The Messenger. The Japanese Cornerstone Gospel Choir In Concert May 10th at LAGBC, 6:00PM LOS ALTOS GRACE BRETHREN CHURCH.

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1 The Messenger May 2014 LOS ALTOS GRACE BRETHREN CHURCH The Japanese Cornerstone Gospel Choir In Concert May 10th at LAGBC, 6:00PM How is Black Gospel Music Making an Impact Among the Least Reach of Japan? Join Us Sunday Mornings: Family Bible Hour 9 AM Worship Service 10:15 AM Inside this issue: Japanese Gospel Music 2 Green Oak Ranch 3 Hauser Update 4 Gripentrog Update 5 Loving Our Only World 6 From the Kinjos 7 Mortgage Debt Retirement Data 8 Please Pray 8

2 Japanese Gospel Music was over 15 years ago that Black Gospel music was introduced to Japan. At first it seemed, like most new thing, that it would start with a big bang and then fizzle out. But not this time, God has been using this genera of music to share the story of Jesus and the hope that He offers to thousands of people in Japan for the past 15 years and it just seems to be growing more and more each year. Young and old alike join these choirs each year looking for joy in life and find that Jesus is the source of true joy and true life. Missionaries, Ken and Bola Taylor have been the main developers of this movement and lead a ministry called Hallelujah Gospel Family that now has a network of about 60 choirs gathering each week through out Japan. They partner with churches and other missionaries who help provide expertise and outreach to the members of these choirs. Ray Sidney from Long Beach California, a well known Black Gospel singer and regular at the House of Blues Sunday Gospel Brunch, has been apart of this movement for the past 9 years and spends about 4 months each year in Japan shar- ing Jesus through Gospel workshops and concerts. We have been using this tool as well in Long Beach to reach Japanese workers, families and students since We have seen many become Christians and return to join and connect with churches and one of the gospel choirs in Japan. Please pray with us as we use this unique relational bridge to share Jesus with our Japanese friends. Please pray for the up coming concert in Long Beach. And by all means, if you are able join us please come on May 10th at the Los Page 2

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6 Loving Our Only World So Many Questions Lisa Leeger As I write this, the rain has stopped but our view of the mountains is still obscured by clouds. A constant, heavy pounding in the wall reminds me that work has started on plumb-ing for a bathroom of our own! Sharing the bathroom with our local host family is one of the many contexts for learning in which I have found myself since our arrival a week ago. I won-dered: why are plastic bathroom sandals important? So many questions What is the differ-ence between morning bread and afternoon bread? Which bus will take me to the market, and which one will bring me home again? How do local people stay warm in uninsulated houses in freezing weather? How do I wear my headscarf to keep it from fall-ing off? What about doing laun-dry? I just learned about laundry this morning. Our host family has a washing machine, but Indi-an washing machines are nothing like the ones I m used to, and I needed lots of help ( and plastic sandals). Needing help is an essential component of the experience of adjustment. We are on the bot-tom end of an extremely long and steep learning curve. Our host family has a two-and-a-half year old son, and this morning after breakfast his older sister was helping him learn to count. As I listened, I realized that this little boy is already ahead of me in his language and cultural abilities! In many ways, I ve left behind the competent, intelligent, mature person I used to be and become stupid and needy in order to fully enter this culture. It isn t easy to let go of that former ME and embrace this new childlike one. Beneath all the nitty-gritty of daily life it s about loving these people from inside their world, rather than just from the out-side. We also call this incarnation. I ll need a dose of humility with my morning cup of chai in order to fully embrace the process, keep asking questions, and trust for the answers. Love Our Only World When I had to decide on a title for my blog, I chose the last line of the poem called Starfish by Mary Daniels. I can easily call to mind mem-ories of looking into a tidepool, fascinated by the beauty of those col-orful animals among the rocks, but reluctant to reach into the un-known, to enter their alien world and touch them. As I cross the bridge into this new adventure in ministry, I have similar feelings. The last part of the poem goes like this: What good does it do/ to lie all day in the sun/ loving what is easy? It never grew easy,/but at last I grew peaceful: all summer/ my fear diminished as they bloomed through the water/ like flowers, like flecks of an uncertain dream, while I lay on the rocks, reaching/ into the darkness, learning little by little to love/ our only world. My hope is that writing this blog will help me see more clearly and appreciate the beauty around me as I share it, and extend love s reach into the darkness, little by little. Follow Lisa s Blog: Page 6

7 From The Kinjos To our dear prayer partners, Greetings from the Kinjo family in Okinawa, Japan. Thank you so much for your prayer for our family and ministry. Here are our update prayer requests. 1) Withdrawal support: Yuki serves as a support staff of the NPO organization for with-drawal young people. Unfortu-nately, this organization had de-cided pause their activities at the end of March this year until in-definite period. The reason is why the permanent staff could not work to do. There was a bread making class as the last experience program on past March 15. Yuki was participated in this class, and has had a mean-ingful time together with clients & their families, and volunteer staff. He was able to pass his contact to Mr. Yoshihiro Iyama ( late 30s) and Kazuki Tatetsu ( high school sophomore). If the Lord s leading, please pray that they may open their hearts to Yuki, also that another withdraw-al support may appear for him. 2) Certification club: Thank you for your prayers for Certification club and children, Kanan, Yui, & Yurino those who are participate in this club. Peri-od of this winter, these girls had the class to enjoy the Eng-lish. They become sixth grade elementary school from this April. It expect that they become busy with final grade of elemen-tary school life, but please pray that they may choose to chal-lenge the pre-a course and the A course of the National Proficien-cy 2014 Exam English. Through this club, also please continue to pray that they may accept the gospel of Jesus. 3) Mr. Tatsuru Nakama: Yuki prays the new ministry door may become open. Through the PTA activities, the Lord let Yuki to meet with Mr. Tatsuru Naka-ma. Beside the work of a com-puter company, Mr. Nakama has responsibility of the public rela-tions of the NPO organization called "permaculture." "Permaculture" is a group that has the ideal aimed at a sustainable society through a simple farm work. If the Lord may open new ministry door, Yuki had registration membership of this organization at the first to see what this or-ganization is. At the first please pray that Yuki may build rela-tionship with Mr. Nakama still more. 4) Mr. Hiroyuki Toda: Thank you for your prayer for Mr. Hiroyuki Toda who Yuki met him at a convenience store where Yuki used to work. Re-cent months, Yuki has attempt-ed to deepen relationship with him, but Hiroyuki s circumstanc-es didn t work, just only exchanges. Please pray that Hi-royuki may open the relation-ship with Yuki continually. 5) Children spiritual growth: Yuki and Fuji are praying that they raise their own children up as disciple of Christ, and they seek spiritual growth of them. In the current situation, they are worried that their chil-dren are less fellowship with other same generation s believ-ers. By the Lord s leading, they have decided to participate in the Sunday school of an evan-gelical church where is located in Urasoe city they live from the past March this year. They are so grateful that the senior pastor of the Makiminato Central Bap-tist Church who has willingly ac- cepted. Please pray for children s spiritual growth further, also that they may build the relationship with the members of that church. 6) Mrs. Hideko Teruya: Yuki s sister, Hideko Teruya had suffered from prolonged cough over the past year or more. She did not know the cause well, but she was informed her symptoms referred to as "non-tuberculous mycobacterial disease" around the past February this year. Shy was very shock this. She became in an unstable psychological situ-ation by the effects of her disease also, and she took the treatment in psychosomatic medicine as well. She visited us several times, and she has confided the anxiety of her mind. In the name of Je-sus, we pray for her healing by placing hand. Please pray that she may recover from this dis-ease, also she may see the Savior Jesus even through her illness. 7) Three years have passed from our second daughter s leav-ing the hospital by acute myelo-cytic leukemia. Until that time there were no recurrences. Praise the Lord of the Great Heal-er. Please pray for her healing sometimes in the next year also. Our heartfelt thanks to all of you for your invaluable prayer. Yuki and Fuji, April 2014 Page 7

8 Touching Lives Changing The World LOS ALTOS GRACE BRETHREN CHURCH LAGBC Mortgage Debt Retirement Principle paid in April 2014 $ Remaining Balance $206, Stearns St Long Beach CA Please Pray Taylor Ahrens is serving for 6 years in the Navy. He is in Chicago for basic training and will stay there for his schooling. Thank you for holding him up before the Lord. Scott Nyquist s Sister Please pray for healing from the JC virus and from the effects treatment for her leukemia has had on her immune system. Pray for her, Scott, and the rest of her family, to experience the LORD s nearness during this time. Phone: Fax: office@lagbc.org surgery to remove the tumor. Please pray for no further reoccurrence, successful treatment, strength, comfort, and endurance in the LORD. Don Parkins Please continue to pray for Don and his family. He is battling stage 4, large cell, lung cancer. Please pray for God's healing and for the peace that surpasses understanding. Pray for excellent care and that chemo will kill all cancer cells without side-effects. Susan Mayo s Sister, Margie - Please continue to pray for Margie, for the Lord s healing from cancer. Pray that she will feel well and be able to enjoy her days, family and friends, and trips in the motorhome. Phyllis Ann Dudley Please pray for quick, complete, and complicationfree healing from a broken femur. Pray for HIS strength and encouragement. Kevin & Teri Young Thank you everyone for your prayers, meals, and support. We are so blessed to be a part of this church family! We love you! Kevin & Teri. Please continue to pray for Kevin s healing. Richard Cray (Laureen Starkenberg's brother) Richard s diagnosis has been elevated to Stage IV due to the discovery of an abdominal tumor. He has had I Contribute to the Monthly Newsle er s the Lord teaching you something that you would like to share with others? If you would like to contribute something of devo onal na- ture to the monthly newsle er, please it to the church office by the 10th of each month: office@lagbc.org. Praise be to the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of com- passion & the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have re- ceived from God. 2Cor.1:3-4