Passport. Check!
Visa. Check!
Tickets. Check!
Prayer. Please!!!
Prayers are requested for JEMS Executive Director, Pastor Rick and me as we prepare for our January 2013 ministry in Brazil and Argentina. Rick and I will be attending the annual Brazil Holiness Pastors' Conference (located about 10 hours by bus from the city of São Paulo). We see this as a strategic opportunity to meet with close to 100 pastors and leaders from the largest Nikkei denomination in Brazil. We will meet to hear their vision to reach their community for Jesus Christ and hope to affirm our continued partnership in ministry with them.
After a brief stay of two days at the Pastors' Conference, we will return to São Paulo to meet with pastors in that city before flying to Buenos Aires, Argentina on January 11th. I am so pleased to have received a welcoming letter from one of the Nikkei pastors I met this past August.
The pastor writes:
En relación a su propuesta con mucho gusto los estaremos recibiendo, lugar para el hospedaje disponen en Nozomi-En y también probablemente en la Iglesia Metodista Libre Nikkei.
En cuanto a las actividades a realizarse pensamos en un campamento de niños en Nozomi-En con niños de los barrios de alrededor y que son en su mayoría Nikkei, nuestra preocupación es el idioma para la necesaria comunicación con niños y también por ser un tiempo de vacaciones no contar con suficientes ayudantes de nuestra iglesia. Como segunda alternativa estamos consultando con los jóvenes de nuestra iglesia y otros para un campamento juvenil.
No interesaría conocer es mas en detalle lo que estarían realizando en la escuela bíblica y las otras actividades.
Oramos y estamos a disposición de Uds.
Dios les bendiga
(Translation)
In relation to your proposal we will receive you with pleasure, a place for lodging can be made available in (Camp) Nozomi-En and also probably in the Nikkei Free Methodist Church.
As for the activities being suggested, we are thinking about having a children's camp in (Camp) Nozomi-En with children from the surrounding neighborhoods who are mostly Nikkei. Our concern is the required language for communication with children and also being vacation time, we may not have sufficient summer vacation helpers from our own church. As a second alternative we are consulting with the youth of our church and others for a youth camp.
It would be interesting to know more in detail what would be done in the Vacation Bible school and other activities.
We pray and we are available to you
God bless you!
The campground that he mentioned is one hour west of Buenos Aires, in a small town called Moreno. The camp is an extension of the Iglesia Evangélica Japonés and looks pretty rustic, based on my August visit (click on photos to enlarge):
Please also pray as plans are still in progress and uncertain with two months remaining. It appears that the pastors are not accustomed to corresponding by email.
In an exciting development, JEMS has informally created a missions opportunity for Brazilian young people to serve together in summer ministry this January in Argentina. Two young people are confirmed to accompany Pastor Rick and me, with a possibility of an additional three young adults from the Brazil Free Methodist and Brazil Holiness Churches.
As mentioned above, depending on the number of team members, the JEMS - Brazil hybrid team will offer a two-to-three-day VBS type program to the Nikkei churches in Buenos Aires. Additionally, the team would like to do some relationship building with the members of the Centro Nikkei Argentino, a key Nikkei community organization.
And yes, you can definitely pray for my non-existent Spanish ability. Thank the Lord that Pastor Rick speaks Japanese and some Spanish. I hope that his Japanese will be helpful among the 3rd and 4th generation Argentine Nikkei.
Pastor Rick will spend three days in Buenos Aires before returning to LA. I will be in Buenos Aires for the full week and then return to São Paulo for another month and a half of ministry with national churches.
Please pray for our preparations and for our international planning to be finalized in good time.
Thank you,
Pastor John
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