At the end of the trip

It has become ‘real' autumn in Japan.  How are you?  I hope you are not catching cold or anything.

I have spent almost two months since September for the preparation for All Nations Returnee Conference　(ANRC) (www.allnatoins.jp) which will be held next March 20-22.  Finally the trip is ending and I am writing this letter on the flight back to LA. What a long trip season it was!  I was privileged to travel many different places and met so many people.  It was filled with blessings from God for what He is already doing.

I traveled by night bus and used JR Rail Pass to travel around Japan from Tokyo for ANRC's kick off meetings:  Tokai on 9/27, Tohoku on 10/4, Kansai on 10/11 and Kyushu on 10/18. There is one more left in Hokkaido on 11/8 which I would be praying for from LA.  During the trip, I was able to follow up some returnees, involved in ec preparation and networking.  I met more than 30 pastors and missionaries to share about the ministries for returnees and for ANRC.  I even had time t ovisit my friends.  It was a good trip.  Thank you for your prayers.

I have many thanks for the trip, but some of the things that I always am thankful for are gifts of ‘being able to sleep anywhere', ‘can eat anything', ‘love to meet people', and the ‘stamina' I have.  I feel like I am made for itinerant ministries, but right now I am looking for returning to my own place.

My Heart Cry

I had many opportunities to think about many different things during the trip, but one thing that has been on my mind lately is about my Holy Discontent. 

Your ‘Holy Discontent' is something you cannot stand for another second that you must cry out to God to help.  "God help in this situation!  Do something!"  It has a deep relationship with your calling.  I have been thinking about my ‘holy discontent' and I found out that my heart cries out when I meet with Christians who think they cannot believe in God any longer.  My heart also cries out when I see people who think they are not worthy enough to be loved by God and that God cannot reach nor save them.  When I meet these people, I want to tell them what God talks about this in Isaiah 50:2, "Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver?"  I want to tell them that God's love is unconditional and He always delivers and saves us.  I realize my motivation in evangelism and follow up flows out of my cry and also that my own spiritual walk had gone through similar situations.  What is your hear cry?

Now my heart cry is more defined, next step is to reflect on how I am using my time and energy, how I prioritize my life.  It is my prayer that in the busyness we face as the year is getting close to the end, not to push my heart cry aside, but to put it in the center of my life to keep myself focused.

New Perspective, people outside of the church

All Nations Returnees Conference (ANRC) is for the returnees who have returned to Japan from around the world, the churches and fellowships that are welcoming them, and those who are sending them back to Japan from overseas.  We are praying for 700 people to join this retreat at Heritage Resort in Saitama next March 20-22^nd.  Please pray for this, invite your friends and join us!

As I have been involved in the preparation, I had opportunities to discuss about the overseas Japanese ministries and its potentials.  I believe that this ministry is a part of God's big plan.  If not so, I would not think God would send more than 1 million Japanese outside of Japan where they are 30 times more receptive to the Gospel than in Japan, convert them, and then send them back to Japan.  God also provides way out as they face difficult adjusting time as they return through reverse culture shock and use them as time to grow in the relationship with Christ as they are followed up.  However, this is not happening just among returnees. 

In Japan, there are 7,000 who are baptized each year. However due to different reasons, within two to three years, more than half would leave the church.  It is not uncommon that even the church members are over 100, the worship attendance is only 30.  Just because they are not a part of the Sunday service, you cannot analyze their spiritual health, but there are many Christians including returnee Christians who are not in the church.  What does this mean?  We won't be able to discuss the reasons here, but this has become a worldwide phenomenon.

When you focus on people who are away FROM THE CHURCH, then you need to work on ‘CHANGING THE CHURCH'.  This, too, is an important issue, but if you focus on CHRISTIANS OUTSIDE OF THE CHURCH, then your focus on discussion will be how to CARE FOR THESE PEOPLE, not on the church.

Ultimate command God has given to Christians is to love God and to love your neighbor.  Also, God gave us the Great Commission to make disciples of Jesus.  These are commandments and privilege given to any and all Christians.  When you are focusing on "growing as Christ' disciple' and to be ‘involved in nurturing Christ' disciples", then you can be an equipped Christians with 4Cs.  These are very important things for Christians IN and OUTSIDE of the churches.  What do you think?

God Already at Work

God has shown me the new grass-roots level of movements among young people in Japan.  They are wonderful young people!  They are connected even before they actually meet through internet.  Even though they have not met in person yet, by the time they actually do, they are already brothers and sisters in Christ.

Meeting with these young people is an encouragement to JCFN.  They are passionate about Christ and want to follow Jesus.  They're serious about sharing Christ.

At the equipper conference this year, we are planning to have the ‘joint countdown'.  Together with us at ec, our friends in Hokkaido, we will be connected via SKYPE to worship and pray together.  A group of young people in U.K. and another one in Singapore heard about this that they, too, are planning to join us.  What an exciting thing!

It would be really neat to praise the Lord in Japanese from around the world at the same time, and to intercede for the world.  It is my prayer that through this time each one of us will be touched by the Holy Spirit and that we will become those who go out, serve and to become make peace makers.

Please pray continuously

Thank you for your prayers since the last letter.  I feel that we are on the little more of a solid ground than last month.  However, the difficult time will soon begin with ec's preparation, All Nations, and sending out the newsletter and fundraise letter.  Pray that each of the staff can ensure the quiet time before God even in the midst of the busy schedule.  Pray also that we will be diligent in communication among ourselves that we will not be troubled because of misunderstandings.

Yuko who came back to work last month is trying hard to keep a good balance between ministries and caring for her daughter.  God had answered our prayers and is sending us Asako Taguchi for three months as an intern from November.  Hallelujah!  She recently completed her Biblical studies in San Francisco and is originally from Hokkaido.  She will be involved in ec committee and will learn about JCFN ministry as she prays for her future.  Pray that her time will be blessed richly.

November 10^th is the first cut off date for ec 08's registration.  We are praying for 400 participants.  Pray that all the financial needs will be met, especially for the scholarship.  We are selling T-shirts as a part of fundraise.  Please let us know if you are interested.

Please also pray fro All Nations Returnees Conference preparation.  We need to organize to host different reunions, finalize the content of the program, recruit volunteers and all the rest.  Pray that 700 people will come to join us.

Thank you for your prayers on finances.  God is beginning to answer the prayers by sending us people to support financially.  Some responded to the letter last month.  In Japan, we are short $1,200 per month and $200 for the US.  Pray that all the needs will be met.

May God bless you today.

Setsu Kuroda

JCFN International Director

*4C represents Calling, Character, Commission and Community.

**"Equipping Multi-Cultural Japanese Christians for ministry" is JCFN mission statement.