Part 1: June 3-10 • DVD of Alpha Marriage Course in Sapporo - The first part of the trip will be in Sapporo, and I'll be producing a very strategic DVD of how Japanese marriages can be strengthened and improved. As you likely know, the Alpha ministry at my home church, Westminster Chapel in Bellevue, is really effective, and we helped launch the Alpha ministry in Sapporo with key partner churches there.
Alpha also has a top quality Marriage course, and Sylvia and I took that course several years ago and found it reinvigorating and beneficial. That course is also being used in Japan, but the pastors there need a companion DVD in Japanese to understand and maximize the course for their churches.
BTW, the planners wondered if they should still hold the retreat because of the disaster, until they realized that it was more important now than ever before. Recovering from the emotional and spiritual damage is going to be a major problem. So this retreat – and producing this DVD – will have huge significance because of the inner healing and family recovery it will provide to pastors and their congregations all over Japan.
Part 2 – June 11-21 • Relief and recovery work in the Tohoku disaster areas - The second part of the trip goes into the disaster areas near Sendai, where we’ll join several other relief workers and our Japanese partners. We are developing a very strategic “adopt-a-community” partnership with the Evangelical Free Church crisis response group, and will do direct relief work in Ishinomaki, and maybe back in Onagawa.
We’ll be working alongside a team of missionaries and Japanese leaders in the beginning phases of a 3-prong outreach: planting a new church to bring true hope and heart-healing, opening a new community center to boost morale & social support, and launching an innovative storefront with a tool lending library and resources for rebuilding homes and neighborhoods.
You don’t see many media reports about relief and recovery work in Japan anymore, but the need on the ground for volunteer work is still huge. Our team will do a whole variety of work such as clean-up/rebuilding/repairs, English as a Second Language work, and family & community ministries such as kid’s camp; sports; music; etc. It’s going to be a trip full of variety and service.
Stay tuned as we do the countdown to departure.
