Old friends, new opportunities

Recent meetings enabled me to reconnect with the Kunihiro family. Some of you may remember Hideo Kunihiro who served as the challenge speaker at Mount Hermon Main Camp in the late 1980s. His nephew, Stephen, is a friend of mine who works in an interior city in the state of São Paulo. 

PJ and Stephen meeting in June 2013

He asked me if I had been in contact with his brother, Joseph in the city of São Paulo. I acknowledged that I hadn't seen Joseph in some twenty years. 

PJ and Joseph

The result of that conversation created an opportunity for me to follow up with Joseph and to learn that, in addition to being a surgeon, he was serving on the pastoral staff of the Christian Missionary Alliance Church in the Vila Ema section of São Paulo. 

Through his kind arrangement I was invited by the senior pastor to speak at the church on Sunday, August 18. What I discovered was a church that was very eager to learn about JEMS and about the short-term mission projects that JEMS is creating for Brazilian nationals to serve in other countries. In addition to bringing the morning message, I was able to share with them about JEMS interest in reaching out to the Nikkei community in Argentina. That community being approximately 85% of Okinawan descent.

As an interesting bit of coincidence, the Vila Ema church is predominantly of Okinawan descent as well. They showed a high level of interest in the possibilities of working together with JEMS in future short-term missions.

The pastoral staff, pictured below, was warm and welcoming.  Senior Pastor Artur and his wife, as well as Pastor Joseph and his wife.

Pr Artur and esposa

Pr Joseph and Marcia

Please pray that JEMS, through their local contacts in Brazil and by the work of the Holy Spirit, can encourage the Vila Ema church to organize and put together a team to serve the Lord in Argentina for perhaps two weeks in January.

Introducing Lowell Sue to Brazil

"Someone somewhere once wrote about traveling with musicians, but I don't remember what was said or who said it." - John Katagi 

I have been privileged to serve alongside Lowell Sue for the last nine days as we visited churches and various ministry leaders in seven South American cities.  It has been what Brazilians call "uma correria!"  (quite a race).  Beginning in São Paulo with pastors' meetings, we also had the opportunity to meet with various worship teams, children's ministries, dance groups, Kings Kids programs, in Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo states.

A meeting with the worship team and Salt ministry of Santo André Holiness Church yielded an impromptu worship time with Lowell and Brazilian Nikkei brother in Christ, Yukio.



In Campo Grande, we were blessed as the worship team sang a homegrown worship song for us.  These still photos convey only a part of the joy and exhuberance of this group.

Campo Grande group photo:

Traveling to São Paulo state, we were able to witness the arts ministry of the Pompeia church as they commemorated Father's Day.






Father's Day (August 11) was a blessed day as Pastor John was invited to preach in Portuguese (with Japanese translation) at the Free Methodist Church in the city of Marilia, followed by a full day of ministry.

Lowell led a workshop in the afternoon, then sang and shared at the evening worship service.  (with PJ providing translations in Portuguese).

We continued our research in the city of Bastos and finished our time in the city of Presidente Prudente.

Odaira Family, Bastos

Group in Presidente Prudente

We were tremendously blessed by the response and the openness of the churches, pastors and people we met.  

As Lowell returns to the USA, it is time to pray and reflect on next steps.  His purpose was to explore the possibilities of bringing Creative Arts teams to South America.  Now we will wait on the Lord for his orientation and leading. 

Thank you for your prayers!
Please remember me (Pastor John) as I continue my ministry here through the fourth week of September.

Hula comes to São Paulo state (not ULA, but HHHula)

God can use anyone and he can use any thing!

JEMS South America mission was blessed by the presence of Rianna on our Argentina-Brazil survey team.  She had been invited by the Bastos Holiness Church in São Paulo state to share a hula performance with the congregation during our visit there.  But along the way, we discovered that hula would be a wonderful tool to teach, to engage and to be the basis of ministry.

One of the first things to be taught was the word was spelled and pronounced, Hula, not Ula.  (The initial H is silent in Portuguese causing people to mispronounce the word).

An impromptu hula workshop in the city of Marília

The full hula performance in the city of Bastos (low definition video) and an opportunity to share testimony.

A high definition excerpt of the above hula presentation can be seen here:


Rianna was also invited to lead a hula workshop for a dance class in Bastos (2 videos)




Hula performance in Presidente Prudente.

Pompéia

Other performances and opportunities to share occurred in Tupã in São Paulo state . . .




and São Paulo's Bosque church.  

Bonus!  Presentation of poi balls (a form of dance from New Zealand) in Caraguatatuba.



While hula is a beautiful and graceful art form, it also offers a wonderful opportunity to express worship and adoration to the Lord.  Thank you, Rianna for sharing with the people of Brazil.  

My prayer is that the arts:  dance, theater, music and other art forms will become a part of the outreach of JEMS South America in the years to come.  2013 was a wonderful beginning.

Mission, music and the Spirit

JEMS Team 1 in front of the Casa Rosada, Presidential Palace - Buenos Aires, Argentina

The 2013 JEMS South America missions team launched its ministry on Monday, June 24. Leaving Los Angeles International Airport, the team traveled to São Paulo, Brazil and then to Buenos Aires, Argentina. After one week of ministry in Argentina, the team returned to Brazil for a one-week, six-city gospel team ministry in the state of São Paulo.

The team took along with it three songs that were to be the basis of its ministry and core theme. The songs were "Set a Fire"

  

"Jesus, Lord of Heaven" 


and "Oceans".  

At various times during the first two weeks of our mission, these songs would come to speak so clearly to our hearts and into the hearts of those to whom we ministered. There were times that these songs so resonated within us that they would cause us to weep. 

While there was certainly a spiritual component to our ministry, there was also a deeply emotional one as well. There were moments that we ourselves were beseeching God to set a fire in our souls, to find a faith without limits and borders, and to understand that he was leading us to take courage and to walk on oceans. And this team responded to God's invitation and calling to be stretched and to grow into a ministry much larger than ourselves. 

I was so blessed to be able to be a part of the social and Spirit-filled dynamic of this team. This energy and emotion made this Argentina-Brazil team one of the best with whom I have been privileged to serve.

Week 6: July 1: roaring. July 31: resting

Thank you for your prayers. I'd like to ask you to remember to pray for my health.  "In like a lion, out like a lamb" might best describe my situation today. We started the month racing on all cylinders. We end the month with a cough and sputter.

On Monday night I had a medical consultation with the doctor friend of mine in São Paulo. It's been recommended to me that I spend the next several days resting. 

Although I planned to leave for the city of Niterói, near Rio de Janeiro this morning to work with JEMS worker, Alyssa Gozun in the local church's ministry there, I've decided that for purposes of the longer term, I should probably use this time to rest. 

The doctor indicated to me that if I kept going at this pace my current health status would deteriorate pretty badly. She was concerned that I could risk spending next week in the hospital.  Since my time with Alyssa was intended to be as a support staff situation, I feel like it is probably better that I relinquish that ministry in order to recover.

I will plan to be at the Holiness Sede (headquarters building) for the next five days or so recuperating. Just to clarify, I've had a severely bad cold since last Tuesday and its symptoms have included a deep bronchial cough, sinus congestion and infection, as well as conjunctivitis. This is all in addition to the general tiredness I have been feeling.

This is a critical week to get rest as week 7 marks the arrival of JEMS music director, Lowell Sue, next Tuesday. After two days of meetings in the city of São Paulo, Lowell and I will travel to the state of Mato Grosso do Sul as well as visit four cities in the state of São Paulo. We are trying to accomplish all of this travel within eight days as Lowell will only be in the country for a total of nine days.

  August 5  Lowell Sue departs LAX
  August 6. Lowell arrives São Paulo
                   Lunch meeting with São Paulo Nikkei Pastors Federation
                   Various scheduled meetings in SP city, including Pr Daniel Abe, Pr Paulo Taniwaki
                   Night meeting with Santo Andre Holiness Church
  August 7. Meetings and fellowship in SP city (schedule is still open)

  August 8. Air travel to Campo Grande. Visit CG Holiness Church

  August 9. Overnight bus trip from Campo Grande to Pompeia/Marilia 

  August 10. Introduction to ministry of ASA, attend Pompeia Holiness Church

PJ - Week 8

  August 11. Marilia Free Methodist Church: morning worship, Sunday School and evening worship.

  August 12. Bastos Holiness Church

  August 13. Presidente Prudente Holiness Church
                    Overnight bus ride to São Paulo city

  August 14. Rest and prepare to return.

  August 15. Lowell departs São Paulo for LAX.  Arrive Thursday night.

Before committing myself to bedrest this week, I was able to see the JEMS Team off on Tuesday morning from the airport. Greg, Holly, and Jeremy arrived safely home. Thank you for remembering them in prayer.

That's about it for now. Thanks for your prayers. Please remember me.

Pastor John

Summarizing 2 weeks of ministry

Thank you to Pastor Ezequiel of Tupa for creating this video of JEMS ministry in their city on July 4th. It typifies and sums up well the "run and gun" gospel team style of ministry during our first two weeks in South America this summer.

 

Please continue your prayers on our behalf! Thank you!

Video update with 2013 South America Summer teams

While serving as a guest speaker in a local church recently, I ran the JEMS South America promotional video and it was suggested that the video ran too fast for some older eyes.  Not everyone shares the fascination with the old 80's flashbang style of MTV. To ameliorate the situation, I've re-tooled the video to show less photos, reduce the wording and hopefully enable the video to be a bit clearer or at least watchable.  Please watch it just below.

Thank you for the constructive comment.  Hoping that this version works to better show the wonderful ministry that is being undertaken by JEMS South America department!

Past posts you may have missed:
Meet the 2013 JEMS Summer Missions Team!  Link
May posts (including my new granddaughter!):  Link

Please remember to pray for and support Pastor John's ministry!
Visit this link:  jems.org/onlinegiving

Investing in Summer 2013

JEMS 2013 July Summer/Winter Mission Team

Thank you to those of you who have been faithfully investing in my ministry with JEMS.  Your partnership and prayer support sustains me as I pass through the doors that God is opening to reach the Nikkei in South America for Christ. 

It is a bit disappointing to write that I will not be at Mount Hermon this July.  The timing of the summer mission doesn't permit me to be in both places.  I will leave for South America with a special study team on June 24th. 

What's in store for the summer (winter in South America)? 

The last week in June holds some exciting days as a vision team makes the journey to Buenos Aires, Argentina.  The initial contacts we have made with community and church leaders there will be followed up this summer with opportunities for service.  

Argentina Vision Team / São Paulo state survey team

  

JEMS Staff candidate (provisional)

We will be working with three Nikkei churches and with a mission organization based about one hour from Buenos Aires.  It is our hope to strengthen the ties of partnership and to affirm JEMS' commitment to serve alongside existing ministries in the years ahead. 

This same vision team will return to Brazil at the end of June to meet with churches that requested but were unable to receive a JEMS team this summer due to the lack of workers.  We will spend time in each church sharing our testimonies, teaching the Bible, leading games, crafts and, in one case, Hawaiian dance.  This will be a fast-paced week of ministry in the cities of São José dos Campos, Pompéia, Marília, Bastos and other cities close by.  This portion of the trip will be primarily by bus.  Please pray for our travel. 

Pompéia and Caraguatatuba Team

  

Campo Grande, Curitiba, Presidente Venceslau Team

July will be an exciting month as we receive and place our JEMS summer workers in their respective churches.  Although our team numbers are smaller, God has enabled us to serve in six churches and one camp over the three weeks of ministry.  The churches served are in four states in southern and western Brazil.  I will provide shepherding support for our teams.   

By August, hopefully my English ability will not be rusty.  I am scheduled to work with another JEMS team member in the city of Niterói in the state of Rio de Janeiro.  

Niterói Team

We will use English class as an outreach and evangelistic tool.  In addition, there will be opportunities to share with the Japanese colony there using our testimonies and Bible teaching.  They've also asked for a cooking class.  I am not sure that I will be doing that.  Ha ha!

August will be a busy month as I will also be receiving JEMS Music and Media Director, Lowell Sue.  Lowell and I will be visiting churches mainly in the city of São Paulo and in the interior of São Paulo state.  We are exploring the possibilities of Lowell forming a JEMS Creative Arts Team for the future.  This will be his first vision trip to South America. 

Which brings us to September.  I will return to Buenos Aires, Argentina where  I will be attending COPANI (Congress of Pan-American Nikkei).  The conference is a secular one, but will be the meeting place for over three hundred Nikkei young leaders.  These are the current and future leaders of the Nikkei community in Latin America, Japan and the US.  What an important and strategic opportunity this will be for JEMS to meet those who will have influence on the Nikkei diaspora in the years ahead. 

Oftentimes we overlook such events because they are not Christian.  But we are reminded of the calling of Jesus to be salt and light.  We are not called to be a Lamps Plus showroom, all congregated together in one place.  We're called to go into the world and bring light into the darkness.  We pray that we can be a presence of Christ in that place.

Please pray that God would provide an opportunity for JEMS to build key partnership relationships for the future. 

Thank you so much for your prayers for this summer of ministry and investment in the work of the kingdom.

Photo caption: Pastor John ministering to a small group at a Holiness Church in the city of Dracena, in the hinterlands of São Paulo state.

KM 41 (Part 2)

To read Part 1, please begin here:  Link

A brief excerpt from Part 2
Because I work in South America, I have encountered many people who tell me that they have relatives in Brazil or Peru. Relatives that they've never met. By the same token, I've sat in homes in Brazil and Paraguay where families will pull out a leather-bound address book and point to the name of a relative in the USA. There are the names of family members who live in San Gabriel or Gardena or Chicago. It's such an fascinating moment to think of the political and economic conditions that drove family members to resettle in completely different continents.

KM 41 (Part 2) - A journey to discover my South American family in Paraguay.  Link.

Sr Makoto with Pastor John in Asunción, Paraguay

God's blessing: I have a granddaughter!

The text came to my phone on Saturday morning.

This photo was attached. The first photo of Kaya.

The happy family!

It's love. And pride. And joy. All bundled together. It's a pretty wonderful feeling! PJ and newborn granddaughter, Kaya.

Please pray for the new family!