…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

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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

 

More Information

• 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

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

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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

 

 

More Information

• 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

 

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

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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

 

 

More Information

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

 

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

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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.

 

More Information

• 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

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

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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

 

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.

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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.

 

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...

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

 

Decision-Making and God's Perspective

• "Oh no… It's been several weeks since Urbana, but I haven't signed up with a mission agency yet. Am I out of God's will?"
• "How will I ever decide?!"
• "I think God and my parents have very different ideas about what's best for my life…"
• "Urbana still doesn't make sense to me."

If any of these statements sound like you, you're not alone… and believe it or not, you're quite normal!

For many of us who attended previous Urbana conventions, as we reflect, we recognize that our lives were completely changed because we attended Urbana. They have taken a certain trajectory that otherwise may never have happened. Urbana was a landmark. On the timelines of our lives, Urbana leaves behind a great big STAR because it was so significant in how God shapes us.

But, you may think, I haven't made any major decisions since Urbana. The "magic" didn't work for me.

God is much more able to use and to move a young Christian who's completely open and pliable before Him than an experienced missionary who no longer listens to the Lord's voice.

May I suggest first – give it time. And then, read over three ideas to help you process your Urbana experience:

1. God is most interested in our response to Him.

Our greatest responsibility in life, I believe, is to continually keep open, obedient hearts before Him. For many of us, Urbana is just a beginning step, not an end. Often it is during our times of "not knowing" that we are most pliable and transformed by Him.

My mentor Bobby Clinton often says that God is at work in us over a lifetime, and he suggests that it is during our twenties and thirties that God is more concerned with our INWARD responses and formation rather than any work we may try and do for God during those years.

Remember some of those great worship times? Ken Fong suggested in his first message that God's first kiss to us was in Genesis 1; but when we worship, we kiss God back—sometimes feebly… sometimes without great understanding… sometimes with wrong motives. No matter how or why, God wants us to respond to him. He delights in the heartfelt responses of those who love Him.

More significant than how many Urbana delegates checked off a box indicating that they intend to become missionaries is how many of us surrendered our hearts and lives to God. God is much more able to use and to move a young Christian who's completely open and pliable before Him than an experienced missionary who no longer listens to the Lord's voice.

2. Just get on the bicycle…

God is much more able to direct us when we're moving forward than when we're sitting still, trying to decide whether to get on or not.

This was great advice given to me after Urbana '84 that proved true. I stood up the last day when Billy Graham spoke, and I committed to go overseas as a missionary. I meant it with every cell in my body!… but it wasn't until five years later that I left for Japan as a missionary.

God had work to do in me in the meantime, but Urbana was a way for me to get moving. I found out about different mission organizations serving in Japan. I signed up for two organizations' newsletters. I called these missions twice a year after college to find out what these organizations were doing, and to let them know I was still possibly interested. I started supporting two missionaries in Japan—only $10 a month at first, but it was a beginning. They sent me their newsletters, and I prayed for them.

I also participated in two short-term mission trips while I was waiting for the "long-term call." And it was after the return from the second 2-week trip to the Dominican Republic, while I was sick in bed recovering from a virus I picked up there, that God spoke to me. He spoke to ME! Somehow, very clearly in my heart, the Lord used that trip to the D.R. and my quiet times of reflection afterward to say...

"Sue, it's time. You apply, and I'll do the rest."

I called the two agencies I was in touch with, and asked a LOT of questions. They didn't mind! They welcomed my desire to learn about them, and they learned about me. When I received their statements of faith, one very clearly matched my own. So did their philosophy of ministry. After getting much prayer support and counsel from godly friends, I applied and used the application process to confirm my desire to serve in Japan with Asian Access. I prayed that God would allow the screening committee to affirm or redirect my ideas.

I was blown away at how clearly He guided me through this process!

3. Keep your passion alive by surrounding yourself with people who also love missions and ministry.

Our Christian community can provide perspective when we need it. They can remind us of our calling when the world's voice seems to grow louder than God's. They keep us honest about what God has us here for.

I have watched friends who made commitments to missions, and then seen them get great jobs (nothing wrong with that, by the way!), and buy nice homes (nothing wrong with this either!) ... and get involved in comfortable churches … and then have a complete community in which no one even talks or thinks about missions. Something is wrong with this picture.

God WILL call some of us to stay back and be senders. But the best supporters I have still have hearts for missions, and they continue to desire to be a part of what God is doing around the world.

Some practical ideas to stay linked with missions:

1. Become a participant in your church's missions committee
2. Volunteer at a missions organization
3. Participate in your school's global outreach opportunities
4. Find a retired missionary who lives nearby and meet with them regularly (nothing will fire you up more than this!).
5. Read missionary biographies. During the five years between my Urbana experience and when I left for the mission field, I tried to read as many missionary biographies as I could find. And I would pray, "Lord, allow me to serve like Irene Webster Smith!" or "Give me a heart of humility like Amy Carmichael."
6. Support an overseas missionary. Get their prayer letters; send them occasional encouraging emails.
7. Get on the bike and participate in a short-term missions experience.
8. Stay in touch with mission agencies you have connected with. Ask to be on their general mailing list. Call THEM once in a while and ask about how God is corporately directing them. Find out how you might fit into their ministries with your gifts and interests.

For Further Reading:

• The Making of a Leader: Recognizing the Lessons and Stages of Leadership Development.
  by J. Robert Clinton, 1988. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.

A few good mission biographies:

• A Chance to Die:  the story of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot
• Through Gates of Splendor – the story of Jim & Elisabeth Elliot
• Inn of the Sixth Happiness – the story of Gladys Aylward
• Mountain Rain: the story of J.O. Fraser
• In the Arena: the story of Isobel Kuhn
• Sensei: The life of Irene Webster-Smith
• Irene Webster Smith: An Irish Woman Who Impacted Japan by Sue Plumb Takamoto

To find out more information about any of these missionary biographies listed above, you might check out Crosswalk.com, Amazon or Google.

Sue Takamoto

• If you would like more information about Asian Access' short-term mission programs, you can find it here... or email us at go2japan@asianaccess.org.
• Photo credits:
  • Cover photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
  • inset of worship by Aliane Schwartzhaupt on Unsplash
  • inset of bicycle by Didier Weemaels on Unsplash
  • inset of group by Kevin Schmid on Unsplash
  • Photo of directional signs by Hennie Stander on Unsplash
• More articles by Sue Takamoto...

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Susan Plumb Takamoto, Ph.D. first went to Japan in 1984 on Asian Access’ summer program, and then spent three years in Japan from 1989 – ’92. She worked in Asian Access' U.S. office from 1993 to 2001 in a variety of roles, including Director of Human Resource Development. Sue completed her Ph.D. in leadership studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, where she met her husband Eric. In 2001, she and Eric moved to Sendai, Japan with Asian Access to work in a local church, and then to Osaka to lead a church planting network. Following the Japan disaster of 2011, Sue and Eric moved their family to Ishinomaki, Japan, part of a church planting network called Be One. As a way to address the unemployment from the disaster, Sue launched Nozomi Project, a microenterprise solution to give jobs to over a dozen women. Sue owns more pieces of Nozomi jewelry than she would care to admit!

Part 3: Until everything is about Jesus 

In Part 1 of my testimony "What does obedience look like?", I shared about God’s call, my struggle to say yes, and having a glimpse of what obedience looks like. In Part 2 "Holding onto the things I cannot see", I shared about my struggles with the fear of disappointment, what ifs, and learning to let go of the things I see to hold on to the things unseen.

2022 is the home run for me. The fear is still present and hunting me, but it wasn't as strong as it started. The greatest battle that I faced this year was myself. I realized that my love for myself is much greater than my love for people, nations, and ministries. I had to battle with my pride. Loving people is tiring, pursuing nations is hard, and being consistent with ministry requires a lot of intentionality. Everything I’m doing overwhelmed me. I was tired and beginning to burn out. I lost the reasons why I am doing what I'm doing. I know that I don't have to do anything for God to love me. I can easily justify to myself that I don't have to do far and beyond for God. He loves me no matter what anyway. Yet, I cannot love myself more than I love Jesus. No matter how much I justify it, I cannot love myself more than Jesus. As I was starting to burn out, God was very intentional in leading me to Jesus. He led me to Jesus until everything in my being reasons Jesus.

My Vision Trip to Japan

When I visited Japan this November, I spent 16 days there to make me realize that there is nothing I can do until and unless Jesus works in me and through me. All my fear, doubts, and insecurities, I cannot win over them, but Jesus can. I have never been so desperate and dependent on Jesus until now. 

On December 1, 2022, I had a meeting with the mission organizations, and after the meeting, I just cried out to God. And for the first time in 2 years and 6 months, the shackle of fear is no longer holding me. The fear that was so familiar and I knew so well was not present anymore. For 2 years and 6 months, the fear that haunts me crumbled because of Jesus. It took me so long to realize that everything is about Jesus, and when the freedom of knowing that there is nothing I can do, the shackle of fear crumbles.

"Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing."
— John 15:5

Hanna Evardone

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Hanna Evardone was born and raised in a small town in the middle part of the Philippines and is an expat of a beautiful Arab country. She enjoys meeting people with different nationalities, cultures, and beliefs, and loves exploring their food! She states, "I'm someone who talks a lot and still learning how to stop!"

More Information

• Part 1: "What does obedience look like?"
• Part 2: "Holding onto the things I cannot see"
• Cover photo by Luca Bravo on Unsplash
• More articles from Hanna Evardone

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ENVISION

is a highly customized vision trip into Japan where you can meet Asian Access missionaries and Japanese pastors, be involved in some ministry activities, see Japan and explore your options as a possible missional partner missionary in Japan. Find out more...

Part 2: Holding onto the things I cannot see 

In Part 1 of my testimony "What does obedience look like?", I shared about God’s call, my struggle to say yes, and having a glimpse of what obedience looks like.

The journey of obedience is still not easy. I was still fearful, and insecure but not as lonely. In 2021, I started meeting people who are walking the same journey as me, and I felt that I found my tribe. I became more involved in mission mobilization and made good friends. Yet, the fear never left, it was hunting me. I was still so scared about the unknown, and another fear appeared, the fear of disappointment.

I have invested so much in the journey, and I am making decisions with the thought of Japan, which made me feel too limited. I started to feel jealous of my friends who were free to decide their lives and work hard on it. I felt that I don't have the luxury to even desire outside Japan. I'm still young and ambitious, but I felt limited. I had to battle with a lot of what-ifs. What if this journey doesn't work out? What if I don't get married? What if I will regret this? What if... what if... what if...

Another battle of fear, I started to wonder how many fears I will discover on this journey. Even though I laugh and encourage people, I cannot run away from the fear that is hunting me. Running away from the journey is a good option for me; but I also fear, what if the cost of running away is God's best for me. I don't want to let go of God's plan for my life because I want to settle for easy. But it was hard to let go of the things that I see to hold onto the things I cannot see.

In 2021, several people I knew died young, and most of them died unexpectedly. For so long, I have been praying to live a life that is worthy of Jesus' death. And the fear of not living the full life that God has for me scares me. I started to realize that I don't have control over my life. If I drop dead, my story is finished. I don't want to be someone who loves God, and that's it. I want to live a life that even though it is crazy, I won't have regrets about not trying. I might not do well, but at least I tried. I don't want to face Jesus and say, I should have done this and did that. I want Jesus to tell me,

"Well done, Hanna, I'm proud of you."

And this made me let go of my future and helped me trust in the one who holds my future.

Hanna Evardone

P.S. - Look for Part 3 soon...

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Hanna Evardone was born and raised in a small town in the middle part of the Philippines and is an expat of a beautiful Arab country. She enjoys meeting people with different nationalities, cultures, and beliefs, and loves exploring their food! She states, "I'm someone who talks a lot and still learning how to stop!"

 

More Information

• Part 1: "What does obedience look like?"
• Cover photo by Alexander Hafemann on Unsplash

 

 

Part 1: What does obedience look like? 

"When God calls me, I'll pack up my bags and go."

This is what I used to believe, and I thought I had the faith to do it.

June 2, 2020

"You like the idea of mission...
You like the thought of Japan...
But you don't love the people...

These three phrases shatter what I used to believe, and the reality of God's call opens the stronghold of fear. When I heard God speak this to me, I was surprised, and as a normal person, I told God to teach me how to love the people. I was overwhelmed, and shocked that God answered my prayer so fast! At that very moment, I fell in love with the people I haven't met yet. At the same time, the cost of being a missionary becomes real, and fear envelops me.

I met several missionaries, read missionary biographies, and completed a Perspective course to know that being one is not a walk in the park. I know that once I said yes to it, my life is not in my hands anymore. The fear of the unknown and uncertainties were too real to me. When God called me, my immediate response was 'No' and recommended someone else. Since that moment, I have witnessed my fear to be bigger than God.

I ran away, thankfully, not ran away from God, but I negotiated, begged, and convinced God why not me. It didn't work, and God was so persistent about it. I came to a point where I cried anytime and everywhere, and the more I ran away, the more I'm physically having trouble breathing. But I'm stubborn, I don't want to say yes because I know when I say yes, I will be accountable for it.

Abu Dhabi is my comfort zone already, I have a job, amazing friends, and a church where I found a family outside my family. The struggle of letting go and laying down what I have is too costly. It was hard, lonely, and painful. I know that I have to deal with God, but the path that He is leading me is not the path that I want to go.

Finally, on August 18, 2020, I gave my 'yes' to God, and for the first time since June 2, I was able to breathe, breathe! Yet, fear didn't leave. Instead, I started to have anxiety attacks, and loneliness joined the club. I thought that saying yes would lessen the fear, but I didn't realize that it would make me more doubtful, insecure, and fearful. Everything was new to me, and I didn't know what to do. I shared it with my close friends, but most of them listened but didn't hear me. I felt so lonely and insecure. I never felt so lonely walking this path of the unknown.

Everything was overwhelming, but I never felt closer to God than ever. Only a few people understand me, I have no choice but to draw myself closer to God, and He never left me. Yes, I was afraid, but God was there in the midst of my fear. Most of the time, my fear seems to be bigger than God, but God never failed to be there for me. Never once did His presence leave. God understood my fear, and He walked with me graciously.

Even though I said yes to God, I was also finding ways to run away from it. I have been asking God what obedience looks like. I love God and want to obey Him, but I don't know if I'm obeying because half of me still wants to run away. It was in November 2020 when two typhoons hit the Philippines simultaneously, and I was praying on it when I felt God's pain. I felt led to give, and I felt God spoke to me, "if a part of the body is in pain, the whole body should feel it". I called one of our church elders and shared my heart about what I felt God was telling me. Our church and my friends responded. We sent relief help to the Philippines, and hundreds of people heard the Gospel and received Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

One of the elders told me, obedience doesn't necessarily mean doing big things. Sometimes obedience is just picking up your phone to call someone and letting God do the rest. And this experience boosted my faith. Somehow, the journey of obedience wasn't as scary as before. At that time, I was still scared, but I was also excited to see what God would do.

Hanna Evardone

P.S. - Look for Part 2 soon...

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Hanna Evardone moved to Japan in 2022 as a missionary. She was born and raised in a small town in the middle part of the Philippines and is an expat of a beautiful Arab country. She enjoys meeting people with different nationalities, cultures, and beliefs, and loves exploring their food! She states, "I'm someone who talks a lot and still learning how to stop!"

 

More Information

• Cover photo by Silas Baisch on Unsplash

 

We Made It!

I know us old folk serving as exhibitors and staff at Urbana 2022 were proudly declaring this at the very end of the year and rolling into 2023, the official end of a marathon of a conference. But on our last day in the Connections Hall, I was comforted by the fact that many of the students I was praying for were also pretty exhausted! Let's say it again: We made it!

In the days leading up to Urbana, there were so many troubles, hurdles, and distractions to navigate: historical winter storms and airline logistic meltdowns just to name a couple. So by the time we finally filled the Gathering Hall in the Indianapolis Convention Center, we had already won a huge victory. When Bishop Claude Alexander got up to open his first message, he invited us all to "make the devil mad!" We defied the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places simply by pushing through and getting to Indianapolis. I heard stories of ten-hour drives from Toronto, or seventeen-hour drives from Houston, not to mention the countless delays at airports, forcing some of us to exercise the fruit of the Spirit in patience. So Bishop Alexander invited us to Rise Up and declare in defiance:

We made it!

Three nights later when we got to the midnight praise and celebration, the Urbana worship team took up the "We made it!" chorus with powerhouse vocals. For the students, their "we made it" declared how they grew deeper in their faith in Jesus through the incredible worship, learning from our plenary speakers, digging deeper in Bible study and breakout sessions, and processing with one another what God was speaking to them. (If you were not able to join in person, this incredible resource is already available on the Urbana website. Check out the Urbana '22 Conference resource page!)

My "we made it" celebrated God for how He empowered me and my SIM team to stand on our swollen feet for seven hours over three days straight; for the nearly 200 conversations we had with individuals discerning a possible calling into missions; for all the prayers we prayed over anyone visiting our booth; and for all the people with a real heart for Japan! 

Then it made me think about a year from now, or three, or five, or ten years from now. How at this Urbana 22 conference, God has changed the course of trajectory for many students. For the one young man who thought he was just going to graduate, go into a well-paying profession, and simply become a "cog in the wheel" and make lots of money, but now after experiencing Urbana, being open to going where God tells him, possibly even using his skills to serve on the mission field.

How many students have now started their journey into missions? Their days ahead are now filled with finishing school, graduating, delays, praying together with trusted spiritual leadership, applying with mission organizations, delays, more studying and training, raising up their prayer and financial support team, studying language, delays, delays, delays. When they finally make it to the mission field, connected to the good works that God prepared beforehand that they should walk in them, they will declare defiantly again, "We made it!" And we all will Rise Up with them and together praise our wonderful God. 

Bethany Ho

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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.

 

More Information

• More about Urbana '22
• Read Bethany's staff profile
• @go2japan_
• Check out more posts from Bethany

Stories of Hope Emerging from the Storm

For most, 2022 has seen some return to pre-pandemic activity. We're not quite back completely, but we are definitely seeing glimmers. We have even been able to expand into new regions.

Here are a few of our top stories from 2022 that highlight the hope we have for the future. We trust these articles will encourage us as we collectively remember His faithfulness through the past year.

Everyone at Asian Access thanks you for your partnership in prayer and giving that made these stories a reality!

Transformation, expansion, and tightening restrictions by JACKIE RO — 04-FEB-2022 — Travel was limited, but expansion was not... With strict quarantine regulations in my country of residence, I was unable to travel for ministry purposes. All meetings and classes continued online on Zoom. Though we will always be better served to physically be present together, in some sense, the travel restrictions have allowed us to expand faster. Faster does not always mean better, but it does mean reaching more people and bringing them into a community of Christian growth when times seem desperate and dire, depending on the region. I have been privileged to see transformation in the lives of people and this is remarkable to witness. For instance,... Read more...

The Blessing of the Pandemic: God's Deconstruction of My Ministry by HERMAN MOLDEZ — 08-MAR-2022 — My ministry activities have been undermining my intimacy with God. God has used the pandemic to dismantle the ministry construct under which I had been working. The pandemic forced me to embrace undoing ministry. I had no choice because pandemic rules and restrictions grounded me at home. Slowly, the restrictions created by the pandemic became God’s instrument to deconstruct my ministry practices and perspective. Deconstruction made it clear that what I had prioritized and pursued in life and ministry needed radical review and revision... Read more...

Asian Access greetings from Poland? by MARY JO WILSON — 08-APR-2022 — This week we're in Warsaw and you're wondering, "What's Asian Access doing in Poland?" We're here learning more about the Persecuted Church and things that we can do to help our partners in Asia. They've asked for more assistance, more understanding, and more resources for dealing with persecution—things that they're experiencing in their local setting. And this is an amazing time to be here in Poland and we've had conversations with people coming—church leaders who have been in Ukraine... Read more...

Celebrating the 2020 Vision & Passing the Baton in Japan by JOE HANDLEY — 31-MAY-2022 — Recently the A2 international board and A2 Japan board held a historic joint meeting. At this gathering, we solidified our commitment to Japan by officially passing the leadership and legal "shukyo hojin" (religious corporation) to the leadership in Japan.In the new agreement, A2 still keeps missionary management responsibilities but the overall vision and leadership sits with A2/Japan. We took the time to celebrate the completion of the 2020 Vision together. We highlighted the many achievements accomplished over the last 35 years... Read more...

For Such a Time as This — A New Movement Births! by JOE HANDLEY — 30-JUN-2022 — The Global Alliance for Church Multiplication (GACX) estimates millions of new churches are springing up rapidly in desperate need of leaders. Five million more churches are still needed. Stephanes Sigemindus Loots observed: “Church planting is moving at the speed of a bullet train with leadership development following on a bicycle.” Thus, several of us have gathered, praying together and planning for a new movement to raise up and train a million new Christ-like workers annually. Dr. Manfred Kohl says: “Today we need a global leadership summit for the purpose of finding, training, mentoring, and commissioning a million women and men for the needed ministry every year.”...  Read more...

Disciplemaking course takes fresh look at following Jesus today by MARY JO WILSON — 07-JUL-2022 — A2 Course of Disciplemaking: Disciplemaking is not an everyday word. It may be mentioned at church, but even there it can feel foreign to our common experience. To be honest, the word “disciplemaking” is not in the Bible and my auto-correct continues to tell me it’s not a word in any standard dictionary. Yet for a serious follower of Jesus, the task of making disciples is core to our purpose in this world. Disciplemaking is central to the Asian Access leader development model being used across Asia and beyond. That is why we were excited to be asked by Bill Mounce of Biblical Training to produce a course on disciplemaking... Read more...

Vision of A2 alumni to plant 14,392 churches across Cambodia by MENG AUN HOUR — 23-AUG-2022 — My name is Meng Aun Hour. I'm the country director for Asian Access in Cambodia. I just want to take this time to share with you what God is doing through Asian Access / Cambodia... especially through the alumni of Asian Access. Most of us in Asian Access come together with the same purpose and same heart. We want to plant a church in every village. Our Vision: We want to see a church in every village in Cambodia. So in Cambodia, we have 14,392 villages. So we want to plant the church in every village... Read more...

Mission Visionary’s New Book Calls For Global ‘Leadership Shake-Up’ 01-SEP-2022 — A California-based mission leader with a vision to shake up the way Christian mission agencies, churches and businesses create their leadership strategies has released a new book on the topic. Dr. Joseph Handley, president of Asian Access (www.asianaccess.org), presents an innovative re-think on leadership strategies in Polycentric Mission Leadership: Toward a New Theoretical Model for Global Leadership. “We’re in a world that’s increasingly complex and difficult to navigate,” said Handley, who’s been with Asian Access for nearly 15 years. “Polycentric leadership helps bring us together and helps us center ourselves around Christ. It lets everyone’s voice be part of the leadership process.” ... Read more...

The No-Name Ministry Trip by NOEL BECCHETTI — 07-SEP-2022 — I just completed an exciting trip for Asian Access that I can’t tell you anything about. If you’re like me, you would love to know everything possible about a ministry that you support. We would love to let you know all of that, and more. But in many cases, we cannot. And that can be frustrating—for us as well as you. We want and need your friendship, prayers, and financial support. It’s your backing that makes it possible for Asian Access to do its Kingdom work. And we know that it is important to keep you as informed as possible on our work. So why are there many times that we must keep you in the dark? The short answer is that many of our colleagues live under varying degrees of pressure because of their Christian faith and practice. To identify their names, vocations, and even geographical locations can put them at risk... Read more...

Gospel workers balance joy, lament in first summit since 2019 by MISSION NETWORK NEWS — 05-OCT-2022 — Asian Access held its annual Global Summit at a secured location in Asia this week. “In many ways, it (the summit) is a celebration. Because of the pandemic restrictions, we haven’t seen each other in three years,” President Joe Handley says. “We celebrate the fact that we can be in community once again; we’re not going to have to live on Zoom forever.” The occasion is bittersweet in several ways. “We have had two very significant losses; these are people of profound influence within our history,” Handley says. “The first [loss] was Jan Wendling; her husband [founded] Asian Access over 55 years ago. And then, on top of that, Ophelia De Visser from Sri Lanka [passed away].”.. Read more...

Additional Popular Posts Home church: the new norm in Japan? (Mission Network News) We really clicked with each other. And we liked the philosophy of Asian Access. (Joe Handley) Collaboration for Transformation: A Team Effort in Indonesia (Noel Becchetti) Our Attitude Determines Our Life... (Rod Denton) John Houlette's 'Resilience' receives Christian counseling award (Robert Adair) Call upon me in the day of trouble (Joe Handley) Former Imam reaching other Imams with the Gospel (Joe Handley)

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For more stories, visit Asian Access Blog Centre — https://asianaccess.org/blogcentre 

Diversity AND Unity

The prevailing theme over Urbana today was this idea of unity across diversity, love across division. I was already experiencing stirrings of this on Wednesday, but like any good teacher, the Holy Spirit is patiently using repetition to drive the point home. 

This morning we got to listen to our brother Prashan De Visser, who has roots with Asian Access in Sri Lanka. He is the founder of a youth movement called Global Unites, working in vulnerable communities around the world to mobilize the youth for peacemaking and non-violent movements of transformation. He reminded us that peacemaking is in the church's DNA; our Big Brother Jesus is the Prince of Peace! But De Visser also challenged us: how often are we breaking peace rather than making peace, especially within the Church? Jesus's last prayer for us before physically leaving this earth was that we would be one as He and the Father are one (John 17:21). Our unity is deeply important to our Father's heart. 

Then God took it even deeper for me. I had the opportunity in the afternoon to sit in on our SIM International Director Dr. Joshua Bogunjoko's breakout session, "Kingdom Diversity Disarms Resistance." He and his wife started serving over 30 years ago with SIM in medical missions. As Dr. Bogunjoko shared his story, he talked about one big reason why he felt led to go into missions saying,

I never met a missionary who looked like me.

And God used this burden on Dr. Bogunjoko's heart in their mission. He and his wife are from Nigeria, but they began serving at Galmi Hospital in Niger. While they were African missionaries sent to Africa, they were still crossing national and cultural barriers with the gospel. Nigeria is largely Christian and English-speaking while Niger is mostly Muslim and French-speaking. Before the Bogunjokos came to Galmi, the doctors were mostly white or Asian-descent, and the Muslim patients would say that Christianity was the Westerners' religion. When the Bogunjokos came and also witnessed about Jesus, the worldview of the patients shifted, and so did the spiritual atmosphere at the hospital. They became open to Jesus. 

I experienced something similar through my Japan church family. I had one Japanese tutor who would dismiss me almost any time I shared about Jesus telling me, "You are American so you are Christian. I am Japanese so I am Buddhist and Shinto." But one day I got to share with him about some international brothers and sisters in our church, particularly the small group of Indonesian students studying at the university. My tutor looked at me puzzled and said, "But Indonesians Muslim." I got to tell him that not all Indonesians were Muslim, but there were many who loved Jesus. In our time together, he never became curious about the gospel for himself, but I pray that this small shift in his worldview planted a seed that someone else will water in the future. 

This has been Jesus's plan all along, that we would love one another across our cultural differences, and that this love would shine brightly and speak to everyone around us, especially those who don't know Jesus yet for themselves. And Dr. Bogunjoko exhorted all of us at the end of his session with this: "Now more than ever is the time for diverse mission teams. It is not time for any of us to drop out, but it is a time for us to double our efforts."

Is it time for you to join us? Tomorrow is the last day to see us in Booth 707!

Bethany Ho

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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.

 

More Information

• More about Urbana '22
• Read Bethany's staff profile
• @go2japan_
• Check out more posts from Bethany

What is your one next step?

Tonight at Urbana, when introducing Bishop Claude Alexander, Anna "ah-yee" Lee-Winans prefaced with this question: What is your one next step? Bishop Alexander then walked us through the story of Stephan in Acts, expounding a little further upon how we can discern the next step. That next step is often "accepting God's call to what is known."

There are plenty of unknowns that we could let ourselves get caught up in! God, what do You want me to do after I graduate? Do I go into the professional world or into ministry? Should I go overseas or serve domestically? What about my family? Friends? The struggle is real, and I understand it well. 

Bishop Alexander went on to show us that Stephen's next step was making sure the widows in the church, the lowest of the low in society, were cared for in the distribution of food. When Stephan said "yes" to the known in front of him, he had no way of knowing that God would then use him supernaturally to perform signs and wonders in His name. Nor could he imagine that he would be given the chance to glorify the name of Jesus through his testimony to the Jewish council, and certainly not that he would also resemble Jesus in dying for the gospel, asking his Father to forgive those who were taking his life. 

Bishop Alexander also spoke of the impression that Stephen left. He received this impression from Jesus, and in Stephen's own death, he passed this impression on to Saul of Tarsus. When he spoke about leaving an "impression," I couldn't help but think of the Japanese art form ukiyo-e. A picture is formed using various woodblocks to make a layered "impression" that will eventually build up into a whole picture. I have heard some Japanese Christians use ukiyo-e as a description for how they came to Christ: over time, each Christian they met left an "impression" that God used to form a full picture of a life of faith in Jesus. 

The trouble is that Japan is the second largest unreached people group in the world. Many Japanese people don't have a chance to meet one Christian, much less enough to build a full picture of Jesus and His love for them. There are still towns and communities throughout rural Japan that have no church and no Christian witness. 

What is your one next step?

One next step could simply be coming to the Connections Hall tomorrow and having a conversation. (If you're not in person at Urbana, you can reach out to us here). Let God figure out your unknowns, and say yes to the known that's in front of you. 

Bethany Ho

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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.

 

More Information

• More about Urbana '22
• Read Bethany's staff profile
• @go2japan_
• Cover photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash

As we reflect on 2022 and prepare for 2023, several highlights come to mind: 

Family Updates —

Becca enjoys her work as the social media manager at 4b. She’s been central to their re-branding process which has their big reveal in the next few months. Her husband, Lowell, took a new position closer to home a few months ago automating the LA Harbor docks with APM Terminals.

Rachel loves her work as a visual journalist for McClatchy illustrating key stories for several newspapers around the nation. Her husband, Quan, serves with Kite Pharma in the South Bay and does freelance concept art on the side.

John graduated with a master’s degree in political economy from Oxford University and started his first job in London as a graduate economist at Ofcom.

And, Silk and I enjoyed celebrating our 32nd anniversary in Croatia and Macedonia this fall. It’s been a joy having all of our children around for the holidays!      

Ministry Highlights —

Joe’s thesis was published last summer and is receiving quite the praise… Check it out on Amazon if you are curious. 

Asian Access did pilot projects in North Africa and Europe this year so soon we’ll be doing our own name change and re-branding. I hope you enjoyed hearing the story of the Imam who came to Christ who hopes to lead other Imams to Jesus. 

We’re serving several global bodies to better equip the Church worldwide as well. Joe is serving as a co-catalyst for the Lausanne Movement which is preparing for their 4th Global Congress in Seoul in 2024. Perhaps most encouraging is the progress we are making developing a new curriculum for the persecuted church which will be utilized throughout the Religious Liberty Partnership and beyond.  

And, after several years of digital connections, we held a number of graduations for our Pastor and Young Professional tracks this past summer and fall: Young Pros, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Philippines and Vietnam. Altogether, Asian Access is now serving among 26 nations and venturing beyond the continent of Asia for the first time.

It was also a huge blessing being able to hold our annual Global Summit which had been on pause for 3 years due to the pandemic. We devoted time to lamenting our losses, but also celebrated being together again and are eager for the next phase of equipping leaders for the rapidly growing Church worldwide. This includes forms of church (biblical ekklesia) which serve in the marketplace, education, government, etc. and look very different than the churches you and I are accustomed to. 

To cap off this incredible year, our team is currently at Urbana mobilizing young people to serve Christ in Japan. This past year saw the largest influx of missionaries to Japan during my tenure and Japanese pastors are preparing for the Japan Evangelism Congress next year with a huge goal to double the Christian population.

As our little thank you for your friendship and support, the disciple-making course Joe and his colleague Mary Jo produced for BiblicalTraining.org is available to you for free. If you take it, let us know what you think! You can take the course here: https://www.biblicaltraining.org/learn/academy/em520-disciplemaking 

What an important year 2022 turned out to be and 2023 looks even more promising! 

Thanks for all your support and prayers,

Joe & Silk Handley

jhandley@asianaccess.org
@jwhandley
@jwhandley

  

More Information

As you consider year-end giving these last few days of the year, please keep us in mind:

• To support us, you can follow this link: https://www.asianaccess.org/handley
• And, to give to Asian Access: https://www.asianaccess.org/give

The feeling started to come over me even as I was browsing the bookstore at the back of the Connection Hall. Exhibitors had yesterday and today to get set up, and yesterday SIM finished in four hours. I got the chance to meander among the other exhibitors and the bookstore in the calm before the storm of thousands of students thundering through the conference halls. 

Seeing all the different exhibits set up, then previewing the store to plan out my purchases, the diverse cultures, work, titles, authors... My heart stirred. A song that I loved when I was still in college myself and a new Christian came to mind: Flyleaf's "Beautiful Bride."

We are Christ's bride, His body, adopted into His family, and while this is my first Urbana, there is definitely a family reunion atmosphere. 

Then a little while later, we received exciting news from our exhibitor coordinator. Urbana is not the only campus ministry conference going on in Indianapolis right now: Campus Outreach and Cru are here too. And Urbana reached out to these two conferences to extend the invitation for their students to come to the exhibition hall as well. We now have a chance to connect another 3,000 students to God's work in the world!

This is not about "our tribe," but every tribe.

Tonight we worshipped in English, First Nation's Miami, Chinese, Maori, Spanish, Pidgin, and more. We are brothers and sisters united in our love for our Father and our Big Brother Jesus. On December 30 in Seminar Session 5, SIM International Director Joshua Bogunjoko will further celebrate this beautiful family of ours in his session "Kingdom Diversity Disarms Resistance." What better way to celebrate than to glorify God together to the ends of the earth?

On the ground in Japan, we are excited to see who God is preparing to join the Asian Access family. In 2022, God finally opened the doors for our new missionaries to come after waiting and enduring more than two years of the pandemic. We praise God for the diversity He brought to our team: Chinese-American, Japanese, Taiwanese, African-American, Gen Z...

Are you next? Come see me in Booth 707 tomorrow afternoon!

Bethany Ho

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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.

 

More Information

• More about Urbana '22
• Read Bethany's staff profile
• @go2japan_
• Other posts by Bethany

We have made it to Urbana! Boy, what a trip it has been so far. And we're only getting started...

Just days ago, a winter weather storm of historical proportions tore through the US, leaving ice, snow, and subzero temperatures in its wake. Yesterday and today, thousands of flights across the country got cancelled, with Southwest even cancelling up to 70% of their flights. On a personal level, I have some health issues that have been affecting my sleep. Add in the uncertain economic conditions in our country and around the world, and this being the first Urbana Conference after the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, and one thing is for sure:

The spiritual warfare is no joke. 

And in the face of that, we stand on an even bigger truth: God is going to do big things at Urbana '22.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm...praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, (Ephesians 6:13, 18).

At SIM and Asian Access, By prayer is our motto because our work cannot be done without it. And because of this, we have been praying for you. We have been praying for what God will do here in Indianapolis in the final days of 2022. In the weeks leading up to this conference, God has impressed the story of Gideon on me, how in Judges 7 Gideon thought that he needed tens of thousands of troops to go against the Midianites, but God kept pressing on him until the troops narrowed down to 300.

God can do a lot with a little.

 

Flights were delayed, and some of our team are getting here late. But we have our booth ready. And we continue to pray. We are passionate about seeing people connected to the work that God has for them to do in the world. And if you feel your heart stir in particular for Japan, come find me in the Connections Hall with SIM at Booth #707!

 

Bethany Ho

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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.

 

More Information

• Cover photo and video by Emily Turner
• More about Urbana '22
• Read Bethany's staff profile

This was the most encouraging Japan National Pastors’ Conference I remember in my 14 years with Asian Access.

The theme as set by Pastor Yoshiya Hari, Asian Access/Japan National Director, was “From 2020 to 2030” and Pastor Shinji Takita’s words captured it best:

The first Asian Access National Conference in three years was a heart-gripping challenge for the future of Japan's mission, rooted in the love of theology and practice of young teachers who lead the future of the Japanese mission, and the challenge of the young teachers. Thank you Lord.

My predecessor, Rev. Dr. Doug Birdsall reflected on the 2020 Vision sharing insights into how we discern the Lord’s calling. All the pastors shared in small groups and several highlighted the influence the 2020 Vision had on the nation. Perhaps most telling was the influence that vision had on church multiplication. Today, pastors across the country have a heart for church planting that was not apparent in decades past.

In fact, prior to the Japan Evangelism Congress of 2017, those gatherings didn’t even have church planting as a core element. But today, as we head toward the next JEC Congress in 2023, Asian Access chairman, Pastor Makio Kodaira is at the helm of the event and our director Yoshiya Hari is leading the way for church planting.

I was asked to share after Doug on the State of the American Church to see what implications that might have as Japan contemplates their future. After my presentation, I encouraged them for their bold new vision to reach 2% of the population (doubling the number of believers in the country). I believe it’s fair to say that these new initiatives would not have surfaced without the Lord’s direction in the 2020 Vision. Praise God!

What inspired me further though was the next generation, or should I say Now Generation! Graduates of our U40 and U30 programs (for under 30 and 40 something pastors) shared what they have been learning so that we could discern further what the Lord may be telling us as we look ahead to 2030. What encouraged me was that the average age of this event was about 45. Why was that so encouraging? Because in my previous 13 years the average age had to have been around 65. A 20 year differential! For Japan, this is important and pivotal as the Church nationwide has been aging for years. To see such vibrant young pastors sharing their heart for the future was remarkable!

Yoshiya Hari designed the congress so well with the intent of preparing for the Japan Evangelism Congress 2023. I am praying for a great wave of people coming to Christ and many churches being planted in new forms all together. They might not look like what we think of as church. And, from the lessons learned about the American, or even Global Church, disciple-making must be key!

Rev. Dr. Paul Ariga, Global Ambassador for Asian Access/Japan, shared this:

There were Great messages delivered on 4 challenges this year: Discipleship and Leader Training, Churches to Send, Connecting with Churches to Communities, and Inter-Church Connections! The best is hidden in Japan!!!

The participants were 100% satisfied! I felt the foretaste of the 7th Japan Evangelical Conference in September 2023! With a new commitment to see with God's eyes, act with God's heart, connect with regions and realize God's kingdom! It was such a meaningful gathering. The Best Is Yet To Come!

I believe he is right. Japan’s future is as bright as the promises of God. Just as Doug Birdsall often shares Adoniram Judson’s famous response to what hope there might be for Burma years ago, Japan’s future is as bright as the promises of God. The best is yet to come!

Can we Double the Christian Population of Japan? – Of course we can! God can do all things!!!

Joe Handley
President, Asian Access

jhandley@asianaccess.org
@jwhandley
@jwhandley