God's Work

How are you?  Yesterday, I read in the news about a "murder spree" that occurred in Akihabara, Japan.  The killer wanted to kill "anybody" because he was sick of living.  It was a shock to all of us.  As I read the news, I was astonished, angry toward the suspect, and worried about Japanese society.  I thought about the family who lost their loved ones and also about the parents of the suspect. 

I could not sleep that night thinking about the incident.  Then, I thought about the Bible study I recently did about Noah's Ark.  God regretted creating people and His heart was broken.  I am sure this incident was another one which broke God's heart.  However, God gave an unconditional promise to Noah, with the rainbow as a sign, that He would never again wipe people from the face of the Earth.

Today, we have a new covenant through Jesus Christ.  We are to receive Him, enjoy Him, and live our lives in Him.  God is at work even in the midst of this tragedy.  BECAUSE of this tragedy, people seek "peace," "happiness," and something that they can "rely on."  We sometimes don't know what we are after, but He does.  Jesus is speaking to people through us.  How important it is for us to live like Jesus in the dark days like this!

Small group picnic changes the weather!

On May 24^th we had a picnic.  We worried about the weather, but it didn't rain until just after the picnic!  It was as though God plugged up the clouds until the picnic was over.  We heard that the picnic was great fun. I want to go next time!

JCFN contributes to international ministry

When JCFN first began, many international ministries, mission organizations, churches and individuals helped us to start up.  It is our proud heritage that we were loved, cared for, and supported by so many different people and ministries.

The Association of Christians Ministering among Internationals (http://acmi-net.net/) hosts an annual conference, and we have been contributing by providing seminars on Japanese evangelism and other topics.  We have benefited much from the conference and from networking with them.

This year, a special track called I-CARE (International Consultation About Returnees/Re-entry) was held and international ministries directors and staff from England, Oceania and Asian countries came.  We shared our models of how to prepare the returnees before they return, studied the trends, and had a time of consultation. 

JCFN was presented as one of the models since Japanese people are the main source for following up with their fellow Japanese.  I was able to share about the current situation and potential of ministry with returnees in Japan.  I also presented the benefit of the equipper conference, which is done in Japanese to prepare the returnees.  It is so important to prepare the returnees in their mother tongue and to create a natural network among them before and after their return to their home countries. 

As we have been supported by so many international ministries, it was an awesome experience and privilege to contribute a bit back to them from JCFN's resources and experience.

Central conference: Where is your home?

The Central Conference was held during Memorial Day weekend in Chicago, on May 24-26.  Approximately 80 people attended from the mid-west states.  This conference is 100% planned and executed by lay leaders.  It was amazingly well-prepared and thought-out, and all the programs were incredible.  Messages, workshops, and deep fellowship in small groups were just a few of the highlights of the conference.  Everyone's faith was encouraged and challenged, and we all grew spiritually.  Thank you to those who served to make this conference possible.  One person received Christ during the conference and another went through healing processes with God, so overall, it was an amazing time where God's hands were obvious. 

We thank you for your prayers and support.  During the month of June, in the U.S., we will be busy visiting different conferences to promote ec and the All Nations Returnees Conference.  We will also provide some seminars.  In July, we will host WIT, the leadership camp.

Please continuously pray for this ministry.

Setsu Kuroda  International Director of JCFN