Lights, Camera, Action- Osaka Views!

It's been a crazy good ride here in Osaka the last week. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we'll take off from here and head for Nagoya to connect with the other Mustard Seed team and see what God is doing there. But we're already talking about returning to Osaka to deepen our partnership with this great group of workers, as they seek to make the name of Jesus famous here.

I want to share some pics and a couple of videos taken recently. The first vid is a great invention Matt discovered outside a store. You'll think it's cool. The second is from a professional baseball game we attended Tuesday night. Osaka is home to the Hanshin Tigers and people here loooove their baseball! The stadium will seat 80,000 and it was about half full for this game against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. Each time the Tigers were at bat the whole stadium broke into chants and songs about each player, complete with specific rhythms pounded out with plastic bats. Crazy! 

As always, thanks for your prayers! Would you pray for me as I travel home Wednesday night at 8:30 (my time...4:30 am, west coast time). Pray also for the team, that they may encourage the Nagoya workers, be used to extend the borders of God's kingdom, and finish strongly (they travel home August 6), especially in light of the high heat and humidity that's been with us since our arrival.  

The team in front of the Golden Temple of Kyoto

Can you find Matt in this Power Rangers army?

Osaka is famous for its okonomyaki- noodles, cabbage, meats and sauces. Mmmm!

It's either a crazy barber shop or an even crazier bait shop!

Who's your daddy?

WIth Sedaka- she came to Language Exchange, then to Sunday service to hear about Jesus

God's Olympic Gathering

Like so many people worldwide, even an Osaka GO! Team is watching bits and pieces of the Olympics. Mind you, it's a little different for us. First, commentary and banter is in Japanese- not overly helpful to us. Then, event coverage here pretty much centers on events in which there are prominent Japanese competitors. That means we've caught portions of some men's and women's soccer, and judo. Lots of judo. But we enjoyed the opening ceremonies (again, visuals were great, explanations a bit lacking). And we were reminded again that we're part of a great world of people that increasingly in crossing cultural gulfs and finding connection.

 We experienced this kind of interaction throughout our weekend here in Osaka. Saturday night found us on a footbridge overpass in the heart of the city, singing and playing instruments as we distributed fliers for the church's services. Matt and Seth (one of the great missionaries here) played guitars, Caitlin Greer (another great missionary) played violin and accordion (not at the same time), I played tambourine (it actually belonged to Caitlin's 3 yr. old son, was tiny and sported cartoon figures and the phrase, "Rub a Dub Dub"- definitely humbling), and together with Jessica we sang Christian songs while team members handed the leaflets to passersby.


One highlight was God's demonstration of His bringing together of different peoples- sort of a mini-Olympics kind of look. As Mark handed out invitations, he recognized his unique situation as an American standing on a bridge in Osaka, interacting with Japanese people left and right. But they weren't the only ones he talked to. He had lengthy conversations with a man from Toronto, another from Italy and two young ladies from Russia. And to top things off, he made friends Sunday morning with a man from Trinidad! Interactions with people from five countries by someone from a sixth- God has a knack of bringing people together for the sake of His name. 

This is one of the outstanding perks of short-term missions. We can be used in ways we never expected to point people to God. Some will tell you that we can't really make a great difference in a short period of time in another culture whose language and ways are unknown to us. I'm here to tell you that they're wrong. God can use any of us at a point in time to impact another's eternal destiny, regardless of the barriers...if we allow Him to do so. In our time so far, we've shared our faith with several at a Language Exchange, passed out more than 500 invitations to church-related activities, prayed throughout the city, and (hopefully!) refreshed and encouraged the hearts of the missionaries we came to serve. And that's just in a little more than 5 days!

So we continue to follow and celebrate a global convergence through sport a little while longer in London. But more importantly, we rejoice knowing that God continues to accomplish His purpose by bringing people together in special ways and times. And knowing that He wants to use His people- that's you and me!- to get it done. Regardless of differences. Regardless of language. Regardless of any other reason we think might hold us back. We've got to put them aside and get ready.


Because it's gametime.

Picture with a Korean group who listened to us on the bridge

Setting up for Sunday morning service

Jessica getting snacks ready for church

Jay Greer, lead pastor of Mustard Seed Osaka, preaching with translator

Matt playing with worship team Sunday morning

Mark- our new Children's worker!- at kids' level

Great lunch group after church

Why Learn a Language?

OK, Friday's in the books. And it was another great day. We got to pick the missionary's brain about church planting strategy and progress (stuff that's beneficial for me to hear right now), we toured the Osaka Castle, constructed originally in the late 1500's and reconstructed in part in the 20th century. The castle is now a fully functioning eight-floor museum and gave us a great chance to visualize local history and peoples.

But of all we did during the day, our consensus highlight was the Language Exchange, done at the Mustard Seed office in the evening. This is a time when Japanese people wanting to learn and practice English come and spend time in conversation, as well as build relationships with each other and with the American speakers. Tonight we were the draw- four native speakers (like Matt on right) willing to sit and talk one-on-one with brave Japanese learners. With Seth from Mustard Seed leading us, we had six locals arrive and we began some intensive talk time. The format was simple- we would sit and talk to someone until Seth asked them to rotate to the next person...kinda like speed dating for language learning. Our job was simple: ask questions, encourage conversation, and share our lives and testimonies as opportunities arose.

And arise they did. We were able to talk about our lives, interests, faith and focus, and we tried to provoke thought and response about their faith issues and spiritual journeys. There was plenty of interest and enquiry, and a hunger on the part of several. One older lady told Mark that even if she didn't become a Christian she wanted to know how we thought, because she saw us as people willing to love others and reach across cultural boundaries to accept people, and she wanted to be that kind of person. 


The two hours flew by and as we parted, we told our new friends that we hoped to see them again Sunday...and they agreed. We made our way via subway back to our hotel, excitedly sharing our experiences and agreed that this was something we could do each night here! It dawned on me yet again that this whole thing was not about learning to speak a language, but about developing meaningful relationships. I mean, one lady there has an American husband who teaches English, so her need wasn't a better grasp of the language. She was there because of the possibility of community and connection. And I remembered what my seminary language prof said years ago: you don't learn a language just to speak a language, you learn a language in order to know people.


That's it. It's that simple. It's about knowing people. Because we all want to be known, at least by somebody. We want a place where everybody knows our name. And loves us. Respects us. Accepts us as we are. We may not use a tool like the Language Exchange class where we are but we can find ways to get to know people. To let them know we care about them and want to get closer to them. And that's really the emphasis of God's plan for us- He launched Himself into our world through the person of Jesus to allow us to know Him. To reveal His heart for us. To accept us where we are, even as He brings us to where we need to be. And in so doing, He's taught (maybe still teaching) us a new language- the language of unconditional and sacrificial love.


Got anyone who could use a language lesson of love? All it takes is your heart willing to invest a little time and attention. Who knows? Maybe you could become a great language teacher,and someone could meet a new friend...you.


And Jesus.

Matt and Jessica never looked so good!

Osaka Castle

Discussing all things missionally strategic

Our Language Exchange group

Mike and Matt meet an old friend!

The Three Amigos...Samurai style!

People- the Priority of Osaka

Do you like the view on the left out our window? I would too, if I could only see Mt. Fuji! However, our view is what you see on the right, a stark reminder of the mass of humanity linked together in this great city. Osaka has a metro area of nearly 18 million people, and is a primary economic hub of the nation. It is sometimes called the food capital of the world. There is an old saying here, that while Kyotoites (those living in Kyoto) are financially ruined by overspending on clothing, Osakans are ruined by spending on food. Definitely my kind of place!


Our team spent the bulk of Thursday in the heart of the city, walking, praying, talking with Jay and learning more about the people and their needs. We visited some of the primary shopping areas, including American Village, a retail area complete with a scaled-down Statue of Liberty! We passed out handbills (on left) inviting people to English-language conversation classes. I admit that I've never enjoyed handing out tracts and the like, and as we began this exercise I was reminded why. Person after person would pass by, rejecting what I had in my hand by refusing to acknowledge my existence! It was frustrating, and if my self-esteem was not as good as it is, my feelings might have been hurt! But after I got over myself, I took it as my challenge to get those papers into peoples' hands. I tried to make- even force!- eye contact, got my offering more directly in front of them, and prayed that God would place those invites into the hands of ones who needed them most. It wasn't long before my pile of papers grew smaller, and then disappeared...and it had even become a great joy and not a task!


Watching the crush of people about us, we were constantly stuck by the feeling of busyness. Nearly everyone seems consumed with getting to wherever they're going from wherever they've been. There's a focus on movement, motion and destination, but we wonder how much attention is given to the actual journey. We sense that it will take interruptions by God to get that attention of so many, that they might consider who He is and how they might connect with Him. The tsunami a couple of years ago was one such interruption, and we were told that for a time people did slow down and consider. But in the absence of further calamity, life quickly gets back up to speed and downtime is squeezed. We're asking God to provide interruptions of goodness and grace in order to help those here think again about a possible relationship with Him. 

And as we watch the scurrying about us, I'm reminded that we're really no different. We easily become engrossed in our own worlds and relegate our commitment to God to a lower shelf. And how much more damning is that for us than for those here. Almost no one here has a knowledge of God's redemptive plan for their lives- they might be excused for their condition (humanly speaking). But we know full well and too often choose to go it on our own, anyway. There is no excuse for our actions.


Please continue to pray- today (Friday) we'll visit the famous Osaka Castle, prayerwalk through a portion of the city, and then participate in a Language Exchange this evening. Pray that some of those who received our invitations yesterday will choose to come tonight, that they will slow down long enough to listen to God's voice in their lives, an that they will respond to what they hear. Thanks for your prayers and partnership...


A few more visual renderings of our surroundings-

The Christian bookstore in Osaka- what a great name!

Mark found a 30-Day Prayer Guide for the Muslim World- sweet!

Cream soda means ice CREAM in your SODA- woohoo!

The team glistening in the heat of Osaka

If your pancakes can do this, consider another option.

Graffiti- the universal language.

In the Land of the Rising Sun

Whew! We made it! After some concern at LAX (we deplaned due to a security issue, but then quickly re-boarded), we were ready to go.  We wondered if we had missed our connecting flight as we arrived 1 1/2 hrs. late in Honolulu, but we were greeted by someone who personally escorted us to our 747, which was maybe only 3/4 full...which meant we had plenty of room to stretch out and sleep! 

After a good night's rest in our hotel, we spent our first day hangin' with Mustard Seed missionaries Jay Greer and Seth Phillips. They took us to different spots in the city, including the top of a skyscraper some 47 stories high above this city of 17 million. We caught a view of Osaka Metro and thought hard about the fact that less than 1% of the population knows Jesus...and that percentage is decreasing. 

One fun experience today: we were on a crowded subway carrying some "Christian" baseball cards of a couple of well-known American players playing in Japan who know the Lord. We began to pass them out to a group of young boys riding with us, and they became quite excited! There was quite a buzz on that car as we walked off, and several boys were engrossed reading the testimonies of these athletes. Awesome! 

Pray for us as we continue to adjust to our new surroundings, that we'll have chances to share the Lord's love across cultural barriers, that we'll be able to bless those around us, and that we'll hear and see what God has to say to each of us. Let me share a few pics of our time so far:

Team upon arrival, with Jay Greer

Matt figuring out subway ticket purchase

McD's special breakfast- bacon, egg, sausage, cheese...healthy!

Mark eating...healthy?

I Think We're Going Japanese!

Ready, set, GO! Our latest Global Outreach (GO!) Team is getting ready to embark for a trip across the Pacific to connect with our friends at Mustard Seed Global Fellowship, www.msfg.com, in Osaka, Japan! MSGF is a ministry committed to planting churches in the most unchurched urban centers of the world, and they've begun two new works in the Japanese cities of Nagoya and Osaka.  Matt Whelchel (aka MattyDub) and I visited these centers last fall because of KACC's partnership with MSGF in general, and our support of the Osaka work in particular.

Now we're ready to take a team to Osaka to learn more of what God's up to there, and to find ways we might be able to bless the work and the Japanese people.  Our hope is to establish a connection with the church there that will allow us to continue to send teams in the years to come.  Matt and I were excited with what we learned and saw on our last trip, and we can hardly wait to do it again!

The team is small- Matt, his wife, Jessica, Mark Wald and myself- but we're ready for action.  And we're all part of our own church plant, the Oasis Project, at KACC so we're looking forward to blessing a new work as members of a new work.  The time out will be July 23- August 6 (although I'm returning August 1) and we covet your prayers as we go. Check this site (as well as Matt's site, matthewwhelchel.blogspot.com) to keep up with what's happening with us. We want you to experience, as much as possible, some of what God will be doing with, through and for us as we venture into this beautiful Asian nation, where people are gracious and the need to know Jesus is overwhelming.  Let's go!

More Churches? Really?

A comment was made during our church planters bootcamp that was insightful and troubling: If 95% of married couples were unable to conceive, we would consider that a problem, something not right. And we would study that problem until we could determine its cause, and then find a solution or remedy. Yet, we're told that 95% of North American churches think it's OK (normal) to NOT reproduce...and we (the Church) do little or nothing about it. And our lack of concern or voice signals that nothing appears out of the ordinary.

Church planting must be understood as a normal, expected part of a congregation's lifestyle- to reproduce itself in some form or fashion, that those who are outside God's Kingdom may be introduced to it through His people. And because there's an ever-growing number of unchurched people, there's an ever-increasing need for new delivery systems to share the message of Jesus with them in clear, contextually relevant ways.

Jesus certainly understood the need of the hour. He told his followers that there was a great harvest, but few workers (Luke 10:2), so we needed to pray for more. He understood the big picture, that the harvest is not later, but now (John 4:35). And he understood his role (and what ours should be, as well) as one who wanted to please the one who sent him (John 4:34).

There is a wealth of souls around us, people whose eternities lie in the balance. Many are ready for harvest, if there are harvesters. Many will not be reached by existing harvesting centers because these groups have lost their focus, concern or passion for harvesting. But creating new harvest centers provides fresh and committed workers to get into the fields and harvest that crop before it dies, or before the enemy comes and plucks it away.

Established harvest centers can and often do such work. But we know the longer such a center is in existence, the less likely it is to engage in such labor. Fortunately, new centers spring up because they see the need, and they desire to respond while the time is ripe (no pun intended).

Why plant churches? Don't we have enough already? Actually, we don't, partly because too many churches fail to act like their designer had planned. And because our job is to make sure we have ways to engage this generation with the most important message known, we must take that message to them in ways that will make sense to their world, and give them the opportunity to respond to it.

Because eternity surely does hang in the balance.

To Plant a Church

Finished our first day of The Art of the Start, a church planters bootcamp being held at the Churchill Meadows Christian Church in Toronto (well, Mississagua, to be exact). It's being led by Phil Claycomb (left) of Nexus Ministries. Phil is a seasoned church planter and consultant who has his finger on the pulse of church planting in our culture.

We spent the day dealing with Biblical and philosophical issues involved in planting, and wrapped up wrestling with concepts like identity markers of a church, mission statements, core values, vision and the like. Stuff we may bat around, but often take little time to ponder and work through thoroughly. Tomorrow we'll do more of the same.

I was struck by quotes like the following:
- Half of all US churches last year did not add one new member through "conversion growth."
- No county in America has a greater percentage of churched persons today than a decade ago.
- The US is the largest post-Christian nation on earth and the third largest unchurched nation. And we lead the world in every category of violent and domestic crime and social decay.

There's no question that we need to be planting churches, places where those who aren't connected to Christ may find new life and hope. Church planting has been shown to be the most effective form of evangelism. It draws a new audience often unreached by previous attempts. It speaks fresh context and relevance to a generation often jaded and wounded by yesterday's church.

But it's risky. 7 of 10 church planting efforts don't make it past five years. The battle is difficult, the costs are high, the enemy rages and the struggle titanic. But as with any endeavor of this kind, the rewards outweigh the risks, and the value can be easily seen as lives are transformed and hope is born.

Pray for church planters in our culture and beyond. And pray for KACC as we enter into this venture to expand the Kingdom's borders in our own backyard.

Because nothing less than eternity is at stake.