Summer & Fall 2011

Hello everyone! It’s been quite some time since my last update, so I figured it was time to send out another letter and let you know how God has been working in my life the past few months.

After leaving Korea, I spent the summer working as the manager at Karuizawa Retreat Center, up in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture in Japan. TEAM owns a property which contains a number of cabins which missionaries and pastors can rent during the year. Their busiest season is the summer months and I had the opportunity to serve there taking care of reservations and working on the property. It was a wonderful time of fellowshipping with other missionaries in TEAM.

It’s been amazing looking back over the past few months and seeing how God has answered so many of my prayers in such a direct and expedient way. The biggest answer to prayer was first, that God provided an organization to work with here in Japan to do relief work. I am now working for an organization called CRASH – Christian Relief, Assistance, Support and Hope – which is doing tsunami and earthquake relief work in northern Japan after the disaster of March 11^th. Their goal is to partner with local churches and organizations and work together doing clean up work and then moving towards the recovery stage which involves a lot of “Kokoro no kea” which essentially is emotional care for those affected by 03/11.  Their mission statement is: “Serving the local church to bring help and hope through the body of Christ to those in need in Japan.”

Many people up north have been traumatized by the events of March 11^th, and CRASH’s goal is to meet first their physical needs as best as they can but then move into helping them work through some of the emotional trauma which they suffered after the earthquake and tsunami. And in doing so, developing relationships with the people in the various local communities and seeking out opportunities to evangelize and share the gospel.

The second, very direct way that God answered my prayers was in providing a visa for me to stay in Japan for the year and work for CRASH. My parent’s mission, TEAM, The Evangelical Alliance Mission, was able to sponsor a visa for me, so that I could stay in Japan for the entire year and work up north. Securing a visa can be a very difficult thing when trying to work abroad, and many organizations and companies are reluctant to sponsor one. However, TEAM was willing to sponsor mine and allow me to work with CRASH, which was such a blessing.

I spent the first few weeks with CRASH in their headquarters in Tokyo, familiarizing myself with the systems and procedures in place. In September I had the opportunity to serve as a volunteer up at the Ichinoseki Base doing relief work for the first time since the disaster in March. As I surveyed the devastation of homes and communities in the areas we worked in and talked with those relocated to temporary housing, hearing their stories of the day of March 11, I was completely overwhelmed. In returning to the base for the night I came across the verse in Jeremiah which discusses the importance of trusting in God and putting our confidence in him.

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

             

The events in March in Japan were undoubtedly the time of drought, as discussed in the verses from Jeremiah. But seeing the work done on these bases is undeniably the bearing of fruit even in the most difficult of times. The clean up work that has been done, the relationships that have been built, the partnerships with churches that have been established since the disaster. God is doing great work up north through the people of CRASH both at the headquarters and on the bases.

Last week I moved up north to work at the Tono Base in Iwate Prefecture. I will be serving as the Planning and Financial Officer on the base management team working along side my parents. And if it is the Lord’s will, I will be on the base for the year that I am in Japan. I am incredibly thankful to be able to serve the Lord in this way!

Thank you all for your prayers and support!

In Him,

Amy

Tono Base Staff: Jim, Eileen, Miyu, Miki, Juan and myself along with the Tallents and Barkers (2 volunteer couples)

For more information about CRASH, visit their website: http://crashjapan.com/

Pray for Japan & March Update

Pray for Japan

            A week ago today, I, along with those on this side of the world, watched in horror as an earthquake with an 8.9 magnitude and a devastating tsunami struck Japan.  Those of you on the other side of the world woke up to a world much changed. Because these things don’t just hurt those who are directly affected, they have a reverberating effect throughout the entire world.  Most of us feel completely helpless when things like this happen and don’t really know how to respond. But there is something that everyone can do, and it will cost you nothing more than some of your time.

And that is to pray.

 I have seen the power of prayer in action, people all over the world are praying for Japan and I implore you all to do the same.  I have complied a list of specific prayer requests that you could all keep in your prayers over the next few weeks.

-                    Pray for the people who are located in northern Japan where the most damage was done. The weather is still bitterly cold and they are without shelter and warm clothes and blankets. What’s more there isn’t a lot of fuel, which means it is difficult to get supplies of food and water to them. Pray for these people that they will be rescued and relocated soon.

-                    Pray for the 9,600 people who are still missing. Pray that they are found soon! These people aren’t just a number or a statistic, they are mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, grandparents and children, they are people’s loved ones. And there are many people desperately waiting for them to be found.

-                    Pray for the rescue workers who are doing everything they can to find those missing people.

-                    Pray for the nuclear situation and for all of those who work at the nuclear plants who are risking their lives to keep the situation under control.

-                    Pray for the people who are being relocated near the nuclear reactors. Some of them are unable to move because they are older or infirm, pray that rescue workers will be able to find these people and help rescue them.

-                    Pray for the missionaries and Japanese pastors to know how to respond and in what ways to reach out to the Japanese people. Pray for all the Christians in Japan to have the strength and courage to share their faith with those who have lost all hope.

-                    Pray for wisdom for the Japanese government to know how to respond and how to do all that is necessary to rescue the remaining people and relocate them.

-                    Pray for my parents who have been asked to go up to Tokyo to counsel people affected by this tragedy (both of whom are trained counselors). They may not be able to get there because of the fuel situation and because many of the main roads have been shut down in different areas.

-                    Pray for the safety of those who are still in Japan, the Japanese people themselves, missionaries, English teachers as well as my parents (in Nagoya) and my older brother (in Nagano).

-                    Pray that this tragedy would open the eyes of the Japanese people, and they would seek out those in the Church to help them find answers. That the church would respond in a way that shows love and understanding to those who are in desperate need of it.

If you would like to donate money to the cause in Japan, many missionaries are in involved in an organization called CRASH, helping those in the most affected areas of Japan.  They are getting food and other aid to those in need through whatever means that they can. The website is listed below if you’d like more information:

http://www.crashjapan.com/

Verses that I have seen a lot in recent days and have been a source of comfort to me are found in Psalm 46. Thank the Lord that there is someone who is control of all things, who we can turn to in times of trouble.

‎"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold." -Psalm 46:1-3,7

Below is the update that I had written prior to the events of last week. Since this letter has already been fairly long, I kept this particular update separate so you can read it when you have the time…

Korea Update: January, February, March 2011

“Nothing compares to the greatness of knowing you Lord…*”

           

It’s been quite awhile since I last updated everyone, things have been quite busy and with so many changes, I found it too difficult to sit down and write out what’s been happening until now. I went from winter break to 3 weeks of winter camp, then another brief break, back to school again for 2 weeks, then graduation, 1 week of spring camp and now we are at the start of a new school year! In short, the camps went incredibly well, I am so thankful for that. Students of all levels of English attended and yet somehow we found a way to communicate and have a lot of fun.

The start of the school year is in March in Korea, not only do I have all new classes, many new students, but I also have a new co-teacher. I was quite happy to find that she is a wonderful woman and a great teacher, and what’s more Sang-Eh is also a Christian. We’ve already had some good times and some laughs over coffee, yes, it turns out she loves coffee just like me! What a wonderful blessing to have had two great co-teachers, I am so blessed!

A lot of changes have been happening over the past few months and it has really given me time to think about the One who never changes. How wonderful it is to have a constant and unchanging Heavenly Father! No matter our circumstances he is always there without fail, leading and guiding us, it’s such a wonderful thing to know him! I came across a song recently which said that nothing compares to the greatness of knowing you Lord. Never was a truer statement ever made! My time here in Korea has been a testament of that truth. Knowing God and seeing him work here in the country of South Korea through its people and in the many churches that are already established here, it’s pretty amazing. I have been so blessed with a wonderful church family, believers who are actively living out their faith! I am so thankful for the opportunity to attend church as well as work with other Christians and get to know fellow Christians from such a vastly different culture.

Since my last few updates have been so long, I want to keep this brief. You can see above all the praises that I have for the past few months, so let me conclude with a few prayer requests.

Prayer Requests

l  Please pray for a smooth adjustment into the new school year. I have a lot of new afterschool classes that need a lot of planning, none of them have any curriculum or textbooks so I’m really starting from scratch.

l  Pray for my relationship with my new co-teacher, she’s already been so helpful and wonderful. But we still have a lot to learn about each other and teaching together.

l  I have a big decision to make in the next 3 months about what I’m doing after my contract ends in June, please pray that I will make a wise decision about the next step.

Thank you all for your prayers and support! I am thankful for each and every one of you!

Amy

*Nothing Compares by Third Day