Revised website is UP!

The newly revised website for the West Los Angeles Holiness Church is LIVE.  Link

Please continue to pray for the church and for Pastor John who is serving there on an interim basis, concurrently with his JEMS' ministry. 

PJ Summer Travel Schedule

Please be in prayer for preparations and for the very physically demanding requirements of travel by international air, interstate buses, as well as the fluctuations of winter climate in the southern part of the continent to the heat and humidity of the Amazon rainforest.

Pastor John Katagi South America Flight Itinerary

June 15 (Monday)

LAN 2605

Depart LAX (Bradley):  12:15AM

            Change of Equipment:  Lima, Peru

Arrive Buenos Aires (EZE) Terminal A:  7:35PM

June 22 (Monday)

TAM 8135

Depart Buenos Aires (EZE) Terminal A:  2:55PM

Arrive Asunción:  3:55PM

June 29 (Monday)

TAM 8135

Depart Asunción:  4:40PM

Arrive São Paulo (GRU):  7:55PM

June 30 - JEMS Sports Ministry Director, John Lee, arrives in São Paulo.

July 1 - PJ and John Lee travel by air to the city of Marília.
(VCP - MII Azul 4414; Partida 16:04 hs, Chegada 17:15 hs.)

From July 1 to July 8, we will be traveling to the cities of Pompéia, Presidente Prudente, Bastos and Marília.

July 8 - PJ and John Lee return to São Paulo city.
(MII - VCP Azul 4417; Partida 10:55 hs, Chegada 11:56 hs)

We will meet with sports ministry and other contacts from July 8 to 11 around São Paulo city (including, possibly Sorocaba and São José dos Campos). Nós estamos disponiveis na cidade de São Paulo entre dias 8 e 11 de julho para conversar sobre o ministério esportivo. Gostariamos de fazer visitas até Sorocaba e São José dos Campos.

July 11 - John Lee returns to Los Angeles

July 11 to 15 - PJ remains in greater São Paulo.
July 15 (Wednesday)

TAM 3554

Depart São Paulo (GRU) Terminal 2:  10:45AM

Arrive Belém:  2:22PM

August 2 (Sunday)

TAM 3521

Leave Belém:  3:28PM

Arrive São Paulo (GRU) Terminal 2:  7:05PM

August 5 (Wednesday)

TAM 8066

Leave São Paulo (GRU)  Terminal 3:  7:45AM

Arrive Lima:  11:00AM

LAN 2604

Depart Lima:  12:40PM

Arrive LAX (Bradley):  7:25PM

August 14 (Friday)

Flight TBD

Depart LAX (Bradley)

Arrive Tokyo (Narita)

Visit Brazilian Nikkei ministries in

            Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture;

            Echizen-shi (Takefu), Fukui Prefecture

August 28 (Friday)

Depart Tokyo (Narita)

Arrive LAX (Bradley)

July 2015 - Youth Choir Itinerary

Outline of Holiness Youth Choir Ministry Itinerary

July 8 - Wednesday - Depart LAX

July 9 - Thursday - Arrive in São Paulo (Guarulhos);  connecting flight to Curitiba

Thursday - Arrive in Curitiba

July 10 - Friday - Afternoon presentation at Senior Residence (Junshin)

Night performance at the Curitiba Nikkei Colony Club

July 11 - Saturday - Morning presentation at Social Service project, Encontro com Deus

Night performance at Paranaguá Kaikan

July 12 - Sunday - Presentation at the Curitiba Holiness Church

Sunday night - Overnight bus to Foz de Iguaçu (Iguaçu Falls)

July 13 - Monday - Sightseeing in Iguaçu Falls.

Night performance at the Japanese Kaikan in Iguaçu.  Sleep at the hotel in Iguaçu

July 14 - Tuesday - Leave after breakfast and travel to Londrina

Night performance in adjoining city of Assaí and return to Londrina.

July 15 - Wednesday - Presentation at night in Londrina Holiness Church

July 16 - Thursday - Leave after breakfast and travel to Presidente Prudente

Night performance at the Presidente Prudente Holiness Church

July 16 - Thursday night - Travel to Campo Grande overnight bus.

July 17-19 - Friday to Sunday - Presentations in Campo Grande Holiness Church

July 19 - Sunday - Travel by overnight bus to Pompéia

July 20 - 22 - Monday to Wednesday - Presentations in Pompéia Holiness Church

July 22 - Wednesday night - Presentation at the Marília Free Methodist Church

July 22 - Wednesday night - Overnight bus to Sorocaba

July 23 - Thursday - Performance at Sorocaba Free Methodist Church at night.

July 23 - Thursday - Travel to the city of São Paulo at night (2 hours of travel)

July 24 - Friday - Morning presentation at a local hospital

Night presentation at the Diadema Free Methodist Church.

July 25 - Saturday - Morning presentation at Mirassol Christian Academy

Afternoon and night performances at the Festival of Japan (30,000 people)

July 26 - Sunday - Morning presentation at Liberdade Holiness Church

Night presentation at the Bosque Holiness Church

July 27 - Monday - Sightseeing and souvenir shopping. 

July 28 - Monday - Return to the USA

Summer Mission 2015

As we prepare to launch our JEMS South America Mission for 2015, we are grateful for the doors that have been opened to us.  At the same time, we are disappointed at not being able to respond to all requests for workers this summer.  The words of Jesus ring true today as they did when he uttered them:  "the field is white to harvest, but the laborers are few."

JEMS South America Department is pleased to work this year in partnership with the Holiness Youth Choir, led by Bonnie (Paul) Nakasuji and Mary (Ken) Tabuchi. They will be serving in ten cities for just under three weeks (click for itinerary), July 8 to 28.  Sadly, my travel schedule will not be crossing paths this group at all.  :(

We are pleased to move forward with our international discipling program as three Brazilian Nikkei young people will serve with JEMS this summer.  Our third international missions team will launch on July 15th, taking a mixed team from Los Angeles and from São Paulo to serve in northern Brazil, in the Amazon basin.  The team of five will work with the ICEA (Igreja Cristã Evangélica de Amazônia).

Koh Ikeda (bottom, left) will serve as team leader.  I will be serving as field coordinator and church liaison for this team.

Our most recently organized team (confirmed April 27th), will be the JEMS Pompéia team.  The team made up of the Dallas Okada family and Greg Oda (LA) will be serving in the state of São Paulo with the Holiness Church in Pompéia.

*  *  *  *  *

My own summer mission will begin in mid-June until the end of August.  My specific travel itinerary is available here (Please click).  I will travel to Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil and Japan.

One important component of my Brazil travel this summer will be in the introduction of newly hired JEMS Sports Ministry Director, John Lee, to the pastors, churches and leaders in (principally) São Paulo state.  John Lee has a burden for missions and for utilizing sports as a means to share the good news of Jesus.  Pray for John (pictured here with Pastor Rick) as we begin the planning and networking process. 

The later Japan leg of the mission will involve meeting and ministering to Brazilian churches in Japan which are serving the Nikkei worker population there.  

Depending upon outcomes of the pastoral search at the West Los Angeles Holiness Church, I may or may not be returning to interim pastoral duties there. 

Please remember to pray for our teams, the choir and for PJ.  Thank you!

WLA beginnings

I am grateful for the opportunity afforded to me to work together with Pastor Brian Nakamura as co-interim pastor of the West Los Angeles Holiness Church.  My ministry with the church begins today.  I will be serving on a part-time basis as I continue my ministry concurrently with JEMS.

Pastor Brian and I are contracted to serve in the interim capacity until the end of August.  

However, for all intents and purposes, with my summer mission with JEMS beginning on June 15th, I will be fulfilling my responsibilities to the church through that date.  For the remainder of the summer, I will be addressing ministry challenges and opportunities in both South America and Japan.  

As always, I am grateful for your prayers on behalf of the ministry, and for your financial support of my work with JEMS.