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Mexicali Trip, January 2012
Posted: 1/26/2012

Thank you also for your prayers for the team that went to Mexicali last week. The entire trip was a blessing handed to us by our Heavenly Father, starting with the border crossing. We had a lot of materials to take across for our work projects and so we pulled into the customs lane expecting to pay taxes at the very least or having materials not pass and us being sent back. One of our team members (Irma) spoke to the border agent in calm, grandma type tones and before we know it we were on our way with all the materials and no taxes to pay. Irma is now our official border crossing liaison.

Pastor John Barillaro has had a vision to plant a church in a colonia (Santo Nino) about 45 minutes away from their facility. There is one lady in particular he has been ministering to whose husband is in prison now for the last 9 years. At her run down, pallet constructed home, her and her three daughters only have a slightly partitioned out house in the front of their property. Pastor John told her he was going to build her a proper bathroom. So that's what our team came to do. Her home has a dirt floor, rickety walls and you can see sunlight pecking through the roof. When the guys finished the bathroom, complete with vanity and shower, she said that here and her daughters would probably sleep in the bathroom when it rained. It will be the only dry place in the house. It breaks your heart but what a privilege to be able to show the love of Christ to this family. I know the team was blessed beyond measure to be a part of it.

On Saturday afternoon we held an out reach geared for the kids at the Santo Nino colonia and about 60 to 70 attended along with many of their parents. Some of these mommies are so young. It's almost like children having children. We ran a number of games and did face painting with the kids. The team from CC Mexicali presented music, a puppet show and Pastor John gave a short message. Many of the kids responded to the invitation as Pastor John lead them through a prayer. We then fed them all tortas and punch and continued the games. It was a great afternoon. This colonia is well on the outskirts of Mexicali and is quite poor and run down. Our team got a good taste of life in Santo Nino and as one of our team members stated, "This was very eye opening, I've never seen this kind of poverty. It was a blessing to be a part of all this."

I pray the seeds that were planted both in word and deed and will grow and bear fruit in the weeks and months to come. Pray for Pastor John and the folks at CC Mexicali as they reach out to their neighbors in Colonia Santo Nino.

In His Grip,

Gerard Deleeuw
Missions Director

Mexicali Missions Update January 2012
Posted: 1/16/2012

Update News from Oxford - January 2012
Posted: 1/12/2012

Oxford, England    January 2012
Dear Friends and Family,
We hope you all had a lovely Christmas and this New Year will be filled with God’s richest blessings. I know for me, coming into a new year usually involves looking back, as well as looking forward. How comforting it is to know that God’s love for us is steadfast and never ceasing. He is working in each of our lives for His glory.
The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!"    Lamentations 3:22-24
Here is a brief update:
***J.O.Y. Place***
A little story: One young woman is very tiny and confined to a wheel chair. She is completely dependant upon her carers for every aspect of her life. She eats and drinks through a tube in her stomach. She cannot hold anything, does not speak, and I have never heard her make a sound. When she is wheeled into the room and sees Chuck, her face lights up. He always, kneels down to her eye level, greets her and welcomes her. As he begins to play the guitar and sing, she is totally engaged.....there is a connection. God’s spirit is not limited by any physical or mental limitations and He is meeting her right where she is.
**As always we ask that you please continue to pray for this ministry. ***As well as praying for the learning disabled folks in our meetings; please pray also for the carers or family members who bring them. Most of them are not believers and have had little or no exposure to the gospel.
Check out our website: www.joyplace.org.uk
***MISSONARY CARE*** We are in the process of arranging visits to more pastors and missionaries for February and March. Our focus in these visits is from Philemon 7:
Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
We know that is only by God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are currently studying a very interesting book entitled Tender Care. One paragraph in the book that encouraged us is the following:    The prerequisite to serving those in ministry is not that we have come to understand all the questions and know all the answers. Character is the essential work. The character of which we speak is humility, authenticity, and the unmistakable fragrance of having had a fresh encounter with the living God.
Chuck and I are not trained professionals in counselling, but we have a heart to encourage others in the Wonderful Counsellor.
Please pray for this ministry and for the churches here in the UK and Europe.
***FAMILY***Prayer appreciated***PRAISE***
Please continue to pray for my mother, Joanne. Although she has stage IV cancer in her liver and lungs, she is feeling well! The doctor has given her the all clear to come to England. He encouraged her to come the sooner the better, so we are moving the date up to mid April.    She is so excited about visiting us and being able to see The JOY Place ministry, meet our friends at church, and see this beautiful country.
***Please pray she will be well and strong enough to come visit us here.
***Our Daughter Raina*** Thank you for praying....
Raina is now able to wear both of her shoes and the doctor says her leg is healing very well, but it will take about a year before she will be approaching anything normal and pain free. Please continue to pray for Raina’s complete healing in her ankle and leg. Also pray for her husband’s job situation.
** MORE PRAISE!***
Our son Joseph and his wife Christie are expecting a baby in August! This will be our 7th grandchild and Nonnie and Poppie are thrilled!!
Thank you all for your prayers and your finances that make it possible for us to be here. You give us the JOY of being His hands and speak His words to hurting souls here in Oxford and beyond. Thank you! God bless you!!
In His love and by His grace, Chuck and Anita
***CONTINUED PRAYER REQUESTS***
*Please continue to pray for a facility for CC Oxford and for the church leadership and that God will use Calvary Chapel Oxford to reach our community in word and deed..
*Pray for the "special friends" JOY Place ministry with the learning disabled. *Pray for the Missionary Care ministry. *Pray for other opportunities to reach out to those who have not heard the gospel. *Pray for the Youth ministry Alan and Anna are heading up.
*Pray for our children, their spouses and our grandchildren. Our greatest desire, prayer, and joy for them is that they walk in truth (3 John 4), seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:33)    *Pray the same for us! “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown or rejoicing? It it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?” 1 Thessalonians 2:19
PS: If any of you are on Facebook, invite us! It is a great way to keep in touch.
OUR SUPPORT ADDRESS : Shepherd's Staff Mission Facilitators PO Box 53640 Albuquerque, NM 87153-3640 (*Specify your gift is FOR SAUNDERS)
Shepherd’s Staff website: http://www.shepsstaff.org
Our HOME address is: Chuck and Anita Saunders 25A Lamarsh Road Oxford OX2 0LD England, UK
Our New Phone Number is: (calling from the states dial) 011-44-1865-245696 (calling from the UK dial) 01865-245696

News from Intensive Care Ministries January 2012
Posted: 1/12/2012

Greetings! Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ, Greetings!
I  am  headed  for  Africa  this  Saturday.
I’ll  be   going  to  Cameroon  first  for  a  2-­‐week  conference  where   I’ll  be  teaching the  IBS  seminar.
I  am  bringing  in  a  pastor   from  Pakistan  who  I  will  train  to  teach  the  IBS seminar.
The  door  has  closed  for  Americans  to  get  into  Pakistan   right  now,  so  were going  to  use  the  nationals!
From   Cameroon  I’ll  head  to  Uganda.
I’ll  be  arriving  for  the   conclusion  of  our  fourth  10  day  training  session  (40 days)   with  15  choice  pastors  and  leaders  from  four  countries.
I’ll  be  giving  graduation  certificates  to  these  men  who   have  been  given  some in-­‐depth  training  in  our  Inductive   Bible  study  system.
We  will  also  have  all  of  our  African   staff  coming  for  meetings  after  the graduation.
                                            Please  pray:
1.  For  my  safety  in  travel  and  good  health.  
2.  Pray  for  seminar  participants  in  Cameroon  
3.  For  my  time  with  all  of  our  African  staff  in  Uganda 
4.  For  Pakistan  pastor  to  clearly  understand  how  to  teach   the  IBS  
5.  For  my  wife  Debbie  who  stays  at  home

  Blessings – Dan

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New Horizons L'viv Ukraine - November Update
Posted: 11/22/2011

You're Praying-God's Answering

The photo above is Yulia, Alex, and Katya, from our church. Our church members spend a lot of time together. One thing we enjoy is our Thursday night English Video Cafe. It's a way to use English to get to know people and share our faith. Four people from the English Cafe joined us last week for our Friday night Bible study. We also had one man come on Sunday morning. That is an answer to prayer. There are others we have met who come regularly to our English Video Cafe; among them are Peter (we actually have two coming), Andrew, Olena, Katya, Lina, Lesya, Pavlo, Sasha, Natalia, Andy, Nadia, Victoria, and many more. Please pray for them, and us, that God will give us wisdom and discernment to know how to serve, pray and minister to them all.

Last month we had a church dinner and vision meeting at our house. It was a great time together and an important time, as we talked and prayed about God's vision for us as a church in 2012. I attended a three day pastors' and leaders' meeting in Kiev last week. We had fifty- plus in attendance. Our church plant in Dnipro brought eight people! It was wonderful to see them all again, and hear how well the churc is doing. Our meeting was a time of great encouragement. Several weeks ago I was invited to teach at the Missions Training Program in Ternopil. The students, five of them, graduate in a couple of weeks and then head out to serve. They could use your prayers for confirmation to know where to serve. They have many options available. David Snead, our worship leader, youth leader, and my all around major helper, is leaving for the states next week. He will be in America for six weeks traveling, sharing the vision, raising support, and spending time with family and friends. He could use your prayers too. Also, pray for our first women's Bible study coming up December 3rd. Marylin Gibbs from CC Ternopil will be joining us for the day to teach. Beginning Sunday November 27th we will be joining Horizon Indy, Horizon San Diego and many other churches across America for a week of prayer and fasting. For more information, or to join us, go to prayandfast.org.

Pray for us that God will bring unbelievers into our lives and church, that our hearts will long for more of God and His holiness, and that we will be salt and light here in L'viv. Pray that God will use us to fill this city with His Word.

Thanks for praying, gang!
Mike & Michelle

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Update News from The Roenspies - November 2012
Posted: 11/17/2011

After a summer filled with travel, we were happy to arrive back in Sonora and settle back in. September brought the start of a new school year, both for Gabriel (who started junior high) and for us with the Escuela de Ministerio Calvario. This semester, we offered a 3-part intensive study of the book of Genesis and an 8-week on the History of Christian Missions. We also are trying to add in practical “mini-courses”, and so in October, we offered a course on Understanding Death. This course coincided with the Day of the Dead, and gave us a chance to explain our freedom from fears and customs tied to death. As always, our hope was that the message of the resurrection will change lives.
In October, we hit the road again, this time to Ensenada, where Jeff taught the History of Missions course as a 2-week intensive at the Calvary Chapel Bible College there. This was a great time for us as a family, connecting with friends from Ensenada and, for Jeff, interacting with students from the US, Nigeria, and all parts of Mexico. Most of all, it was an opportunity to encourage the next generation of missionaries! Gabe managed to stay caught up on most of his schoolwork, but also had time to get to know the students at the Bible College and other Missionary kids in the area.
We were recently invited to teach at a Youth Retreat for the youth of our friend’s church, Arbol de Vida. Jeff taught four sessions on Made in His Image. It was exciting to watch 25+ young people, from ages 14-28, take in the concepts of how God designed us, saved us, and re-designs us for relationship with Him. We also oversaw a purity talk for the older youth. The setting, a beautiful retreat center in San Carlos, gave us plenty of time to study, worship, play games, and enjoy the ocean. It’s exciting for us to watch these young people take seriously their relationship with the Lord while enjoying fun times of fellowship!
Another source of joy is our adolescent group at Amor Fraternal. We continue to meet with them and offer practical studies. Their newest passion is our improvised hockey de escobas (broomball!). We clear out the main sanctuary and do battle, using a Mexican sombrero for the puck (it actually hasn’t the smoothest slide and doesn’t get caught in the bristles). These times of fellowship have created a wonderful bond with our adolescents. Of course our goal is to teach them to confide in the Lord and his Word. To that end, we have focused on practical studies this fall, studying the concept of What is Freedom? (Mexican Independence Day, Sept 15) and a special study on the Fall Feasts of Israel.  In all of this, we were able to point them to Jesus, the fulfillment of each celebration, and the source of our freedom.
A bright spot since returning home has been seeing God’s plan unfold for the House of Grace Children’s Home. We shared with many of you this summer about this home, which was founded two years ago by our friends Pedro and Zoila Polanco. The Polan- cos grew up in a children’s home, and have always wanted to create a home for children from at-risk environments, ensuring their education and a Christian upbringing. Last year they were asked to move out of the home that they were using, and began to pray in earnest. Last month, the Lord answered... there was a donation of funds to purchase property and build a new home! The 20 children, in addition to the Polancos and their 3, were overjoyed, as were we! We should begin breaking ground by the beginning of 2012 and hope to have the first buildings in place by spring.   In addition, we started a sponsorship program, allowing donors to connect with the children. We are beginning to see the sponsorship begin, and are looking forward to long-term relationships between the kids and the donors. If you’d like more information on the project, visit the Children’s Home Facebook page at Casadegracia_nipje or www.christianmentors.org.
PRAYER POINTS... please keep the following areas in prayer

• The holidays – for meaningful interactions and opportunities to communicate the Gospel with the Christmas story. And for the loneliness we feel being away from family.
• For our 2-day Literacy workshop December 2-3. This class is designed to teach teachers, using a Bible-based primer to teach adults to read and write while exposing them to the truths of God. Pray that many people would come to be trained with this valuable evangelism tool.
• For our next class, the Life of Abraham (second block of Genesis). Pray for the students and the teacher, as we grow in our walk by faith.
• For a special class and prayer time we will be offering to area pastors on Convictions and Distinctives – Knowing why you believe what you believe. Many of the smaller Calvary Chapels here are unaffiliated, and part of the process is the (daunting) Statement of Faith form. To take some of the sting out of it, we’ve developed a course that helps these pastors define their faith and articulate it from a Biblical perspective.
• For continued, consistent support to do this work. Please pray especially for our vehicle, as we are preparing to turn it out to pasture soon (or put it down...)
• For Mexico– for strong leadership confronting the drug cartels. Although we don’t see the violence here as much, we are aware that much of the country lives in fear.
• For teams – we have the possibility of a team coming at Christmas, another in February, and a 3rd in April. Pray that these short-term missionaries will be a blessing and that there will be lasting impact of transformed lives.
• As always, we are grateful for your support, friendship and prayers. Please stay in touch! The Roenspies—Jeff, Lilia y Gabriel
  

November 2011 Update from Chuck and Anita Saunders
Posted: 11/14/2011

Dear Friends and Family,

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.     Ephesians 3:20-21

This weekend we are attending a ministry conference for teaching learning disabled folks, cleaning, packing, then off to visit family for 13 days.  Nonnie and Poppie can hardly wait to get our hands on those grandchildren!!

***So What’s Happening Here?

***J.O.Y. Place***
Last month we told you about the speaking opportunity Anita was given. I was able to share about The JOY Place to an audience of parents, carers, church leaders and social workers.   Several folks came up to me during the lunch break and expressed an interest in starting a JOY Place type of ministry in their church.  

We had a small group from a town about 20 miles from here, visit our JOY Place service last Sunday.  They joined in the singing, praying and socialising.  From the feedback we received, they seemed very keen to begin a JOY Place service at their church.  We told them we would be happy to come and help in any way we could.  ***Please pray for these possible new outreaches.

As always we ask that you please continue to pray for this ministry. ***As well as praying for the learning disabled folks in our meetings, please pray also for the carers or family members who bring them.  Most of them are not believers and have had little or no exposure to the gospel.  
Check out our website:   www.joyplace.org.uk

***MISSONARY CARE***
Two weeks ago we visited a couple in Kings Lynn, England.  What an incredible ministry they have there to the poor, the oppressed, the widow and orphans.  We were humbled as we witnessed this couple giving themselves away in the love of Christ.  Please pray for them.

Please pray for this ministry and for the churches here in the UK and Europe.

***Calvary Chapel Oxford***
Chuck and I are a part of the worship rotation and lead worship 1 or 2 times a month.   
Chuck continues to edit Pastor Phil’s teaching and produce radio programs for Calvary Chapel Radio here in the UK.
Pastor Phil is currently teaching through 1 Corinthians.  
We continue to pray for a building.  We know the Lord is able and trusting in His perfect time.   

***FAMILY***Prayer appreciated*** and***PRAISE!
Last month we were awaiting the results from my mother’s biopsy.  We are so very, very thankful that although the cancer has spread to her lungs and liver, it is NOT the extremely aggressive form of cancer, but a slower moving kind that may respond to a mild form of chemotherapy.  Mom has begun a regimen taking several tablets a day, and as of now, says she is feeling OK.  

We are planning on Mom joining us as we take the 11 hour drive to Northern California to visit our eldest daughter next week.
 ***Please pray my mom, Joanne, will be feeling strong and well, in order to make this trip and spend these precious few days with us, her granddaughter and 2 of her great-grandchildren.  

***Our Daughter Raina*** Thank you for praying....

I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.   Habakkuk 3:18

Last month we told you how Raina broke her leg and had surgery. Having Mommy laid up has been an incredible upheaval for her family, and Daddy was doing all he could.  However, he recently injured one of his shoulders.   Raina and I were laughing on the phone the other day. She was joking that right now they could take a really pathetic looking Christmas photo, with him in a sling, and her in a cast and wheelchair.  I am so glad that they are laughing and loving through this trial, and we are all counting our blessings because we know there are so many others who are in desperate circumstances, suffering and grieving.   

We are just so very thankful that we can visit Raina and family for 4 days. I am sure they all need some pampering and I am really looking forward to doing just that!!
Upon our return to Southern California, Chuck and I will travel to Escondido for a day of specific training in Missionary Care from our mission and the rest of the visit will be spent with the rest of the children and grandchildren.

What a very special Thanksgiving this will be for us!!

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
Psalm 30:11&12

In His love and by His grace,
 
Chuck and Anita

 ***CONTINUED PRAYER REQUESTS***

*Please continue to pray for a facility for CC Oxford and for the church leadership and that God will use Calvary Chapel Oxford to reach our community in word and deed..

*Pray for the "special friends" JOY Place ministry with the learning disabled.

*Pray for the Missionary Care ministry.

*Pray for other opportunities to reach out to those who have not heard the gospel.
 
*Pray for the Youth ministry Alan and Anna are heading up.

*Pray for our children, their spouses and our grandchildren.
Our greatest desire, prayer, and joy for them is that they walk in truth (3 John 4), seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:33)    *Pray the same for us!
“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown or rejoicing? It it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?”
1 Thessalonians 2:19

PS:  If any of you are on Facebook, invite us!  It is a great way to keep in touch.


OUR SUPPORT ADDRESS :
Shepherd's Staff Mission Facilitators
PO Box 53640
Albuquerque, NM 87153-3640  (*Specify your gift is  FOR SAUNDERS)

Shepherd’s Staff website:  http://www.shepsstaff.org

Our HOME address is:
Chuck and Anita Saunders
25A Lamarsh Road
Oxford
OX2 0LD
England, UK

Our New Phone Number is: (calling from the states dial) 011-44-1865-245696
(calling from the UK dial)  01865-245696

November 2011 Update from Dan and Debbie Finfrock
Posted: 11/10/2011

 Greetings!  I just returned from traveling around the world in 17 days!  My trip to Hungary teaching the IBS at the Bible school went great.  I had students from 14 nations.  We had a terrific time going through the IBS in one week.  I visited the CC in Budapest on Sunday and found it to be a very large alive church. They are asking for an IBS seminar next year if I go back to the Bible school.  From Hungary I went to Japan where I did another IBS with about 4 different churches. It was a fruitful time with this group.  They caught the concept and were very excited.  I also had a chance to go to the Tsunami hit coast in Sendi.  The damage was unbelievable.  I did a small group Bible study with 10 people who all lost their homes.  They were all unbelievers but very open to the Gospel.  It was a challenging study to not use any Christian phrases we typically use in Bible study.  These people did not even understand the need for repentance until I explained what sin was and why they needed Jesus.  One man who was in the mafia shared that he felt he was very close to becoming a Believer but just needed a bit more time to understand.  I asked him at the end of the study if I could pray for him and he was open.  Please pray for this man to give his life to Jesus.  The whole group I believe is very close to making a decision for Christ.  They meet every week and are eager to learn.
 
Thanks for praying for me.  God has again answered your prayers.  He is so good!  Blessings – Dan   


If you would like to see some pictures of my last trip to Japan, check out this blog from my host Maxx,  from Japan.  - Dan
http://ephphathajapan.blogspot.com/

Mexicalie Missions Update
Posted: 11/10/2011

The Barillaros
MEXICALI MISSIONS
November Update
 
 
  Other than all that has been going on with Dawn, there is not much else to update.  We have just about finished putting up the block wall that the city required for the church parking lot and continue to pray for what's next.  Dawn was having some complications from the spinal block she had during her operation but she is doing much better now.  She is up on her feet again but needs to take it easy.  The date for her next operation will depend on how well her knee heals.
 
  We appreciate your prayers for Dawn, we have seen God move so incredibly to care for her and believe that He will continue to do so.  We can't say that this whole thing with her knee has been so great but God sure has been.  Please pray also for a Christmas outreach to prisoners children that we will be having downtown.
 
  God bless you.
 

Update from Mexico on Dawn Barillaro
Posted: 10/27/2011

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
 
  We just wanted to send a quick update on Dawn.  She was operated on Saturday and will be scheduled for a more complicated operation in one month to replace her ligament with one from a cadaver.
 
  We continue to be amazed by the Lord's gracious hand of provision.  As if  having these two operations weren't enough, the orthopedic surgeon, having seen the condition of Dawn's feet in the operating room, said he would later operate on them as well.  We have been praying and saving for such an operation for years--apparently it was a matter of going through the knee to get to the feet!      
 
  God is good.  Thank you for your prayers, please don't stop!
 
  God bless you,
  John, Laurie, Dawn and Brandi Barillaro

October 2011 Update from Jeff, Lilia, & Gabriel Roenspie
Posted: 10/20/2011

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October 2011 Update from Michael and Michell Pratt- L'viv Ukraine
Posted: 10/18/2011

Answers to Prayer
Thank you all so much for your prayers. The photo above is of our English Video Cafe. For the last few weeks we have had "no room left at the inn!" Forty plus people have been showing up. It has been a good time and we have had opportunities to share our faith and hope in Christ and invite folks to church.

Over the last month we have seen three people join our church. One young couple asked me just last week if they could become
members. Another young woman joined us a few weeks ago. It may only be three, but that is 10% growth for us!

A couple of our men are from Cameroon. Last week they held presidential elections. There was a threat of violence and our guys asked us to be praying. The elections were smooth, fair, and free of violence.

Several of our members have been looking for work and now have found jobs. The economy here is not in the best shape and good jobs are not easy to find.

Different people in our church are stepping up to serve in different ways. Last weekend we sent two teams onto the streets to feed the homeless, several are helping in our worship ministry, and there is a growing interest in personal discipleship.

October 2011 Update from Travis and Dawn Takamiya-Tokoozawa, Japan
Posted: 10/18/2011

Tokorozawa    October 2011
Aloha and Howzit from Tokorozawa.
Well summer has finally wound down. It's still pretty hot though so hopefully in the next week or two we'll get to that cool autumn weather. Thanks to the Lord and all of your prayers we had a great summer here. Of course you know we've been traveling up to Higashi Matsushima, one of the tsunami hit areas, helping out with the community there in Ushiami. Well after we held the Hawaii Festival the first week of August, we hadn't been back. We had many things planned back home in our own town for the rest of August. Here in Tokorozawa we had a couple of VBS' with the church kids and the English School kids. Also we were able to participate again in the festival here in our building complex, and enjoyed summer with the kids off from school.
I was able to go to Iwakuni and teach for a Worship conference. Also along with Calvary Chapel West Tokyo and Calvary Chapel Ginowan from Okinawa we were able to host another Women's Conference for the ladies of the Calvary Chapels here in Japan. And finally Zach Ruiz and Tokito Karimata from the Okinawa Bible College moved up to Fuchu to start doing classes in the area. Once a week they use our church to teach a class. A busy month for sure.
From the beginning of September the kids were back in school and we started to get back into the routine of things. Erika celebrated here 10th birthday and she got a new bike. She wanted to have an adult size bike and has been asking for a while so we got her one... a lime green one that she picked out herself. Hopefully this thing will last for a while. Size-wise I don't think it's possible for her to outgrow it... for a few years anyway.
On the church front we've been continuously plowing, loving on the folks and being loved in return. We do have a couple of military families and the bittersweet part of that is that after a couple years they are reassigned. So August marked the end of our time with the Uscanga family. They really were a blessing to the church family and us. We'll miss them but I'm sure we'll see them again soon. And anyway in this day and age of facebook and email, we'll definitely keep in touch. In a few weeks, the other family, the Morrison's will see James (dad) deployed to Kyrgzystan for 6 months so we'd appreciate if you could remember to pray for them with us. For Suzzette and the kids holding down the fort on this end as well. Also, interestingly there has been a bit of an inconvenience even here with the earthquake and tsunami. Especially work schedules. Kenta for 3 months had to work on Sundays, part of a schedule realigning to save energy. Well, at the end of this month it ends and we will be able to fellowship on Sundays again. Looking forward to that.
As far as our trips up north, last week I was able to get up there with Santo from CC West Tokyo. It was our first time back since the beginning of August and all the evacuation centers there were closed up and people were all moved to temporary tract housing. So we really didn't know what to expect so we decided to go and meet with some of the folks we have built relationships with to hear what's been going on. We met with the Fukuhara family, Takashi, Misae and their 4 kids. We had lunch and he shared with us how things were going. Things are pretty much getting back to normal but there is still a lot of uncertainty because it seems that people are waiting on the government to see what they are going to do next. That's the short version anyway. We met with Chiba san and his family and he actually invited us to sleep at his place with his parents. We actually thought this time since it was just two of us we would not ask anyone for a place to stay and stay in the car, but we praised the Lord for the offer and enjoyed the time together. We also visited the Imaizumi's and some other families we knew in a tract home. Here's a funny story. When we went up for the Matsuri, we did a lot of shopping at Costco and bought some colored plastic cups. Turns out they really like those cups. They say they are very reusable and stronger than Japanese plastic cups, and they don't use glass cups. I thought that was hilarious. Needless to say, I went back to
Costco and will be delivering the cups (of all things) up there next week. Speaking of next week, there is a national holiday on Monday and Friday, so Thursday to Saturday day, Dawn, the kids and I will be heading to Higashi Matsushima to spend a few days with the Fukuhara's. We're praying for a fruitful time with them.
The one thing I did notice this last time up as far as future ministry opportunities was this: For 6 months since the tsunami, people were essentially put in a situation where they lived in the same big room with other people. And in that time, sure there were conflicts here and there, but over all it seems that they got used to the lifestyle. Now they were moved to different tract homes. It's almost like starting all over again, meeting new neighbors, getting used to a new lifestyle. So one of the things we are praying about continuing to do is having BBQ's in the neighborhoods to help with the community. Honestly, up until now we have been blessed with opportunities to do many of them, but there really isn't too much of a connect with the people just cooking and passing out food. We do meet folks and gain familiarity but don't really get the good opportunity to sit and really listen about how they are doing. So though we will be planning some of these events, in the mean time I feel strongly led to narrow our point of contact and spend time with folks we know... hence hanging out with the Fukuhara's. We know that the Lord is working in so many ways all throughout Japan, in different areas with different groups, different organizations. And we continue to pray for folks to hear about and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. But for the Takamiya's here in Tokorozawa... just one tiny pinky finger in the Body of Christ... we will be continuing to build strong relationships and share the love of Christ. So we really appreciate the prayers for the 3 different Chiba families, the Fukuhara's, the Imaizumi's.
Pray that the Lord softens their hearts. That the Lord continues to meet needs. From the outside we see that they have their needs but there is always the reminder that all they have has been donations and relief supplies. And that stuff is great but their greatest need is Christ.
Pray for the body here in Tokorozawa. We will be having family camp the second week of October. Then in November 7-9 we will be hosting our annual Calvary Chapel Pastors'/Ministry leaders retreat. We'll be blessed to have Pastor Bill Stonebraker, Pastor Tim Newman and Bob Haag joining us this year.
One last prayer request. Dan Bolinger, a missionary from Costa Mesa who has been here for a few years has a heart disorder. As I am typing this he is in the hospital on meds. Prayerfully in a few weeks he will be able to get a heart biopsy to see what the next step will be. Ultimately it could be a heart transplant. So please pray for him and his family, Mihoko and the kids. We know that God can heal. We know that all things work together for good.
God bless you guys. We appreciate all the prayers and support. Just want to remind you that we all share it spectacular rewards. Can't wait!
Til the last one's saved, Aloha and God bless you, Travis, Dawn, Erika and Evan Takamiya Calvary Chapel Tokorozawa
www.calvarytokorozawa.com

October 2011 Update from Chuck and Anita Saunders - Oxford England
Posted: 10/18/2011

Oxford, England    October 2011
Dear Friends and Family,
There are 3 areas of conversation one can always have with an Englishman....the weather, his garden and the next holiday he will be taking.
So here is our current take on the 3:
1. Summer is fading and the beautiful autumnal colours are bursting forth here in England. It is a visual wonderland of gold, orange and red. I think it must be my favourite season here. Cool air, but days with more sunshine than usual. It is simply lovely!
2. Sorry, no garden here. My home is like a hospice for any plant life that comes near. When they come to me, they are lovingly taken care of, but they die.
3. Oh, Chuck and I had a lovely holiday in Newquay, Cornwall. We celebrated my 60th birthday last month and the weather was just beautiful!!! Oops!! There I go again, talking about the weather!
Can you tell how “British” we are becoming?
***So What’s Happening Here?
***J.O.Y. Place***
Let me tell you about a young man who attends the JOY Place every month. M is in his early 20’s. He is able to take the bus on his own. M takes a 20 mile bus ride each way to the JOY Place and this special worship service has become an important part of his spiritual life. Because he can read, we asked if he would be willing to read the scripture verses during the service and he does a wonderful job.
Every Sunday morning M attends his local parish church in his town and his church has embraced him as an important part of the church family. They have even had him help in serving communion at a Sunday service. He was so thrilled and blessed to be able to serve the Lord in that way.
This past month during our prayer request and praise time M wanted to thank God for his new apartment. With the full support of his parents and help from the county council, M now has a little flat of his own and is living semi-independently, although he will always need a bit of support from carers or family. He was so thrilled. During our tea time after the service, M invited us over to see his new flat.    Next week, Chuck and I will be going to
visit M at his flat and will take him out to lunch. He has promised to give us a tour of the town he lives in and will also show us his parish church. What a joy it is to see the Lord working in this young man’s life and to see the joy of the Lord shining on his face!
***Speaking Opportunity
On Tuesday, October 18, the the Oxford Diocese, along with Prospects Ministry to Learning Disabled Adults I will be presenting a day for families, churches and others who have an interest in people with learning disabilities in the Oxfordshire area. They have asked me to be one of the speakers and to talk about the JOY Place. Would appreciate your prayers.
Please continue to pray for this ministry. ***As well as praying for the learning disabled
folks in our meetings, please pray also for the carers or family members who bring them. Most of them are not believers and have had little or no exposure to the gospel.
Check out our website:    www.joyplace.org.uk
***MISSONARY CARE*** Last weekend we made the 4 hour journey to the Lake District up in Northern England. There we visited a young pastor, his wife and 3 young children. The little church they are ministering in is located in a tiny village and there about 20 to 30 believers who are being lovingly cared for by this pastor and his wife. We were given a warm welcome by the folks there and very blessed to be able to meet them. Please keep these young pastoral couples/families in your prayers.
Our prayer in visiting these couples and their churches is that the Lord will use us to refresh their hearts, through encouraging them through His precious promises, listening, fellowship and prayer. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. Philemon 1:7
***At the end of this month we will be visiting another church about 2 hours from here and will be leading worship. Please pray for this ministry and for the churches here in the UK and Europe.
***Calvary Chapel Oxford***
We thank God for the continued growth of the church here in Oxford. Although we still have not found a place to call our own, the school is allowing us to stay temporarily and we know there is a place. We are waiting on the Lord. Chuck and I will be leading worship there on the 23rd of October.
***FAMILY***Prayer appreciated
My mom has settled in very well with my brother and his family, and we all know that is an answer to prayer. This past week Mom had a biopsy on her liver to determine which specific kind of cancer she has. One kind is rapid and aggressive and there is no treatment. The other kind could be treatable and is not as aggressive. We find out next week. Prayers appreciated. Peace, grace, healing, and God’s strength for everyone. Next week my nephew is getting married and so my mother’s 2 sisters are coming in to town. One sister, she has not seen in several years. God’s timing is so perfect. I am so thankful Mom will have her sisters with her when she get the report from the doctor. Whether there will be tears of joy or tears of sorrow, they will be tears shared and and tears mingled in faith in the One in whom they have placed their trust.
***Our Daughter Raina*** Please pray
Two weeks ago our eldest daughter Raina, whilst playing roller hockey on a team with her husband, broke her leg, severely. She has had surgery, with pins and plates inserted and is now facing a very long and tedious recovery. With two young children and a very large and active puppy, life in their house has been turned upside down. We are so thankful our daughter Annie and her 2 children could stay with Raina and family for 4 days after her surgery to cook and clean. Raina’s mother in law is wonderful and is helping so much.
Please pray that Raina can find people to help walk the dog during the day and also someone trustworthy she can hire to clean house for her. Praying also for God’s all sufficient grace for the entire family. It is very difficult on children and husband when Mommy, all of the sudden, stops doing all that she did.    How thankful I am that Raina knows God is in control and she is loved deeply by Him.
But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children's children. Psalm 103:17
Between my mother and my daughter, I confess to you that my emotions, at times, run from grief to guilt at being so far away. We have booked tickets to go to California in mid November for 12 days in order to spend some precious time with my mom and also 4 days up in Northern California with Raina and family. We are hoping that my mom’s health stays as good as it is now as she is planning on driving up north with us. We want to spend as many days with her as possible. We will be able to spend Thanksgiving week with all our children and grandchildren.
***During our time in California we will also receive one day of specific training in Missionary Care from our mission.
***On October 22 some friends of ours from Moreno Valley will be having a garage sale on our behalf!    If you are in that area, please stop by and have some good fellowship with the folks there! Email me and I will give you the address. You may even find some treasure to take home. **I know what hard work it is to put one of these together. May God bless them!!
How thankful we are for the friends the Lord has blessed us with. The miles separate us, but in the love of Christ, our hearts are knit closely.
As we walk through this life, may His grace lead us and His goodness and mercy follow us......all the days of our lives. And may our lives be a call to others to join us in following Jesus.
In His love and by His grace, Chuck and Anita
***CONTINUED PRAYER REQUESTS*** *Please continue to pray for a facility for CC Oxford and for the church leadership and that
God will use Calvary Chapel Oxford to reach our community in word and deed.. *Pray for the "special friends" JOY Place ministry with the learning disabled. *Pray for the Missionary Care ministry. *Pray for other opportunities to reach out to those who have not heard the gospel. *Pray for the Youth ministry Alan and Anna are heading up.
*Pray for our children, their spouses and our grandchildren. Our greatest desire, prayer, and joy for them is that they walk in truth (3 John 4), seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:33)    *Pray the same for us! “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown or rejoicing? It it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?” 1 Thessalonians 2:19
PS: If any of you are on Facebook, invite us! It is a great way to keep in touch.
OUR SUPPORT ADDRESS : Shepherd's Staff Mission Facilitators PO Box 53640 Albuquerque, NM 87153-3640 (*Specify your gift is FOR SAUNDERS)
Shepherd’s Staff website: http://www.shepsstaff.org
Our HOME address is: Chuck and Anita Saunders 25A Lamarsh Road Oxford OX2 0LD England, UK
Our New Phone Number is: (calling from the states dial) 011-44-1865-245696 (calling from the UK dial) 01865-245696

October 2011 Update from Dan and Debbie Finfrock
Posted: 10/18/2011

 Intensive Care Ministries    October 2011
Greetings! Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,
Greetings in the name of Jesus! I just returned from a fruitful trip to Haiti.  I worked with over 200 pastors and leaders and though the participants were a bit slow at times to pick up the concept, by the end, they got it! I spoke at a mid week service for the Free Methodist church that I did my first seminar with and had a terrific time in the speaking to over 600!  They are hungry for the Word. I also spoke at their Sunday service that lasted over 3 hours and the 1300 in attendance were in no hurry to leave at  the end! God is at work in Haiti. Thanks for praying for my time.  God answers prayer!   
 
Blessings – Dan
 

October 2011 Update from the Barillaro Family
Posted: 10/18/2011

BARILLARO FAMILY
Mexicali, Mexico October Update
Our outreach to the women prisoners in Mexicali prison went really well, there were more women than we had anticipated and many signed up for the Bible study we offer on Tuesdays. We also held a teachers seminar in Tijuana, which also went really well; we have already heard some encouraging testimonies of how God used the seminar to encourage and equip the teachers from the different churches that attended. And finally, we just held a couple’s conference, which was a true blessing; we sure
would like to minister to marriages like that more often.
We are looking at doing another outreach in the prison, but this time, for the personnel and it would seem that God is opening the door to do it. As far as Kid's Church goes, we have decided to reorganize our Wednesday night children's ministry, putting the kids together and making it our starting ground for Kid's Church.
As always, we thank you for your partnership in this ministry through your prayers and support. Please keep Dawn in prayer as we seek the Lord for the healing of her knee.
God bless you,
John, Laurie, Dawn and Brandi

Praise from Mexicali-request for prayer for Dawn
Posted: 10/14/2011

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
 We want to give you an update on Dawn, it is really a praise report of God's gracious hand of provision.  The Lord has moved in His ever-faithful way on our behalf.  Sunday in Mexicali's general hospital, at no cost whatsoever, Dawn will have her first operation on her meniscus and to remove some bone chips. The orthopedic surgeon who has been attending her set up everything for her to be operated on by his surgeon friend who works in the hospital and he is also seeking a permit to be at his friend's side during the operation. They will see at that time if they will be able to later perform a second operation to reconnect her ligament.
 
  So that God may receive the glory for what He has done, we would like to share with you how He provided what was for us an impossibility.  First of all, the specialist doctor we went to said that God told him not to charge us each time we went in for an appointment.  Last week when John took Dawn in, the doctor said that she needed to be operated on soon and what the cost would be.  John asked if she could be operated on in the general hospital as we didn't have the money for the operation.  The doctor said that the hospital didn't have the necessary equipment for this type of surgery.  So John asked if they could pray; the doctor agreed and they prayed there in his office for the hospital to obtain the necessary equipment or for us to have the necessary finances or for a divine healing.  Two days later the doctor called us; the hospital had obtained the equipment and would have it up and running within two weeks.  The doctor himself couldn't believe it, he was so amazed and excited by the whole thing that he took it upon himself to set up Dawn's operation in the hospital, a process that normally would take no less than 4 months there.  Once again, God reminds us how blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose hope the Lord is.
 
 We know that you rejoice with us as we give thanks to our loving Father for His goodness and provision.  Please continue to keep Dawn in your prayers as her regaining the ability to run and play sports again is in God's Hands alone, its a good place to be!  May the Lord do what will bring Him glory.
 
Thank you for your prayers, may God bless you.
 
John, Laurie, Dawn and Brandi Barillaro

Update from the Barillaro Family - October 2011
Posted: 10/4/2011

News from El Hongo
Posted: 10/4/2011

Dear Prayer Warriors,

Thank you for your prayers for our trip to El Hongo this last weekend.  It was truly a blessed time in the Lord's service.  We had a perfectly matched team and between the work projects and inviting the community to Saturday's Outreach, everyone stayed real busy.  We were able to install another piece of equipment in the playground, a spiral slide which the kid's were having a great time on as soon as it was done.  Another  great opportunity was the reinforcement of the roof on Pastor Juan Carlos' home.  The snows last winter took their toll and it probably wouldn't have lasted another season.  

The Outreach on Saturday was a blessing as our team had the opportunity to put together a skit and minister to the kids.  There were about 40 kids in attendance and our team taught them the story of Joseph, that no matter the circumstances, God is with you.  Pastor Juan Carlos said he had a blessed time sharing individually with some of the folks after the Bible study.  The Lord continues to add to their numbers.  On Friday nights he's holding a Youth meeting and around 14 kids are attending.  All in all we had a blessed time working and sharing with our brothers and sisters at Calvary Chapel El Hongo.  Your prayers were appreciated and felt.

Prayer request from the Barillaros
Posted: 9/27/2011

Prayer points for the Roenspie family
Ministering in Hermosillo, Sonora Mexico
Posted: 9/27/2011

¡Viva México! Today is Mexican Independence Day! Last night at midnight the President (or the Governor of each states) emerged from the balcony of the Government building and shouted the famous Viva Mexico!, the rallying cry of the Revolution. But for so many Mexicans, there is no life. Pray for our country, that there would be a desire for the one who is the way, the truth and the life. And for freedom from fear. In many states they didn’t hold public rallies for fear of drug cartels and violence (Michoacan, for example). Pray for a just and honest government system as well.

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News From L'viv, Ukraine - Mike & Michelle Pratt
Posted: 9/27/2011

Thank you all for your prayers! Our summer visit to America was wonderful. Michelle and the kids had a bit more time in Indy, as they helped with wedding preparation and the boys were able to work as camp counselors at Camp Indy, our home church's summer day camp. I returned to the states shortly before the wedding, along with our son, Aaron, and his family from Finland. We had several weeks together once again. God's faithfulness is always such a joy to behold as He provided for us all to celebrate Josh and Nicole's wedding.

Update from the Takamiya Family in Tokorozawa September 2011
Posted: 9/26/2011

Aloha and Howzit from Tokorozawa,

www.calvarytokorozawa.com

Posted from the Barillaros Family
Posted: 9/26/2011

Mexicali Prayer Request
Posted: 9/14/2011

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

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Vacation Bible School Update (Session 2)
Posted: 8/16/2011

We had a great time at Vacation Bible School this year. We had 52 people come to the Lord, including two adults. Thanks for all of your prayers and for all of the hard work that was done for the two weeks. God Bless!

If you would like to download a copy of the group picture, right click on the "Download Picture" link below and choose "Save As" from your pop-up menu.

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Vacation Bible School Update (Session 1)
Posted: 8/5/2011

We're having a great first week here at Vacation Bible School. At least 17 children have confessed Jesus as their Savior! And all of the kids are having a fun time doing crafts, eating snacks, playing games, and hearing Bible teachings. Continue to pray for us and all of the kids and their families. Thanks! God Bless!

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Update From The Pratt Family - July 2011
Posted: 7/19/2011

Mike & Michelle Pratt
July 2011

Prayer Requests
*That God will guide and provide as we make disciples and seek to plant churches.
*We need a Ukrainian language translator for the church.
*To raise the finances to pay for our travel costs to America.
*We need to raise additional financial support to cover church and ministry expenses for the remainder of 2011 and 2012. Currently we are running short of our budget.
*We have a great group of people coming for our English Video Cafe.
*Pray for them as we share the gospel.
*Pray for Alex, that God will open his heart and give him hope through the gospel.
*Pray for Yen, that she will come again and we can love her into the kingdom.
*For Peter that he will work through the hurt he experienced and recommit his life to Christ.
*That we will have more opportunities to share the gospel with Dr. Alex.

Summer Kids Festival
In June we hosted a team from America, a team from Calvary Chapel Kiev and worked with a local church named "God's Love." Together we held a two day children's festival in a region of our city home to 250,000 people. God's Love church is a new church, and our desire was to support them, and bless them by working to share the gospel. More than 160 kids and their parents took part in games, songs, face painting, a gospel lesson and a puppet show. Please pray that God will bless and add to this great church, God's Love in L'viv.

Wedding Plans
The date is approaching fast. Josh and Nicole will be married on August 13th. I will be leaving Ukraine this Friday to join Michelle and the kids in Indianapolis. Aaron, Sara, Emmy and Bella will fly in from Finland August 10th. We are very excited and can't wait to have time together and enjoy the kids wedding!

Making Disciples and Planting Churches
While in America I will be investing my time sharing our vision for discipleship and church planting in Ukraine. I want to meet with new churches, organizations and individuals to tell more people about ways you can make a difference.
Did you know:
*Only 2.7 percent of the 48,723,953 Ukrainian population calls itself an evangelical Christian.
*To have 1 church for every 1,000 people in Ukraine, 29,000 more churches are needed. *At the current rate of growth, it will take 166 years to plant 29,000 more churches.
*If every evangelical church in Ukraine plants one new church a year, 166 years drops to 1.3 years?
*If only 5 churches in the entire nation decide to plant 1 new church each year (with newly planted churches following the same model), 166 years drops to 12.5 years?

Our mission
Is to make disciples and plant churches. We need your help, how? The more people we can share our mission with, the more people will:
*Pray for us. Prayer is the key to seeing the gospel transform the lives of people in Ukraine. That is what we need most!
*Help expand our mission. The more people we meet the more ways we discover to share the gospel, making Christ known to the world.
*Provide financial help. If you would like to help email me to learn how.
*Come and serve. Yes it is summer 2011, but we are already praying about spring, summer and fall of 2012 for outreach and evangelism. Bring a team or join one coming.

While in America
I am looking for churches, organizations and individuals I can meet with to share our mission and passion for Ukraine. I will only only be in the United States for five weeks so I have little time but would love to met you and see how God may use us together. For more info on sending a team, to be part of our prayer team or financial team, or to set up an opportunity to speak, email me at mike@horizonlviv.org

Update From The Saunders in Oxford, England - July 2011
Posted: 7/19/2011

Oxford, EnglandJuly 2011

Dear Friends and Family,

We want to thank all of you for praying for my dad and our family. Our prayers were answered.

On June 7th at 3:30 AM I was awakened with a phone call from my mother, who was crying and extremely upset. The reality of the severity of my dad’s illness had finally hit her and she was weeping from the grief that had overwhelmed her. Up to this point, she had been in complete denial and truly expected my dad was going to get better. Mom had just returned home from a meeting with the doctors who explained to them that Dad needed to go into hospice care and he was not going to get better (this side of heaven). Dad and Mom agreed to move in with my brother and his family, who would be the primary caretakers for them. Weeping on the phone, Mom told me that Dad wanted me to come and be with him.

Last month we asked you to pray for God’s timing in getting me there to be with my dad. As I look back over the past month, I am in awe of God’s hand of mercy upon us all. Every

prayer was answered!

Virgin Airlines was wonderful, and just a few hours later I was on a flight and arrived in California at 6:30 Tuesday evening, less than 24 hours after her phone call.For the next 2 days all his children and many of his grandchildren were with Dad/Grandpa. We sang, we laughed, we prayed and we cried. Late Thursday evening dad went into a deep sleep. I was alone in the bedroom with him and began singing a song he often sang to me when I was a little girl; “You are My Sunshine, my only sunshine.....” Suddenly, with his eyes still closed, he sang with me. Then he even started off the 2nd verse and we finished the song together. All of us were with him throughout the evening, having our special times with Dad. A few hours later his breathing turned to a rattling and at 5:40 AM Friday morning, with my mom at his side, singing to him, Dad gently passed away.....from her hand to HIS arms.

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?John 11:25- 26

Since all of the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren would be in town that weekend, we decided to have the memorial service that Sunday. So for the next 36 hours we were busy with venue, flowers, food, and all the planning that goes into one of these.

God blessed the service. All the great-grandchildren, ages 22 months to 8 years old, sang Jesus Loves Me. My nephews, son, and daughter-in-law sang. Both of my brothers and myself shared. Each of the 10 grandchildren, ages 8 to 34, shared briefly, a special memory of Grandpa. What was so amazing was that the theme of what each and everyone of them shared, was that Grandpa made each one of them feel so valued and loved that they felt like they were his favourite.

For any of you who have heard my testimony, you know that, as a young husband and father, my dad abandoned us and broke my mother’s heart. He was a torn man....trying to find his way in the world that places value on power and success, but in doing so, losing his family. Through it all, Dad always stressed to us children how much he loved us. We never doubted that at all.Eventually my parents reconciled, but continued to have a turbulent marriage for many years. In the early 1970’s my mother came to know Jesus and began to pray for her entire family. Dad was the last hold out, but in 1987, he too became an answer to prayer and a child of God. The last few years of their marriage were the sweetest years for them. Mom and Dad loved and cared for one another; and as their bodies were becoming tired and weak, their love for one another grew deeper and stronger.

Over the years we have looked back on how the Lord redeemed the brokenness, separation and heartache in our family, and we rejoice over how God has blessed our family with such sweet, close ties. Broken lives placed in the Redeemer’s hands are made new!

*** STILL SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR!***

So thankful that I made it back in time to spend those precious days with my dad and then be there for my mom. So thankful for all of my friends that have showered me with expressions of love and faith and continue to pray for my mom.

So thankful for Jesus. How do people walk through these valleys of grief and death and without Jesus?

***AND THANK YOU!!*** We are overwhelmed by God’s love through our friends. Through some generous gifts from churches and individuals, I return from this trip with the bills paid. What a difference that makes, to not have a mountain of debt to deal with when coming back. Thank you all for helping in this. I am usually pretty good with words, but I just can’t express how much it means to us and how you all have encouraged us in this.

Thank you!

While I was away, Chuck was quite busy. In addition to continuing the sound and radio ministry at CC Oxford..... *Last month Chuck led worship at CC Oxford and at the Messengers Missions Conference at the Wycliffe Missions’ Centre in High Wycombe.

*He also hosted 2 sets of visitors whilst I was gone. You have all heard of the honey-do list? Well, he lived up to and exceeded all my expectations! Our friends who visited tell me that he showed them a great time. Thank you for praying for him.

***JULY HAPPENINGS***

***The UK’s newest Citizens***

On July 7th, we were sworn in as British citizens. After living here for 9 years, we felt it was time to finish off the immigration process. It is good to have it all over with and will make travelling in Europe easier. Looking to the future in our ministry we may be visiting with missionaries in other EU countries and this will simplify things. So now we have dual citizenship in the US and UK.

***For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.....Philippians 3:20

***J.O.Y. Place***

We had a great time last week at our July JOY Place! A new teenager and his mom joined us. He is blind and autistic but loves to sing and is very sociable. Another NEW lady is

profoundly disabled and wheel chair bound.As far as I am aware, she doesn’t speak, but she breaks out in the biggest smile as we begin singing. We are so thankful for the opportunity to be Jesus’ hands of love and voice of praise to these people. Please keep this ministry in prayer.

Check out the website:www.joyplace.org.uk I guess the highlight of this month would be that we celebrated our 39th wedding

anniversary. I posted the following on my Facebook page and will share it here with you:

I could have never dreamed so many years ago how the Lord would have blessed my life so much. Chuck and I have travelled some rough roads, but through it all, love has covered a multitude of sins and today we rejoice in His goodness in our lives. We have 3 children, all happily married and they have blessed us with 6 grandchildren. We are a couple of rich people....certainly not by the world’s standards, but rich in so many other ways. Very thankful today!

Now that things seem to be settling, we continue to transition into our newer ministry outreaches. Please keep us in prayer.

Again, we thank you all for your friendship, love and prayers, and support.

Chuck and Anita

***CONTINUED PRAYER REQUESTS***

*Please continue to pray for a facility for CC Oxford and for the church leadership. *Pray for the "special friends" JOY Place ministry with the learning disabled. *Pray for other opportunities to reach out to those who have not heard the gospel. *Pray that God will use Calvary Chapel Oxford to reach our community in word and deed. *Pray for the Youth ministry Alan and Anna are heading up.

*Pray for our children, their spouses and our grandchildren. Our greatest desire, prayer, and joy for them is that they walk in truth (3 John 4), seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:33)*Pray the same for us! “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown or rejoicing? It it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?” 1 Thessalonians 2:19

Update From The Takamiya's - July 2011
Posted: 7/13/2011

Tokorozawa    Earthquake Update June/July 2011
Here's an update from our latest journey up to Miyagi prefecture, namely Higashi Matushima City.

As you guys probably know, the last trip up there happened in the last week of May. Things constantly change up there week to week, day to day, so as we were planning to take a team up there this past week, we thought it would be a good idea to head up there a week early to see what's been going on.

So, on June 13th, Dawn and I took Erika and Evan out of school for a couple of days to go up to Ushiami. I had talked on the phone with Chiba san and he offered us a place to stay in the evacuation center, so we thought it would be a good experience for Dawn and the kids to see what's been going on up there. I explained to Chiba san that we would be bringing a team up the following Monday to Wednesday and so this time he invited us to just come and stay there for a night. We headed up there early Monday morning.

Now this report isn't about this trip but the next, but it was a good couple of days just meeting with the folks, catching up on what has been going on as well as visiting another evacuation center, promising to return. Dawn and the kids made some new friends and it did give me a good perspective on the ministry opportunities we would have the following week.

Then, the following week, the things were gathered, the teams were prepared and we were ready to head out again.

This trip consisted of myself, Michael (missionary at CC Tokorozawa), Pastor Santo, as well as a team of 7 from CC Honolulu (Pastor James, Pat, Rod, Donna, Mike, Susan, and Kara). Also we met up a team of 10 from Logos Christian Fellowship (Kiyomasa) as well as a group of 5 from the Bible College in Ginowan, Okinawa led by Chuck and Yumi Robb. So if you do the math... 25 or so in total. Biggest group yet.

MONDAY, June 20th
We packed up early in the morning and headed out in two vans. We would be meeting the LCF group and the group from Okinawa up there. The drive was smooth as usual, we stopped by Matsushima along the way and after lunch arrived in Ushiami. This time since the group was a little larger, we pitched a tent outside the evacuation center. It was good seeing the folks there. The group was noticeably smaller, even from a week earlier when Dawn and the kids were there. Slowly the evacuees are being relocated to temporary track homes. Still Chiba-san, the Fukuhara's, the Imaizumi's and many of the faces we know were there.

After just hanging out for a while it was time to prep dinner. This time we would cook here at Ushiami but we would also cook for an evacuation center 15 minutes away in the next town of Misato and a place called Shimonigo. The evacuees there are all from the Ushiami/Hamaichi area but since their homes were totally destroyed, there was no need to be near. Essentially there is nothing to clean, so the city moved them a little further way. This would be my 3rd time to this place but first time to cook there.

Kiyo and the LCF team would be meeting us there to serve the meals and do a little country music concert with Pastor Kazuto from Shizuoka, so Santo, Chuck, Aya, Fukiko and myself headed up there. We started on dinner, shoyu chicken and sausages and salad, and I headed back to Ushiami to prep dinner there. We wanted to do a Hawaiian thing there so the menu was Kalua Pig and cabbage with lomi lomi salmon. Santo and the gang with Kiyo's group stayed in Shimonigo and the team from Hawaii and myself prepped the dinner in Ushiami. The Hawaii gang did a great job of chopping and mixing and cooking. And again as always, I just got to taste. ;)

I wasn't there in Shimonigo but I heard that they had a great time serving and sharing the gospel with the people there. On the Ushiami side we served dinner and hung out.

We didn't do any music this time but I had a good time just talking and catching up with the folks there. The Japan Self Defense Force had gone home the day before so the makeshift bathhouse was gone. But they had set up some showers in a tent so we all took a bath and called it a night.

TUESDAY, June 21st
Again, as always, up at 4:30am. The sun is up, the people are up... you just have to get up. I slept in the van, pretty comfy, it wasn't hot at all. In fact it got really cool overnight.

Around 7:30, Chuck and the guys from Hawaii went to Okumatsushima (still part of Higashi Matsushima) to help out Kiyomasa and their team there. They had been ministering to Kimura san, helping him find stuff in his destroyed home and helping the neighborhood cleaning up the beach. Lots of debris. Lots of junk. And they want to get that place clean for the summer season since they are so reliant on tourism in the area. So the guys went. We learned that this would be the hottest day of the year so far... very high 80's with sweltering humidity.

Back at the evacuation center, Chiba-san arranged a meeting with some folks in the neighborhood, the Saito's. He was hoping in the future we could stay at their place and host BBQ's and outreaches for the neighborhood even after the evacuation center was done and the people were relocated. I had met Mrs. Saito in the past. In fact on our first trip when we dug up that piano and played it, she was the one with all the requests. Her daughter is an opera singer in Sendai city. Well, Mr. Saito is a retired contractor and so they have a couple of buildings on their property. So at their request, we gathered the rest of the team, walked over and began cleaning. Lots of wiping down and washing shelves. Mopping the floors. Moving furniture. The whole gang did an amazing job. And just as soon as we began we were done and heading back over to the evacuation center to make lunch. The gang from Hawaii had prepared all the fixings for some spam musubis so they made a whole bunch. In fact they made it with some of the ladies there.

I don't know about most people, but I love the stuff. In Hawaii it is practically a staple food. And sure enough it was a hit.

Around 1PM Santo and I headed back to Shimonigo to get started on the night's dinner. They really wanted to eat spaghetti. Rice and bentos everyday get a little boring. So we made spaghetti with meat sauce. By 3PM the sauce was done and I headed back to prep at Ushiami. Kiyo and their gang would be serving there and we would be at Shimonigo. Switched venues for the night.

Actually when I arrived back at Ushiami, half of the team from Hawaii was busy sharing a craft with the kids and some of the ladies. I was so blessed to see the interaction and the love of Christ being shown... in spite of the language barrier.

We hurried and made the shoyu chicken and stuff and then headed back up to Shimonigo to finish up for dinner at 6PM.

The group at Shimonigo was smaller, just 40 people or so. And we served the spaghetti and set up in the meeting room next door for our little concert. The Hawaii gang and the Okinawa gang showed up along with Kimura-san and a couple of volunteers from Okumatsushima.

Unlike before, instead of singing in the living area, we set up in a side area so people who wanted to come could and we wouldn't be a nuisance for those who wanted to be left alone. And so a handful of the folks came in and we started. The team ate spaghetti and I played a few songs. Then Aya came and shared her testimony. I played a bit more than James shared on why the group from Hawaii was there. The simple Gospel was preached. The love of Christ was shone. Then we sang a couple more songs and called it a night. After the music some of the gals shared with the folks in the hallway outside and we cleaned up to get back. It was a blessed time for sure.

We arrived back, showered up and spent a couple hours fellowshipping. Then we called it a night.

WEDNESDAY, June 22nd
Up-and-at-em early again. Today we didn't have much planned. Lunch there. Actually, the LCF crew would be making boiled gyoza. So after breakfast we all headed back to Okumatsushima. And we cleaned up the beach some more. Man it was hot. Like Africa hot. But many hands make the work easy and we got a lot done. The gang was just awesome. Sweating in the Spirit. We finished around 11 and then headed back for lunch. Actually, I jumped in the ocean for a swim. I couldn't help it. Tokorozawa is landlocked and the place looked too beautiful. As I was wading in I looked across the small bay and saw that James and Rod had done the same. Something about sweat, sand and being from Hawaii. It sure felt good.

Back at the center we had lunch and fellowshipped some more. Chiba san had gone to work so I wanted to stay at least until he came back. He said he would skip lunch and come back early at 4PM. So we fellowshipped, cleaned up, packed up. James and some of the guys were playing catch in the street. We've gotten to know Takashi Fukuhara and his family there a bit. His wife Misae exchanges emails with Dawn. Takashi is a soccer coach and loves sports so he and James hit it off. Again, just building relationships. Being salt and light. Jesus said, “They will know you are Christians by your love one for another.” Chiba san came back and we wrapped things up. This time so many of the folks came out to see us off. We prayed for them. It was a little sad because we know that that evacuation center isn't going to be around forever. I know that we are going to have many more ministry opportunities at the temporary housing places, but all the people in Ushiami have the potential to be scattered around. So it was a little sad. But we praise the Lord for the chance to be here and meet these wonderful folks. Around 5PM and we headed for home.

One thing I noticed this trip was that things here in Ushiami had been cleaned up quite a bit. We went to Ishinomaki and Okumatsushima and some other places and saw that things still were pretty messed up. Still a lot of work to be done. And I know there are many who are helping. But looking around here in Ushiami, I was reminded of Luke 10. When Jesus said, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest...” Then He goes on to say, “But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.' And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of this wages. Do not go from house to house. Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'”

Believe it or not, it has been such a blessing so far to be here in Ushiami. They have been such a blessing to us. And they have been welcoming. And I don't want to over-spiritualize anything here, but I see that the Lord has been good to them as well. That somehow there is some peace there. But beyond all of that we continue to pray the hearts will be softened and people will receive the love of Jesus Christ.
There are many we've met. And I don't remember all of them by name. But I do remember some and we will be praying that the Lord gets a hold of them. Please remember them in your prayers.
Pray for Chiba-san. From the Fukuhara's. For the Imaizumi's. For the Saito's. For the Odashima's. For the other Chiba families. Pray for Kimura-san. There is power in prayer. And the Lord loves them so much.

This time up there there were so many things going on. So many moving parts. And I know I didn't elaborate on all of them. But I hope this paints a little better picture of what is going on here.
We are looking to head up there again in a few weeks. We're not sure if folks will still be there or exactly where they will be so I will be in touch with them up there.
We were so blessed and encouraged by everyone. The Hawaii gang. The Oki folks. The LCF crew. And we continue to look with expectation for what the Lord is going to do.
By the way, I know these updates have kind of taken place of our monthly newsletters. Things are going well here at CC Tokorozawa. We're looking forward to a busy summer. We thank the Lord for all of you, for all of your prayers and support. Never forget that you guys are all a part of the ministry here.

-- Til the last one's saved,
Aloha and God bless you,
Travis, Dawn, Erika and Evan Takamiya
Calvary Chapel Tokorozawa
www.calvarytokorozawa.com

Update from the Barillaro Family - June 2011
Posted: 6/10/2011

We are so blessed to see new people coming to hear the Word at CC Mexicali. There is a sweet move of God's Spirit upon His people and it is an awesome thing to experience. We started a new believers study this week and over 30 people came for the first study.    Please pray that they may be founded and grounded in their faith.

We are coming to the end of another home school year, fighting against an epidemic of chicken pox that is hitting one after another of the children and mothers. There have been some 15 cases so far and no end in sight as yet. Pray that we will be well for our graduation ceremony on the first of July.

We are looking forward to having you guys out from Morningstar to do an event for the children.

Until then, God bless you.
John, Laurie, Dawn and Brandi

Update From The Takamiya's - June 2011
Posted: 6/10/2011

Howzit everyone. Well, I just got back last night from another trip to Ushiami in Higashi Matsushima City near Sendai so I'll give another update.
This trip four of us went. Santo (CC West Tokyo), Rich (CC Fuchu), Michael (CC Tokorozawa Missionary) and myself. I'll try to give the day by day, play by play... another long one.

Monday, May 23rd
We met in Tokorozawa at 6:30am to pack up the van and go. We were prepared to cook two meals while we were there as well as do whatever else was needed. This time Chiba-san would let us stay in the evacuation center with them so we just packed sleeping bags. At 7:00am, we hopped in and left. The drive out was smooth, after a stop for gas and to stretch our legs, we arrived up there around 11:30am. Since we were early, we drove up to Ishinomaki. This was Michael's first time so we drove around and let him see some of what happened up here. The last time I was here was a little over a month ago and just as I thought, a lot had been cleaned up. There were still a lot of things that weren't touched, some parts of the town without traffic lights, but it was definitely much better than before. We stopped for lunch at a supermarket in Higashi Matsushima and then headed to the evacuation center. We took our time and arrived at around 1PM. I don't know if you guys know this, but as bad as the destruction was, a mile or two away from the ocean and everything is back and running as if nothing happened. Big supermarket, ToysRUs, 100yen store, tons of restaurants. So it definitely was convenient to have a car and stores to go to. We would visit this Max-Value supermarket 3-4 times this trip. After we arrived in Ushiami, we were greeted by everyone. In the tatami room we were going to sleep in, there was a volunteer group who had massage tables set up. They were there giving the people massages. Sure looked good. I was trying to figure out a way to get in there myself... joking. We said hello to the folks we knew. Many familiar faces. The kids were off of school that day since on Saturday they had an open house. So we hung out. We talked. We listened. There wasn't much cleaning to do. Actually, in that area, most were nearly done and there were many volunteer groups who were coming through to clean so they didn't have anything for us to do in that department. Again, so we chatted it up with the folks. Quickly, 3PM rolled along and we began to prep for dinner. Tonights menu... Hawaiian style Beef stew and macaroni salad. Once again, the folks graciously let us use the kitchen and their big soup rig and we started... actually we let Santo the chef loose. Yuko, who used to come to our church in Tokorozawa before she moved back to Sendai, drove down to help. Actually Santo did the chopping... I did the seasoning and tasting. I think I got the better end of the deal. ;) As dinner time started we did notice that the number of people here went down. Some are moving back into the 2nd stories of their homes. But they still come for meals, so it was good to see familiar faces. As dinner winded down, Chiba-san reminded us that we could take a bath in their jimmy-rigged tent bath house, courtesy of the Japanese Self-Defense Force so they didn't have to twist our arms too much. We took a bath. Not sure how many of you have taken a bath in Japan before but it is definitely a good time of fellowship in there too. By 8 or 9 many were already winding down for bed so we did too. We all went to sleep around 10.

Tuesday, May 24th
Thing about going to bed early is that you get up early. Pretty simple lifestyle here. Go to bed with the sun, get up with the sun. So by 5AM we were up and ready to go. Some folks were upat least an hour already, cleaning, doing what they do. We had our morning devotions and Chiba-san came in and gave us some bananas and pastries for breakfast. He had to get some work done and left so again we hung out to see what people would need. Many of the guys leave for work... not cleaning their homes any more, but regular work. So we chatted with the folks again. It was neat waiting with the kids to go to the bus stop before school. Just simple stuff, but a blessing for sure.
We had planned to cook dinner two nights at the very least and since their wasn't any hard labor to do this morning, we figured we'd cook lunch too. So we asked what many of the folks there wanted to eat. The consensus... pasta and fish. So... off to the store. Well, actually we drove around the neighborhood to see how much things had changed since the last time we were here. And then we went to the store. We cooked spaghetti and shoyu aku poke. There were leftovers and we heard that the kids really wanted some but were at school so we saved afternoon snacks for them.
A little side story... while we were prepping lunch a couple of gals came from the city hall. They go to the different evacuation centers to see if anyone wants to talk. One of the gals helped us prep lunch. She shared with us her story. Her mom died in the tsunami. Her father is still missing. So she began to work part time in the city hall so that if any news came in about her father she would be there to hear it right away. Again, lots of stories like this. We continue to pray for comfort. We continue to pray for the peace that comes through knowing Jesus.
We spent more of the afternoon being with the folks, hearing the situation there. By the end of summer, it looks like this evacuation center, if not all in the area, will be shut down and everyone will be moved to temporary housing. The government is building these prefab track homes and the people can live their 2 years rent free. Right now people are receiving them by lottery but in a couple months enough will be built for everyone.
More things we learned: - The population here is about 40000. Pretty spread out. Higashi Matsushima used to be 3 or 4 smaller towns. A few years ago they were all combined into Higashi Matsushima. So it's pretty spread out. Country. - Ishinomaki is the next town over, 200,000. Much bigger. As we were chatting with the JSDF crew at the evacuation center, I asked the guy in charge if there was anything that he had seen or done in the last couple of months that he would like to share with us. Interestingly... and he did say this kind of in secret... though he doesn't speak English and won't be reading my newsletter... but he did say that Ishinomaki is getting tons of help. Why? Because of all of the media attention. TV shows. Actors. Lots of coverage. Don't misunderstand, they need it. It is a much bigger town. But his point was that many of the outlying, more country areas, were not getting the same help. Again, this was just his observation and opinion. Interesting to say the least. And just a little more confirmation in why the Lord had led us here. - People are getting more cars, which definitely help in getting around and getting things. - While we were there on this day, the government sent a group to meet with the folks in the area to find out what they were going to do with their homes. About half the people in the area were going to knock them down. The other half was going to try and rebuild. There are about 800 or so families that live in this specific area, Ushiami/Hamaichi. - The rebuilding process will take time. There is not enough building materials. A lot of the building material supplies got messed up in the earthquake and tsunami. Some of the folks we talked to didn't think they would be able to do anything till the end of summer. - Lot of the folks out here have the same last names. Lots of Chiba's. Lots of Odashima's.
There were a few others. - That day the evacuation center changed from the JDSF cooking rice and soup to them delivering bentos (box lunches) for everyone. Actually we heard this would happen even before we came up here, but talking to Chiba-san on the phone, he wanted us to come and cook anyway, so we did.
Around 3 in the afternoon we began our dinner prep. Yuko came to help again. Also Kiyomasa and Masaru from CC Naha were in Sendai looking for a big house to host American relief teams so when they were finished they came out to Ushiami too. The menu... Shoyu chicken, sausages, and tossed greens. Inexpensive and broke da mout for sure. (Delicious, for you non Hawaiian pidgin speaking people.)
After dinner we promised to do some music so we set up right in the middle of the people inside. I did a little music with the guitar. Michael banged around the cajon. Played along for a couple of the older guys that wanted to sing. It was fun. At the end I shared a little bit as Kiyo translated. I shared how grateful we were to be able to be with them. To serve them. To love them. To sleep with them and eat their food. See, volunteers come through here but there really is no personal connection. They do good work and are definitely appreciated. But they come and go. I shared how we appreciate being welcomed always. It really is a foreign place for us. You can correct me if I'm wrong, but from my understanding Tohoku people are kind of closed to outsiders. Even their dialect is difficult to understand. Santo kept mentioning how he could only understand 50-70% of what was being said and he's Japanese. Imagine Rich, or Michael or myself. It would be like taking a group of haoles from North Dakota and dropping them off in Waimanalo. Yet by the grace of God we have a connection. I mentioned many times how we know that the Lord had led us here. And we want to continue to share with them about God's love. We want to show them God's love. We shared the gospel and we know in God's timing He makes all things beautiful. We know things take time. Building relationships takes time. But again, we are so grateful for the opportunity we have now. I know I mentioned this before, but just as Elisha lay hand to hand, mouth to mouth, head to head with the boy who died, we have been given the same opportunity. They know we are Christians. They know we are pastors. But our prayer is that they see we are Christians by our love one for another and then want to receive that same love. Anyway, we praise the Lord for the opportunity to plant more seeds for His kingdom. We cleaned up and then spent a lot of time this evening chatting with Chiba-san. We talked about all kinds of stuff. Sure tsunami stuff. Sure future and near-future plans. But also we learned that he and Santo are the same age. We shared fishing stories. How he hunted and ate birds in the area. We talked about Rich and Kiyo and how loud they talk. How that is why all the kids love Rich. (I'm just kidding... but Chiba-san really did say that.) We learned some Tohoku dialect. Of course Kiyo already knows it so we just had to make sure they weren't telling any secrets about us. Otherwise I goin have to bus'out my Bu Laia with Rich. ;) We talked about church. We talked about family. We talked. (Right about now as my wife is reading this she is probably wondering why I don't talk this much at home...) It wasn't all me talking... Santo talked a lot too. A lot... ;) It was just a good time. Again, so grateful to the Lord for times like this. Then we got ready for bed. Chiba-san gets up at 3AM so we probably kept him up past his bedtime. Which is probably around 8-9PM. Oh well, it was a good time. Did I say that already?

Wednesday, May 25th
Up early again. And again breakfast provided by Chiba-san. So grateful. We had our morning devotions together and got ready for the day. Same as the day before, seeing the kids off to school, chatting. Putting stuff away. Chiba-san left for a while but told us to wait for him until he got back at 9AM. When you wake up so early in the morning, you really get so much done. We weren't in a rush to get home so when Chiba-san returned we hopped in his new-used car which he just got today and he took us around. First he took us to one of the temporary home communities. Knowing that most people will be living here and that the evacuation shelter will not be around forever, it was a good chance to see it. In fact, we visited folks we had met in previous trips to Ushiami. We had some tea with another Chiba family there... some distant relative. Spent time talking again, listening. Hearing about the situations. They mentioned previous trips. Hula. Warm meals. Music. So, so welcoming. Very Japanese... we go their to say hello, they welcome us in and offer us snacks and drinks. In their humble little prefab homes. We joked that we're used to living in small spaces out here in Tokorozawa and Tokyo, just our rent is a lot higher.
After that we headed to another evacuation center further up in the mountains. They people there are from the same neighborhood as Ushiami/Hamaichi but they lived nearer to the water so their houses are gone. There is nothing to clean or fix so they don't need to be near.
Interesting there, there was a younger crowd. It was mentioned that maybe because the younger folks want to just start again, less nostalgia so they don't need to be nearer to their places. Not sure. While there we met more folks. We met a young gal, Hitomi. Same age as Santo's oldest son Yoshiya, early twenties. She loves music. She plays the bass in a rock band. She goes to work every day in a care home. She lost everything too. One of the things she shared with us when we asked her how things were going is that folks there seem to have their basic needs met. But now she said she notices that it is not so much the physical needs but the psychological needs. Chiba-san knew many of the people there and so we made a plan to be back there. To have a BBQ and a mini concert the next time we go. The place was nice.
Brand new. And the parking lot was enormous. Next we headed to another prefab city. Here 800 units were being built. Actually Chiba's family is already there but he chooses to stay and help in the evacuation center. Then we began back to Ushiami. We visited the seashore there. Barely a half mile from the evacuation center. Nothing like the smell of the ocean. Certain places there were just concrete foundations left over. But much cleaner than before. Then we headed to Chiba's house where we planted watermelon, zucchini, and eggplant. That was interesting. All around was piles of junk but Chiba-san wanted to plant a garden so we could be back and enjoy the fruit with them. It really was a Jesus moment to realize that seeds were planted, there is some tending and watering, and in the Lord's timing, a harvest will come. Beautiful stuff. We headed back to the evacuation center and before we left Chiba-san wanted to cook us some yakitori. He used to have a little yakitori truck on the weekends before the tsunami. Remember how he laughed at our fire making skills the first time we came? Well, this time he would show us how the pros do it. And it was delicious. Then we said our goodbyes. Just in time for the kids to come home from school. Then we headed home. A quick 4 hour drive... a very spiritual drive because Santo prayed the whole way home... something about me driving too fast.
Continue to pray for the folks there. For the seeds planted. For the relationships that were built.
We are looking to head up there in a few weeks again. Next week no one will be there as the government had arranged a hot springs tour for the folks. We are praying about doing more cooking/music/outreach stuff. If not at the evacuation centers, then at the prefab house "cities." As we were talking, it was mentioned that we come and do "takidashi." It kind of means like "soup kitchen" in Japanese. I mentioned that we use that word a lot but from now on let's just call it BBQ party or Block party. Then it's not so much about US coming to feed YOU. Like somehow we're better. But if it's a party, then we are all the same.
Enjoying each other's company. Loving on each other. And we know in God's timing He will soften hearts to receive. We just want to be available. Thanks for reading this. So grateful for your prayers. Again, help is no good without hope so we continue to pray that the Lord blesses and ministers to these folks here.

Til the last one's saved,
Aloha and God bless you,
Travis Takamiya Calvary Chapel Tokorozawa
www.calvarytokorozawa.com

Update from the Barillaro Family - May 2011
Posted: 5/5/2011

BARILLARO FAMILY
Mexicali, Mexico May Update

Last month we held our annual women's retreat for some 120 women, it was such a blessing. The women were very receptive to the teaching of His Word and grateful for all that the Lord blessed them with. Please pray for our mother's day event on May 7th.
We also held an event on Saturday in which over 250 children attended. We are looking forward to doing more children's events with mini concerts. The unchurched children who come to these events are not used to the singing and dancing we do unto the Lord, so we are doing just a bit in each event to slowly introduce them to the songs and hand motions so that they can participate with us. We look forward to holding such a children's event when the Morning Star group comes down to minister here.
The Lord continues to open doors of ministry in the prison; we have found incredible favor with the director. Today he gave John permission to evangelize in the court area of the prison on Tuesdays, which is the day that Dawn and her group minister to the women prisoners. Now John will be able to escort Dawn's group in and out of the prison, which will help to avoid the problems they have been experiencing with the guards and officials.    We are also praying to do an event for all the women prisoners in the coming months.

Thank you for your prayers on behalf of the ministry here in Mexicali.
John, Laurie, Dawn and Brandi

Update from the Saunders - April 2011
Posted: 4/21/2011

Dear Friends and Family,

It’s Springtime in England and this year we are having a beautiful, sunny spring.  It is glorious!  It is a lovely time of the year with the flowers blooming, the lambs being born, the baby birds hatching in the nests.  The physical beauty of God’s creation is calling out to mankind in new life, and points us to a spiritual message of new life in Christ.  The cold darkness of winter has passed and the sun shines, bringing warmth and life.  So in the spirit, the darkness of sin and death has been swallowed up in the Son’s victory over death.  
Jesus is the light of the world. Those who follow Him will not walk in darkness but have the light of life. John 8:12
Death and it’s darkness on the cross could not hold Him down and that grave is empty.  He lives!!!! And we live in Him!  Hallelujah!
God bless you all as we celebrate our risen Lord!

***J.O.Y. Place***
Our J.O.Y. Place ministry, for learning disabled adults, friends and family, continues to see new people coming each month.  We are so encouraged by the feedback we are getting.  Thank you for praying.
***Check out the website:   www.joyplace.org.uk

***A  CONTINUED MATTER OF PRAYER***
Some want to come to the J.O.Y. Place, but are not allowed:
One young woman (in her 30’s) wants to come, but her mother, who is opposed to any form of religion, has put a stop to her coming.  Please pray for this young woman and for her mother.  ****UPDATE:  She is still not allowed to come but I had a meeting with the mother this month that went very well.  Although we did not discuss this issue, I believe walls have started to come down. Please continue to pray for this mother and her adult daughter.

***SOME MINISTRY CHANGES***Please pray***
In our ministry update last month, we mentioned that some changes were coming to our ministry here.
During our trip to California in February we met with both our regional mission director and sending church pastor and they helped to confirm what we believe the Lord has been showing us over the past year.  The church we came here to help plant is,  indeed, now planted and thriving. The church  ministries we started and were so involved in, can now be done by several others in the church. The time had come for us, as overseas missionaries, to step down from leadership roles in Calvary Chapel Oxford, and to branch out and invest our time and energies into other outreaches here in the UK and Europe. This has been a painful and emotionally conflicting journey for us, as we love the brothers and sisters of Calvary Chapel Oxford and have been blessed and privileged to minister in the fellowship these past 9 years.

There is a saying amongst overseas missionaries involved in church planting ministries:  “The goal is to work yourself out of a job.”  It seems evident that time has come for us at Calvary Chapel Oxford.
After talking it over with Pastor Phil and praying with him, we shared this change in ministry with the church family in Oxford.  We were so encouraged as they prayed over us and have sent us with their blessing.
 
For now our plans of ministry are as follows:
1.  Disabled Outreaches
We will continue the monthly J.O.Y. Place outreach to the learning disabled. In the past few months we have made several contacts in this area and it appears there may be opportunities to expand that type of ministry in schools and supported living facilities for learning disabled children and adults.
2.  Worship Ministry
We will make ourselves available to other CC churches, Bible studies, etc for leading worship when needed because of holidays or illness.
3.  Missionary Care
Our mission director has asked us to be available and pro-active in mission care in the UK and Europe.  Our sending church pastor fully agrees that this is an important ministry that we are to step into.
4.  Chuck will continue to produce Pastor Phil’s radio program and the reproduce teaching messages on CD’s for those who order them.

Of course CC Oxford will still be our home church here in Oxford, but our ministry responsibilities have now changed from church planting to what we have described above, as well as any other opportunity the Lord may bring our way that we have not even dreamed of.

***If any of you have any questions or concerns, or would like more information about this shift in ministry, please do not hesitate to email us or ring us.  We will be happy to talk to you about it.   A dear friend pointed out that at our age, some might think we would be wanting to sit back and enjoy the ride; yet what an adventure it is to push forward and see what God might do next.    We are excited over this new venture in serving Jesus.  
We are stepping out with joy and being led forth in peace.    Please pray for us!    

***Calvary Chapel Oxford***
Please continue to pray for a facility for CC Oxford and for the church leadership.

***VISITORS***
*We were blessed to have some long time friends Bill and Eileene Payne come stay with us. They have been a part of our prayer and support team for over 20 years and how thrilled we were to be able to show them around Oxford, as well as have them join us at church and attend the J.O.Y. Place service.  What a sweet time of fellowship!
*In May our son Joseph, his wife Christie, and their children Elinor and Charley will be visiting us for 3 weeks!  Nonnie and Poppie are so excited!!

***Garage Sale Blessings!***
CC Moreno Valley had a big garage sale for us.  Many thanks to all who participated with their time and donations!!  We are so blessed by your friendship and generosity.   The Lord always knows just when to supply that extra amount needed.  The money came just in time to help pay for our UK immigration/residence fees.   

With love and joy in the risen Lord Jesus,
    Chuck and Anita

SAY AMONG THE NATIONS, THE LORD REIGNS!!
Ps. 96:10a


***CONTINUED PRAYER REQUESTS***

*Pray for the "special friends" JOY Place ministry with the learning disabled.  

*Pray for other opportunities to reach out to those who have not heard the gospel.
 
*Pray that God will use Calvary Chapel Oxford to reach our community.

*Pray for the Youth ministry Alan and Anna are heading up.

*Pray for our children, their spouses and our grandchildren.
Our greatest desire, prayer, and joy for them is that they walk in truth (3 John 4), seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:33)    *Pray the same for us!
“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown or rejoicing? It it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?”
1 Thessalonians 2:19

PS:  If any of you are on Facebook, invite us!  It is a great way to keep in touch.

Earthquake Update #2 From The Takamiya's - April 2011
Posted: 4/21/2011

Howzit everyone.  Well, I just got back from Tohoku again last night.  This was the second trip up there, this time with Rich and Lewis (CC Fuchu), Santo (CC West Tokyo), Joanna, Zach, Takako, Taliya and Alex (CC Ginowan/Okinawa).  Last week Kiyo had gone with another group and so we decided this week to head up there to Ushiami in Higashi Matsushima and help out a little more.  We had heard from Chiba-san, the leader in the evacuation center, that they were beginning to receive more things from the government (a good thing) but there was still a lot of cleaning to be done. Last time up there we stayed with Kiyomasa's parents in Sendai and we absolutely loved the fellowship and company, but the commute was over and hour one way and so this time Kiyo had found us a great rate at a little hotel in Matsushima, about 15 minutes from Ushiami.  After talking with Santo and Rich, we planned our trip.  There really is so much to be done everywhere, and there are seems to be many volunteers and groups helping out, and so we decided to stick with the community that the Lord had led us to last time and just simply spend a couple days in the evacuation center there in Ushiami.  I'm not much of a strategizer and I definitely don't believe in coincidence.  The Lord had led us here for a reason and we believe strongly that this is part of it. We essentially would focus on three things.
1) BBQ.  The folks there were still having rice, miso soup so we decided again this time to bring up some food.  We prepared for one meal each of the two days, about 400 servings all together.  The Japanese Self Defense Force (JSDF) guys (and some gals) were there as well so we thought we'd feed them all.  We even brought a couple of guitars and a cajon. Food and fellowship.  Hey, Jesus did it all the time so we figured it would be a good idea for us too.  Can't go wrong imitating Jesus, for sure.
2) We had learned that the kids would begin school again on Thursday so we decided to plan to spend time with them on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Joanna and the gang from Okinawa prepped crafts and games for them.  We brought more balloons, stuff to draw and color, soccer balls and other little things.  Jesus hung out with kids too, right?
3) Clean.  We figured that if we were just around, as people were coming and going, cleaning their houses and stuff we would tag along.  Get to know some of the folks better, hear more of their stories and, if they would let us and as the Lord leads, make lasting relationships with them.  Anyway, there is nothing better for building relationships than just perspiring and getting dirty together.

Monday, 4/18
The crew gathered in Tokorozawa, packed up and left around 4PM.  Chiba-san, the leader at the evacuation center there had told us that they really didn't need any more relief supplies per se, and a week earlier, Kiyo and the gang that went up had already picked up some wheelbarrows and shovels from Samaritan's Purse in Sendai, so we loaded our 2 vehicles up this time with food and kids' stuff.
The drive up there was pretty smooth, after stopping about half way for dinner at a highway stop, we arrived in Matsushima at the Hotel Daimatsu Sou at around 9:30PM.  It wasn't that big but the place seemed pretty packed.  The parking lot was full.  Full of what looked like a lot of relief vehicles.  We learned that groups of medical teams, construction teams, and other relief teams were staying there and at many of the other little hotels in the area.  We took a bath and called it a night, ready for an early start.

Tuesday, 4/19
Up at 5, I hopped in my van to take a look around and find somewhere to pick up some breakfast for everyone.  Since we arrived at night yesterday, I didn't realize how near we were to the ocean.  Matsushima Bay was right across the street.  Matsushima is a famous place, labeled one of the 3 most scenic places in all of Japan.  The bay is spotted with little rock islands with pine trees.  Really beautiful.  I found a convenience store, bought some onigiri (rice balls) and doughnuts, and headed back for morning devos at 6:30AM.  I shared out of 2 Kings 4.  How Elisha spent time with the Shunamite woman. Built a relationship. And when a crisis occured, he sent his servant Gahazi and Gahazi asks her if everything is ok and she promptly tells him that everything is ok... even though it wasn't.  Why?  Because she had the relationship with Elisha.  And she went to Elisha.  Her son had died and I'm sure you know the story.  Elisha prayed... then lay on her son.  Mouth to mouth.  Eyes to eyes.  Hands to hands.  He wasn't greater.  He wasn't lesser.  He was on the same level.  Again, relationship.  And God performed a miracle.  New life.  That is our desire.  In the times of crisis... here and back at home in Tokorozawa or anywhere else... to some alongside people.  To be with them and then to be a part of their lives as the Lord does His work.  I wish I could say that my approach or my speech or my actions can save.  It can't.  Only God can save.  We're here to go along for the ride and give glory where glory is due.  It was definitely a good time of worship.  Good time of fellowship.  Definitely a blessed reminder to start the day.  
Then at around 7:30 we headed out.  I figured that since this was the first time for the Okinawa crew, we'd drive up to Ishinomaki and take a look around.  And so we did that for a bit.  Frankly speaking, it's kind of strange how after you see the devastation a little, there is a tiny bit of this numbing effect... everything starts to look the same.  The initial shock and emotion is there, but then there seems to be a little bit of detachment.  You take it in now all in context but then at some point it turns into the same pictures we've seen over and over again in the news.  Definitely a reminder to pray, for sure.  Well, we only spent about 10-15 minutes driving when we then decided it was just time to head back into Higashi Matsushima to the evacuation center in Ushiami.  We pulled in around 9:00 and were greeted by Chiba-san and some of the kids.  It was neat to see that they remembered us and even our names.  We went in and greeted the folks there again.  We talked with Chiba-san about the plan for the day and he decided that cooking dinner would be better than lunch, so we just went in and started chatting with the folks.  At 10, about 20 kids had gathered and a teacher drove in to have a study time with them.  It started to rain so we just kind of hung out.  But after 10-15 minutes the rain stopped so Chiba-san gathered 5 of the guys and we grabbed some gloves, a few shovels and a couple of wheelbarrows and walked over a couple minutes to his house to begin cleaning.  He has been so busy helping out and managing the evacuation center that he hadn't even really had a chance to do anything with his place.  And it was a mess.  So we cleaned.  Moved junk, furniture, tons of this black, salty mud.  We could see the water lines, it had come up about six feet in his home.  There was junk and muck everywhere.  But the time flew by and soon it was lunch time.  We planned on just jumping in the car and going to get a few things from the store but Chiba-san insisted that we eat with them so we did.  Rice, miso soup, kombu (sea kelp) and some pickled garlic.  At first we were kind of hesitant eating their stuff, but at the same time we were so grateful and blessed to be there.  While we were cleaning, Joanna, Takako, Taliya and Alex had stayed back so when the kids finished their studying, they played some games with them.  
After lunch the kids hung around and made some crafts that the Okinawa crew had prepared.  And before we knew it it was time to begin the dinner prep.  It was raining again so instead of BBQ, the JSDF guys and Chiba-san decided to let us use their humongous gas soup pot to cook.  I want one of these things.  It was pretty sweet.  We threw in a good 70 lbs of chicken and started cooking.  The menu tonight:  Shoyu chicken, sausages, tossed greens, and rice.  We even drove by the store later and picked up some ice cream for dessert.  Santo headed up the kitchen crew.  This guy is a pro.  It really was good to have him here.  You guys know that he was a cook for over 10 years before he became a pastor and it was really impressive.  As he was chopping cabbage like a well-oiled machine, I stuck my head into the room with all a folks and announced that the iron chef was at work.  Some of the ladies came into the kitchen to watch.  It was like a cooking show.  "Santo Can Cook... so can you!"  He was chatting up with the ladies, giving them pointers.  Fun time.
Dinner was served... again it was raining so everyone was inside.  The JSDF guys came and ate too.  Then while everyone was eating we grabbed a guitar and a cajon and started playing.  A few songs in people wanted me to play some Hawaiian stuff and wanted hula.  I gently explained that if I did a hula, there might be another earthquake so... I called on Taliya to display her skills.  Taliya is from Okinawa but her mom is from Hawaii and is a gifted hula instructor.  I didn't know that Taliya didn't like the hula... unless it was hip hop hula, but after a little coaxing she agreed to entertain the folks.  She said the only song she knew was "Pearly Shells," so "Pearly Shells" it was.  She did a great job.  Soon after I explained to the folks that long ago, hula was done by the guys only, so I called Rich for some assistance.  The entire room began to chant, "Ri-chi, Ri-chi, Ri-chi," and so he came up.  Then one of the ladies came up.  And then 6 of the JSDF guys came in and joined it too.  Pearly Shells... it was quite the scene.  People were roaring with laughter.  Chiba-san later told me that that was the highlight of our trip this time to see everyone having such a great time.  He was laughing so hard!  I have to admit, these are the little things that we take for granted.  What a privilege to be used by the Lord to share a little joy!  I know a lot of video was taken, so I'll try and get a hold of some of that and post it.  We were joking with the JSDF guys that they would be famous on YouTube.  What a blessed night.  
We headed out around 8PM back to the hotel ready for round two tomorrow.

Wednesday, 4/20
Another early morning.  Another great time of fellowship in the Word.  Rich shared a good word from 1 Thessalonians 2.
"Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ.  But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children.  So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us."
I really like the, "we were pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives."  We want to impart the Good News of Jesus.  I truly believe that is why we exist.  If we only existed to be saved, we'd all be in heaven already.  But as we seek those opportunities to share, I don't want to overlook any of those opportunities.  To impart our lives.
We arrived at the evacuation center at 9:00AM.  Immediately Santo, myself and the ladies began to prep for the BBQ.  Rich and the rest of the guys headed out to Chiba-san's house to do more cleaning.  I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but man, Santo is impressive when it comes to food prep.  I learned a lot for sure.  And the ladies were amazing as well.  It really is awesome to see the different giftings the Lord gives and to see them all in motion at the same time.  Today's menu:  Japanese style hamburger steak, with daikon and ponzu, sausages, tossed greens and rice.  We lined up the little grills we had bought the last time we were here, this time we brought good old fashioned American briquettes (after our fiasco with Japanese coals and gasoline last time) and we fired up the grills.
Funny story, as Santo and I are grilling, a medical team came through to do check ups.  They thought we were evacuees.  I shouldn't have taken the free medical exams.  Nah, I didn't.  But I was tempted to.
The crew came back from cleaning and after washing up, we prayed together for the food and lunch was served.  It was great to see the same people again, being able to recognize faces more and more.  God is good.
After lunch all the guys went back to Chiba-san's place and did one last push to clean it out.  Lewis, Rich, Alex, Zach, Santo, Chiba-san.  All getting down and dirty.  It was quite the experience... really like an episode of Dirty Jobs.  I couldn't stop laughing when Alex started to dry heave from the funny smells that were everywhere.  But we got it pretty clean.  So clean that we may just stay there the next time we come.  Chiba-san mentioned that we could.  We'll see though.  No water, electricity or plumbing... but a roof and wooden floors good enough for sleeping bags.  Right when we finished, Chiba-san's older sister and parents came.  He didn't really want his parents worrying about the place so he waited til it was all clean for them to come and check it out again.  Nice folks.  All they need now is Jesus. By now it was around 4PM and we were getting ready to head back to Tokorozawa.  We said our goodbyes... our "see-you-later's".  We asked Chiba-san if we could pray for him and the folks again.  And we loaded up and headed home.  We had a smooth ride home, playing some games between the vehicles with the walkie-talkies Bill had brought last time.
Again, after stopping for dinner halfway home we arrived in Tokorozawa around 11:00PM.  Pretty tired, but thankful for the time we had together.

We're continuing to pray about going to the same place and ministering in the same way.  In a couple of weeks, both Kiyo and Rich will be heading up with some folks from their churches and our church.  We continue to pray for many open doors to invest in people's lives.  One example, when we were up there, Chiba-san kept telling us how he wanted us to meet a young gal who had an incredible story.  Finally before dinner on Tuesday, Santo, Rich and I met her.  Her name is Hitomi Ito, a single mother.  Her story was heart-wrenching.  I almost didn't want to hear it because I didn't want to have her relive the moment again with her words.  In a nutshell, she shared what happened.  How both her parents drowned.  How her one year-old son drowned.  Her only child.  How she found her baby a couple weeks later. A couple weeks.  Why?  Because it was too dangerous to look for him any sooner.  Again, what do you say to her?  We were all at a loss for words.  We just listened.  We invited her if she wanted to to come down to Tokyo or Tokorozawa and spend some time away from Higashi Matsushima.  We prayed with her.  For her. She was open to it but she didn't know what to expect or what to do.  Takako shared with her to just close her eyes and listen.  All of this happened just a month ago.  Speechless.  But as much as we were moved, we know how much the Lord loves her.  And so we will continue to pray for her.  Pray that the enemy doesn't cause confusion or anger or bitterness.  Pray with us, please.
All that to say, there are stories like that everywhere you go.  Stories that will move you to tears.  Stories that will stir up emotions and make us want to hike up our britches and save the world.  But in the end we know we are tools fit for the Master's use.  And so we continue to seek His guiding.  His timing.  His leading.

I know many of you want to come and minister in some way here.  I don't think it is a bad idea at all.  We will continue to keep you all in the loop with what is going on.  Again, this is not a short term deal.  I believe we will have many opportunities.  In fact Chiba-san was sharing with us how it looks like the soonest that some of the older people can be placed in temporary housing is August or September.  So we're looking at the summer to do some stuff out there.  Chiba-san kept assuring us that it wouldn't be as hot as Tokorozawa.  The Lord will open many doors that no man can shut.  And so we will continue to pray.  We will continue to listen.  The Lord is faithful for sure.



--
Til the last one's saved,
Aloha and God bless you,
Travis, Dawn, Erika and Evan Takamiya
Calvary Chapel Tokorozawa

www.calvarytokorozawa.com

Update from the Barillaro Family - April 2011
Posted: 4/12/2011

We held an event for the prison guards of Mexicali prison. We were honestly quite disappointed by the low turnout of people from the prison who attended but extremely blessed by the participation of our fellowship, many took the day off work to help prepare and serve. The guards and their families who did come certainly were well attended and ministered to. We are now praying about holding an event for all the women prisoners in Mexicali prison.

We would appreciate your prayers for the following:
Women's conference April 15-16
Children's outreach April 31
 Mothers Day dinner May 7
Children worship nights in the field on Wednesdays

Thank you for your prayers, we can't do anything worth doing without them.
John, Laurie, Dawn and Brandi

Update From The Takamiya's - April 2011
Posted: 4/12/2011

Tokorozawa  
 Earthquake Update April 2011

Howzit everyone. I just got back from the Tohoku area last night and I thought I'd give an update on the trip while stuff is still fresh on the brain. I know I'm not going to remember everything, but I'll try to be as thorough as possible. I figure the longer I wait to write this down, the stories will get more and more spectacular so I better hurry so these true tales don't become tall tales. You know how that is. So get out your reading glasses, it's going to be a long one... or just read a little at a time... and sorry for no pictures.

Day 1. Monday, April 4th. We loaded up the van at 6 in the morning here in Tokorozawa. Pastor Bill Stonebraker from Calvary Chapel Honolulu was there. So was Pastor Rich Rose from CC Fuchu in Tokyo and Mr. Hirota, a father of one of the kids who attend the kindergarten there at CC Fuchu. As well as myself. It didn't take too long, to load up our boxes in two mini vans. Logan came over to help us load up too. Then we headed into Ayase, Tokyo to pick up Kiyomasa and Taeko Akashi (Logos Christian Fellowship) and their stuff. In no time we were headed up to the Tohoku Region. Everything fit in the vans... I didn't have to strap anything to the roof rack. We made some magnetic signs for our cars saying we were bringing in relief in hopes that they would treat us as official vehicles and allow us to ride on the expressway without paying any tolls. It was worth a shot. And praise the Lord it worked. Just some little blessings along the way. After a quick stop on the way for lunch at a highway stop, and some light snow flurries, we made it to Sendai City in Miyagi Prefecture around noon. We were going to stay at Kiyomasa's parents house in West Sendai. Their house wasn't affected at all by the earthquake three weeks ago and they were too way inland for any tsunami. Mr. and Mrs. Saito, Kiyo's parents were such a joy. Sparkplugs for Jesus. So full of love for the Lord and so willing to share the Gospel with people. Both of them received Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior about 8 years ago and are quick to remind everyone that it's never too late to do so.    He shared their experience the past few weeks. He shared with us the stats on the tsunami. They had measured that in some places the tsunami had reached heights of over 120 feet. After rearranging some of our supplies, we headed northeast to a peninsula called Shichigahama, about 20 miles, a 90 minute drive. We learned that essentially all the roads would be opened, and that just that day gas stations were returning to normal. People were regaining water, gas and electricity. The Saito's had some family friends who were in an evacuation shelter there who wanted a few things. As we drove out of the city we began to see the destruction. Mud, debris, smashed cars, fallen houses. Stuff you see on the news. We arrived at the evac center and they let us go in and check things out. We went into one of the rooms, probably about 7 or 8 families were in there. We proceeded to hand out some things, blow up a couple of air mattresses for some of the older folks, and hand out some snacks and gospel tracts. We had brought some stuff for the kids so we handed those out as well. Rich and I made a few balloons. Fun... until they pop! We began to hear many of the stories of what happened. What is there to say to them? There was a gal in her late teens/early 20's who was reading one of the tracts so Kiyo approached her and asked her about what she thought. She mentioned she was a Christian. She proceeded to share her experience. She was at a public bath ready to go in when the original earthquake hit. She quickly threw on a robe and ran outside to her car. As she was getting into her car people were shouting about the tsunami. And as she looked up, there it was, before she could get in. She was swept away before a stranger grabbed her and pulled her to safety. Praise the Lord for His protection for her. As she's telling the story, her hands were shaking, I tried to picture the scene in my head but couldn't even imagine how it all happened. What she felt, what she saw. Again, what do you say? Kiyo prayed with her. The best medicine for sure. After we left Shichigahama we headed a few miles west to Rifu and Tagajo. Kiyo's sister and her family live in Rifu on higher ground so their home was safe from the tsunami. We arrived there early evening, greeted by Kiyo's sister and middle school nephew. She shared her story with us as well. She worked for Sony in Tagajo. As the earthquake hit, all the workers ran outside to do a head count. Then as the tsunami was coming in, they all ran back inside. Remember, they were a few miles inland. But the tsunami still came through, destroying the first floors of the buildings, she and many others saw their cars washed away. She shared how it got dark. They had to spend the night there, 200-300 of them. No one was hurt. They didn't have food. No communication. She shared how throughout the night they could hear people outside calling for help but couldn't see where they were as the tsunami pushed through. The next morning, no help arrived so they all proceeded to walk home in knee-high, freezing, sea water. Quite a story. We praise the Lord she was safe. We continue to pray for her and her family that she may come to know the Lord in a personal way.
We headed home and from there and called it a night.

Day 2. Tuesday, April 5th. Up at 6. Breakfast and devotions. Hirota-san, from Fuchu, is not a Christian, but he joined in. We're praying that through this whole experience we would realize the need for a Savior. And receive the grace given us. Jesus died on the cross for us and shed His blood so we can have eternal life, a relationship with Him. Doesn't get easier than that. We're praying for Hirota-san for sure. We headed out around 8 am. This time Mr. and Mrs. Saito remained back so there was just the six of us. We made plans to head up to Ishinomaki, 25m northeast along the coast. Ishinomaki was hit really hard by the tsunami, and up until today they had the most casualties as well. Rich had a family in the school with relatives that were in need of some things so we headed out there to bring the supplies. As we headed up there, about an hour/halfway in, we decided to head into one of the smaller towns along the way and see if they needed anything. We pulled into a small convenience store in Higashi Matsushima city, in little town of about 800 homes called, Ushiama. As Kiyo stuck his head into the empty store to see if anyone needed anything, an old man came out to his truck and proceeded to lead us to a community evacuation center. As we drive up to the building, we see a few Japanese Self Defense force trucks and some guys dressed in camouflage. We see pockets of kids playing in the street so... we get out and start playing. Rich is a kid magnet. The foreigner with the strawberry nose. Gifted for sure. Rich and I start chatting with the kids. The rest of the gang go into the building. We offer whatever we have. And it really wasn't accepted much. And frankly speaking, I don't blame them... a bunch of foreigners coming in offering to help. But we just continued to chat and listen. We heard some amazing stories. We heard from a teen mom, how her friend threw her two kids into the car and tried to drive away from the tsunami. The next day the husband found the car, with his family in it, dead. Tragic stories. Again, what do you say? So we listened. We swapped fishing stories with some of the guys who work on the tuna boats. Eventually we met the head of the center, Mr. Chiba. He reminded me of a friend in Molokai, Junior. Don't know if you're reading this Junior, but I found your Japanese twin. We were instructed to register with the government. Do things through all the former channels before we could help. And so we continued to listen. And we heard more and more. We heard how this particular evac center had essential needs, but otherwise were overlooked by the government. As we looked around we could understand why. Many houses were standing, but were unlivable. About six feet of water had roared right through taking out the bottom floors of structures. But the destruction was nowhere near as bad as some of the other places that you see in the news. From where I was standing, it was bad... but I guess compared to other towns not as bad. So we continued to chat and listen. We learned that for three weeks they've been cleaning. No way to wash their clothes. They had basic utilities... water, gas, and electricity... but no washing machines. So we made a few phone calls and with the donations of many of you were able to secure 6 little washing machines. It's such a blessing to be a part of the body of Christ. We thought of shipping it up as we heard that the delivery trucks were now able to come, but Rich had called a guy, Mr. Miwa, from his church who had a truck and he was willing to drive it all up the next day. Again, praise the Lord for the family we have in Him. We continued to chat and listen. And the Lord allowed us to find favor with the folks.    There was another crew of guys from CC Okinawa, CC Naha, CC Iwakuni and CC Kokubunji who had lots of relief supplies and were on their way to Ishinomaki and we were able to hook up and they brought their blessings to share as well. Jackets, underwear, gas stoves... you name it, they had it. Praise the Lord! Two huge vans full! The folks were stoked to receive such blessings. I thank the Lord for all the fellas. I thank the Lord for all His provision. As we were getting ready to leave, we had heard that they had onigiri (rice balls) and miso soup provided for them for meals every day, so we asked if we could bring some other meat and have a BBQ the next day. We figured, hey why not eat something other than rice and soup. And, hey, we know BBQ. And they gratefully accepted. We were excited. We made some calls down to Mr. Miwa and he got together some frozen chickens, BBQ grills and other things we needed. Around Sendai, things were slim pickings, so it was a blessing to have Miwa for sure to drive some of those things up the next day. So we said our goodbyes... looking forward to seeing them the next day. In the afternoon we followed the Calvary Tohoku Relief gang up to Ishinomaki. You can read lots of their updates and calvarytohokurelief.blogspot.com. They have been ministering up in Ishinomaki for the past couple weeks. Ishinomaki was surreal, to say the least. Everything you see on the news, we saw. Cars piled up. Mangled trees. Buildings flattened. The smell of mud and sea water... for you Hawaii people, imagine the Ala Wai Canal in one nostril and Pearl Harbor in the other. Ishinomaki has a big fish processing plant on the water and as the tsunami came through it scattered frozen fish and seafood all around. The smell was incredible. We were led to a supermarket where on the rooftop there was a parking lot. Up on the second floor, folks had gathered and were living there. So we drove up there and handed out some supplies. Continue to pray for those folks. For this town of Ishinomaki. For the relief work. Many people are helping. Pray that through all of this the love of the Lord will be preeminent. We split up in Ishinomaki from the other crew and headed back to Sendai to shop for stuff for the BBQ. We pushed 8-10 baskets of stuff down the aisles. God a lot of looks. But we always get a lot of looks anyway. ;)

Day 3. Wednesday, April 6th. Early morning breakfast and devos again. Then we made a plan to try and get up north to Onagawa, in the north part of Ishinomaki Bay. We figured we'd sing some worship songs at the BBQ so the Saito's made a few phone calls and found a guitar we could use so we went to get it along the way. Today we had the whole group, 8 of us. We drove to Shiogama on Matsuhima Bay to get the guitar at a salt plant from a family acquaintance. You could see the water damage here as well. Mr. Saito, on fire for Jesus, continued to share the Gospel with the gentleman who lent us his guitar. Kiyo's parents used to own a karaoke restaurant/pub and so they have all these people that they minister to. So we continue up further north but the traffic was pretty bad. So we didn't make it to Onagawa. We didn't want to be late to the Higashi Matsushima folks so we took a detour back into Ishinomaki and headed for the waterfront. We drove around in the mangled chaos and looked for folks who needed stuff. We dropped off a stove and gas to a hospital, and to people along the way. We continued to pray for divine appointments and those in need. I can get a little overwhelming seeing everything, wanting to help people... it's easy to get emotional, so we asked the Lord to continue to guide our steps.

Then we proceeded back the the BBQ. Mr. Miwa was almost there and we met up with him on the way. We drove all the stuff in and presented it to the evac center. The washing machines, and other stuff.    Then we proceeded to light up the grills. We had some 3 stooges moments, Bill and I, trying to use gasoline to fast-start the Japanese coals. Come to find out, Mr. Chiba was an owner of a yakitori stand. We could tell he was laughing at us inside as we were prepping. Where are the fire starter and briquettes when you need them? Eventually we got it all going. Everyone as pitching in. Someone had even donated a box of salmon. And the grilling began. We thought dinner time was at 5:30, but by 4:45 the line had formed. We were told about 200 people would come and eat, and it looked it. Fun stuff for sure. Nothing like getting busy for the Lord. The other crew came back, Rick, Glenn, Masaru, Robert, Mike Silva and his son Jacob. Also Maxx, Chihiro, Toki and a couple other kids from the L'abri Church in Sendai where they were staying. They set up more clothes and goods. and the block party began! Teriyaki chicken. Sausages. Grilled salmon. Cabbage salad. What a blessing from the Lord to have this stuff to share. Great to be reminded of the entire body of Christ, here and abroad, praying and supporting the Lord's work.

One side story. Yesterday, as we were driving around Bill had seen a Yamaha upright piano upside-down, half buried in mud on the side of the road. He was wondering if it worked, so today as we were setting up, we drove the truck to the piano, flipped it over, pounded some of the keys and saw that it essentially worked, and then hauled it back to the evac center. As the night went on, Mr. Chiba set up some lights around the piano and we worshiped the Lord with it. I told the folks I only knew worship songs and they didn't mind at all, we played and sang. They requested Amazing Grace. Mr. Saito even got up and danced as sang , "Lord, I Lift Your Name On High" with the guitar. Definitely a Jesus moment. The scripture that came to mind was in Isaiah 61.
Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.” 4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations. 5 Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, And the sons of the foreigner Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. 6 But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, They shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, And in their glory you shall boast. 7 Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs. 8 “For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery for burnt offering; I will direct their work in truth, And will make with them an everlasting covenant. 9 Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles, And their offspring among the people. All who see them shall acknowledge them, That they are the posterity whom the LORD has blessed.” 10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth brings forth its bud, As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
What was left for destruction and despair... this dirty, damaged piano... was used to glorify the Lord of Heaven and Earth. What a picture of His amazing grace! After all the people had eaten, we called the Japanese Self Defense Force guys over and they ate as well, all 40 of them. There was enough food for everyone! Praise the Lord!
As the night winded down, Mr. Chiba and some of the other men joined in the cleaning and told us that they would take care of the rest in the morning. And we asked if we could pray. So we all joined hands, made a big circle and just prayed for them. We prayed for the Lord's strength and blessing. Again, the reality is, we go home, they stay and clean and continue to deal with all of this. This one night was in some ways a return to normalcy for some. Food and fellowship... that is how the Lord did it.

We told them we look forward to being back. That if there were any needs at all to give us a call.    We are looking to plan more visits out here to just be with them to share the Love of Christ and to help with whatever they need... cleaning, hauling, watching kids, whatever. The Lord led us here and so we just want to be obedient so it looks like here is where we will be returning to help. Remember them all in your prayers. Mr. Chiba. The folks in Ushiama, Higashi Matsushima City. We know unless the Lord softens hearts to receive, all the strength and strategy in the world won't matter. So we continue to pray. Great night. Praise the Lord. Absolutely a God moment. The Holy Spirit was here today.

Day 4. Thursday, April 7th. Last day before heading home. We're going to miss Kiyo's parents. Those are the kinds of folks you'd just love to have in your church. We'll see them again soon, I'm sure. In the morning we headed to Wakabayashi-ku in East Sendai to visit Yuko. Yuko used to be at our church in Tokorozawa before moving to the Tohoku region to be closer to family a few years ago. We heard soon after the earthquake that she was safe and we continued to stay in contact. We were so looking forward to seeing her again and fellowshipping with her. She shared with us her story. She was at the train station when everything went down. The she couldn't return to her apartment because the tsunami was on it's way. Praise the Lord it didn't reach her apartment, but came about 5 blocks from it. The airport near her was demolished. In fact, it was in Wakabayashi-ku where, on the night of the tsunami, they found 200-300 dead bodies. From her apartment we could see the surrounding areas. We thanked the Lord she was safe and prayed that the Lord would continue to use her as salt and light in the area. So good to see another sister. We hope to see her again very soon. We headed out once again and on the way home we decided to do some grunt work. Kiyo's folks and friends in Soma, Fukushima who had a farm that needed some work. The tsunami came through and covered everything in salty, gray mud. So after buying a few supplies we headed down there. As we approached, the devastation there was crazy. The ocean must have been at least 3-4 miles away and you could see a straight shot there... mud and junk. Well we arrived at the Takahashi's and proceeded to remove stuff from their storage barn. Lots of mud. Fishing equipment. Farming equipment. It was like we were in our own episode of Dirty Jobs. Kiyo and Rich removed all the tatami from inside the house. Bill and Hirota-san were beasts when it came to taking out all kinds of debris in the dark mud. The time flew by and soon we had to head out to get Bill to the airport. We said our goodbyes. We told them we'd like to come back and help more, which we intend on doing, and we hit the road. The drive was a little longer than we thought because we couldn't use the expressway because that would have passed us right by the Nuclear plant. No way they would let us through there. So we drove around it. Eventually we all returned home safely. I got home after midnight. Took a good shower and lay down next to my wife in my bed. Nice.

Great trip. So blessed to see the Lord do His thing and allow us to come along for the ride. And we continue to pray for the folks there. Again, we want to help, but more than that we want to give hope. So that is what went on. I know it's kind of long. We know there are so many helping. So many praying. So many in need. And our prayer is that the Lord simply leads, each one of us individually. And when we as Christians are led that way, we all end up together. Please continue to pray. For the folks in Ushiama, Higashi Matsushima. For those in Shichigahama. For those in Ishinomaki. For those in Shiogama and Rifu and Tagajo. Pray for Kiyo's family. Pray for Hirota-san and his family. Pray for all the groups helping. For Crash Japan, (crashjapan.org). For Calvary Tohoku Relief (calvarytohokurelief.blogspot.com). For all the other organizations reaching out to the community with physical and spiritual needs. On the way home there was another big earthquake in the region. Some places power went out. Some places had another tsunami warning... small one. People are frazzled. Pray that the seeds planted, through love, Bibles, tracts, friendships will sprout much fruit for the Kingdom of God.

Til the last one's saved,
Aloha and God bless you,
Travis, Dawn, Erika and Evan Takamiya
Calvary Chapel Tokorozawa
www.calvarytokorozawa.com