Prayer Partner Letter May 2012

Dear Praying Friends

Greetings from Sendai, Japan! We are so grateful for the army of prayer warriors who keep us and the work here before the Throne of Grace! I sent this out by email last week but have updated it. Sorry to have delayed posting the April one until now too.

We are thankful for the new faces at church. Miss N was being teased at work by some male colleagues and was quite tearful about it. So we advised her to tell the gospel to them boldly. As a result two of them have been coming to church for the last 3 weeks (Mr F and Mr H)! Neighbour old Mr C started coming a month ago and even attends the ladies meeting. Please pray for these and others to accept Christ.

1. We had an evangelistic mini-concert on Saturday (19th) at Temporary Housing. About 20 people came. The Tokyo team did Christian music and a young woman sang. It was fine so we had it outside the temporary housing in the carpark. Rod was also able to do a 10min message twice ( on the cross) and we had meaningful conversations with several people and 2-3 say they want bible studies.

2. Mini-worship at Gamo near the Harbour (20th) at 3pm. This was the 3rd time. We had 6 helpers from a Tokyo church and 8 of us from Sendai. About 8 local non-Christians came and one brand new Christian from the area. We sang about 5 hymns to wellknown tunes and Rod gave a message on the crucifixion from Luke 23 (thief on the cross etc). And afterwards we had tea and ate all Glenda's cakes. The new Christian is a young woman who was escaping from the tsunami when the water picked up her car and carried her 800m. She and her mother and granny spent the night on the car roof in the snow and she was sure her father had drowned. But the following morning they were re-united and she was determined to thank Jesus so she went to a RC church to thank the statue there and later got saved at the Franklin Graham meetings. She has been befriended by our young people which will be really helpful. We need to have a BS with her.

3. Please pray for our evangelistic mini-concert on Saturday (26th) at Temporary Housing at Shichigahama.

Another development is that Miss N brought a 3rd male friend to church on Sunday. He is a very nice young man and a PhD and he happily helped clean the toilets after the Gamo meeting! He just needs to believe.

Christine is writing A'levels in India from 31th and would value your prayers. She has had various health issues recently. She also needs home student status for UK.

In general please pray for us and the churches here to be bold, clear and passionate about our Lord, for the many contacts we have to get converted and for the Holy Spirit to detonate a true revival in NE Japan.

Yours in Christ
Rod and Glenda

PS On a lighter note we had an eclipse of the sun on Monday... pretty cool!

Prayer Partner Letter April 2012

Dear Prayer Partners

Thank you for your prayers and here is a short update.

1. The first service in the community centre where we are hoping to plant a daughter church went very well. We had a simple worship service singing well-known Japanese hymns and a 20 min gospel message. About 40 came. Some were new Christians. Some were from our church and other churches and others were non-Christians who were interested. A very encouraging start. We will have our next one on 15th April. Please pray for God to build a church here.

2. In the next few months we plan to re-visit all the temporary housing sites where we have had evangelistic events and have a mini-worship service with hymn singing, simple clear gospel sermon, free food etc. We have done this at one already and it was successful in that it was well-attended and we had good meaningful conversations with many we have met before. One man said he liked the Franklin Graham meeting and our meetings but when he goes home it is all Buddhism so life is complicated. He was one of the first we met after the tsunami picking through the mud where his house once stood. There are many like that who have been confronted with the gospel for the first time and are thinking about it.

3. Rod goes to India 2-19th April to take Christine out for halfterm. Esther will join them. Glenda will stay here and starts university English teaching on 7th April.

4. Please pray the new believers to grow and for the church to flourish as it lives by faith in the gospel.

love in Christ

Rod and Glenda Thomas

Prayer Partner Letter March 2012

This Sunday (11th) is the anniversary of the tsunami. In our service we will be installing Tadamitsu Nishimura as evangelist. Since July he has been hard at work helping with distribution of relief goods and evangelism among tsunami evacuees. Please pray for a memorable occasion, for his two brothers to attend and receive Christ, and for him to be encouraged and empowered.

Last weekend Franklin Graham spoke at the 'Tohoku Celebration of Hope' for 3 evenings. It was a large evangelistic meeting with 2 hours of of gospel music and hundreds attended each night. It was good to hear a clear, biblical, bold and passionate declaration of core gospel truths. We are so thankful. All the effort in getting people to hear him was not in vain. Some of the tsunami evacuees came from the temporary housing sites were bussed in. We worked as counsellors for those seeking spiritual help. I counselled a 7 year-old boy who came forward for salvation. He was adorable. He was quite determined to become a Christian. He said he believes he's a sinner, and believes in Jesus, and wants to stop sinning! His mother takes him to a church in the north of Sendai. Two inquirers who come to our church Mrs M and Mrs Y also went forward and made commitments for which we are very thankful. Please pray for them and for us as we follow up all who attended. While I have had concerns about US mass evangelism the clear gospel presentation, the pressing urgency of deciding for Christ and the good organisation are all things that the Tohoku churches can learn from (Tohoku = North-east).

On 18th at 3pm (6am in UK and 8am in RSA) we are having Sendai Evangelical Christian Church's first worship service in a community hall in the area of east Sendai near the harbour where we have been praying and working to plant a daughter church since the tsunami. It has been widely advertised but we have no idea how many may come. May we have good attendance and may the Word of God take deep root. So please get up early to pray!

On 20th a Tokyo church is helping us put on an evangelistic event (concert, skit, hymn-singing) in a community hall. It co-incides with the Equinox which is a National Holiday called Higan (which means "the other shore" ie nirvana) and Buddhist memorial services are held where people visit family graves to comfort the dead.

Christine hasn't had a recurrence of her transient vision loss since the frightening episode last month. She has had a few tests which revealed nothing and the default diagnosis is migraine. Please also pray for the UK universities to grant her home student status which is always a headache (pun, sorry) for missionary students.
For some great art see http://esther-artonline.com/Welcome.html

Thank you for your prayers

Prayer Partner Letter February 2012

Dear Praying Friends,

This was a recent Mainichi headline.

"Deputy PM Okada should fight against rapidly aging population, not political foes".

Hmmm, poor old people in Japan, and what a mean politician!

Another news headline says that Sendai is growing due to the influx of tsunami evacuees and companies doing reconstruction.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20120215p2a00m0na004000c.html

Let's pray for the spread of the gospel. We are in the midst of a very busy time and have mini-concerts at Temporary Housing Sites every week leading up to a big Billy Graham Evangelistic Association event in March. These concerts are a great opportunity. Local Japanese musicians sing and give their testimonies and then Rod speaks, usually explaining the cross of Christ and applying it. Last time they even clapped (though they didnt shout 'encore')! Usually about 20-30 people attend. The church members led by Tadamitsu help out and chat to them too which is good for their spiritual growth. We are hoping these can develop into worship services. On Saturday (18th) we are having two concerts at Shichigahama.

We also hear more survivors' stories. One woman told us how they were late evacuating from their house near Sendai airport. She saw the water carry off their car and went up to the 2nd floor. As the water rose further she went into the loft and was rescued by her son who broke through the roof. They spent a freezing night up there not daring to sleep. Her husband had swam to a pine tree and climbed it. But most buildings and trees in that area were washed away. There are many such tales. God has rescued them to be rescued again... May 'they give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men' Ps 107:8, 15, 21, 31.

Regular ministry continues at Sendai Evangelical church with 30-35 adults present each Sunday. Please pray for the church to get its own land, building and pastor.

Christine returned safely to Hebron. She had a transient but complete loss of vision in one eye last week which was frightening for her and us. She is having tests to diagnose the cause. Please pray for her.

Glenda is busy with English classes and mountains of baking for these concerts.

Thank you for your prayers!

love from Rod and Glenda

PS Am reading the 'Cross of Christ' by John Stott. It's an easy read, written in good English, in depth about the best of subjects.

Prayer Partner Letter January 2012

Dear Praying friends,

Thank you for your prayers! May you all have a very happy and blessed 2012.

1. We are so grateful that all of our children came out for at least 2 weeks over Christmas and New Year. What a blessing! But now they have all gone back.

2. On Monday we had a evangelistic concert at a temporary housing site for tsunami victims. About 30 people came and the gospel was proclaimed. There was a good atmosphere but please pray for God to open hearts. In the next 6 weeks we have 8 such concerts. Many of the victims are elderly and traditional and set in their ways. Also they are housed according to the areas they come from. So it is quite likely that they have the same neighbours - which always makes it difficult to strike out on their own. But grace can overcome the fear of man.

3. Christine is having her first university interview today (11th) at Oxford Brookes and on 18th at York, to do Occupational Therapy. She has managed the UK train system better than she feared but would appreciate your prayers for the offer of a place.

4. Mr High Bridge, neighbour to the church is now regular at services- please pray for his conversion..

5. We thank God for the believers in the church for their faith, cheerfulness and cooperation though some of them have severe trials.

6. Tomorrow we have another Bible Study in Yamamoto about 1 hours S of Sendai - four ladies who seem to be interested in the gospel.

7. Let's keep praying for revival in NE Japan as elsewhere. But God would have us also pray for boldness in telling the gospel - Acts 4:29-30.

love from Rod and Glenda

Prayer Partner Letter Christmas 2011

Dear Praying friends,

Thank you for your prayers and support this past year and we wish you a really happy Christmas with Family and friends and a blessed 2012. We are writing to all our supporters personally but it will take a little time. We hold all of you in very high regard because the work couldn't progress without your partnership.

On Saturday we had 40 people attend a Christmas party at a temporary housing venue and we had many opportunities to share the gospel. About half the church members turned out to help and we are so grateful for this level of involvement.
This Sunday (a few hours after you receive this) we are having another one at a different venue and are catering for 80 people. A church in Tokyo is helping us which is great too. Then on 23rd we are going carolling to several of these venues. We find many of the tsunami victims are friendly, eager to relate their experiences, grateful for our work but as soon as we talk about the Lord they say they are devout Buddhists. Pray on for revival. A neighbour, Mr Takahashi has started coming to church - please pray for his conversion.

We are so grateful to have all our children coming this Christmas. We never dreamed this would happen.  Esther is in the air and touches down tomorrow. Christine flies from Delhi on Tuesday and Amy and husband Sam arrive on Christmas Day. So there will be 7 of us! Amy is a junior doctor in Glasgow but is finding the hospital understaffed and badly organised, for example she has to look after 90 elderly patients who she has never met before, which can't be good for doctors or patients. Christine has to go to UK from 7-20 Jan for university interviews. She is hoping to study Occupational Therapy.

It was -2C last night so it looks like we are in for a cold winter!

God bless you all

Prayer Partner Letter November 2011

Dear Praying Friends

I'm sure I speak for many Christians here when I say that the tsunami in March has given us a new injection of energy for ministry, renewed love for the lost, more opportunities taken, awe at the privilege of being co-workers in Japan with Almighty God and joy in the gospel etc. The tsunami was sent by God to wake Japan up and we have yet to see that happen- at least in Sendai - there hasn't been the turning to the Lord for which we have prayed. But God has done something else: He has polished up the Church so that she shines brighter. So even though the tsunami was a great catastrophe the result may still be a great blessing which is exactly what we would expect from a God who is both sovereign and good.
1. Christians have been prominent in the relief work. Japanese churches have mobilised their members and along with Christian aid organisations and missionaries have pulled far beyond their weight in numbers and been a good example of the love of Christ.
2. Christians sense that God has acted in this disaster and their moment to bear witness has come. We've seen SECC members more convinced of the truth of gospel, more willing to work hard and cooperate, feel more responsible for the salvation of their neighbours and family, be less materialistic, more prayerful and more aggressive in evangelism. This spiritual refreshing has been repeated in many evangelical churches throughout Japan.
3. Many churches have started to cooperate, not in the formal way we sometimes had in the past but zealously and generously. I have been encouraged by the initiative and love shown by many in their 20s and 30s from other churches who have helped at our temporary housing site (THS) evangelistic events and how SECC people have done the same and I am sure that this networking and cooperation is going on in other places in Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima. Young Christians who were drifting have found focus by serving.
These are concrete spiritual blessings which only God could have done and should make us thirsty to go on praying and to work expectantly for Him to do yet greater things. A refreshed and vibrant church is a good beginning.
Let us keep praying for boldness in telling the gospel. When Paul recounts how he did it in Galatia he says he vividly portrayed Jesus Christ as crucified before them, meaning he clearly and persuasively explained what Christ's death meant for them (Gal 3:1). Until we've done that we can't say that we have done real evangelism. Pray that Christians don't stop short with material relief only, or handing out literature, or befriending people but use these opportunities to do what God has sent us here for. Giving Christ to people is real relief.
Let us pray that tsunami victims and others in the NE get converted. Many are becoming more religious, increasing their religious performances at shrines etc and we have seen cardboard buddhist altars in temporary homes, also the sects like JWs are active. Only God can open hearts to receive the gospel.

Many of you have contributed to the Sendai Earthquake Relief Fund for which we gratefully thank you. Here are some of the ways the fund has been used,
1. Distribution of bibles, vitamin drinks etc
Our aim is to distribute a pack containing a New Testament, tract, church invitation and vitamin drink at each temporary home. Tadamitsu Nishimura, our fulltime evangelist doing relief work, has done most of it himself but we have had at least 4 teams who have gone along with him to do this. Several thousand have been distributed already.
2. Distribution of other relief supplies.
'Food for the Hungry' has a large warehouse with supplies and Tadamitsu has assisted in their distribution. Also they are happy to supply what we feel we need to give out, like heaters, fans, rice, bicycles etc. We have also bought items ourselves for distribution where we have seen a need.
3. Mobile Cafes
Tadamitsu has held many of these at various THS. Usually he has help from SECC members and friends from other churches. They serve drinks and pizzas and other snacks, and give out bibles and tracts, and listen and chat. This Wednesday (9 Nov) we have another in Natori and the church ladies are going along to assist.
4. Mini-concerts
Twice a month a couple from a Tokyo church bring up a team of musicians to do a concert, either outside under a tent or inside the community centre most of the THS have. Because there is a bigger team of helpers we supply various foods like curry rice. SECC and Tadamitsu supply the logistics and organisation in Sendai to make this happen. As Christmas approaches we are planning events in various THS.
5. The Relief Centre.
We have now been refused 9x by estate agents when we have applied to rent shops or office space. Last time it was explicitly because we were a church. We are also applying for an apartment for Tadamitsu. While we are still contacting them we are exploring doing it privately through Samaritans Purse which is a relief organisation who use volunteer carpenters to restore damaged homes. At the moment Tadamitsu stays with his parents which means his petrol expense is about double what we estimated and time is wasted travelling. Please pray we find a suitable place for a relief centre and accommodation for Tadamitsu.
6. Teams.
We have an increasing number of teams who want to help. Please pray for guidance in using them effectively.
OMF has now closed SERF but it is possible to send donations to Local Project Japam: Sendai Evangelical Christian Church.

This coming Sunday (13 Nov) we are having a church picnic in the local park.

On a personal note, we give thanks for a good visit to Christine during Hebron halfterm and we look forward to also seeing Esther and maybe Amy, Sam and Andrew over Christmas.

Thank you!