Newsletter 2012.January Shiogama Bible Baptist Church

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1 Newsletter 2012.January Shiogama Bible Baptist Church left: Christmas Party at Sakuragi / right down: choir of Kids Brown down: Christmas Events Mr. and Mrs. Mcdonald, Rev.Yamakawa, Ms. Tosaka above: Opening Ceremony of Watari Bible Christian Church down: Mobile Art Class Other events of October - December -Events at kindergartens and the temporary housing in Shichigahama, Sendai, Watari, and East Matsushima -House cleaning in East Matsushima and Sendai,-Rainbow Color Study Club in East Matsushima -Sakuragi Smile (kids program at Tsunami affected area) -Providing English teachers for kindergartens -Renovations in Sendai by Samaritan s Purse New Year s Greeting Looking back at 2011, -Miyagi Mission Network celebrated the birth of Christ, and shared about what his New Year s greetings from the afflicted areas of Japan. coming meant with those who came. We held up to 15 Hope Miyagi has been able to continue our relief efforts events within the church and Hope Miyagi (at temporary from last fall through Christmas with the support of many housing, etc.), and those who are consistently involved volunteers. We held special events during Christmas and have increased to around 400people. At one temporary

2 housing, some people actually came and said to us, please tell us stories from the Bible so we can be encouraged. At other places, we heard, so-and-so who never opened up before, actually opened up during this particular event. We were very thankful to hear such news. Looking back, 2011 was a year that began with the earthquake tragedy, many peoples lives were forever changed, and finally by the end of the year their lives were coming back to some sense of normalcy. While thankful they escaped with their lives, many are now wondering about the reason for their existence, and how to live. We have received many relief supplies and have given them out. We feel the need is now trending towards rebuilding the community that was lost, and developing warm personal relationships to give people the relief supply of hope. We do not want to just stop at restoring life to the way it was, but through the gospel, for people to discover the true meaning of life, and to take that first step together with them. We have continued our relief efforts with the help of many partner organizations, and have been able to reach communities where other Christian organizations have gone, and people only we have been able to reach. We all wish this year to continue to serve these people and lands we have been given to serve. We are one church, one small ministry, but we ask for your continued support this year. News Sendai Harbor South District (Mr. and Mrs. Otomo) We continue to serve with Samaritan s Purse helping with housing renovation, and ministering to people living in temporary housing and apartment through special events. Almost 80 percent of the people from the afflicted areas of Sendai live in temporary apartment. These people have little to no support from the government at all. (Mr. and Mrs. Tsuneo Otomo also live in temporary apartment.) We are working to deliver the relief supplies donated to us but also planting seeds of the gospel during special events. Through events such as instrumental music, hula dance, praise songs, and gospel jazz, we ask the performers to share their testimonies, and for Christmas, we invited a pastor to share a message. This event is gathering more and more people as we hold more events. Please remember these 3 people specifically in prayer. 1. A lost her home in the tsunami, and was in deep sadness, thinking, I should have been washed away with the tsunami. Later on, due to her strong displeasure with the way the government was handling the crisis, as well as stress and high blood pressure, she developed hemorrhaging inside the eye, which requires injections directly into the eye for treatment. Please pray for healing and salvation for A, who used to go to Sunday school as a child. 2. B also lost her home in the tsunami, and is currently living with her daughter in an apartment. Recently, she started coming to church and other gatherings and is proactively getting involved. Please pray her heart is opened and is led to the Lord. 3. C lost her home in the tsunami up in the Iwate prefecture, and moved to Sendai city Wakabayashi district where we conduct relief work. She received Christ through some Christian relief workers while at a relief shelter in Iwate. Please pray for blessing over C s family and her growth in the faith. Watari District (Mr. and Mrs. Kougo) Mr. and Mrs. Kougos old house was severely damaged by the tsunami, but was restored by the support of JIFH to become a storage for relief supplies as well as the home of Rev. Kumada, pastor of Watari Bible Christian Church. (See photo p1) They have already been given some people who wished to be baptized, and their ministry is being blessed. Every time there is an event held at the temporary housing at Watari town, many repeaters come to visit, and always tell us they are looking forward to coming. Many people came to the Christmas concert held at the new home of the Kougo family, and some were even saved during the Christmas worship service. Please pray we can continue to partner

3 effectively with Watari Bible Christian church and the church plant at the Kougo family. 1. Pray that Couple S who currently attend Watari Bible Christian Church will be led to the Lord, and their family blessed. 2. Pray for S, who came to the Lord at the home fellowship of Kougo home. She is older in age and her health is not so good, so pray she can be baptized at the appropriate time. 3. Please pray for deepening of relationships with the new neighbors, and that we can start an Alpha course (studying the Bible). Some recent activities Sakuragi District (Tagajo city) We continue to minister to the Buddhist kindergarten through sending English teachers and having kids club at the nearby park. We were able to build so much trust with the kindergarten that the current kindergarten director said to please continue to send English teachers there until she passed away. They also requested for us to hold after kindergarten hours special English classes, and even said we can have Bible teaching during that time. Also, we currently hold a kids club called Sakuragi smile every week at the park near the kindergarten, and we were able to share Bible teaching during the Christmas party (see photo p1). Leaders from the district as well as parents of the children also came, and they were very happy. They have expressed that they cannot wait for Sakuragi Smile to start again next year. We continue to need more staff to work with the kids and families of Sakuragi district. If we can have the right personnel, we have high hopes we can continue to have deeper relationships. Touna District (East Matsushima City) East Sendai Church rented a large house in the Touna, Nobiru district, and a volunteer center called Sakura House was born. It currently hosts many events as well as a study time after school (Rainbow Color Study Club), and is well received by the community. We at Hope Miyagi used to support East Sendai Church by doing relief work such as shoveling dirt, but we now support them mainly through our support of Rainbow Color Study Club. Other Districts In the nearby district of Shichigahama, there is a retreat center for foreign missionaries, and therefore there is little resistance to foreigners by the people there. It has not received much media attention nationally, but many temporary housings are there. We continue to work with this district, which has no church in the area. Also, Izumi Gospel Chapel (Sendai city, Rev. Itoh) constructed a volunteer center in East Matsushima, Akai district, on land that used to be home to a convenience store. It is a facility which can hold events like concerts, so we hope to continue working together with them past the Christmas concert last December. In Ishinomaki city Yoriisohama, we deliver canteens of fuel to around 100 homes with the help of Kaiyu-Shientai (a non-profit organization). Yoriisohama is an area in Miyagi prefecture that is isolated from other areas, and therefore not much media attention has gone there. There seem to be relief supplies and volunteers being directed to the area, but the people living there need support and relationships that will become the hope for their future and their lives. We hope that by distributing the canteens of fuels every month, we can develop some good relationships with the residents. Testimony About Sakuragi Smile Through your prayer support, we are able to minister to about 15 children living in Tagajo city, Sakuragi district every week through Sakuragi Smile. This district was directly hit by the tsunami, and the kids I minister to actually had to run from the tsunami, others being first hand witnesses of its devastation. They all are fine today, but through this experience, they all realize now as I do, that we live next

4 to the very real possibility of death, every day. It is my hope that through this program I can share the living Christ with them and for them to come to a saving faith in Him. They have seen many terrible things happen this past year, but they still live with smiles on their faces. I hope that through this, I can be a help to allow these children to continue to smile forever. (Hope Miyagi Staff, Yasunori Matsumoto) We ask for your feedback and actual testimonies of your volunteer experience with Hope Miyagi as well. Announcements Website htp:// This is our homepage which has our church members testimonies and upcoming events. Facebook community We also have a Facebook page, Hope Miyagi to let people know when we need volunteers and what the needs are, as well as posts from the staff. Please check it out! Request Hope Miyagi is supported by your precious monetary gifts. We hope to use the gifts you give to help people in need, down to the last penny. We hope to cut costs by sending our newsletters via . If you would like to request our newsletter in electronic format, please let us know. Prayer Request 1. That the lives of those afflicted will be restored as quickly as possible. 2. That we can continue to support the afflicted in meaningful ways. 3. That we can be an encouragement and a comfort to them. 4. That we can have opportunities to share the hope we have in Christ through our relief work with the afflicted. 5. That new fellowships in Christ will be birthed in many different areas. 6. That the volunteers and staff will be protected from injury and accidents. 7. That the Volunteer Center currently under construction next to the church building will be used mightily. 8. That the Lord s guidance will be upon the next fiscal year s staffing needs and budget. [ Northeastern Japan / Celebration of Hope ] There will be an evangelistic outreach by the Billy Graham Evangelical Association. Please pray for it, and for the training programs that will be conducted in preparation for it. Date: (Fri)-4(Sun) Place: Grandy21 Sekisuihaim Super Arena (Miyagi pref.) Speaker: Rev. Franklin Graham Guest: Kirk Franklin and others Homepage: htp://fgraham-tohoku.jp/tohoku_celebration_of_hope/ [ Kids Brown Shiogama English Class, Language Training in Hawaii ] Kids Brown Shiogama, the English class within Shiogama Bible Baptsit Church, will be sponsoring a support event for Hope Miyagi. New Hope Diamond Head, which came to support us as volunteers, will be our hosts in Hawaii. 10 people (of which 2 are staff) will be going. The attendees will be exposed to cross-cultural experiences with Christian host families in God s great creation, and they also will experience attending church worship service among many other activities. Please pray that many will open their hearts to the gospel during this time. Date: (Thu)-4.3(Tue) Thank you for your continued support The relief supplies sent to us are directly given to people who need it by the staff of Hope Miyagi. The financial gifts we receive are used for purchasing relief supplies as well as for continuing the work of Hope Miyagi. Thank you all for your cooperation with the Christmas Gifts. We were able to hand it out to those who attended the Christmas events. We d like to take this opportunity to thank you again for your support.

5 Contact [ HOPE MIYAGI ] (Shiogama Bible Baptist Church Disaster Relief Project) Representative Yukimasa Otomo (Shiogama Bible Baptist Church Associate Pastor) Address & Where to send relief supplies : Kasagami, Tagajo, Miyagi , Japan. TEL: FAX: Contact : Hiroe Komatsu contact@hopemiyagi.org Web Site : To Make Financial Contributions : Contact Madoka Hata donation@hopemiyagi.org Financial Gifts will be used for : Purchase relief supplies, equipment for relief work, financial assistance to the survivors, food, kids ministry, stipend for the relief staff, volunteer center management costs, transportation costs, etc. If you need a receipt, we can provide one.

6 支援 協力を受けたみなさま (2011 年 10 月 -12 月まで ) Thank you for your support! (2011 October-December) 個人名 ( 日本国内 )JAPAN Daniel Hung / Deborah Ruth Trotter / Janet R Brown / Jim Weber / Kaz Kato / Mark Bedow / Megan Thomsen / Penner Mark Andrew/ Perlan Alatiit / Rebecca Rhuman / Tin Lok Shea / Wilson and Eva Woo / 阿部みゆき / 伊東道子 / 伊藤悠里 / 植田エレニセ / 上野翔平 / 上原令子 / エミリープセル / 及川ひろか / 大鍔秀樹 / カルデロンひとみ / 川口太郎 / 金善州 / 栗原けんじ / 小林高徳 宮子 / 小松兆子 / 坂本みちえ / 佐藤哲男 / 柴田初男 / 須賀庸子 / スティーブ デューベル / 高石しのぶ / 高木麻祐 / 武石将広 / 立石尚志 / 田中牧子 / 戸坂純子 / 中川博史 / 武川仁哉 / 福田和広 / フクナガタク / 藤木和枝 / 堀義典 / 前島常郎 / 前田秀文 / 宮地尚子 / 三輪明日香 / 桃野美穂 / やないひさと / 山川哲平 / 山下義道 / 吉澤ヤイ子 団体名 ( 日本国内 )JAPAN DRCnet/JEMA-JAPANHARVEST/ アガペー CGN/ アジアンアクセス / 泉パークタウンキリスト教会 / 泉福音チャペル / いのちのことば社 / 印西牧の原教会 / オアシスライフケア / 大阪城東福音教会 / 小山バプテスト教会 / 海友支援隊 / 学校法人清教学園 / カメヤマキャンドルハウス / 川崎田園グレース教会 / 川ミニストリー / カンバーランド成瀬教会 / 岐阜キリスト教会 / 熊谷バイブルバプテスト教会 / クラッシュジャパン / 栗原聖書バプテスト教会 / クロスロードチャペル / コイノニア福音教会 / 甲府キリスト福音教会 / 災害援助グレイス / 佐久バプテスト教会 / サマリタンズパース / 昭和町キリスト教会 / 新生宣教団 / 仙台青葉荘教会 / センド国際宣教団 / 泉南聖書教会 / 高田ファミリーチャペル / 滝山聖書バプテスト教会 / 調布南キリスト教会 / 土浦めぐみ教会 / ツラノ父の学校日本運動本部 / 特定非営利活動彩星学舎 / 東北ヘルプ / 日本 FEBC/ 日本国際飢餓対策機構 / 東仙台教会 / ビリーグラハム伝道協会アジア / ファンケル株式会社 / 富士宮キリスト教会 / ヘルプ東北 / ホープジャパン / 保守バプテスト津田沼教会 / 保守バプテスト日本宣教団 / 水戸下市キリスト教会 / 山口県和木小のみなさま / 大和カルバリーチャペル / 有限会社 MAG/ レインボーチャペル港北 / 武蔵台キリスト福音教会 海外 OVERSEAS Asian Access / Calvary English Chapel / Churches helping Churches / Erica Basham / Hayato and Amber Nakamura / Jay Salge / JCFN / Jestina Held / Korean Churches Federation of Chicago / Marshalltown Public Library / Morgan Hill Bible Church / Noboru and Sachi Nakamura/ Parkview Christian Church/Saddleback Church / Samaritan's Purse / SEND / Stone Gate Bible Fellowship / World Venture / Yankee Candle / Yoh Shirato / 栄光キリスト教会 / 北米海岸日本語教会牧師会 / 香港 CCC/ 前田のぞみ ( 敬称略 ) ご支援 ご協力ありがとうございました We appreciate your supports very much.

7 About the Volunteer Center Construction Shiogama Bible Baptist Church Yukikazu Otomo, Pastor The Volunteer Center (under construction) The start of construction was delayed later than originally planned. With your prayers and support, construction was in full swing by late December, and by the beginning of the year, pillars, outer walls, and the roof were erected. We will soon begin the electrical, plumbing and interior. Afterwards, we will install the fence and gutters, and finally, pave the ground with asphalt. We originally planned to finish construction end of January, but now it looks like we will finish in February. A ceremony to celebrate the completion is scheduled for March 20 (Tue), a holiday. (details below) The Volunteer Center is approximately 160m 2, half of which is storage and the other half is for lodging. There are separate, full bathrooms for both men and women, and can house 10 of each group. The storage will be used to store relief supplies as well as gospel tracts and literature, in order to make the flow of relief supplies smooth. Our efforts will be focused on the emotional care of the people afflicted by the earthquake, through music, gospel hula, giving out relief supplies, visitation, developing relationship through the mobile café, and listening/counseling sessions for people living in temporary housing. We will continue to proactively accept volunteers to work alongside us. The housing portion of the Volunteer Center will also be used for the House Church leaders of the Miyagi Mission Network, to stay and have fellowship, training and education. As the Fukushima Power Plant situation is heavily impacting families with children, the Volunteer Center can also be a place of weekend refuge for them when it is not occupied by volunteers. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support. Volunteer Center Financials (as of January 15) Income Construction donation 23,130,010 Other, 120,000 23,250,010 Expense Contracted Construction 20,737,500 Additional Construction 1,000,000 (Budgeted) Equipment 1,000,000 (Budgeted) Misc., 500,000 (Budgeted) 23,237,500 Material donations such as Bathtub, A/C, water heater were also received. Construction Completion Ceremony Information Date: 2012/03/20 (Tue) at 11:00am Place: Shiogama Bible Baptist Church (Miyagi pref. Tagajo-shi, Kasagami ) -Refreshments will be served after the ceremony. -Please RSVP by 3/13 if you plan to attend and let us know how many people are planning to come.