Praying in JapanJon Petersen - 31 Mar 2011
Last week we heard how at a gathering of 24-7's international leaders God spoke about Japan, that 'the time was now' and we needed to commission and send the wonderful Jon Petersen back to the land of his birth to help the church to pray. This is his first update.
Saints and others... Well I'm in Japan, in the swirl and swimming upstream. After a long trip, no sleep, and a long train ride to the CrashJapan team hub in Saitama Prefecture... I"m doing GREAT!! The CrashJapan team is a network of missionaries and Japanese coordinating a massive response to the needs in northern Japan. This Friday we'll be gathering with nearly 1000 believers in Tokyo to pray, inform and mobilize the efforts in the Sendai region. Their website is one of the most informative sources of information and encouragement currently available. Check it out!
Today I was able (with help of two young brothers) to launch the first "9/3.5" Prayer Room. (We have three and a half days left in this facility and nine hours a day in the office until Friday.) Nearly 50 volunteers are coordinating the relief effort, media communication and volunteer coordination for the project - all with laptops in front of them and bleary eyes they need prayer. They are now cycling to the Prayer Room, praying for each other and praying for the four loves:
- Love for God,
- Love for the Church,
- Love for the Japanese and
- Love for the land.
With so much busyness it was an uphill struggle, but we finally found a room, the materials, and the permission to set up the prayer space - now we're flying and people are loving it. Pray that people will see that all successful Kingdom work comes out of prayer! This is still a fairly new concept here, especially in the light of the immense sorrow and pressure of the immediate constantly mitigating against being with God.
Now the the CrashJapan team is considering setting up five hubs inside the quake zone that will receive the relief supplies, distribute them, provide grief counselling and set up prayer stations at each location. This last is the least developed, yet there is a need to engage Japanese believers in being onsite to pray for the workers but especially to provide prayer for the homeless and the sorrowful in each of the hub areas. Andy Game and I are now discussing strategies for setting up prayer stations in the quake zone and setting up a strategy for mobilising Japanese and foreign teams to come and man prayer rooms at each "centre." This will take a lot of wisdom and some miracles from the Lord himself - pray.
My goal in all of this is to be led by the Lord to the right people in Japan who will be able to lay long term foundations in the church through prayer and unity for the sake of the lost. With so much energy rightly focused on the current needs, I'm convinced nonetheless, that we need to build primarily for the future.
The Japanese are shell shell-shocked, out of control of their environment and being aided by foreigners - all things they find exceedingly difficult. Pray for the Spirit of God to invade the vacuum in the hearts of people. There is mounting unity, focused and meaningful response to the overwhelming needs and a rising sound of prayer from the church. There is a long way to go, but the pervading feeling is that this is the time for Japan.
Pray!!