go2japan

My Encounter with the Land of the Rising Sun

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 20:00:00 +0200

By Nicole

Truth be told, Japan was never a country that was on my radar. I had always known that at some point in my life I wanted to explore East Asia, but for me that meant South Korea.

After spending the last two years working with international students and their families and absolutely loving it, I reached out to the SIM office in my home country to inquire about ESL summer opportunities. Through my conversation with SIM, Japan was brought to my attention. They informed me about a summer opportunity to be a part of a team that would work alongside and support a few local churches in the prefecture of Yamagata. Conversing with Japanese nationals in English would be one of the outreach methods used to connect with local communities. I was also informed of another ESL summer opportunity in an African nation. As I looked into both locations, I prayed and asked God for direction and asked others to pray for me as well. Within a few short weeks, I found out that the summer opportunity in the African country was no longer possible. One door had closed, and yet, another door remained open.

I was the last member to join our summer team, with only 3 months to prepare before departure. I didn’t know the Japanese language or culture, didn’t grow up on anime or manga, and I certainly was unaware of Japan’s spiritual climate. By the time of departure however, and thanks to our amazing team leader, Bethany Ho, I had a better understanding of Japan’s spiritual climate and worldview. I could now do a very simple self-introduction and I knew a few basic Japanese phrases.

The learning continued once our team landed in Japan. Robert Adair, country director for A3, greeted us at the airport and gave us a valuable in-country orientation, as well as escorted our team to our destination in Yamagata. Although there is so much that I could share with you about my time in Japan this summer – the beauty of the country, my first onsen experience, a public transportation system that can get you just about anywhere – there are 3 areas in particular that I would like to share.

Spiritual Climate

Due to Japan’s geographical proximity to South Korea, I assumed that the spiritual climate in Japan was about the same as South Korea. This is not the case! Japan is open to the gospel, and yet, less than 1% of the Japanese nationals who call this island home are Christian. I am very perplexed and burdened by this reality. This means there are many, many Japanese who are living and dying without Christ, with very little to no witness to the gospel message (Romans 10:14- 15). Truly, the harvest is plentiful for Japan!

Sacrificial Giving & Hospitality

My heart was deeply moved by one particular Japanese pastor and his wife, along with another Japanese couple from the same church – for their love for Jesus, their community, and for fellow Christians. My team was there to serve, and yet it was my team who was being served by both couples – with such joy and grace! Even in their older age, they still made themselves available to serve the Lord with what they had and carried out His work (1 Corinthians 15:58/Galatians 6:9-10). I later found out from other teammates that I was not the only one deeply touched by both couples’ sacrificial giving and hospitality.

Cross-Cultural Team

I have always enjoyed and thrived in working and living cross-culturally. My summer team was a mix of nationalities, cultures, and ethnicities. This kind of team diversity was also reflected in the SIM/A3 team serving in Yamagata as well, which was wonderful to see!

During Jesus’ high priestly prayer concerning believers, He prayed: “I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23). Our unity as believers is a testament to the world! When the world sees individuals of diverse backgrounds working together in love and unity, they can’t help but take notice.

Now What?

It has been several weeks now since I arrived back home. The jet lag is behind me, and I have been doing a lot of processing and praying over all I have learned since returning from Japan. I have had a number of opportunities to share with others about my time in Japan this summer. I am incredibly grateful for all the support I received from my SIM home office, A3 missional partners, and my prayer support team back home. Were there challenges along the way? Of course, but the support and prayers from others, and God challenging my own heart at times, got me through those challenges. Since my return back home, many have asked me if this summer is it for me and Japan or if I plan on returning. The truth is, although I don’t know what’s next for me and Japan, I know that whatever comes next, it will not end with this summer. I continue to lean into God for direction.

The fact still remains that too many Japanese are living and dying without a Christian witness or a clear presentation or understanding of the gospel message. Prior to this year, I could say that I didn’t know about this present reality for Japan – but now I do.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nicole had her first encounter with the Land of the Rising Sun during the summer of 2023, while serving on an A3 j-Team in the Yamagata Prefecture. During this time, she was captivated by the beauty of the land and the friendliness of the people. It is her hope that her first encounter with Japan will not be her last.

j-Teams
go2japan@a3.email

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Read more about short-term trips with A3:

Missionaries to Japan choose new name

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 23:00:00 +0200

Japan (MNN) – Global workers in Japan have announced a new name to describe their role and vision.

Japan (MNN) – The term “missionary” carries many connotations. A3, formerly Asian Access, began sending missionaries to Japan over 50 years ago. Since then, Japanese Christians have taken leadership of A3’s work in Japan. Global workers remained to support and partner with the Japanese Church, but the label of “missionary” no longer fit their role, says Robert Adair.

In the context of Japan, “missionary” brings up images of the post-WWII generation of missionaries. They were seminary-trained, bilingual, church planters who eventually discipled local leadership to take responsibility of the new congregations. As Japanese Christians began to lead A3 Japan, the global workers felt they needed a new name.

“So we started searching for a term that we could use to describe ourselves that still we were cross cultural workers committed to reaching the lost working with the Japanese church,” says Adair.

“We are 100% committed to coming alongside the church in Japan and working with them.”

As the team carefully reviewed their values and commitments, one descriptor rose above the rest.

“The term we’ve landed on is A3 missional partners,” says Adair.

This new term has helped to refocus and communicate the vision of the missional partners in Japan.

“I think for our staff, they feel good that it describes who we are. And that’s been encouraging for them,” says Adair. “And it’s a good way for us to identify ourselves within the broader A3 movement.”

While A3’s ministry has expanded far beyond Asia, the missional partners continue to serve the Japanese Church. A new collaboration with SIM International has also allowed the team to welcome new missional partners from around the world.

“It’s our role to partner with what God’s doing in Japan, to partner with what the church is doing in Japan, for missional purposes,” says Adair.

What can you do?

The Japanese are one of the largest remaining unreached people groups worldwide. How can you find your place in the story and pray for Japan?

Adair says, “Japan’s a place that has not been responsive to the Gospel. But just praying that the work, the effort, of our team and others here in Japan, that we’d see fruit, that God would open hearts, and that we would see Japanese people respond to the Gospel.”

Pray that A3’s missional partners will work well with the Church in Japan and support their Japanese brothers and sisters in growing the Kingdom of God.

Are you interested in becoming a short-term or long-term missional partner? For further information, visit go2japan.org.

Listen to the broadcast (story starts at 2:39)

Direct Link: https://a3-media.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/audio/mnn/4-5min-Aug30-2023.mp3

More Information

This story by Emily Roth was originally published on 30-Aug-2023 by Mission Network News:
https://www.mnnonline.org/news/missionaries-to-japan-choose-new-name/
Download the audio file: https://a3-media.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/audio/mnn/4-5min-Aug30-2023.mp3
Header image courtesy A3.

Mission Network News exists to inform multitudes about stories that matter and empowers them to take action that changes lives. Join over 1 million radio and internet users each day. Hear stories of what God is doing around the world – and how you can be involved. Each MNN broadcast includes pray, give, or go opportunities that help you find your place in the story. Sign up at mnnonline.org to receive daily news in your inbox. Or check out MNN on social media and share them with others. MNN is a ministry of OneWay Ministries.

Aging Japanese businesses and churches seek successors

Wed, 02 Aug 2023 03:00:00 +0200

Japan (MNN) – A declining, aging population in Japan means both businesses and churches need guidance through the transition of leadership.

Japan (MNN) — Japan’s population dropped last year at a record rate. The population has been in steady decline since 2008. The average age of business owners is over 60, and many do not have anyone to take over their business when they retire.

Takeshi Takazawa with A3 says, “They’re healthy, to a degree, but they know that they cannot continue the same way of doing business for the next 10 years. Then what do you do?

“They are stuck in having trouble developing the succession plan or finding the successors.”

This problem of succession affects Japanese churches as well. Takazawa says, “We have existing about 1000 Bible-believing churches in Japan, and they face exactly same thing in the business.”

A3 guides both businesses and churches through the transition of leadership and provides mentorship for the next generation of leaders.

“We help each congregation, each older pastor. We help through seminars, cohort, helping them to identify the vision and the mission that God has given to a particular congregation beyond the existing senior pastor,” Takazawa says.

Once a transition plan is decided, A3 continues to facilitate communication, offer resources, and invite the Holy Spirit into every step. They see times of transition as invitations for people to draw nearer to God and seek His help. This process requires prayer.

Takazawa says, “I encourage you to pray for Japan, the people in the churches, pastors, leaders, Christians, going through this major change. Intercede for us so that we would go deeper with God through this transition.”

If you are a business leader, consider partnering with A3 to encourage and mentor others in business around the world. Learn more here.

Listen to the broadcast (story starts at 1:37)

Direct Link: https://a3-media.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/audio/mnn/4-5min-Jul31-2023.mp3

More Information

This story by Emily Roth was originally published on 31-Jul-2023 by Mission Network News:
https://www.mnnonline.org/news/aging-japanese-businesses-and-churches-seek-successors/
Download the audio file: https://a3-media.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/audio/mnn/4-5min-Jul31-2023.mp3
Header image photo by Aditya Rao on Unsplash.

This is Why We Go Together

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 18:00:00 +0200

Our value for community and the importance of partnership

We often exhort one another at A3 with the proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” While the exact origins of this proverb are murky, the truth of it is undeniable: for sustainable ministry (and really, life in general), we need each other.

And just days before departing with our 2023 Summer Short-Term Team, I experienced this truth in a profound way.

Since the beginning of the year, I have had the awesome privilege of meeting or reuniting with some individuals who have desired to serve the church in Japan together on a short-term team. Several of these individuals had planned to join our 2020 teams and have been waiting since then, but a couple of new faces joined us as well.

When our team was formed, we began meeting together regularly on Zoom, getting to know one another, sharing our hearts for the Japanese people, and learning about the local church and how we could serve her. In this way, we got to begin sharing our lives with one another and praying for one another.

We made our plans, began packing our bags, and looked forward to meeting one another IN PERSON!

Unfortunately for me, days before our departure, I had a family emergency that took me out. But thankfully, in God’s mercy and in only the ways He can provide, this didn’t have to take out the team. The next morning, I was praying and asking God what He wanted me to do. Should I stay, or should I still try to go? And immediately, He gave me an answer.

Mary Jo Wilson, A3’s Vice President of Missional Engagement, “just so happened” to be home in the States instead of visiting one of our many missional networks around the world. And she “just so happened” to have plans to be in Japan in a few weeks anyway.

When I emailed and told the team, one of the members sweetly likened my situation to that of Moses—how he prepared the younger generation of Israelites to enter the Promised Land, but in the end didn’t get to go in himself. And like Moses, God had provided me with a community of other brothers and sisters I could lean on in times of need.

Mary Jo is now leading the team as they round out their time, serving with churches in Yamagata, meeting pastors and leaders in our missional network. And I have had the joy of being able to keep up through the photos they send me almost daily.

While I definitely would have preferred being there with them myself, I know God is working hugely in and through them. Satan would not be trying to oppose this team so hard if God didn’t have big plans for them! Please pray for them as they finish their service and travel back to their various homes in a few days. And pray that God will give me wisdom as I receive them back with an okaerinasai (welcome home) and help them to process their experience and what God may be calling them to next. Stay tuned!

Bethany Ho

Bethany first came to Japan in February 2011 to teach English at a school in Sendai. After experiencing the Tohoku Triple Disaster on March 11, she prayed and knew that God wanted her to stay. She taught at the school for four years and was also involved in a local church during that time. Eventually she felt God calling her to serve full-time with the church, and God opened up the doors for her to partner with Asian Access and the local church in Sendai. She served as a cross-cultural worker with the church in Sendai from 2016-2022, and she is now serving in the SIM Recruiting Department with a heart for multiplying the harvest workers sent to Japan.

staff profile
bho@asianaccess.org

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Photos provided by Manami Tsutsumi, Andrew Wilson, and Tim Wang
Read about our Short-Term Teams
Read other posts about the importance of community in mission:
- Decisions, Decisions
- LIVE Community

Call to Pray for the Japan Congress on Evangelism

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 06:00:00 +0200

Hello Everyone! It's inspiring being here at the Japanese garden at San Diego's Balboa Park.

A Reminder to Pray for Japan & JCE7

It reminds me to ask you to pray for Japan. These are exciting days, and this September, the Japan Congress on Evangelism (JCE7) is going to be happening. And A3 is super involved!

Faith to Double the Christian Population

We want to see the Christian population double in Japan over the coming years. And we ask for your prayers! We'll be gathering in the month of September (Sept 19-22) near Nagoya—people from all across the country—to pray for Japan and to talk about doubling the Christian population. So keep us in your prayers.

I'm grateful for you, and if you ever get a chance, come down here to San Diego, this is a beautiful Park—very peaceful. Love it here!

With hope for Japan,

Joseph W. Handley, Jr., Ph.D.

jhandley@asianaccess.org
@jwhandley
@jwhandley

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Header photo of Balboa Park's Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego by Soly Moses: https://www.pexels.com/photo/japanese-friendship-garden-san-diego-15994932/

Introducing A3.Missional Partners

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 20:00:00 +0200

Our Missionaries Have a New Name!

For several years, you’ve become familiar with new ministry streams such as A3.business and Young Professionals. But today, I am excited to announce that our missionaries in Japan have a new descriptive name. We are now calling them “Missional Partners”.

In 1967, A3 launched in Japan as a missionary sending organization partnering with local Japanese churches. Our original call was to send North American young people to teach conversational English, partnering with Japanese churches for evangelism and church planting. There have been many ministry innovations in A3, but missionaries are still coming alongside Japanese churches and pastors to partner.

Today, A3 is a global network of leaders, but we always remember our roots. This is a significant A3 incarnational ministry that I want you to know about. And to announce their new name, as the word “missionary” has unfortunately for some begun to take on negative meanings.

Partnering with the Church in Japan to multiply disciples

Robert Adair, A3’s missionary director in Japan, and his team were brainstorming potential names that better reflect their role as cross-cultural workers within the broader A3 movement. The more they talked, the more one name rose to the top of their list.

“The name 'Missional Partners' sums up our ministry stream concisely and understandably. We are a team of cross-cultural workers partnering with the church in Japan and A3 Japan specifically to reach the 99% of Japanese people who do not know Christ. We are partnering with God, through the church in Japan for the sake of the gospel. The name is a natural continuation of ‘My vision is to empower your vision’* as well as Scrum Dendo the old summer program, plus the collaborative and evangelical focus A3 has had in Japan for over 56 years.

Missional Partners comprise the team of global workers collaborating directly with the church (in Japan) for the sake of the gospel. We believe that the Holy Spirit is leading the church in Japan and hope that our skills, gifts, talents, and resources can be used to help pursue the vision God has given the Church in Japan.”

Partnering with SIM International

I am thrilled that this unique missional partnership with SIM-USA in 2011 has now grown to include SIM International. It is possible to send Missional Partners to Japan from any country where SIM has a presence! Missions is from everywhere to everywhere. Our team on the ground in Japan will be more effective and more fully represent the global church as we receive "A3.MPs" from more countries outside of North America. We already have our first A3.MP from East Asia and are hoping to receive our second later this year.

And Robert reports that we have two units approved to come in the next year or so and several others moving through the inquiry process. By the end of July, we will already have ten potential A3.MPs in Japan from four countries on vision trips, exploring their call.

A3 + SIM = go2japan

If you know of anyone interested in serving as a Missional Partner in Japan, please send them to go2japan—a website for potential missionaries to explore Japan.

Join everyone in the A3 community as we celebrate this long-time ministry with a new name of Missional Partners.

With hope for Japan,

Joseph W. Handley, Jr., Ph.D.

jhandley@asianaccess.org
@jwhandley
@jwhandley

More Information

Ministry Opportunities in Japan
Read about the missional partnership between A3 and SIM
History of A3 (Language Institute For Evangelism/LIFE Ministries > Asian Access > A3)
go2japan: https://go2japan.org
Hear from our Missional Partners...
SIM International: https://sim.org

* My vision is to empower your vision." — Our founder Ken laid the foundation on solid ground with a keen focus on Christ-like leadership and a famous story from our history of asking Pastor Takaichi Murakami his vision for Japan. After Rev. Murakami shared for sometime, he turned to Ken saying, “What’s your vision as the missionary God sent to Japan?” And, Ken quickly added, “My vision is to empower your vision!” That foundation laid the groundwork for the deep seated values of A3: empowering indigenous leaders for the vision God had given them!

Beauty Before Me

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 21:30:00 +0200

As much as I’ve tried to process, ponder, and pick stuff apart, I’ll simply say for now that the last seven years or so have been disorienting. I won’t go as far as to say I’ve been deconstructing, as that word is a bit loaded and a lot dramatic compared to what I’ve been doing. At the same time, I don’t want to understate the amount of disappointment, confusion, shock, anger (occasionally bordering on rage), and deep sadness I have felt toward certain branches of the stream of Christianity I’m a part of. Perhaps detangling is a better term. But I’m not wanting to go into that a ton here. Not yet anyway. 

What I am wanting to do is practice being more of a noticer—seeing people who don’t seem to be flailing around in choppy waters like me but instead are more like anchors. People like my mom: a woman who is stable and steady, who sees similar things as me, yet keeps on watering her flowers, making food for people, playing the organ at church, showing up for her friends, and volunteering at a thrift store that employs people in the penitentiary system. She keeps on making music, meals, and memories, keeps on listening to Reactionary, Big Feeling Me, and keeps on being her steady self.

Additionally, my wonder and gratitude continue to grow at the privilege I feel in getting to attend our Japanese church and worship with them regularly. Christians are in the lonely—well less than 1%—of Japan’s population, and the longer I’m here, I find them more and more remarkable. I hear buzz words like “grit” and “resilient”—and that’s who I get to worship with, week after week, year after year. 

The Anchormen

For a couple of years, I have felt a particular fondness toward some of the ojiichan (the grandpas) at our church. I’ve mentioned these gents in other places because they really are important to me. They are also anchors for me, people providing stability to my faith, as they have walked with Jesus longer than me and haven’t yet lost their faith or their way. 

Mr. K

My main interactions with Mr. K involve receiving bags of produce in the summer and fall: perfectly ripe grape tomatoes, dried persimmons (a lot of work and time), a bundle of beautiful sweet potatoes, or round Japanese pears the size of grapefruit. He hands them to me with his eyes twinkling and a shy smirk of a smile. Other than me babbling my thanks, we don’t really talk with each other much. But his unassuming presence and the few pieces of his story that I’ve seen personally and heard from others remind me of the beauty of Christ.

When I first moved here, I heard a story about when Mr. K felt convicted that he should show God’s love to the poor more than he already was. He sought out a homeless man and began caring for him in practical ways. Over time, the man became interested in coming to church, so Mr. K would take him to the public bath beforehand. Mr. K found this man a job and housing—and most importantly, he encouraged him to get reconnected to his estranged family.

Eventually, the man became a believer. Although he passed away shortly afterwards, he died with a home, a job, reunited with his family, and united with Christ. And Mr. K was simply trying to obey the literal words of Jesus—the bits about loving your neighbor and the Good Samaritan and practically caring for the least of these. There is so much about this story that I love, especially how only a handful of people know it. 

[I’m not including the years of post-disaster service to his neighbors and community—he lost his home, too—or the tender way he cared for his late granddaughter who was born with a profound developmental disability. He’s remarkable.]

Mr. H

A retired butcher who spent decades with food, Mr. H is now caring for vulnerable people in our community—through food (our church’s modest food bank ministry). Many times over our last 2+ terms in Japan, I have looked at his warm smile and consistent service and been humbled—he is a giant in faith and perseverance. I remember years ago complaining to him at a prayer meeting: “What difference are our prayers making? We pray, and we don’t see God answer…” He was so kind and gentle with me. While I don’t remember his exact response, I remember his eyes and smile—not rejecting me (“Um…we don’t want missionaries with faith as weak as yours.”)—or mansplaining me. (“Let’s read this passage and discuss what God thinks, and let me remind you about why you’re wrong.”). He listened to and accepted me, which was the teaching and soft rebuke I needed.

Mr. O

The other ojiichan, Mr. O, is kind of a big deal in Christian circles in Japan. He speaks at conferences, has written books, and is a pretty well-known pastor here. Yet what I most appreciate: he gladly accepts a role as parking lot supervisor for a kids outreach, he cancels a meeting so he can do a craft on the floor with a little girl who is particularly feisty, and he shows up to a beach outreach wearing nagagutsu (Japanese rain/work boots that are the least fancy kind of footwear).

Shortly after arriving in Japan, I saw him sitting in the sand next to a construction worker/surfer friend who was smoking a cigarette and covered in rather inappropriate tattoos, listening to him for an hour. More recently, he came to a little end-of-summer beach party I had with some friends, and he played with a gaggle of kids while talking with their parents. (I left him on the beach with a bunch of strangers so I could be the “Responsible Adult” in the water with the kids —meaning I got to plaaaay.) He is delightfully unpretentious and consistently amazes me by how remarkably focused he is on whoever is in front of him.

[Unrelated: he laughs great. One of my favorite memories of him is when he was trying to tell a funny story in his sermon, and he couldn’t get it out because he was laughing so hard. He white-knuckled the podium, stopped, paused, and tried again several times with tears streaming down his face from the effort of trying to keep it together. The whole congregation was cackling—and no one even knew what story he was trying to tell.]

Mr. T

And then there’s Mr. T, a retired farmer in his 70s. He is often a greeter on Sundays, and I am touched by his presence and example. We have some awkward and unusual people who occasionally come to church. I know that he’ll care for them well—and that he’ll care for me well when I need it. He seems to be gifted in mercy, and he has been a significant factor in many people in need of mercy meeting Jesus. I imagine this gift is sometimes a bit draining for him. I imagine years of caring for disaster victims as a disaster victim himself has come at a cost. Yet I also think he’s one of the best examples I know of someone trying to live and love like Jesus.

Beauty is Before Me

Now I walk in Beauty
Beauty is before me
Beauty is behind me, above and below me

As I go about my life in Japan, this choir warm-up from high school frequently pops into my head—particularly in the fall with the change of colors and in the spring with the blooming of the sakura (cherry blossoms).

It’s a pretty, almost haunting song that can be sung in a round. While I usually think of it when awed by nature, I am profoundly grateful for the Japanese ojiichan in my life here who are “beauty before me.” (I love imagining telling them this and picturing their shocked and uncomfortable reactions. “Ah! She called me beautiful!” One would back away from me, shy and uncomfortable. Another would furrow his brow and look grumpy because I was so brazen. Yet another would blush bashfully, and the last one would simply giggle.)

We don’t talk to each other that much, and I don’t know huge swaths of their complex stories and lives. But I see these anchormen faithfully showing up and providing needed stability—to myself and to many others.

“Beauty is before me,” indeed.

Roberta Adair

Roberta grew up in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania and graduated from Penn State University. She served for three years in Kosovo with The Christian & Missionary Alliance. After completing her term she enrolled in Wheaton College. Robert, raised in Texas, is a graduate of Texas A&M University. From 2005-2009 he served in southern Japan with A3. Like Roberta, he returned and studied missions at Wheaton College in 2009, which is where their paths converged. After meeting, dating and getting married, they discerned that God was leading them back to Japan. They are currently in Japan through a strategic partnership between A3 and SIM, reaching Japanese people and strengthening the Japanese church.

staff profilestaff profile
roberta@asianaccess.org

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See other posts from Roberta:

After Three Years of Waiting, Finally!

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0200

Tokyo Summer Olympics 2020 Team Going to Japan

A3 (formerly Asian Access) began decades ago with a thriving short-term summer program called Scrum Dendo. Every summer, multiple teams would come to Japan, partner with Japanese churches, and create bridges to each community through English language outreach.

At the beginning of 2020, we had high hopes of reviving these summer mission teams, partnering with churches who wanted to do major outreach work surrounding the Tokyo Olympics.

We had no clue what was coming that year.

I was on my home assignment with plans to return to Japan in March. Unfortunately, the doors for returning were shutting faster than I was able to leave, and I was put on extended home assignment in the States.

One of the projects I had the incredible privilege of picking up during this time was leading monthly Zoom calls with our Japan 2020 Summer Olympics team members. All of these individuals had applied for the summer outreach and been accepted. Several were well on their way with support raising. We hosted these Zoom meetings in hopes that Japan would open up to visitors when they held the Olympics in 2021.

Meeting faithfully every month that year, we forged a community, learned from partner pastors and missionaries, and even taught a little bit of Japanese language. After a year of waiting and preparing, however, our plans officially ended when Japan decided to host the Olympics without spectators.

Our last call together in 2021, doors still closed

In October 2022, Japan finally dropped travel restrictions on tourism, and we prayerfully started making plans for a 2023 summer team.

Now we are preparing to leave, with less than a month before our departure.

Our trip and our team look different. Instead of working with churches in Tokyo and across the country, we will be focusing on new church partnerships in Yamagata prefecture. And instead of the 30+ applicants, we have seven people total including me as Team Leader. Four of these individuals have been waiting since 2020.

One of our team members, Samuel, told me, “It feels unreal almost, but I’m really grateful that patience is finally paying off. I’m excited to finally be able to have my questions answered of where God wants me to be.” And he's not the only one on the team going with these questions in mind.

As Samuel shares, short-term teams are a great step in discerning if God is calling you to join our team long-term in the future. If you want to know more, reach out to us.

Please pray for Samuel, Bret, Manami, Tim, Andrew, Nicole, and me as we depart at the end of the month and meet in person for the first time at the airport in Tokyo. Pray that we will be able to love one another and the Japanese church and community well. We believe God has big things planned.

“I cannot wait to see what He has planned for this team and how the last three years have impacted our readiness,” Manami reflects. “His timing is always perfect.”

Amen!

Bethany Ho

staff profile
bho@asianaccess.org

More Information

Read about our Short-Term Teams
Read other posts by Bethany:
- I Come Bearing Gifts
- How Not to Teach Middle School

A Tribute to Dr. Reiji Oyama: A Legacy of Impact in Japan

Fri, 26 May 2023 12:00:00 +0200

BY DOUG BIRDSALL

Oyama-sensei was known and respected throughout Japan and across Asia—and beyond—as a brilliant scholar, prolific author, dearly loved pastor, and seminary professor.

He was a man of slight build, but powerful mind. He spoke with a soft voice, but his words were heard and heeded throughout the nation he loved and served all of his life.

His publishing record is legendary. He seemed to be able to publish books, articles and tracts effortlessly—160 books throughout his career. But those who knew him were keenly aware of the fact that his mind was one of the most disciplined, hard-working, and consecrated intellects in the modern life of the church in Japan.

It is impossible to think of Oyama-sensei without thinking of the Takadanobaba Bible Church. His life was anchored in that church which he founded as a young man, preaching the gospel in street side meetings after the war, and which he served throughout his life. Like everything in which he was involved, the Takadanobaba Bible Church grew and multiplied. Today, there are more than 20 daugther congregations.

As great as his life-long contributions are in each of these spheres of leadership influence, I believe Oyama-sensei’s greatest legacy will be through the hundreds of younger men and women from across Japan and Asia who treasure him as an exemplar of a Christian leadership, and as a mentor of immense wisdom and generosity of spirit. He multiplied churches, and he multiplied leaders through those churches, through his seminary classes, his books, and his radio broadcasts.

It was my privilege to meet him while I was still a young missionary in Japan forty-one years ago in 1982. That was at the time when the work of the Japan Church Growth Institute (JCGI) was being established to help connect and develop some of the most promising and productive pastors in the country.

In 1991, when I became the leader of our mission, Asian Access (now A3), I had the great opportunity to serve with Oyama-sensei on the JCGI board which he chaired. I am deeply indebted to him for the impact of his wisdom and his life upon mine. Being in a board meeting with him was as instructive as being in a seminary classroom. Theological reflection, strategic planning, spiritual formation, and worship were elements of every meeting.

He guided the development of that ministry through some very exciting stages of growth and expansion, as well as through some times of controversy and difficulty. His rock solid faith, calm demeanor, faith, and commitment to truth and fairness served as a powerful illustration of all the books he wrote and the sermons he preached. His life was his message. It was transparent, compelling and transformational. He was Christ-like.

Dr. Oyama's life-long service to Christ has come to an end on this earth. But the impact of his life continues through the thousands of people whose lives were directly enriched and transformed, and that impact is multiplied many times over by those he has and will impact indirectly.

I thank God for the life, leadership, and friendship of Dr. Reiji Oyama. Like David, “he fulfilled the purposes of God in his generation.” Thanks be to God!

Doug Birdsall

____________________________

S. Douglas Birdsall first arrived in Japan with his wife Jeanie in 1980, serving there for 20 years, and they have remained as A3 missionaries for 43+ years. He is the honorary chairman of the Lausanne Movement, a global network of Christians launched in 1974. He has been the executive chairman of Lausanne and provided overall leadership for the Third Lausanne Congress in Cape Town, South Africa. Drawing over 4,000 participants from 198 countries and from a wide variety of denominations, Cape Town 2010 was the most diverse gathering of Christians in history. He was the president of A3 (Asian Access) from 1991-2007. Earlier in his career, Doug played on the 1969 Richwoods High School football team—undefeated, State Champions of Illinois.

More Information

The family will held a memorial service for Dr. Reiji Oyama on May 26, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan.
Dr. Reiji Oyama's Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reiji_Oyama_(pastor)
Dr. Oyama's Takadanobaba Bible Church (Wikipedia)
Photos courtesy of A3 unless specified:
1. Dr. Reiji Oyama (left) was board chair, Dr. Doug Birdsall (middle) was president, Dr. Paul Ariga (right) was vice chair (2007)
2. Headshot of Rev. Oyama courtesy of https://www.christiantoday.co.jp/
3. The Biblical Church photo courtesy of Wikipedia
4. The Board of A3's Japan Church Growth Institute (2007)
5. Doug Birdsall & Reiji Oyama listening to pastoral graduate presentations at A3's graduation (2007).

I Come Bearing Gifts

Tue, 02 May 2023 00:00:00 +0200

For over a decade, February 1, 2011, remained memorialized in my mind as my “Japanniversary,” the day God took me to Japan, one month before the Triple Disaster. Each passing year, I have acknowledged this date in some way—karaoke with friends, a Facebook post, or a quiet prayer to God.

But 2022 was the year I wrapped up over a decade of life in Japan and moved “home.” In 2023, to recall my arrival date in Japan, I had to look at my 手帳 (techō, my pocket schedule book). I was too late! The day, March 16, had passed by me without so much as a wink.

In my previous post, Wander Where He Leads, I mentioned giving a goodbye message to my partner church, Praise Community Church. I labored over it for weeks, and with the amazing support of my sweet roommates I was able to deliver it in Japanese. In it, I thanked my precious family for three gifts they had given me: 人を敬うこと (hito o uyamaukoto, respect for others), 責任感 (sekinin kan, sense of responsibility), and 忍耐 (nintai, perseverance).

You took care of me for 11 years. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

This last year, I have seen the importance of bringing these gifts back with me to the US.

人を敬うこと, Respect for Others

I returned to a country that had become much more polarized than when I left it. In the description for his book Divided We Fall, David French explains that this polarization “dismisses dialogue as appeasement.” Somewhere in the decade I had been away, we lost respect for one another and the ability to have a conversation about differing viewpoints.

Japanese conversation is much more naturally “quick to listen, slow to speak” (James 1:19). This is an art form that is getting lost in American culture. We could learn a thing or two from our Japanese brothers and sisters on how to hold tightly to respect, even when disagreeing with someone.

責任感, Sense of Responsibility

My home church here in St. Louis just wrapped up a beautiful series called People of the King, going through the book of Philippians reading it from a “we” lens as opposed to a “me” lens. This made my Japanese heart so happy, and it’s an exercise I encourage every church in the States to take part in.

The Japanese church discipled me on what it means to do the life of faith as a “we” and not just in my individual relationship with Jesus. The individual relationship is VITAL, but here in the US, the “me” piece of our faith life gets over-emphasized to the point that we lose the “we” of our faith. Jesus sent the disciples out two-by-two when they did their works of ministry. The majority of his exhortations and teachings were given to a group, and even the individual rebukes were often said in the company of others.

We are responsible to one another as we work out our own salvation with Jesus.

忍耐, Perseverance

我慢強い (gaman-dzuyoi) is an essential expression in Japanese vocabulary. It’s a compound word using the simple adjective 強い(tsuyoi) meaning strong, and 我慢 (gaman) meaning patience, endurance, perseverance, tolerance, self-control—and often used as a verb.

I once had to get an MRI for a herniated disc in my neck and I had to lie down flat, the most painful position for me. And of course, for an MRI, you have to lie still. They gave me a button to push if I was distressed, and the pain got so bad I had to push it. They weren’t even halfway through. I looked at the technician with tears in my eyes and asked, 「ただ我慢しないといけませんか？」(tada gaman shinai to ikemasenka?) All I can do is endure, right?

He looked at me with deepest sympathy and replied, “Yes, all you can do is endure.” And back into the tube I went with those tears still in my eyes and Psalm 23 on my lips.

In a country riddled with numerous natural disasters, and one whose history has it going from isolation ending in 1853 to becoming the world’s second largest economy in 1968 (overtaken by China in 2010), Japanese people know what it means to persevere.

In our rapid, instant-gratification culture, can we say the same thing?

Come and See

These gifts of respect, responsibility, and perseverance that I bring with me from our Japanese brothers and sisters have an invitation attached: come and see. Come and see what respect, responsibility, and perseverance look like in another culture. Come and see what God is doing through His church in Japan. Come and see how you can allow these brothers and sisters to impact your life.

Bethany Ho

staff profile
bho@asianaccess.org

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Read other posts by Bethany:
- The Shape of You
- How Not to Teach Middle School

Decisions, Decisions

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 01:00:00 +0200

By Linda Koyama

Which Mission Organization Should I Choose?

If you’ve considered being in some type of formal ministry abroad, you’ve probably also been on the decision-making trajectory of “which mission organization should I go with?” This was us back in late 2019, early 2020.

At the end of my last post, “New, But Not: Our Journey to Japan,” I shared that we returned to the US in June of 2019. We needed time to debrief our five-year stint in Japan—and also to figure out if God was keeping the door open to Japan or closing that chapter for us.

Increased Needs

When we left for Japan in 2014, we went with an organization that allowed us move to Japan quickly and support us in the ways we were looking for. It was a great match and they provided the support we asked for and needed. However, as our cross-cultural family grew, our needs also grew. We had arrived in Japan when I was seven months pregnant with our first child. In the five years we were there, we had two additional little ones. There was so much we didn’t know we needed as first time missionaries. The organization we were with was not a mission sending agency, so they had some resources available to us, but not to the extent that larger mission organizations do.

As we considered our needs moving forward, we sought their advice along with other mentors and trusted friends. It seemed that finding an organization that had more resources and a larger network would be beneficial to our family and our sustainability in ministry. Thus started our research into different sending mission organizations.

The Search

Where do you start when there are so many choices? Our approach was to start with what we knew and who we knew. During our time in Japan, we worked with and met many different missionaries from various organizations. We started with those, and checked out their websites. We prayed, asked others to pray, and did as much as we could to get the best feel for each.

Every organization has their own application process, but generally, you’ll fill out a preliminary application. After we did that, we talked to an initial point person and asked many questions. We had questions of our own, but we also found lists of questions on the web to help us think about things we hadn’t considered.

Joshua, our first point of contact with SIM.

Combine lists and don’t be scared to ask anything. Do your homework. You’ll want to know what will be expected of you and whether the organization will meet some of your expectations. You need to know their vision, mission, and ministry approach and if it matches up with yours. Do you want to church plant? Are you more focused on discipleship? Do you want to do contact evangelism? You might not know your desires yet, but every organization has their main way of doing ministry. It’s good to find out their approach and if you jive with that. Try to learn and observe as much as you can in the time you have available.

Along with me asking a myriad of questions—because frankly, I do ask a lot of questions—we also asked to speak with other missionaries that were on the field or recently returned from the field (Japan specifically).

Many Pluses, but a Wrinkle

So how and why did we end up with SIM USA/A3? Well, for starters, we were looking at the Asian Access (now A3) website because we really liked their philosophy of ministry. When we were in Japan, Kohei met some of the A3 Japan staff and partnering pastors. He was impressed with their desire to raise up lay leaders, because his hope is also to disciple lay leaders so they feel equipped and empowered to continue the Great Commission.

But there was a wrinkle. When we prepared to submit our application, we learned that Asian Access has a strategic partnership with SIM to receive applications for ministry in Japan. So although we were sold on A3's work in Japan, we realized we had to come through SIM USA.

At this point, friends and other people we had met during this time asked us why we didn’t just try to start our own ministry or start our own church. I think many of these people saw Kohei’s gifts, the fact that he’s Japanese, and that there are so many possibilities that might not be as easy for non-native speakers of Japanese. As exciting as that sounded, we knew we wanted to partner with the Japanese church, existing ministries, and pastors who are already in a community and living out God’s calling. So we knew being independent wasn’t our thing, at least not in this season.

Our family with Kimberly, our application coordinator. She connected us with a lot of different missionaries on the field.

More Pluses

Another reason we ended up joining SIM USA/A3 is because of their member care, both in the preparation process (with SIM USA) and on the field (with A3). This was super important to us as we realized there were times when we didn’t even know we needed member care for us individually and as a couple. They also have great support for our kids and they care and prepare our kids for the field. They really value our children and that was super apparent, impressive, and important to us.

We also love that when we’re on the field, A3 doesn’t leave us to be on our own, in our own city. They make sure there are other missionary units in our area so that there are opportunities for fellowship. We also told them our concerns about not being moved around all the time with young children, and all these things were taken into consideration when thinking about our placement.

Of course in the majority of mission sending agencies, you need to build your team of partners who will be praying for you and partner with you financially. During our first five years in Japan, we didn’t have as strong of a support system as we do now. For various reasons, we chose that route then, and now we have something to compare it to. It was hard and not sustainable. There was some accountability, but not as much. We knew we wanted and needed people to be praying for us all the time. We needed to have some structures set up to help us have some long term sustainability, and so this time we went with a traditional mission sending agency rather than independently.

Now that we’ve decided we like SIM USA/A3, do they like us? Of course! Who wouldn’t? Lol . . . just kidding. It’s a pretty thorough process to see if you and an organization are a good fit for each other. And then there’s lots of preparation to do before leaving for the field. And you guessed it, I’ll share more about that in my next post.

Our family at the SIM USA headquarters in Charlotte, NC.

Linda Koyama

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda Koyama, an American born Chinese, is currently serving with her Japanese husband, Kohei, and young family in Yamagata prefecture. They are partnering with a local church to engage the community with and through Christ's love.

staff profile
lkoyama@asianaccess.org

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See other posts by Linda:
- New, But Not: Our Journey to Japan

Miso Musings

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 18:00:00 +0200

Splat! Thunk! Splat!

I was having a great time throwing balls of sticky bean mixture into a container. I couldn’t believe there wasn’t a grownup telling me to stop playing and giggling like a goof . . . or that this much fun could be had in getting beans ready to be transformed into miso.

How did I get started with miso making? In early 2022, a friend from church invited me to join her and a few other women to make miso. Miso is squashed fermented soybeans and used in a lot of Japanese cooking—most commonly miso soup, but it’s also used in marinades, stir fries, and vegetable dips. I usually cook with the stuff sold in a plastic tub at our neighborhood drugstore, and I hadn’t before considered myself to be fancy enough to make my own.

But there I was in a room with several other women: our teacher and her assistant, our little group from church, and three other women who just happened to be there on the same day. These included a mamatomo (mom friend) from eight years ago, one of the midwives from the hospital where our four boys were born, and another woman I had recently met. They didn’t know one another, and I was tickled to reconnect with them in this way.

We had been given dried beans beforehand with instructions on how to soak and boil them. Once I boiled mine, I stored them outside behind our house because I had no room in our refrigerator. We all showed up at the community center wearing aprons, masks, and handkerchiefs over our hair. Three of us also wore squirmy toddlers on our backs until another person thankfully took the Wild Things outside.

The teacher walked us through the process of smashing the beans, mixing in the salt and kōji (fermenting bacteria), and squashing the mixture some more. My favorite step was to make small balls and SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT! them into a container to get rid of air bubbles. It felt almost violent—and oh so satisfying. (I imagined myself throwing a ball of bean paste goo up against the wall and starting a food fight with this group of Refined and Lovely Ladies.)

At the risk of over-spiritualizing the miso making process, I keep thinking about it as a kind of metaphor for the Christian life that I can regularly touch, see, taste, and smell. Being a pretty tactile learner, this helps me.

Soaking

Needing to soak the beans reminds me of being immersed in a safe community—comfortable, not yet required to change, but in an environment preparing one for change. It’s the least painful part of the process but still important.

Boiling

Boiling is the next step, a process that involves purification and pain. The result is softening (“humbling”) and necessary for a big transformation.

Squashing

This step involves the beans changing shape but their essence remaining the same. Starting as beans and ending as paste, they are then mixed with salt and kōji to both preserve the mixture to start an eight to ten month process of transformation. I think of kōji working like “yeast in the bean paste” (bacteria in the miso) just as the Holy Spirit works in us.

Darkness

The beans then sit in a dark, undisturbed place. This is where fermentation takes place and where simple beans that would otherwise rot become nourishing and delicious. A weight is placed on top—a “burden” that makes it more difficult for air to enter and allow mold to grow too quickly.

This process is a picture (albeit imperfect) of sanctification—being made into something better over time. After sitting in the cool crawlspace under our dining room table for ten months, the beans underwent a chemical transformation, and squashed beans—voila!—became miso. The process involved breaking, smashing, mixing, and splatting. It involved waiting, literally being hidden underground and not being disturbed for a long season. It involved, after ten months, scraping off the surprising-to-me top layer of moldy goo (I assume that was normal? One lady said she mixes it back in her paste, but I assume hers wasn’t quite as gross as mine).

Now, as I use my “labor of love” to make miso soup, miso chicken, and miso salad dressing, I often think about . . .

phases in my life when I was overly comfortable and didn’t feel pressured to change or grow.
hard seasons in friends’ lives that are lonely, unseen, and exhausting. They are seeking to trust God in the dark without seeing a whole lot of fruit or answers to prayer.
tragic revelations in the lives of public Christians who missed out on the fermenting phase and peaked while still raw beans. As their rottenness is revealed and they give off a Big Stink, the result is broken families, fractured churches, and disoriented followers.
the fact that the process can’t be sped up through more effort. More squeezing, more pounding, more splatting, or more salt and kōji won’t help. Maturity can only happen over time, in darkness, and through waiting.

As I was working on this post, I got a message from my friend asking if I’d like to make miso together again. Of course I said yes!

Roberta Adair

staff profilestaff profile
roberta@asianaccess.org

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See other posts from Roberta:
- why I don't make sense in Japan
- panic and relief

Dear Brothers and Sisters at Asbury University

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 23:00:00 +0200

…and beyond: encouragement from a big sister

I first heard about what God was doing on your campus on Friday, February 10. At the SIM USA sending office, we take our motto By Prayer very seriously. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, we come together corporately for a chapel service to pray over each one of our fields and our missionaries. On Mondays and Fridays, we do the same, but this time we gather in smaller groups by our departments. One of my coworkers brought up what God was doing on your campus, and we began to pray for you.

I have been following you ever since. (As a millennial, my preferred media has been googling news articles and Instagram.)

I have been so emotionally moved that I can hardly think of you and pray for you without tearing up.

My husband and I also have had many discussions together, especially as Phylicia Masonheimer, Russell Moore, Curtis Chang and David French, and other Christian leaders we love and respect have been unpacking their own observations. We even made plans to visit, but unfortunately not before the last public worship service on campus.

Imagining what I might say to you if I had the chance, I want to share my love and encouragement for you. Please humor this onēsan (“big sister,” pronounced ohnay-sahn) for a moment!

First, I am so glad this incredible gift has been given to your generation. A movement like this did not happen with my generation, and it could be easy to feel jealousy or cynicism, but I am grateful instead that the Holy Spirit has given me a warm affection for you. You have been given a beautiful gift, and I have enjoyed watching you unwrap it.

Second, please continue to be encouraged after you inevitably come down off of this mountaintop experience. On my first overseas outreach, a short-term trip to Jamaica with my campus ministry, I was literally on a mountaintop in the Blue Mountains! But as a baby Christian, I was wrestling with my cynicism, and honestly, still doubting my decision to follow Jesus. I was still having trouble believing God existed, and I was still doubting He actually cared about me. During a prayer meeting at the children’s home, one of the missionaries—who had never met me previously nor had any conversation with me, knowing nothing of my internal struggle—prayed over me repeatedly,

This is true! You are real!

After coming home, it still took months and years for me to work that out on my own.

That is my same exhortation for you. In the weeks, months, and years ahead, remember: This has been a real and true experience of God’s deep and abiding affection for you. You won’t always feel it this intensely, but His steadfast love for you never wavers.

And third, a piece of advice I know others have given you: take this gift and share it with others. The best gifts are the ones we can give away. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

What work of reconciliation is God calling you to? What ministry does He want you to boldly step into?

Have you considered cross-cultural ministry overseas? I would love to connect and share more.

Bethany Ho

staff profile
bho@asianaccess.org

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Photo by Luis Alberto Sánchez Terrones on Unsplash
For posts by Bethany, see:
- Urbana Daily Diaries: What is your one next step?
- Counting the Cost 3: The Shape of You

New, But Not: Our Journey to Japan

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 20:00:00 +0200

By Linda Koyama

Hi, I’m Linda. Nice to meet you. I’m currently writing from Yamagata, Japan, where my family is partnering with a local church. You’ve probably never heard of Yamagata. Don’t worry, neither did I until it was presented as one of the potential prefectures we’d be serving in.

So where exactly is Yamagata? Think north of Tokyo about 200 miles (300 kilometers), or a 4 1/2 hour drive by car. It’s in the southern part of the Tohoku region, closer to the Japan Sea side (rather than the Pacific Ocean side). It’s definitely not one of Japan’s hot tourist spots, but this region is known for its ski slopes, onsens, and delicious fruits.

We’re new to Yamagata, but not really new to Japan. Before we joined SIM/Asian Access, we were in Japan from 2014–2019 with a smaller organization. What brought us here? Well, I’m glad you asked, because that’s what I was going to tell you next.

A Desire to Serve

Not long after the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, my husband, Kohei, felt a strong pull in his heart to serve in some capacity the people and area that were affected by this triple disaster*. We had the opportunity to volunteer with CRASH Japan, which is somewhat like a pop-up organization that comes together in times of disaster and need to provide relief and other resources. During the two weeks that we served, God really challenged me to think,

What am I willing to leave for the sake of the gospel and God’s kingdom?

My heart felt torn, but nevertheless, Kohei and I decided to pray, listen, and wait on the Lord for six months to see if we felt like moving to Japan was a good next step in our lives.

Our time with CRASH Japan with other volunteers for the US

Discerning God's Direction

After returning home, we spent six months in the early half of 2012 praying, listening, reading Scripture, and talking to friends, family, and mentors about our potential move. We felt strongly that God was saying, “Go.” But of course, with any big decision, you always question things. (Well, maybe you don’t, but I do!)

For Kohei and I, what solidified our decision was being able to say,

Even if things don’t turn out like we think and we find ourselves back in the US, we took a step of faith!

That in and of itself helped us feel like we had nothing to lose. Stretching our faith and relationship with God? Sign me up!

(Honestly, in the beginning it was exciting . . . but boy, the hardship and heartache that came later stretched my faith and relationship with God far more than I could ever have imagined. Not in an “Oh, this is great and wonderful!” way, but in a truly excruciating way.)

The Bumpy Road

So, in January 2013 we arrived in Japan on a vision trip. We visited different ministries, joined other volunteers serving in coastal cities, and considered where we wanted to serve and who we wanted to serve with. I had to end the vision trip early for a family emergency. Kohei stayed a bit longer and visited other ministries we had scheduled to see. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we delayed our departure from the US for almost another year and a half—because when is going overseas to serve in missions ever a straight trajectory?

We finally made the move to Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, in July of 2014. From 2014 to 2019, we worked with the 3.11 Iwate Church Network and also helped out with whatever was needed at our church in Morioka. I say we, but it was mostly Kohei. I was busy learning how to be a new mom in a foreign country with unfamiliar or little support. Because of the language barrier and our need for medical services (I was pregnant with our first child when we arrived), we decided that living in the capital city, Morioka, would serve our family better than being on the coast where language help and hospitals were more limited. Thankfully, Kohei was able to join the Ippo Ippo relief team in the coastal city of Yamada, since he initially wanted to work with the communities that were affected by the tsunami. He traveled once a week to the coast and sometimes more if he needed to help with hosting volunteers or assist in other capacities.

The community center Kohei volunteered at during his time in Yamada. It's a place where the kids could come and play and do/get help with homework.

Last gathering at Ippo Ippo Yamada

Reflecting on Our Call

I should take a moment to say that although our journey to Japan seemed to start in 2011, that definitely wasn’t the beginning of our heart for missions. After Kohei became a believer in the US, he attended the Equipper’s Conference in southern California. This is an annual conference for Japanese who become believers in the US and for all who have a heart for Japan. During one of the meetings, in a surprise even to himself, he stood up when one of the speakers asked if anyone would like to commit their lives to full-time ministry. He’s always had a longing to share the love of Christ with other Japanese—especially since many of his friends and family still don’t know the Lord.

My journey started in college when I had the opportunity to do various summer short-term missions. That coupled with attending the Urbana Missions Conference, as both student and staff, was where God started and continued to grow my heart for overseas missions. For me, however, Japan was never on my radar until probably 2012.

The Next Page in Our Story

Okay, so back to our time in Japan. We served in Japan from 2014 to 2019. During that time our family grew and so did our needs as a multicultural family. The landscape of ministry in the coastal area was also changing—from relief work to longer-term ministry—so we decided to take a break and figure out our next steps. The five-year mark is also when US citizens in many cases need to go back for legal reasons, so all in all, it seemed like a good time to do our home service/furlough.

(On a side note, I always wondered why missionaries needed to go back to their home countries. Yes, I know, totally horrible, but pre-missionary-experience-me, before ever having lived abroad long-term, thought, “Gosh, those people are weak sauce! Why not just stay for forever?” However, post-experience-me, after having lived abroad for five years non-stop, now realizes, “Wow, it’s a really good thing to go back to your home country, regroup, and get the support you didn’t know you needed!”—along with many other reasons.)

So, we returned to the US at the end of June 2019. To continue the story, in “Which Mission Organization Should I Choose?”, I’ll share our next discernment process and how we joined SIM/A2.

*massive earthquake, followed by tsunami, and then nuclear reactor meltdowns

Linda Koyama

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

staff profile
lkoyama@asianaccess.org

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See other posts about the triple disaster in Japan:
- Listen to the voices warning against self-satisfying relief work
- Tsunami Relief Effort Shifts Ministry Perspective

It's a Different World...

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 21:00:00 +0200

By Tia Blassingame

Okay, if you look like me you probably started singing that song title and know exactly where I got it from. Perfect, because it has been playing in my head all week! This is truly a different world. Right now, I am at a homestay with my onēsan (pronounced ohnay-sahn) and her family. That term right there is already different vocabulary for you I’m assuming. Onēsan is “older sister” and a “homestay” is when you stay overnight (or more than one night) with a family. In basic “Tia terms” (that’s me), I’m at a sleepover with my sis and her fam. Let me backtrack a bit...

October 7, 2022 – The Departure

Waking up early the morning of October 7 so that I could get to the airport on time, I was so excited I felt I could float on air all the way to Japan. After years of preparing and waiting, I was finally on my way! God’s promise was finally being fulfilled. My sister-friend Marci and her mom drove me to the airport, prayed over me, and then escorted me all the way to the TSA security line. They hugged me and said, “We can’t go any further with you.”

It was at that moment the beautiful dancing butterflies in my stomach deserted me and became stones of doubt, anxiety, and fear. WHAT was I doing?! There I was, an African-American woman that nine years before had transitioned from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Atlanta, Georgia. As if that move wasn’t scary enough, I was now transplanting my entire life across the world to a place where there aren’t many people who look like me—Japan! I thank God for my friend, for her mom, for the TSA agent who told me she was proud of me, and for the stranger that stopped to hear what was going on as I stood frozen in line in tears. She hugged me and told me it would be alright.

After I grabbed a quick breakfast and made a few quick calls to say goodbye (my dad being the main one), I boarded my flight. We departed from Atlanta’s Hartfield-Jackson Airport October 7 at 11:20 a.m. EST, and I landed in Tokyo’s Haneda Airport October 8 at 2:20 p.m. JST. (When the US is on Standard Time, Japan time is 13 hours ahead of Atlanta, so to my body, it was now 1:20 a.m.!) This was it. I was here . . . JAPAN.

The Arrival

From the moment I stepped off the plane I felt like I was in a new world. The airport departure procedure in Japan is so technical, but efficient. Not just that, as I looked around, I was the ONLY brown person in sight. I remember trying to explain to someone how I was going to be the oddball, the “other.” They looked at me and said, “We’re all the ‘other’ because we’re all foreigners to them.” My response was, “Yeah, but I’m the OTHER other.” It’s very hard to explain to people that are not brown or considered a minority in their own country how different and potentially difficult that feeling of being different is.

For example . . . I just happened to be on the same flight as another teammate. When we landed, we ended up going through the whole departure process together. People would give her the “you’re different” look and keep moving. Then they would see me, give me the look, and practically break their necks because they never looked away.

I saw this especially in kids on the train. At one point my teammate finally saw it for herself. There was a young man on the train who couldn’t stop staring. It was comical because he was not a small man and kept trying to hide behind a pole so he could stare at me. As he got off of the train he didn’t stop looking. He walked backward and even pulled his camera out and aimed it at me. I was tempted to pose . . . but I didn’t. I was too tired from traveling to find my Philly girl response. It was then that I had to have a pep talk with myself:

Tia, being different is not a bad thing. You are here to represent the Creator. He created you with purpose and for a purpose. You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

I will say that I have been here for four months now and it still happens.

My City, My Friends, My Home

Well, they put this big city girl in a rural agricultural city: Yonezawa, Yamagata. All of my fears, worries, and the horror stories I’ve heard about being black in Japan have turned out to be not as major as I thought. I will say that may be because of where I live. While it has been a bit difficult getting used to a slow life in comparison to living in a busy city, I can absolutely say that the people here take good care of me. And while they are curious about my differences, they are kind. Remember in the beginning when I said I was doing a homestay? That’s because it’s so cold in Yonezawa right now that the pipes in my house froze. My big sis (by the way, she adopted me as her sister the first week we met) told me to come stay with her family since temperatures are below freezing this week.

Speaking of curiosity, when I’ve had children ask about my hair or why my skin is brown, I take their questions as opportunities to talk to their inquisitive little minds about the beauty of differences. However, this journey hasn’t just been about me being embraced; I’ve had the opportunity to learn about this culture and the beauty of it. Currently, I’m taking Japanese language lessons, and I’m also learning how to play the taiko drum.

My journey has been amazing, and it’s just the beginning. The best is yet to come!

Tia Blassingame

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tia Blassingame is originally from Philadelphia, PA in the USA. She is passionate about God and God's people. She is excited to work with the people and churches of Yamagata as together they display God's love in action throughout the region.

staff profile
tblassingame@asianaccess.org

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See other posts about life in Japan:
- It happened in the library
- welcome to daycare

Counting the Cost 3: The Shape of You

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 21:00:00 +0200

Leaving what I’ve found:
You helped me find my true self.
Wishing you were here.

During one of my first annual Asian Access retreats in Japan, Dr. Sue Takamoto led all of us first-term missionaries through a special training specifically designed for our experience. One of her warm-up exercises had us flexing some of our creative muscles: we were to write haiku that showcased our experiences during our first term. I wrote the above haiku for my church family back home in St. Louis.

While the music video for Ed Sheeran’s blatantly sensual 2017 hit focuses on physical shape, we know our physical bodies are perhaps the least important aspect about the shape of who we are. When I gave my life to Jesus at age 20, He started His new creation process (2 Corinthians 5:17), and I know that He is still at work (Philippians 1:6). This missionary journey has irreversibly shaped who I am.

Physical shape

While it is the least interesting part of my transformation, I experience very real physical differences when I am in Japan. Every time I return, I lose weight! For one, food culture is very different. I eat a lot less meat and a lot more fish and vegetarian meals. Thanks to the ubiquitous presence of convenience stores and their wide variety of bento meals, I can even make healthier food choices on the go.

And all the walking! Especially during my second term when I lived in downtown Sendai, everything was within walking distance: the subway station, the post office, health clinics, several grocery stores. I could spend 30 minutes walking to church, or if I was feeling super genki (full of energy), 40 minutes to my Japanese class. Exercise was built into my daily life.

Physically, I am a different person when I am in Japan.

Emotional shape

But much more interesting is how God has used this journey to shape my heart and mind. When I first started pursuing serving as a missionary in Japan through SIM and Asian Access, I had to complete a mental and emotional health assessment. These agencies are very committed to member care, and this is one of the base-level ways they care for their missionaries. After receiving the results of my assessment, I was advised that I needed to get counseling before returning to Japan.

This was incredibly hard to take in at first, but now I am so grateful to God for this wisdom. My home church family became an intimate part of my healing journey. Not only were their prayers essential, but my pastor was also able to get me connected to a wonderful counselor. On top of this, my church community became a safe place for me to practice loving confrontation and to exercise boundary building. In so many ways, I took my home church with me to Japan.

Emotionally, I am a different person than when I first went to Japan.

Cultural shape

After arriving in Japan, I was shaped again by a culture and a church family very different from my U.S. home culture. I had to grow in patience with a decision-making process that seemed much slower, that made sure all parties were respected and honored. By standing stoically with others in long lines, learning that there really is nothing to get upset about, my endurance increased.

On the fun side, I have discovered preferences that I will continue to carry with me. When I was first dating my husband, who comes from a Chinese-American family, he noticed this handy contraption on my dresser:

私の耳かき！ My ear pick!

He immediately turned to me with his face aglow and declared: “You are so Asian!” As silly as this example is, it also encouraged me that he could see and understand a very important part of who God has shaped me to be.

Culturally, I am a different person now that I have experienced the world through multiple cultures.

Spiritual shape

Most of my Christian life I have “grown up” in Japan. When I first moved to Japan, I remember being imprinted with two ideas that formed me spiritually. My first time worshipping in Japanese with the local church impacted me deeply. I didn’t understand the language, but I knew we were worshipping the same God, Creator, and Savior. I had just met these people, but I knew they were family.

I also got exhorted early on that in Japan I would have to learn how to “feed myself,” spiritually. The Church in Japan is small and resources for growing are limited compared to the plethora of opportunities in the States. I would have to take charge of my spiritual life and pursue Jesus wholeheartedly because, truly, no one else could do it for me.

There were many days when this wasn’t easy. But while there have been many rough and dry patches along the way, and sometimes the shaping is painful, I would much rather be clay in the Potter’s hands than be brittle and unyielding.

Spiritually, I am a different person because of how the Potter had shaped me in Japan.

Bethany Ho

Bethany first came to Japan in February 2011 to teach English at a school in Sendai. After experiencing the Tohoku Triple Disaster on March 11, she prayed and knew that God wanted her to stay. She taught at the school for four years and was also involved in a local church during that time. Her last year teaching, she felt God calling her to serve full-time with the church, and God opened up the doors for her to partner with Asian Access and the local church in Sendai. She served as a field missionary with the church in Sendai from 2016-2022, and she is now serving in the SIM Recruiting Department with a heart for multiplying the harvest workers sent to Japan.

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Cover photo by Maheima Kapur on Unsplash
For posts by Bethany on counting the cost, see:
- Counting the Cost 1: How do you spell faith? R-I-S-K
- Counting the Cost 2: Fighting FOMO
More from Urbana '22
Read Bethany's staff profile

Living a "Relevant Life"

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0200

Rethinking how God's Word is "relevant" to our lives and ministries

By Kent Muhling

I sometimes pray Psalm 143:8 at the beginning of my morning devotions. It reads,

“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.”

It’s a great one-verse prayer, seeking God’s presence and guidance at the beginning of the day.

One morning I decided to read the entire psalm before going on to the assigned chapters in my Bible reading plan. And it struck me how much less relevant other parts of the psalm seemed to be at first—sentiments such as these:

Give ear to my pleas for mercy!
Enter not into judgment with your servant.
For the enemy has pursued my soul;
he has crushed my life to the ground.
My soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD!
For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life!

I’ve never faced the kind of opposition that King David (the author of this psalm) did. I’ve never been in physical, mortal danger from human enemies like David often was, so in one sense it would be natural not to identify with his words as much as someone who has been in the same circumstances. Reading psalms such as this one, it would be easy to sort of dismiss them, thinking, “Well, they’re just not relevant to my life. I’m not in those kind of circumstances.”

But then again, what kind of circumstances are we talking about? There are other kinds of opposition besides physical. A verbal attack is still an attack. A spiritual attack is still an attack.

And the New Testament warns us that “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim 3:12). The attacks will come.

Jesus assumes that we will be persecuted: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (Matt 5:11). Verbal attack.

Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:11 and verses following that we have a real enemy, the devil, and that believers are engaged in a battle “against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Spiritual attack.

And in Acts 14:22 we are reminded again that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” In whatever form, living the Christian life will entail opposition.

So why would I sense that David’s pleas are “not relevant to me”?

Then the thought came to me:

Is God’s Word not relevant to me, or is my life not relevant to God?

By “not relevant to God,” I am not suggesting that God does not care about me or does not love me. I am asking, “Is my life not relevant in the sense of not being aligned with his purposes for my life? Is there no opposition because I am not living a Christian life worthy of being opposed? Is there no opposition because the flow of my life is simply following the current of the world? Am I just ‘going with the flow,’ so to speak?”

Romans 12:2 says “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Go against the flow.

We are called to follow Jesus as his disciples (Matt 4:19 and many others).
We are sent into the world as his witnesses (Acts 1:8).
We have been given the ministry of reconciliation as Christ’s ambassadors (2 Cor 5:18–20).
We are called to walk in a manner worthy of the calling we have received (Eph 4:1).
We are called to be holy in all our conduct (1 Pet 1:15).

Whether I enter full-time vocational Christian service or not—whether I head to a far-away land as a cross-cultural missionary or not—every one of the above statements is true for every one of us who claims to be disciples of Christ.

All of this puts us out of step with the world and in the way of opposition. And that is good news in a way, because it is when under attack that we become most aware of our need for God. Like David was.

Which brings us back to Psalm 143:8. Backing up one verse, David writes,

Answer me quickly, O LORD!
My spirit fails!
Hide not your face from me,
lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.

David wasn’t simply hoping for some warm, inspiring touch of God’s presence to send him into his day, serene and happy. He was desperate for God to show up and save him. In the face of severe opposition, he was desperate for God’s presence and guidance.

Sort of puts that “morning devotion prayer verse” in a different light, doesn’t it?

No matter where we live — on the foreign mission field or in our home country — may we live in such a way that David’s pleas are relevant to us, too.

Kent Muhling

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kent and Yuko Muhling have served with A2 in Japan for over 15 years. As a family of five they moved to the disaster area in 2012 to help start Grace Center Church Sendai, a city-center church plant. God has blessed the work with a vibrant international community. They continue the work of being Good News in their city.

staff profile
kmuhling@asianaccess.org

More Information

See other posts from Kent:
- Learning to Be Good News
- From Small Beginnings Big Things Will Grow
Photo by Kiwihug on Unsplash

Asian Access takes new name as ministry expands to the Middle East and beyond

Sat, 04 Feb 2023 18:00:00 +0200

International (A3) — Asian Access, known widely as A2, is expanding its ministry into some of the most dangerous and volatile parts of the world.

For over half a century, Asian Access has catalyzed Christian movements in Asia. Now, leaders are calling for this important work in the Middle East and North Africa.

So, the organization is boldly stepping in with its proven process that has changed the fabric of the church and transformed communities throughout the Asian continent. The organization is committed to sharing the love of Jesus and the freedom of the Gospel by ensuring the support for healthy and sustained learning communities of Christian leaders.

“We know leaders of faith communities around the world struggle in deep ways – with spiritual growth resources as well as capacity, stress, even hostility,” says Dr. Joe Handley, President of Asian Access. “Our ministry focuses on these key leaders because they’re the ones who serve so many.”

Cohorts are already launched in new regions around the world including Europe, Central America, and the Middle East.

“These leaders are often first-generation Jesus-followers, and they need mentorship, education and community,” says Handley. “We are responding to the places where we’re able to have the most impact based on our specific work to nurture intentional learning communities that are ultimately self-sustaining.”

Jeff Johnston, VP for Advancement and Communications explains:

“The moniker of A2 must now evolve to reflect the broadening impact of our learning communities. Asian Access is now A3, a global network of leaders serving their local communities.”

When Asian Access was originally established in 1967, it was focused as a ministry in Japan, serving church leaders and teaching English language to the community. As the ministry grew, so did the need for greater support for the leaders of these local communities.

In 1979 the organization began a simple but radical approach to developing and supporting church leaders by following Jesus’ model as He trained the first 12 disciples: small, well-equipped groups of 12-18 people, highly trained and building deep community among their cohort to provide a valuable bond to support and sustain.

Throughout the years, Asian Access has built these micro-networks across Japan and all of Asia as the missional support organization keenly focused on creating leadership groups with a distinctly transformational process. Each group studies a tailored program for their region, built around 14 strategic areas of leadership.

Through the strength of these local leaders, the organization has planted over 1,000 church congregations in Japan. In fact, the A3 process can be connected to significant growth in the Christian church in Japan, as well as collaborative influence between governments and the overall societal health of their communities.

A3 operates with instructors from within each nation’s context as well as expert teachers from around the globe to provide a holistic and dynamic learning environment.

Thilini K. was an early participant in the A2 process and now helps lead the Young Professionals for A3. “The leadership support from Asian Access became a catalyst to expand what God was doing inside me, so that I can more effectively fulfill His Commission in my community,” says Thilini. “Now this foundational network is helping to grow the ministry across the globe, for the church, for business, and other spheres of society.”

Handley says, “The peer community is the secret sauce to creating a sustainable momentum for the local church. Our process has always been centered around the belief that a Spirit-filled leader can change a nation. We work to equip and unify leaders so they can continue their calling fueled in local community, with the strength of a global organization.”

Learn more about the ministry here.

Listen to the broadcast (story starts at 1:29)

Direct Link: https://a3-media.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/audio/mnn/4-5min-Feb03-2023.mp3

More Information

This story by Lyndsey Koh was originally published on 03-Feb-2023 by Mission Network News:
https://www.mnnonline.org/news/asian-access-takes-new-name-as-ministry-expands-to-the-middle-east-and-beyond/
Download the audio file: https://a3-media.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/audio/mnn/4-5min-Feb03-2023.mp3
Header photo courtesy of Pixabay.

And Our New Name is...

Fri, 03 Feb 2023 10:01:00 +0200

February 3, 2023

Friends of Asian Access,

I am thrilled to announce today that Asian Access has a new name. I have been waiting a long time to tell you, and I have simply been bursting to get this out there!

Today, we are A3.

Asian Access has long been known as A2. A2 is now becoming A3 on 2.3.23!

Having ventured to equip leaders in places well beyond Asia, many have been asking me:

“When will Asian Access change its name to represent this larger global scope?”

So, perhaps it doesn’t come as a surprise to many.

A3 is version 3.0 of our movement.

A3 marks the third chapter in our organization’s history—moving from a national focus on Japan... to multi-national in Asia... now to a global focus. A3 is global!

Our new name A3 connects us to our past as LIFE Ministries and Asian Access.

With each new season since 1967, God seems to ask us to go deeper and trust him more. And following him increases our faith.

And our new name A3 bridges us to our future. Following God’s trajectory for us into a new realm requires deeper faith. Pray with us as we follow God’s leading!

I am excited that our new name represents some significant steps for us...

beyond geographic boundaries.
beyond generational boundaries to work with leaders of all ages.
beyond the spheres of Church and Business into new sectors of societal influence.

Over the coming weeks, I hope to share more about A3 moving forward. We hope to hold fast to the values that brought us here: a commitment to our Savior, our community, and our networks of leaders. Simultaneously we embrace learning, deepening, and a passion for innovation.

A3 Community

As we move toward this exciting future, we’re all in this together. We are the A3 Community. Let’s move ahead in faith together. I think fondly of the people who make A3 what it is:

servant leaders wanting more for their lives and ministries
devoted missional partners serving local churches in Japan
the committed staff who come alongside and serve in a variety of ways
seasoned faculty whose lives are a lesson to us
the dozens of national leaders who sacrificially volunteer their time to see other leaders grow
and the wonderful team members who lift us in prayer and support us with generous financial gifts making all of this work possible.

My heart is full of gratitude to God and to our A3 community. Celebrate with us our new name, A3.

Visit us online at A3Leaders.org.

Joseph W. Handley, Jr., Ph.D.

jhandley@asianaccess.org
@jwhandley
@jwhandley

Watch my video announcement here...

2023... New Name and Encouraging Developments

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 21:30:00 +0200

This week Asian Access will be making a significant announcement and we want you, our friends, to be the first to know.

February 3 (2.3.23) is the day we have targeted to share the news of the ministry's expansion which is also driving the moment for a new name for the organization. I think you'll agree it's a wonderful connection to the past and a bridge to the next era of ministry to which we're called. Stay tuned for this exciting news!

Anticipating this new chapter of ministry, we are encouraged by ongoing developments. The pandemic and economy have slowed us down, nevertheless, we see the Lord’s fingerprints as we venture beyond!

Fresh Things on the Horizon

God is doing fresh things in Japan as leaders prepare for the Japan Congress on Evangelism. Joshua Hari, who serves on our Ministry Leadership Team (pictured here, left) as well as the National Director of Japan is very encouraged about this gathering and the chance to cast vision for church multiplication and reaching 2% (doubling) of the population.

Also in the picture (center) is Thilini K. who is eager to see our Young Professionals' cohorts growing. They now hope to launch in a few more countries.

It’s neat to work with this team as we have a mix of fresh voices, younger, and more diverse than at any time during my tenure of leadership. We talked about new developments in Central Asia and the Middle East as well as North Africa. We also shared about our initiatives serving the Persecuted Church which you may know has been an increasing challenge the last several years.

New Name Coming Soon

So, keep your eyes peeled… On Friday, we’ll be announcing our new name! And, we’ll keep you updated on all these new developments.

The Lord is stirring in new ways and we could use your prayers in this tumultuous season. Whether it’s the economy or wars and persecution, our world is facing challenges every which way we look. It’s a season where our focus on going deep with God as our only source of hope and his provision and guidance are what truly accelerate mission.

Joseph W. Handley, Jr., Ph.D.

jhandley@asianaccess.org
@jwhandley
@jwhandley