Hand in Hand Global Mission Support Blog Digest

Kyoko Yokoyama has been commuting twice a week to Tokyo from Sendai to attend training with Lyra Precaria.

Lyra Precaria is a pastoral harp ministry within the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church and sponsored by the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Association Foundation. This ministry, led by ELCA missionary Carol Sack, provides comfort to those facing death. (See The Lutheran, February 2010 and The Little Lutheran, October 2010.)

Yokoyama’s commitment to this ministry is not just personal, but expands beyond as she takes what she has learned with her Lyra Precaria learning group every week and shares this with a small group she formed at her church.

On March 11, Yokoyama’s husband and two children happened to be home at 2:46 when the Magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck. They saw the tsunami coming at them, and ran to get in the car.

And this is what happened next, in Yokoyama’s words: “In Lyra Precaria, I remember having read an assignment question, ‘What would you choose to take with you if you had to choose in an instant?’ I was prepared, and I said to my husband and kids: ‘Wait a minute – give me a hand!’ Together, they helped me take my harp and guitar to the second floor before we got in our car.”

Though located on a hill, Yokoyama’s house was directly hit by the tsunami. Miraculously, all members of her family escaped.

Later, when they were able to survey the damage, the whole first floor of their home was destroyed. But the tsunami waters did not reach the second floor, so her instruments were spared.

Yokoyama’s home is no longer usable. But she can continue her learnings with Lyra Precaria as she prepares to serve those in need of comfort. And there will be plenty of those in need of God’s comfort in the days and weeks ahead.

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Jim and Carol Sack, ELCA missionaries in Japan, provide an update after the earthquake and tsunami:

At our recent annual meeting of the East District of the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church, Franklin Ishida gave a report on what the ELCA is doing in response to the recent disasters in Japan. He reported that the ELCA would donate over $240,000. That news was received by a big ovation of applause.

The JELC also will be dispatching four pastors to the Sendai area to get a feel for what is happening and what the needs are there..

At some point Carol and I may provide counseling, grief support and healing music to those in need.

The frequency and strength of the aftershocks have reduced in recent days, and for that fact we are very thankful. At the same time the condition of the nuclear reactors remains a big concern. The good news is that the radiation levels remain unchanged, but radiation levels above normal have been detected in spinach and in milk surrounding the area around the reactors. This has brought on some new anxiety for us all.

Personally, this past week has been an experience of being in kairos (an appointed time in the purpose of God ) time and not chronos ( chronological or sequential) time. Since normal life had stopped and we were continuously in kind of an emergency mode, I had no sense of days as they were all just one after another. There was no Monday or Wednesday or Saturday; only one day at a time. Since we only had a couple of emergency meetings at school, time took on a new meaning. We woke up, did what was needed for the day and then went to sleep. This is such a strange and yet wonderful experience. There has been a sense of fully being in the present and not being driven by a clock.

We continue to ask for your prayers! Please pray for us personally, but especially for those who are still suffering because of these multiple disasters. Pray that God will provide wisdom to people who make decisions that will affect all of our lives.

May you all be filled with Peace at this time,
Jim and Carol Sack

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Six days after Ash Wednesday, we listen to BBC and wait as the whole world waits for more news out of Japan following the devastating earthquake.  We pray for our missionary colleagues serving in Japan.  Here in Lae we were on tsunami watch for about twelve hours, connected not only with our neighboring Pacific Islands but Chile, New Zealand, California, Hawaii, the Aleutian Islands.  We are fine here and had no effects of the tsunami.  A BBC commentator described the unsettledness of the Pacific Ocean as “a big bath tub”.  A big bath tub!  Could there be a more personal description of the vastness of this ocean that teams with life vital to our existence and movement reminiscent of the evening ritual of cleansing our children?  What makes sense in this huge, wonderful Earth that gives life and takes it away?

As we begin this Lenten journey, we have just returned to Papua New Guinea from a quick trip back to the United States, journeying to the place of my birth to attend the funeral for my mother, the one who gave Rod life.   We begin this journey a little groggy from jet lag, having traversed time zones, climates, emotions, and lifestyles that magnified both our differences and our similarities.   What a contrast in climate and culture that we have experienced in a matter of two weeks.  It was very cold back home in North Dakota, -  11 F on the day of my mother’s funeral, almost 100 degrees colder that it is in Papua New Guinea.  The ground in North Dakota was white, all covered with snow.  Back in PNG we live in a tropical paradise of palm trees, banana trees, some of the most beautiful flowers you will ever see and lush green vegetation everywhere and every day.  The culture and lifestyles of peoples living in these very different places in the world could hardly be more vivid and stark.

Yet somehow we all are dealing with some of the same issues of life and death.  Our friends and colleagues here in Papua New Guinea know death all too well, with young and old alike dying of diseases that would never cause death back in the US.  They prayed with us and shared our sorrows even as they were amazed that my mother was 87 years old.  Life expectancy here is 50-60 years old.  Our PNG friends supported us in our decision to make the long trip back home for my mother’s funeral since that would be assumed, no matter the cost or distance.  Of course you would go back to your “as ples,” your birthplace to honor your mother and be with family at this time of sorrow.  Family and birthplace define the Papua New Guinea people.

And so we went across that “big bath tub, called the Pacific Ocean back to my “as ples” North Dakota, the place of my birth.  We made the journey with your prayers and prayers of people all over this world, pointing out the global nature of our church.  We went on a journey made by every human being in this world at some time in their life, a journey back home to bury your mother, the one who gave us life.

We begin this Lenten journey this year thankful for each and every one of you who have made this journey with us and for the common bond that we all share in Christ Jesus, who unites all people of this world together in one holy and global church.  May God create in each of us a clean heart and put a new and right spirit within us.  May that new and clean spirit keep us bound together in God’s love, even as we live in our very different lands and places.

Rod Nordby and Nancy Anderson
ELCA Missionaries in Papua New Guinea.

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A letter from Timothy & Mari McKenzie, ELCA missionaries serving in Tokyo.

Timothy and Mari McKenzie

Dear Friends,

We send you greetings from the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church to whom we have been sent as ELCA missionaries, and from Japan Lutheran College and Japan Lutheran Theological Seminary where we are assigned.

The ELCA works together with the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church (JELC), which was founded out of American Lutheran missionary efforts that began in 1892. The JELC has two churches in Sendai city, in the area affected by the recent earthquake. At present the pastor, members and families of both of these churches – Sendai Lutheran Church and Tsurugaya Lutheran Church – are safe. We ask that you remember them in your prayers, however, that they would receive strength and peace, as they struggle with the uncertainty that this earthquake has brought to their area and that as churches they might be a source of hope to those around them.

One unique aspect of our Lutheran College and Seminary in Tokyo is that it is the school of not only the JELC, but also of the Japan Lutheran Church (JLC). The JLC was begun out of the missionary efforts of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod immediately after World War II.

Therefore, because of the close cooperation in mission and theological education that these two Japanese Lutheran churches share, we are also deeply concerned about the churches of the JLC that are also affected by the earthquake. For example, two JLC churches – Koreyama Lutheran Church and Fukushima Lutheran Church – are located just south of Sendai, in the middle of an area deeply affected by the earthquake. At Fukushima Lutheran Church, a wall in the sanctuary has collapsed in two places, but we give thanks that the members are safe. The members of Koreyama Church are also safe, but Koreyama is an area that has been  without telephone, water and gas (for heat and cooking). We also ask that you would remember our sisters and brothers at Fukushima and Koreyama Lutheran Churches in prayer. They are churches that support the theological education and seminary training of our college and seminary, and we are one with them through Christ’s body, the church.

We thank you for your sponsorship of our work in Japan, and for your sponsorship of the wider Global Mission of the ELCA. Your gifts help the ELCA and us to continue to participate in the life and ministries of the Lutheran church in Japan.

We know that we are all part of Christ’s body, the church, and that when one part of the body suffers we all suffer together. (1 Cor. 12:26). Please remember our sisters and brothers in Christ of both the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Japan Lutheran Church, that amidst their suffering, they might also offer healing and hope to this land so deeply affected by this tragic earthquake.

Sincerely in Christ,
Timothy & Mari McKenzie

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The traditional graduation Hakama style of a kimono.

An update from Carolyn Stypka in Japan:

My dear family and friends,

I am currently perfectly safe down in Kumamoto. I have fellow missionaries and friends living in the Tokyo area and northern parts up to Hokkaido, but all remain accounted for and safe, thank goodness. Here is a link to a blog that a fellow J3 in Tokyo wrote of her experience of earthquake:. http://ally-amerikajin.blogspot.com/

The destruction in some areas is horrific; I am lucky and thankful I was not nearer to the center of it all.

As the destruction, clean-up, and prevention continue here, please keep Japan in your prayers. It, I was especially struck by images of thousands of thousands of people in Tokyo walking home when the trains weren’t running. Over 4 million people were without power in Tokyo. High schools and junior highs were opening their doors to allow stranded people to stay overnight. I just saw coverage of an old man this morning at a school wrapped in a window curtain. He said, “Well, it was cold, and this is all I had to stay warm.”

I am just praying that the situation doesn’t worsen.

There also has been a recent  incident that has been hard on the people of Kumamoto. A 3-year-old girl was reported missing and then found murdered. She was killed in a bathroom of a supermarket not far from my school, and later her body was found in the river. One of the things that surprised me when I first came to Japan, was how independent small children are. It is not uncommon for 4- or 5-year-old children to walk themselves to school, or go to the park alone, or use the restroom in a supermarket. Japan is usually very safe in that regard.

In the meantime, the school year at Luther is nearing the end. We’ve now had three graduation ceremonies — High School, where Jen and I wore the traditional (graduation) Hakama style of a kimono, Junior High, and a special, very touching, service for a High School student. The boy had still not passed all his classes (English reading, I believe…) at the time of his fellow classmates graduation on March 1. His personal service included a message from our principal talking about the different paths people take in life; many of the people present were tearing up.

Lots of love,

Carolyn Stypka

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Nathan and Sharonette Bowman

A message and plea from Nathan and Sharonette Bowman in Japan:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We ask you to join with us in prayer for the many who have suffered loss of loved ones, property and their livelihood as a result of the massive
earthquake that has devastated northern Japan and has left its print on the life of all Japanese.

For Japan, this follows the tragedy of the
Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand, where many Japanese were among the victims.

Please pray for wisdom for the leaders, who will strive to bring the infrastructure back into function.

Please pray for a new longing for God, as people come face to face with their own powerlessness.

Please pray for a compassionate response of neighbor to neighbor, that even through this devastation, relationships could find new meaning, be restored and new relationships built.

We would like to assure you that we are well. We were not directly affected by the terrible earthquake and tsunami. We are on the southern island. Kumamoto faces the East China Sea. We have had some small earthquakes, usually about once or twice a month, and this one was mildly felt here.

We look forward to meeting with as many of you as we are able this summer. May God give you strength as you serve Him faithfully in your community.

In Christ,
Nathan & Sharonette Bowman

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Rebecca taught science in Namibia at Oshigambo High School. She did this for a couple years following studies that led to a PhD in molecular biology and immunology as well as a master’s in teaching. For Rebecca, mission service was a way for taking her into the realm of the practical, a way to serving God and church. After her mission service with the ELCA, she began studies in public health in order to further engage in global mission.

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The coffin is carried from the home of the deceased to the church. Preceded by the cross-bearer, the coffin is passed along by hand. Every male in the community takes part in carrying the coffin to the church.

Josh and Sue Magyar recently attended and photographed a funeral in Tanzania, where they are serving as ELCA missionaries. Here are some of their impressions:

As far as I know, it is uncommon in the United States to photograph a funeral. While a few shots of family and friends (the reunion aspect of the funeral) might be discreetly taken at the reception, I am fairly sure it is generally not appreciated to have photographers taking invasive pictures during the funeral procession and ceremony. Yet, continually we are reminded here in Tanzania that cultural stigmas are not universal. What is expected to happen (or to not happen) in various social settings is frequently quite different as one crosses into a different culture.

This has led to many awkward-feeling and sometimes humorous experiences for us as we cannot help but base what is “normal” on the norms of our home culture. Yet, we have learned to take care to listen, to ask many questions and to trust our new Tanzanian friends to tell us what is appropriate… as not to offend.

So, when we were recently asked by a colleague of mine, who is also a Lutheran pastor, to do just that—to photograph the funeral of his sister, we reluctantly accepted. In retrospect, no one seemed to mind in the slightest. Another Tanzanian pastor who was attending the funeral helped us, taking up one of our cameras to get some really close shots (I guess we were too shy). What we came away with was the documentation of a Christian funeral in an authentic Tanzanian village. It is our hope that, using this funeral as a lens, you might be able to see and appreciate the beauty of the Tanzanian culture.

Too see all of the photos taken at the funeral, go to Josh and Sue’s blog at joshandsue.blogspot.com.

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These two brides were part of a double wedding during a worship service in Tanzania.

Josh and Sue Magyar send greetings from Tanzania and these thoughts about how weddings are observed there.

We’ve had the opportunity to attend worship at the Sokoine Lutheran Church—one of our Maasai congregations in the Morogoro Diocese. One particular Sunday was not just any ordinary Sunday, however, as the worship service included two weddings.

This is not out of the ordinary here in Tanzania — to celebrate weddings within the order of worship on a Sunday morning. In my opinion, it’s not a bad idea either. Once you get past the extended length of the worship service (about four hours), you see how the weddings are important to the community of faith as much as the community is important to the families of the bride and groom.

Also, the hopeful and perhaps vulnerable nature of people when they are tying the knot lends itself well to the prayer life of church. When else do we make such a profound leap of faith without truly knowing what the future will hold for us than at a wedding?

Having this ceremony as part of the worship service — where we honor God, who gives us life, guidance and promise of security/salvation — just before the prayers of the church makes total sense.

We’ve also noticed that at the three weddings we have been to this year, the brides (and to a lesser extent the grooms) have remained stoic, or even sad, during the wedding.

At this wedding we asked the best man to explain why the brides were so sad, staring at the floor and even sniffling during the vows, while the rest of the people were in a joyous mood. It is customary, he said, for a bride to respect her family in this way. The wedding marks her exit from her parents’ household and her arrival in the new home she will make with her husband. It would be disrespectful to show too much joy about leaving someone who has taken care of you since birth, he said.

So while in America it seems natural for the bride and groom to be happy on their wedding day, in Tanzania it is the opposite. But many people assured us that, although these couples displayed their sadness, they were not sad about the marriage.

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