Getting ready for the summer!
Minasan konnichiwa! Hello everyone!
I’m excited that in the last few months, JEMS has been involved in preparing some teams to go to Japan during the summer. JEMS has been working alongside Crossroads Community Church to send two teams. One team has already gone to Nagoya in April, and now they have their second team ready to go to Aomori and Sapporo in July.
JEMS has also been partnering with the Asian American Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. They will have a team going to Tokyo and then to Sapporo. This past weekend, JEMS had its own team participate in an in-person training. One team member came as far east as Chicago (Thanks Lauren for coming out!). There is one more team that will be trained by JEMS to go to Japan, coming from the Los Angeles Holiness Church.
It’s encouraging to see churches catching a vision for Japan. While JEMS sends career missionaries, we also hope local churches will develop lasting partnerships with churches in Japan for mutual encouragement and Gospel ministry. God is at work!
As exciting as this season is, I have a special prayer request. In my 17 years with JEMS, I can’t remember a summer when so many team members faced significant challenges before departure. One participant lost her father in a tragic car accident. Another received news that her son was seriously injured in a car accident overseas, suffering extensive burns. A third underwent surgery and was uncertain whether he could join his team (praise God, he is recovering well and is expected to go).
Would you please pray for our short-term mission teams and their families?
The New Testament reminds us to pray for more workers since the harvest is plentiful (Matt. 9:38). Also for open doors so that the Gospel may be preached (Col. 4:3). Paul exhorts us to pray for boldness and clarity for those who go (Eph. 6:19-20). But today, I’m asking that you pray for the safety of our teams and their families. Satan can use various situations to veer us away from the mission of sharing the Gospel.
Please pray for:
The Crossroads Community Church team that will be serving in Aomori and Sapporo.
The Asian American Baptist Church team that will be serving in Tokyo and Sapporo.
The JEMS mission team that will be serving in Toyohashi.
The LAHC team that will be serving in Noto and Sendai.
I’d appreciate your prayers as I travel around various parts of Japan during the summer. It appears that it will be another very hot and humid season.
Finally, if you’ll be attending Mount Hermon this year, please take a moment to say hello to the JEMS missionaries who will be there. I know they would appreciate the encouragement.
Thank you for your faithful prayers and ongoing support of JEMS.
Rick Chuman
