Last few days in São Paulo - September 2012

It's with mixed feelings that I bring this mission to a close.  There is so much yet to do, and doors have been opened for JEMS and for the sharing of the good news of Jesus.  

By way of update, I was able to welcome our last JEMS summer mission worker, Loren, to Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo on Saturday morning.  He arrived with an eager heart and a willingness to serve in whatever way he could.  His enthusiasm will mean blessings for the churches in which he will serve.

Please pray for Loren as he serves in three churches during his stay here.  He will work with children's social service agencies in the cities of Suzano and Itaquera.  He will also share and serve at a church retreat this coming weekend and minister to youth of the church in São Bernardo do Campo, a city which is a part of greater São Paulo.

On a broader note, looking ahead for South America missions, please also pray about possible participation in ministries in 2013.  A tangible result of my ministry this July and August has been the opening of many new doors in new cities and possibly new countries.  

Specifically, I am looking to put together a study team to travel with me to Buenos Aires in the second half of January to confirm a ministry project for next July.  The team will be composed of four to six members and should be fluent in Spanish.  Please pray with me about this.  I still need to talk with the JEMS executive team about this open door. 

Thank you for your prayers for my health.  There has been some concern about the state of my kidneys in the last year or so. But God has been faithful to sustain me during this trip.  Please pray for good results as I return to the US for further testing in the fall.

Normally, I wouldn't do this, but I want to especially thank God for friends in São Paulo who really assisted me both materially and in their emotional support of my ministry.  Sometimes I forget that I'm not such a young guy anymore.  But these folks have done much to help me keep a youthful outlook.  A very special thank you to these dear friends:

    

    

And for their incredible assistance in Argentina, major thanks to Paty and Sebastian!

More to come after I return to the USA on Tuesday, September 4th.

Blessings to you and thank you for your prayers and financial support!
Pr John

For the most current update of Pastor John's ministry, please click to return to the main page.

Midsummer in US is midwinter in South America

Greetings from São Paulo!

I just returned from a weeklong study trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina and Asunción, Paraguay.  Thank you for your prayers for my travel and for the contacts that I was hoping to make there.

The summer mission has gone by quickly with two teams already having returned to the US, one team still here in-country and another one-person team still due to arrive in São Paulo at the end of the month.

(All photos below can be clicked to enlarge.  Please note that full names of JEMS volunteers and South American friends are intentionally omitted).

SJC - Pompeia team

Belém team

JEMS is grateful for those who supported the prior teams and are praying for their re-entry and evaluation of their time here in Brazil.  Please remember to pray for the SoCal team which is currently serving in São José dos Campos.

Our final SoCal team will be serving in three churches over a two-week period.   Loren will be serving in the cities and churches of São Bernardo do Campo, Suzano and Itaquera.  Please keep him in prayer.  

I am grateful for the collaboration of my good friend, Patrizia, who was recently married and moved from Paraguay to join her husband in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Paty provided significant assistance in arranging meetings for me with the president of Centro Nikkei Argentino, an organization serving the needs of the Nikkei community in Buenos Aires.  She also arranged for my contact with the pastors of the Iglesia Evangelica Japonesa and the Megumi Kyokai.

I was also able to enjoy a good time of fellowship and ministry with missionaries Koki and Mari in the city of Asunción, Paraguay.  

Please pray as I continue serving for another month in Brazil.  I will preach this Sunday at the Igreja Evangélica Cristã de Aclimação in Cambuci, a new independent church contact.  Next week, I will begin a two-week trip through the state of São Paulo visiting six partnering churches.  The trip will end in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, in the city of Campo Grande, a total of 800 miles one-way.

See Pr John's travel itinerary here

It will be an exhausting trip based on just the schedule and distance, but please pray for good contacts, new opportunities for service and to share the good news of Jesus.  I will be sharing in various churches for worship services and Bible studies.  Pray that the Portuguese language would flow easily and with clarity.

Thank you so much!

John

For the most current update of Pastor John's ministry, please click to return to the main page. 

Training Retreat Weekend held - June 15-16

The JEMS South America Department hosted its pre-summer training retreat at JEMS headquarters over the weekend. It was a time of prayerful preparation, worship, culture, language and ministry training. Although we have in the past offered almost seventy hours of training, we have scaled down the number of hours due to the shorter summer terms.


(Click on any photo to enlarge).

We are grateful for past JEMS volunteers who came out to offer their insights and practical suggestions to the new 2012 team. Some of the alumni who were able to participate are pictured below:



Although the Dallas contingent of the JEMS team was unable to attend the weekend retreat at the JEMS office, we have been pleased to use Skype technology to provide face-to-face training through the computer screen.



I am praying that our on-site training session was a blessing and benefit to our workers as they had opportunity to learn from the training staff, to interact with each other, to plan and to pray.

















Please pray for the teams as they will depart as early as next Friday, June 29th, with Pastor John. Other teams will follow on July 27 and on August 31.




The June 29th departure team:



Thank you so much for your prayers on our behalf, for your words of encouragement and for your financial support. Your partnership makes this ministry possible.

Blessings to you! I look forward to sharing more with you after I return from South America on September 4th!

Pr John


For the most current update of Pastor John's ministry, please click to return to the main page.

Pastor John's Ministry Schedule

Please remember PJ as he travels extensively this summer (winter in South America) to establish new contacts and to firm up long time relationships.

His travel will include a first time visit to the Japanese community in Buenos Aires, Argentina where he has meetings scheduled with the president of the Centro Nikkei Argentino. Through that contact it is hoped that other networking relationships can be cultivated.

PJ will make two visits to Paraguay: one to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Amambay Free Methodist Church where JEMS has sent workers and teams over five different years. Also in Paraguay, PJ will visit with Pastor Koki and Mari Nowada, who are serving in Nikkei Free Methodist Church in the capital city of Asunción.

A focused ministry trip will occur in the second half of August as PJ travels through the state of São Paulo where the majority of Nikkei churches are found. He will visit five congregations and pastors in São Paulo state as well as the Nikkei church in the city of Campo Grande, one state over.

Please keep all of PJ's travels by bus, car, air - in your prayers. Thank you!

Calendar of travels (click image to enlarge):







For the most current update of Pastor John's ministry, please click to return to the main page.

2012 JEMS South America Team Video

The video includes a look back at the ministries of JEMS in 2011 and closes with a presentation of the 2012 JEMS volunteers:

Please enjoy!



For the most current update of Pastor John's ministry, please click to return to the main page.

Pastor John's June prayer letter is online.

Hi Everyone!

I'm slowly trying to transition my prayer letter online. It's been a learning experience, but a good one. I'm hoping that you are encouraged by the many excited faces of those who will be volunteering their time and abilities in South America this summer.

If you missed my print prayer letter, you can catch up here.


Click on pages to enlarge

If God might be leading you to support my ministry at JEMS, please visit this secure link for more information on how you can make a donation via credit card and be an active partner in this work. Thank you!

Support Pastor John (Click)

JEMS 2012 SA Team photo

Please pray as the team prepares for their ministry this summer.  Pray for the visa application process, for better-than-normal airfare prices, for safety in travel and ministries on the field.  

Some dates to remember:  June 15-16 All-California Team Training Retreat at the JEMS office.

First team departs on Friday, June 29th!!

May and June bring us to the training cycle

Click here for most recent May 27, 2012 Update

 

May and June mark the beginning of the training cycle for JEMS South America Summer Missions. We were able to meet recently to undertake the process of preparing our volunteers for ministry and service in Brazil.  We will be serving in four (possibly six) churches from July to September 2012.

                             
(Above) We are blessed to have the training expertise of JEMS staffers, Darryl Wong (pictured top photo, blue shirt) and Justine Morey (pictured in bottom photo, wearing white sweater). They provide the trainees with insights regarding culture, ministry and practical administration (finance, insurance, visa policies). 

JEMS training program includes approximately forty hours of preparation in the areas of language, culture, safety, health, ministry, prayer letter preparation, testimony and devotional sharing insights, team building, protocol and behavioral expectations in-country.
                      
(Above) Because our training began while school was in session or due to employment constraints, we were able to use existing technologies such as Skype to facilitate our training to workers who were offsite. On that particular day, we Skyped in workers from (L-R): Palo Alto, Dallas, TX and San Luis Obispo. 

(Below) In addition to the 2012 JEMS Brazil team (which will have a total of 17 members this year - not all pictured), we were blessed to share parts of our training day with the JEMS Japan Creative Arts Team (seated in front) which will be serving the Lord in Japan in August.  The Japan team will be led by JEMS Music and Media Director, Lowell Sue.


Please keep our teams in prayer as they finish the school year, take time from work, prepare and train, and raise their financial support.  We appreciate your partnership with us!!

April - Blessings of ministry in South America

To view this page full-size, please click HERE


Page 2 of the April Prayer letter:





To view Page 2 full-size, click HERE


Some projects and ministries have been adjusted to better accommodate volunteer schedules.  Please contact the JEMS office for additional information about schedule and calendar changes.


Blessings,
Pastor John

Spring 2012 (February) Happenings

We approach mid-February with great anticipation and a huge request for your prayers.


1.  We have begun our recruitment campaign for summer workers to serve in Brazil and Paraguay.  There are several great opportunities to serve for two to three weeks in July and/or August.  Please contact the JEMS office or drop me an email for more information.



2.  My February prayer letter will be mailed out shortly, but you can see the online version in color at the following links:

• PJ Prayer Letter, Page 1 with missions message:  Click
• Page 2, missions message (continued):  Click
• Page 3, recent speaking opportunities in Gardena and Torrance:  Click
• Response Form - Your chance to respond in prayer and financial support:  Click

3.  Please pray for upcoming ministry opportunities as I serve as guest speaker at Victory Fellowship in Torrance (2/19), LA Holiness Church (2/26), Orange County Christian Church (3/4) and San Diego Japanese Christian Church (4/26).  If there is a possibility to preach at your church or small group, please contact me for scheduling arrangements.  


4.  Two Brazilian Nikkei Free Methodist Churches sent a short term mission team to serve the Free Methodist Church in Asunción, Paraguay this past month.  It was such a blessing, as you will see from the 90-second testimony (in Spanish) of the Paraguayan Nikkei mom who was so happy to be able to bring her child to Kodomo Kyampu (Children's Camp).  


You may not be able to understand Spanish, but I think that you will feel her appreciation for the Christian workers who came to her city to share Jesus with her family and friends.


The takeaway lesson that I want to share with you is that short term missions can make a difference!!



5.  Please pray that my financial support needs will be met.  If you haven't made a commitment as yet, I would like to invite you to consider how you can support my ministry.  Please visit the JEMS Financial Support link.


Thank you!
PJ