2017 holds a lot of promise for us this next year. Asian Access is really thrilled with what’s in store, and I'm excited to just share with you a few of those ventures that are upcoming:
First and foremost is our 50th anniversary—our Jubilee in Jakarta. I hope you'll join us for that. As a...
A couple months ago, our national directors and key working team members from each country gathered for some rich times of fellowship, growing together and learning in community.
It was time well spent as we dug into creative ways to share in the Asian Access communities. As you can see in these pictures, we had a lot of fun together! My colleague...
To all our friends out there—supporters, family, those of you who walk beside us, we're grateful for you. And we want to wish you a very Happy New Year in 2017!
God bless you. We love you guys!
On behalf of everyone at Asian Access...
How would you like your church to be called “Mr. Christ”?That’s what people are calling the Church in action in Kumamoto, Japan following the devastating disaster that occurred earlier this year. As the collective Church sprung up and has been serving the community, people have not seen them as cults or different denominations, ...
The Ghost Town of FukushimaI was deeply encouraged by Pastor Sato this week as he shared about the Ghost Town of Fukushima. You see, more than five years ago, his city, home and church had to be evacuated because of the meltdown of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant near his home.
His church went on a journey famously called the Exodus Church while...
What an exciting year it's been for us at Asian Access! We have so much to celebrate. We have many milestones that we've hit this past year in 2016, and I just want to share a few of them, even though there are many, many more. First and foremost for my family and me is that we got to move to Japan. We've been based in L.A. for the past eight years, but this year we moved to Japan to lead the ministry, and what a thrill it is. It couldn't be a more exciting season to be in the country of Japan. Reports are coming out five years after the triple disaster. National leaders are saying that they are having response rates to Christ more than three times normal in the disaster area. One network alone has seen responses to Christ...
Some of you know that our neighbor gave us an invitation to spend Thanksgiving or Christmas together with their family. Well, the story get’s even better… As you’ll see in these photos, the first invite is pictured here first and then came the second. Oh my! Silk wrote a nice note to our neighbor giving them some sweets from Kyoto where we had just spent Thanksgiving as a family. Their response was a bundle of joy!
Christmas Greetings, Dear Friends!
We want to read a few words from Isaiah: "For to us a child is born, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
And from the Gospel of Matthew: "Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name 'Emmanuel,' which means God...
Reasons to be Hopeful in JapanI’m so happy to be living in Asia, and most specifically here in Tokyo. Japan is known as the “Land of the Rising Sun” and it is this light that I find myself most hopeful these days.
You see, I’ve been bombarded with messages of inspiration ever since moving here in August! It’s such a...
We had so much fun last week at our Kanto Thanksgiving Gathering. One of the highlights was meeting with some potential missionaries to Japan who had a wonderful story of how they met and how God called them to Japan. Hearing how they had met with so many people who discouraged them about Japan but then meeting with Asian Access gave them a sense of hope in serving here really warmed my heart! They also asked great questions! One of them was asking Jeffery Sonnenberg (pictured here with his wife Akiko) why we encourage church planters to work together. In other words, What’s the value of...
"Joe, I cherish A2. It helped to save my marriage."
"Joe, I cherish A2."The woman speaking these words is the wife of a key national leader in a country, which, for security reasons, I can’t identify. I have had the privilege of knowing “Linda” (not her real name) and her husband for many...
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!
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