August 3rd.  Please pray for us as we prepare for the mission, that all of our programs and presentations would be done in an outstanding manner - worthy of the glory and honor due our Heavenly Father.  And please pray that God would prepare the hearts of all the team members - that we would be strong witnesses for Jesus Christ and the love, mercy, and grace He has shown to each one of us.  Thank you and God bless you.