Autumn brings warmer colors as temperatures turn cooler. The JEMS office is blessed as friends bring by bags of kaki (persimmons) for the staff to enjoy.
I was privileged to meet with Arturo Yosh----, over lunch in Monterey Park where he also resides. We met at the COPANI conference in Buenos Aires this past September. He is the incoming president of APN, the Association of Panamerican Nikkei, an international Nikkei community organization. His longtime involvement with those of Japanese descent in Latin America may be helpful for ministry relationships that JEMS wishes to make in the future.
Recruiting Begins for 2014
We will begin our recruitment for JEMS mission projects slated for July 2014. More and more churches in South America are requesting JEMS teams and we are trusting God for workers to meet the short term mission needs. As a practical faith step, I invite you and your church to begin praying about organizing a small team to serve for two to three weeks in July. JEMS will work to match you with a host church in South America, as well as to provide training and preparation for you and your group.
In case you missed those links indicated in the video, please visit the following for more information:
Learn more: bit.ly/jemsapp
Do I qualify? bit.ly/jemsprep
Fill out application: bit.ly/apply2jems
Seeking Staff Support
Are you interested in helping us fulfill the Great Commission mandate?
- We are looking for volunteers to assist in the office.
- We are also open to creating fund-raised, paid staff positions.
As the opportunities to serve are multiplied with new areas of mission service in Argentina, Paraguay and perhaps, Peru, we are looking for those with a heart for missions and for these South American nations. We are looking to staff our office in Los Angeles as well as build an administrative team of national staffers in São Paulo.
Speaking of staffing, please remember to pray for Rianna Wong, who continues to serve JEMS as a paid part-time staffer responsible for South America missions recruitment and training.
Pastor John's immediate schedule
Please pray for me as I undergo a medical procedure on Tuesday, November 19th. In an effort to address my back problems (I have been diagnosed with spinal stenosis), I will be treated with a spinal epidural, flushing the affected area with cortisone. Please pray that the procedure goes through without problems and that I will have relief from pain.
During Thanksgiving week, I am excited to visit my daughter, Tracey in Atlanta. She and her husband have been living and working there since their marriage in 2007. It will be nice to spend time with them and to have an opportunity to rest a bit.
I am trusting that the medical procedure will give me sufficient relief to return to South America for six weeks in January and February. My plans are to attend the pastors' retreats of the two major Nikkei Christian denominations in Brazil: Brazil Holiness Church and Brazil Free Methodist Church. Those two denominations alone represent almost sixty churches scattered throughout Brazil.
Over these past three months, I have been working with Brazilian leaders to organize a Brazilian team to serve in Argentina in January. It appears that this project may not come together, but it is still my intention to visit Buenos Aires to continue strengthening our ministry partnerships there.
I am grateful for your continued prayer and financial partnership. May God continue to bless JEMS with open doors and open hearts in South America! I hope to see you very soon!
PJ
In case you missed it:
Pastor John at the COPANI conference in Buenos Aires (with cool video)
1 comment:
Pastor John, how did your epidural
treatment go? Did you get relief from pain in your back and leg.
We at JCCWC are praying for you.
Mitsie Tanaka
mitsie.t@sbcglobal.net
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