One of the principles in Asian Access is that healthy churches grow. It’s why we spend so much time investing in key leaders’ personal walk with God and their growth in him. Because, when we are deeply embedded with Christ, we are naturally very fruitful. Many of those leaders were on display in Tohoku (Northeast Japan) for a few days at Vision Festa, a gathering of pastors, missionaries and NGO leaders coming together to share God’s vision for Japan. I was deeply touched by them and many pictured in these photos are key partners of Asian Access/Japan. They shared about Strawberry Patch Evangelism. That even small little strawberry plants are quick to reproduce because they shoot stems into the soil nearby and next thing you know you have an entire patch. And, they shared about Pomegranate church planting where a single fruit has hundreds of seeds to spread around and start new fellowships...
What a joy it was for me to participate with Bishop Efraim Tendero at the World Evangelical Alliance gathering of Associate Members to brainstorm the future of the movement. I was so inspired by Bishop Ef’s style of leadership: so humble, so gracious, so serving. And, he invited us in to see the inner workings and problems the WEA is facing. He asked us to speak into their life and growth. Very few leaders do this! I was impressed… You may know that Bishop Ef was the key person to help us begin getting connected in the Philippines so I credit him with opening the doors and networks and today, Asian Access/Philippines is off to a great start! One of the highlights of our week...
I’ve been inspired by pastors in Japan when 70 or more gathered in Northern Japan for a movement called Vision Festa. It’s a movement of people with a passion for church planting and I’m eager to share their stories… Those will come later though. For now, why is church planting so important? When so many people are down on the local church these days, why would I believe church planting is so important and why are these leaders coalescing around this fresh vision? Missiologist Peter Wagner once said, “Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven.” Pastor Tim Keller picked up on this theme as well. Check out his post on the same subject, Why Church Planting? Everywhere I have gone, I’ve seen these truths displayed...
A few weeks ago, Dr. Nelson Jennings from Onnuri Church took me on a historical tour of some of the Christian history of Japan in Hokkaido. What a treat! Dr. Jennings and I were there for Onnuri Church’s Love Sonata evangelism gatherings which was fabulous, by the way. The conference, praise rally, and seminars revolving around the Love Sonata outreach were amazing and the gathering itself was filled with remarkably talented artists and musicians, sharing the story of God’s love. Pastor Jaehoon Lee, a good friend, shared a wonderful message that evening that I’m sure will stay with people for many years.
On one of the days though, Dr. Jennings took me around Sapporo and we toured Hokkaido University where Dr. William Smith Clark made a profound and lasting impact...
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending my first Love Sonata in Sapporo. It’s an evangelistic event held 2-4 times per year here in Japan inspired and led by Onnuri Church from Seoul, Korea. It was inspiring as you’ll likely see from the pictures posted here. And, if you’d like to watch the entire event, you can on...
This past Sunday Silk and I had the privilege of spending a meal and afternoon with Dee Wirz. Dee is completely 43 years of ministry in Japan with us next month and we wanted some special time with just the few of us. What a joy it was being with her. It came following our annual staff retreat where many staff honored Dee and a letter was read from our founder, Ken with his wife Jan, as well as a skype from my predecessor Doug and his wife Jeanie. The impact Dee has made for the kingdom in Japan (and China)...
As you may know, 2017 marks our 50th year in ministry. There are many things through the years to fondly remember and thank God for; there are also many new initiatives that the Lord is leading us to pursue in the coming years. And I would like you to set aside an evening on October 21 in Pasadena, California to celebrate this milestone anniversary with me. In Jakarta this past April, we celebrated with our Asian brothers and sisters. We enjoyed a great time of remembering what God has done and envisioning what he has for Asian Access in the future. I have reported on this event on our blog, which you can access here...
Living in Japan brings all sorts of new life experiences for me. Stateside I focus mostly on ministry and family but here in Tokyo, Silk and I share house duties more because she is teaching and we live in a world that requires us to do more teamwork when it comes to daily living. Areas where I try to help out are weekly shopping, cleaning the dishes and once in a while laundry. No one trusts me with cooking so this is the best I can offer and all of these things I rarely participate in stateside. It certainly helps me grow as a Christ-like leader. It helps me develop character, one of the biggest challenges in Christian leadership today...
Not long ago, one of my doctoral committee members suggested that the core of my dissertation research was very much in line with some new thinking related to the concept of the Medici Effect. You can learn more about this through Frans Johansson’s book of the same title linked above.
"We tend to overcomplicate the simplicity of listening to Jesus." — Tony Dale
Not long ago I had the privilege of participating in one of our Asian Access sessions where Tony and Felicity Dale were teaching. It was brilliant and their stories inspired me.
Today, they lead a Christ-centered business that is on mission and...
Our capstone day for Asian Access Jubilee in Jakarta focused on the perfect theme: The Future is Now!
Dr Ajith Fernando led us in another in-depth devotional focusing on one of the core components to the fruitfulness of Asian Access. He called it "Spiritual Parenthood" but others may call it mentoring or discipleship. It was a powerful metaphor for me given the history and trajectory of our week. You see, Asian Access holds something unique for an organization. Every leader we’ve had within the movement invests in me as the next generation leader. They stand beside me, behind me and support me along the way...
Throughout the week, I share the story about my faith journey A LOT. As a mobilizer with SIM, I’m one of the first conversations people have with us as they seek to discern God’s calling for them in His kingdom work around the world. An important part of every conversation is getting to share my journey and inviting the person on the call to share theirs.
A favorite line I like to share in my story is “If you don’t have a firm sense of your identity in Christ, and you don’t have a firm sense of His calling on your life, then you probably shouldn’t try to teach middle school English!”
I first heard about what God was doing on your campus on Friday, February 10. At the SIM USA sending office, we take our motto By Prayer very seriously. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, we come together corporately for a chapel service to pray over each one of our fields and our missionaries. On Mondays and Fridays, we do the same, but this time we gather in smaller groups by our departments. One of my coworkers brought up what God was doing on your campus, and we began to pray for you.
By Linda Koyama
Hi, I’m Linda. Nice to meet you. I’m currently writing from Yamagata, Japan, where my family is partnering with a local church. You’ve probably never heard of Yamagata. Don’t worry, neither did I until it was presented as one of the potential prefectures we’d be serving in.
So where exactly is Yamagata? Think north of Tokyo about 200 miles (300 kilometers), or a 4 1/2 hour drive by car. It’s in the southern part of the Tohoku region, closer to the Japan Sea side (rather than the Pacific Ocean side). It’s definitely not one of Japan’s hot tourist spots, but this region is known for its ski slopes, onsens, and delicious fruits.
By Tia Blassingame
Okay, if you look like me you probably started singing that song title and know exactly where I got it from. Perfect, because it has been playing in my head all week! This is truly a different world. Right now, I am at a homestay with my onēsan (pronounced ohnay-sahn) and her family. That term right there is already different vocabulary for you I’m assuming. Onēsan is “older sister” and a “homestay” is when you stay overnight (or more than one night) with a family. In basic “Tia terms” (that’s me), I’m at a sleepover with my sis and her fam. Let me backtrack a bit...
Leaving what I’ve found:
You helped me find my true self.
Wishing you were here.
During one of my first annual Asian Access retreats in Japan, Dr. Sue Takamoto led all of us first-term missionaries through a special training specifically designed for our experience. One of her warm-up exercises had us flexing some of our creative muscles: we were to write haiku that showcased our experiences during our first term. I wrote the above haiku for my church family back home in St. Louis.
By Kent Muhling
I sometimes pray Psalm 143:8 at the beginning of my morning devotions. It reads,
“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.”
International (A3) — Asian Access, known widely as A2, is expanding its ministry into some of the most dangerous and volatile parts of the world.
February 3, 2023
Friends of Asian Access,
I am thrilled to announce today that Asian Access has a new name. I have been waiting a long time to tell you, and I have simply been bursting to get this out there!
February 3 (2.3.23) is the day we have targeted to share the news of the ministry's expansion which is also driving the moment for a new name for the organization. I think you'll agree it's a wonderful connection to the past and a bridge to the next era of ministry to which we're called. Stay tuned for this exciting news!
go2japan is proudly sponsored by a strategic partnership for Japan . . .
