A2 Community

- by Sue Takamoto -

Our family is preparing to come back to Sanda, Japan in a few days with many mixed emotions—how can it be otherwise? Tonight our oldest son Owen was listing all the places we could go upon our return; the friends we will be able to meet again; the Japanese food we can once again enjoy.

But there are always tears, as it means once again parting from loved ones. Those who know me or have read my blog (The Takameter) consistently know that this is the most difficult challenge for me in being a missionary…

We have truly loved the care, hospitality, and encouragement that we have received through our visits with friends and family. And the interest in our ministry in Japan!

Now that we have had a chance to show our 2010 Takamoto DVD to various churches and friends this summer, we wanted to make it available for any of you who would like to watch it. It is just under five minutes, and shares some of the things we are excited about even in returning to Sanda (our city) in a few days. Please pray as we prepare to return—for all six of us as we adjust back and help the older three children, especially, prepare again for Japanese school which will begin shortly.  Thanks.

For sure, for sure, we are confident that the God of Sanda is waiting to continue His wonderful work there. And we are so thankful that he is willing to use us to help accomplish that.

If you cannot see a video player, click here...

 Japan's Yen rate continues to climb, pressure missionaries

- by Jeff Johnston -

The Japanese Yen (¥) rate is approaching the strongest level in 15 years recently — hitting ¥85.33 to US$1 earlier this month.

According to Bloomberg's Alex Kowalski, the Yen rate has climbed 3% against all 16 major currencies this year. He writes:

"The yen typically strengthens in times of financial turmoil as Japan's trade surplus makes the currency attractive as it means the nation does not have to rely on overseas lenders."

Though many experts view the 85-Yen mark as the time for the government to take steps to weaken the currency, Kowalski says it's doubtful that it will do so.

Combined with a bad economy and soaring health care costs, it's a tough recipe to swallow. It's a struggle for missionaries to stay on the field. You cut where you can and then pray you can survive the onslaught.

We're not alone, as missionaries are feeling the pinch in many places, not just Japan. Churches in North America have had to cut back their support to missionaries due to a difficult economy. We know of a dozen or so families across the globe have reluctantly had to leave the field because they can no longer sustain the level of support needed.

What can we do? Do we just fold up our tent and call it a day?

Actually, I think there are several things we should be doing to address some of these core challenges. Here are a few:

1) Pray for God to send laborers and to provide the funds for the laborers He has sent.

Matthew 9:37-38 "Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.' "

Pray also that the U.S. Dollar would strenghten against the Japanese Yen.

2) Give to missions where God burdens you. Praise God for many who are giving sacrificially to advance His work in the world.

3) Stewardship - Mission organizations need to continue to look for creative ways to achieve a greater degree of stewardship. J. Hudson Taylor said: "God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supplies." If He's not providing, then maybe we need to look hard at what we're doing and make some changes.

4) Partnership in the Base Camp - That said, I think there are good missions doing good things, but they just don't have a good economy of scale. Organizations will need to consider whether they can achieve more together than separately. Leveraging resources and administrative support is one way to achieve a better economy of scale. These difficult economic times could be God's way of bringing together more partnerships in the base camp.

This is what Asian Access is now seeking to do. (See "Asian Access seeks sizable ministry expansion".) We have a great mandate in Japan, but think it's time to join together with others to accomplish something bigger for God than we could do separately. The risk for losing some control is there, but the potential upside to foster a movement could be huge!

5) Partnerships on the Front Lines - Missions is undergoing some real changes. A documentary I helped to produce, Missions: Redefined raised some of these issues. It was an eye-opener to see how Western missions have been perceived.  As the landscape changes, our partnerships with national-led movements might be a key to achieving something greater together.

Sharing our kingdom resources for the greater good seems like a God-thing.

I certainly don't have all the answers. There's much more that we can do to address the current economic challenges.

What do you think?  Please give me your ¥2 . . . because it's now worth more than 2¢!

Tokyo makes anime-style guide to boost tourism

By: Jeff Johnston (sources: AP & Kyodo)

Tokyo's metropolitan government has produced an anime short to highlight sightseeing spots around the city. The aim is to lure more tourists to the capital city of Japan.

The short entitled "Welcome to Tokyo" runs about 11 minutes and cost the city about ¥49 million (about US$ 575,000) to create. To make it more accessible to foreign tourists, they offer subtitled versions in English and six other languages. It has been posted Tokyo's English website (under the Tourism, Culture and Sports):

http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/welcome/index.html

Here's the direct link to the full English flash movie is here:

http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/welcome/swf_hq/honey_en_hq.swf

In his upcoming Time article entitled "A Clouded Outlook," (August 2, 2010) Michael Schuman writes a sobering view of Japan's malaise and dismal economic outlook for the future. The 4-page article helps to see the big picture of the economic reality, which has been stagnant since the bubble burst in the early 1990s.

If you want a better understanding of Japan and the dynamics of turning this big ship around, read Shuman's article.

Here are a few excerpts to give you a sense of the problem:

• "Today, Japan is an island of inertia in an Asia in constant flux. Japan's political leadership is paralyzed, its corporate elite befuddled, its people agonized about the future. While Asia lurches forward, Japan inches backward. And yet no one in Japan is doing very much about it."
• "Growth has been practically nonexistent, the welfare of the Japanese people has suffered and the old industrial titans of Japan Inc. are retreating on the world stage. Japan will likely lose its cherished status as the world's No.2 economy this year, to a more energetic China. Though that was inevitable, the fact that China is so quickly closing the gap in economic power doesn't bode well for Japan's standing in the world."
• "Every few months, Tokyo's political revolving door spits out a new Prime Minister (Japan's had six PMs in the past four years) who inevitably vows that the time has come, finally, truly, to reform. But the proposals announced with expectant fanfare usually get swallowed up in Japan's dysfunctional political system."
• " 'There is an awareness that things can't stay the same,' says Jeffrey Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University's Japan campus. 'The problem is, people really don't know what is next. Japan's huge problems are just festering and Japan remains rudderless.' "
• What makes Japan's story so much more frustrating is that not so long ago, the nation was at the forefront of change. Long before Apple's iPad, it was Japan's Sony that invented the must-have gadgets that changed global lifestyles (remember the Walkman?). Japan didn't need answers; Japan was the answer. Yet those same policies and practices that sparked Japan's miracle have come to strangle it.

There is much more detail in the article, including what current PM Naoto Kan is trying to do, the downside of consensus-based decision-making, the economic effect on the younger people, potential implications on taxes and immigration policy, and much more.

What needs to be done to change this dilemma? Schuman with the help of fellow reporter Terrence Terashima offer recommendations. I'll let you read them, if you're interested, but Schuman closes with this pessimistic summation:

• "Such a sweeping vision for the nation's future and its role in the world is regrettably absent. Katsuji Konno, president of Igeta Tea Manufacturing, a Sendai-based chain of specialty tea shops, complains that the country's leaders are too focused on short-term fixes rather than long-term solutions. 'You have to think of more drastic measures,' he says. 'You need to think 10, 30, 40 years ahead.' Until Japan stops living in the past, it may not have a future."

Allow me to make a personal comment here after tracking the news and talking with my Japanese friends. . .

What is painfully obvious in Japan is that things are going to get worse—not better—at least for the foreseeable future. Japanese will need to adjust their lifestyle accordingly. No more can the people of Japan put their faith in their government to do what is best in their long-term future.

As a missionary here, who has seen countless Japanese shy away from following Christ, I can only hope—and pray—that this growing economic challenge swings wide open the door in people's lives for the Gospel. Up until now, they've simply been too comfortable.

While I'd like to see Japan flourish, its own affluence has become a huge stumbling block for the Gospel. And God loves the Japanese too much. I trust He will use this difficulty to compel many to follow Him.

They say that every cloud has a silver lining. Maybe the spiritual outlook is not so clouded after all.

What do you think?

Working in concert for greater fruitfulness in Japan

Asian Access' tagline is "Developing Leaders. Multiplying Churches." At our core, that's what we're about. Each statement represents a key objective in our ministry across Asia. Both are centrally important to what we're trying to achieve toward extending the kingdom of God.

Today and tomorrow in Tokyo, Asian Access' "JCGI Network" in Japan is holding its first ever "Coach Leader Summit" to try to do both of these fundamental tasks hand-in-hand and thus better.

For many years, JCGI has been effectively running two types of regional networks in Japan: 1) Leadership Development Networks and 2) Church Planting Networks. These two ongoing networks have specialized, focusing intently on their own objective—either of training pastors or of fostering church multiplication. The leaders of these networks serve as coaches and facilitators. Coaches in each type of network have gathered independently to pray for God's blessing, report on progress, and plan for future networks.

What's different now?

Under the direction of Rev. Hiroshi Kawasaki, JCGI Network decided to strategically realign its efforts to work more synergistically. For the first time, 21 pastoral leaders and 3 missionaries in both types of networks are meeting for a combined two-day "Coach Leader Summit," asking some key questions:

1. What is needed to make our leadership development networks and our church planting networks more effective?
2. How can these two types of networks cooperate and collaborate together for even greater fruitfulness?
3. How can we get more Japanese churches involved in our networks?
4. What changes do we need to implement to ensure these above objectives happen?

This summit is currently underway (July 26-27, 2010). Will you join us in prayer that God inspires this group of leaders to join efforts and work in better concert with one another? Pray that God will use these networks to develop even more leaders and foster a church multiplication movement in Japan.

Here is a brief video message from Adrian De Visser, National Director of A2/Sri Lanka about our dear friend, Dr. Gary Parrett...

Here is the link to this clip on the A2 Channel on YouTube.com.

[Podcast] Utilizing for-profit companies based on Biblical principles to do community development and seek transformation of lives and societies.

A sense of mission can come in all shapes and sizes.

• If player doesn't appear, click here or you can even download the audio file: business-as-mission.mp3
• Life Design Network - find out more about this network

Indiana band Aperture set to lead worship for A2

The Christian band Aperture from Huntington University (Huntington, Indiana) will serve as worship leaders at the annual Asian Access/Japan retreat in the beautiful, snowy mountains of Nagano, March 11-15. The purpose of this retreat is to equip and refresh missionaries who serve alongside Japanese congregations.

The worship band is connected to Asian Access through member Jessica Bauman, an A2 MK.  Since her parents, Gary & Barbara, moved to Tokyo in 1988, Jessica spent most of her life in Japan. She is now excited to return with a talented group of her friends called Aperture:  Josh Dirnberger, Justin Siemens, Tyler Skinner, Zech Reuter, Laura Stuckey and Kris Burgess.

Every year, Asian Access needs a team of 4-6 people who share a passion to invest in the children in the mission so that they can shine Christ in this dark country.  Typically, children’s ministry teams have run a program much like a Vacation Bible School ministry.  However, a team did not emerge this year.  So Aperture will help to assist in some of these children's ministry activities.  Aperture even has a couple of friends who may come just to help out with our MKs!

We so appreciate Aperture coming to serve Asian Access by leading us into worship and caring for our children.  The entire A2/Japan family looks forward to a great retreat in March.

• Aperture website - contains their blog and bios of each band member
• Huntington University - the school where Aperture is based
  

Non-profit mission website recognized again for "standard of excellence"

Asian Access is pleased to announce that its website has won a fourth consecutive WebAward for 2009. AsianAccess.org has been judged by the Web Marketing Association to be a winner of a non-profit standard of excellence in web site development. Asian Access provides leadership development and support to emerging pastors who multiply churches across Asia.

During the thirteenth annual WebAward competition, more than 2,000 sites from 47 countries were adjudicated in 96 industry categories. Entries were judged on design, copy writing, innovation, content, interactivity, navigation, and use of technology.

"AsianAccess.org engages North American Christians in partnering with the church in Asia to extend God's kingdom," says Jeff Johnston, vice president for communications at Asian Access, who is responsible for the website. "This standard of excellence award validates our communications efforts these past few years. As a non-profit mission agency, we have limited resources for website development. Yet we have an important story to tell, and our website is a key delivery system for us to engage more people in this exciting work."

"Ultimately, I trust this independent recognition will further highlight our excellence in leadership development across Asia. That's what Asian Access is really all about."

Even so, the communications leader is not content to just maintain. "We definitely need to look ahead and focus on improvement," Johnston continued. "We've simply outgrown our current design. Web technology has changed dramatically in the last five years, and we have plans to redesign the site to enhance the user experience and deliver the desired information to them sooner. This site was designed well before the social media craze hit. Now we leverage sites like Facebook and Twitter and YouTube to help get our message out. We need to refresh our site to incorporate this social media and to make navigation easier."

"Recognizing the best website in each industry is an important way to establish the ever changing standard of excellence in website development," said William Rice, President of the Web Marketing Association. "Each year the WebAwards receives amazing entries from around the world that show impressive creativity and functionality. As the Internet evolves, so does the state of website development and winning a WebAward is a great way to demonstrate the effectiveness of your web development efforts."

The competition was judged by a team of independent internet professionals representing a variety of relevant disciplines of web site development. Judges included members of the media, advertising executives, site designers, creative directors, corporate marketing executives, content providers and webmasters.

About Web Marketing Association

According to its own web site, the Web Marketing Association aims to help set a high standard for internet marketing and development of the best websites on the World Wide Web. WMA partners with Website Magazine, PRWeb and sixteen other leading organizations to sponsor the WebAwards. A complete list of the winning sites can be found at the WebAward web site at www.webaward.org.

# # #

Press Contact: Jeff Johnston
Company Name: Asian Access
Email: info@asianaccess.org
Phone: 800-543-3678
Website: www.AsianAccess.org

Special Recognition

Listen to this pastor from south Osaka share about her church’s vision to love their community.

[ Harvest-Vision.mp3 ]

If someone says "missions is about cramming Christianity down other people's throats," how would you respond?  Tell us!

Recently, a facebook friend of mine who is a pastor shared a status update about his daughter attending a missionary training program before heading to Asia for a short-term missions assignment.

Most of the comments from his friends were, as you could imagine, extremely positive, optimistic, and prayerful.

However, one friend wrote this bold question:

Mission service.....is that when u go to another country and offer to assist if the people are willing to have christianity forced down their throats?

My pastor friend eloquently offered a graciously tender-hearted reply saying that the heart of missions is sharing the message of hope of Jesus Christ, often demonstrated through mercy and service.

Here's what I added to the conversation:

Ouch! Yet you raise an interesting and sometimes legitimate critique of missions. Thank you for being bold enough to spark this dialogue.

If you have a half hour, I invite you to watch a mini-documentary "MISSIONS: REDEFINED" that I helped to produce. My team examined missions in three Asian countries (Japan, Sri Lanka and Mongolia). Sri Lanka has had to deal with colonialist-style missions in their past where well-meaning missionaries brought some baggage along with the Gospel. In the documentary, we examined what missions means at this time in history. I think you (and the others here) might find it rather interesting.

You can watch it online here:
http://asianaccess.org/video/index-missions-redefined.html

Ok, so what about you?  What would you say?  Let's collect some responses.  Please leave your replies here...

Because Urbana '09 has just ended recently, we thought it would be especially helpful to repost an article written after a previous Urbana by A2 missionary Sue Takamoto, who first attended Urbana '84.

Decision Making and God's Perspective

Making sense of Urbana and your own personal journey

Osaka, JAPAN | written by Sue Takamoto, Ph.D. (A2)

• "Oh no… It's been two [weeks] since Urbana and 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.

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 missions 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 afterwards 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 desires 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:

• Become a participant in your church's missions committee
• Volunteer at a missions organization
• Participate in your school's global outreach opportunities
• Find a retired missionary who lives nearby and meet with them regularly (nothing will fire you up more than this!).
• 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."
• Support an overseas missionary. Get their prayer letters; send them occasional encouraging emails.
• Get on the bike and participate in a short-term missions experience.
• 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 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.

• If you would like more information about Asian Access' short-term mission programs, you can find it here... or email us at info@asianaccess.org.
• Better yet, register for an account at http://go2japan.org where you can read FAQs and talk with real missionaries on our go2japan forum.

Sue Takamoto (on left in picture) 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. In 2001, she and her husband Eric, along with Maltese Molly, moved to Sendai, Japan with Asian Access to work in a local church called L’Abri. They are now Area Leaders of the Osaka church planting network and one son and two daughters. To find Sue's blog, you can find a link here.

Asian Access will not be attending Urbana for the first time we can remember.  There are a number of reasons for this tough decision, but we wanted to make sure that everyone knows that we're still sending short-termers to Japan. 

Join us in praying for Urbana '09, that God would use it to call thousands of young people into missions.  We wish those organizations represented at Urbana well as they strive to find necessary workers for their ministries.

And pray also that Asian Access would find more workers to help us achieve our bold 2020 Vision for Japan:

Asian Access/Japan seeks to deploy 100 church multiplication teams:

• To establish 1,000 reproducing congregations
• which will enfold 1 million new followers of Christ,
• who will in turn send 1,000 missionaries from Japan to the cities of Asia, that will be home to
• 1 billion people by the year 2020 AD.

• Read about our short-term mission programs here.
• Watch a brief video overview of our ministry opportunities.
• Urbana '09, sponsored by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, will be held December 27-31, 2009 in St. Louis, MO.

The JCGI Network of Asian Access hosted its annual conference November 24-26, 2009 with Dr. Robert E. Logan returning to Japan to speak. Grace Community sent a delegation of pastors and lay leaders from Sapporo to hear Dr. Logan; here's a report from Asian Access staff member Tim Clark on how the church was blessed by the conference.

Since coming home from the Asian Access JCGI anniversary celebration it's been fun to see the conference's impact unfold at Grace Community, helping this church that already does so well at leader development do even more.

Dr. Bob Logan's teaching in the mid-nineties led to a transformation of Grace and currently all members are a part of an "Ie no Kyokai," house church. The church does an excellent job raising up and empowering lay leaders.  Asian Access is now involved in helping the church not simply increase its number of cell groups but to see more groups multiply themselves.

Since the conference Grace Community's Pastor Masuda has been talking about "passing the baton," encouraging the church to take leadership development to the next level.

One lay leader, Hiromi Kurisawa (photos below), reported the following about the conference,

"It was a great blessing to join the Asian Access conference.  Bob Logan's sessions on passing the baton and leadership change challenged and inspired me.

"Logan asked many good questions, like 'What kind of legacy will you leave?' and 'To whom are you passing the baton?' These questions helped me to realize how central baton passing is to fruitfulness and multiplication in ministry.  A key is to figure out not what I can do but what I can raise up others to do. What can I help and inspire others to accomplish?

"I was impressed that the time to think about passing the baton is not once I've gotten old; it is now.

"I appreciated the practical discussion times Logan led us in; I got many good ideas which I can apply to the coaching I do with youth leaders at Grace."

Hiromi Kurisawa with some of Grace Community's youth leaders.

The next two Sundays Hiromi and other leaders who attended the conference will share with church members what they learned.

Please pray:

• ...the Lord will bless their reporting and use it to help Grace have an even stronger witness in Sapporo.
• ...Asian Access can continue to be involved with Grace Community to bless Japanese society and lead many to Christ.

Tim Clark's staff profile can be found here. You can also find his profile on Facebook.