Two New Videos!

Two new videos from Japan!!  These videos are very informational and can really let you know how things have been in Japan since the earthquake and tsunami.  Dan Iverson is the missionary in the videos… he is the team leader for the MTW (Mission To the World) team stationed there in Japan.

Just Another Day Video

this video is taken from a trip that was a combination of several missionaries and churches.  Prior to this trip, the Tokyo newspaper had an article about how one of these small churches was taking relief to the north.  After that story, many non-Christians came and wanted to join the effort as well.  Also, another church sent many of their youth to help out.  So the trip ended up consisting of non-Christians and youth, which made for a life changing trip for everyone involved!

You really think its worth that price?

i am currently at a really cool young family’s house just having some good ’ole-fashion fellowship! He is currently studying Japanese and once finished he will be reaching out to the youth/college folks. Unlike America, most of the universities have no believers or ministries to spread the Gospel… so unless someone goes to them and meets them where they are at, there is a 99.5% chance that they will never hear the Gospel.

Cultural Insight

So is this kind of work easy? Here is some insight into the Japanese people and culture. They are a very polite/respectful society. Honestly, that was one of the things that most stood out and impressed me. Everyone is so nice! You go to McDonalds and the customer service treats you like you’re at a five-star restaurant! There is basically a respect and honor code toward others that everyone follows. For instance, I accidentally left $500 on the train, and someone turned it in. Crime is almost nonexistent… a girl can walk around at any time of the night and she is as safe as can be.

So while it is amazing, it is also having a negative impact. Because everyone is trying to be honorable and respectful, they hide their true feelings and expression. No one shares how they really feel… so they actually stop feeling in a sense. For instance, during TV talk shows, they have a face in the corner that will show the viewers how they are supposed to react or respond to what is being said. If the host says something funny, the face will start laughing hysterically. Then if they say something shocking, an over-the-top shocking “awe” expression is shown. And since they don’t really know how to express or respond to feelings, no one asks any questions that deal with feelings. So spiritual questions are foreign in this land. The people just don’t know how to respond to them. That’s why street evangelism or “cold contact” just doesn’t work here. The only thing that does work is relationship evangelism. They have to see a difference in your life over time. And that takes time!

Another barrier to the Gospel is that the Japanese are such a “good” society, so respectful and honorable, that they don’t even have a word for “sin!” The only word that comes close is “crime.” And they would agree that crime is sin and that criminals are bad people. But since not everyone is a criminal worthy of jail, therefore it’s hard to convince these good, honorable people that they have sinned too!

Well, those are just some thoughts for you about Japan. Feel free to leave comments or ask questions! I would love some interaction 🙂

Whats Been Happening

Now, to give you a quick update on what is happening. I am still in Chiba and working with Mission to the World (MTW). I’m helping them with different communication projects. Part of that is video. On my “Story Time” post I told of a trip we made to Ishinomaki and Minamisanriku. Below is the video of that trip. MTW partnered with Grace City (one of the church plants that was started in downtown Tokyo) to take supplies and give these hungry people their first hot meal in months! The cool thing about this trip is that most of the people helping were actually non-believers!! People in the community heard about what the church was doing and wanted to get involved. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be able to build relationships and let them experience the Body in action. The town being served and the non-believers helping were all able to see the true love of Christ… unhindered and unafraid. Powerful stuff!!

We served at two different locations in the video. The first is a town that has been without electricity and hasn’t had enough food. We gave them fresh, hot food which they haven’t had in a long time. It meant so much to them. Then we went up to a refugee shelter in Minamisanriku. This is the town without a church and was 90% destroyed from the tsunami. Then just a few days ago, it was hit with a second earthquake that caused even more damage and loss of electricity. Hundreds of people huddled in a gym… without running water. It was hard to see how they are living.

This is the area that the Church leaders are hoping to start a new Church plant. Since people are hurting from this disaster, long-hidden feelings are starting to show and the Japanese people are even beginning to ask questions. This is a unique opportunity for the Body of Christ to use this opening of feelings to reach these people! It is a CRUCIAL time and the Body needs to step out in faith to see the Gospel reach this town that has NEVER had a church in its world history. Pray for boldness and sacrifice. Is this town worth all the cost of supplies, fuel, time, discomfort, and stress? Will the Gospel cost one’s entire life? Is it worth the price?

GraceCityRelief from Shane Burgett on Vimeo.

Ishinomaki… the Church’s heart has been captured.

so it looks like things are okay with the earthquake. There seems to have been no tsunami which is great! The Japanese news says there has been damage to some structures but nothing serious has been reported.

Ishinomaki is a city on the coast that has gotten little help and so hopefully, this latest quake hasn’t brought anymore damage to the people there. Pray for them. Earthquake or not, this city has a few very small churches and areas around like Minamisanriku have no church at all! Church leaders here in Chiba and Tokyo have a vision to actively start planting in this area. Right now, they are sending trucks up nonstop with supplies and are beginning to build relationships with the refugees in town and the area around. I’ve gone up twice to deliver supplies and just today a team did a “there and back” with a truck (12 hours of driving round trip).

So be praying for Minamisanriku. And pray also for the whole area and the shelter with 500+ refugees in it. Pray they’ll be able to pick themselves back up after this 7.4 earthquake. I’m sure being just miles from the center of the quake that all of their supplies are scattered and that they also don’t have electricity, which means no lighting or heat and it is very cold… Trust me, I know.

It’s really late here but all this has kept me up. I pulled a 12 hour work day today with video stuff (going through footage of our Ishinowaki trip earlier this week) I’ll be getting that done in the next two days so be looking for that

Prayer… pressing beyond an answer?

By the way… I’m really being challenged a lot with prayer. The missionaries and pastors have been praying and serving in this country for years and yet the gospel has made little progress… until now. The Spirit seems to be moving now in ways that they have only hoped for. They have been faithfully praying for years and didn’t see much of anything … yet now those prayers are being answered.

It reminds me of Matthew 15:21-28. A Gentile woman comes to Jesus and asks him to heal her daughter from a demon possession. But Jesus says no. The woman, however, knew God’s heart was one of both power and love, so she pressed the issue. Even when Jesus called her a “dog” she did not give in. And her humble faithfulness lead Jesus to answer her desire.

What if the times Jesus answers “No” or “Wait” are actually opportunities He gives us to “press the issue” with Him – for however long it takes? Then we find not only answered prayer but grow closer to His heart as well. And when we find His heart (aka: abide in Him) we “will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you,” John 15:7. I’m seeing more and more that I’m not pressing into God’s heart. I’m just assuming that He will take care of things Himself… but I throw in a quick prayer anyway because I’m supposed to.

I see now that I should ALWAYS have something that’s causing me to “press the issue” with Him, appealing directly to His heart, faithfully asking, without stopping from circumstances or discouragement. I need to find a request/prayer that I can invest my whole being into like the Gentile woman did. I also ask you… do you have yours?

Are you pressing into Jesus’ heart? Faithfully, passionately, humbly?



One piece of footage showing Minamisanriku from 3 days ago.

Story time

it’s 12pm… we have 5 hours ahead of us on the trip back to Chiba and I can’t think of a better place to be The Chiba church is still running supplies up to un-aided towns and villages but this trip is different. This time we took up two vans full of high schoolers to be give them a chance to serve. I am so incredibly blessed right now to be able to be a part if this!

Now… time for random stories!

Bugles… a universal language.

The van I was in was full of girls except for one other guy. I was on a seat next to these two girls, Haruka (ha-ru-ka) and Amy (seems like an American name… But I’m not complaining because I can remember it easily). Both are very shy girls and here I am this crazy foreigner. Well, to break the ice with these girls (and with the rest if the van) I found the universal language… FOOD!! At a rest stop I found these Japanese Bugles… so I got them. I figured it would be fun to put them on our fingers and take silly road trip pictures… but little did I know, that Japanese don’t know how to do a true road trip! A six hour drive was a big deal for them. Anyways they were all hesitant… but after some prodding they shyly started digging through the bag to find perfect finger fits. Everyone started getting more into it by each finger they fit. With all the wonder and excitement that comes from having the perfect Bugle claw, we took some pretty fun pictures. From that point on… we had a blast!! I think they are learning more about American culture than I am about Japanese culture.

Pretz on the House!

At one point on the trip I turned to Haruka, and said “Do you know what time it is?” She looked at her watch and told me the time. I then told her she had the wrong time… It was “PRETZ TIME!” Pretz are a simple pretzel-like snack. The teens were all rather confused. Picking up on their uncertainty, I decided to clear the air by yelling “PRETZ ON THE HOUSE!!” This really confused them. Think of it from their perspective… with limited English. The missionary then spent a good five minutes clearing up the confusion, which led to a joyful cry when they understood that the Pretz were for everybody. From that point on, every time something is for everyone, they all yell “_____ on the house!” How exciting is that. I also gave the Pretz box to Haruka and told her it was a gift… I think she thinks it was genuine… because it’s still in her backpack. I’m sure she feels it would be rude to not keep it… so she is going along with Japanese culture and not being rude. I find it too funny to say anything… I think I’m just going to let her keep it.

Uber…

So my vocabulary is interesting, especially around others who don’t speak great English. And I think I have them believing that I am the standard of American coolness! At one point I said, “That is uber awesome” and Amy asked, “What does uber mean?” I told them it’s a hip way to say “a lot” or to call something “super”. I’ve hear more Japanese say that word than I’ve heard Americans!! I hope if they go to the US they will have forgotten it. Because I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who actually still uses it.

Anyways, it’s late and I think I’m just going to try and sleep some on this drive. I don’t know why this cracks me up but Haruka is wearing my WWII pilot hat to try and soften this bumpy trip while she sleeps. I just find the sight funny.

Be sure and watch the last post’s video and more blogs to come!
-Shane

Haruka is next to me and Amber next to her.

This video consists of three clips. The first was my first time trying to be polite in Japan by slurping my ramen.

The second clip is at a train station in Tokyo where a new church plant is starting English classes. To teach English they use the Bible!! How uber awesome is that 😉 Many have come to Christ through this. I was getting the attention while others handed out flyers.

If you have read this post.. You’ll understand the last clip 🙂

The first

this video is the start to the first of my professional line of videos that are going to be coming from my footage and work here in Japan. To God be the glory for His moving Spirit!!!

Japan Relief Team from Shane Burgett on Vimeo.

New Video

new video update!!  In Iwaki, 18 miles from the reactors, and Jesus is at work!

 

The battle plans are drawn

howdy all!

I’m already becoming a legend here in Japan. We are at the church here in Chiba called (now believe it or not I’m not yet fluent in Japanese phonics so I’ll just spell it the way it sounds) “Oh-you-me-no” and some of the ladies band together to make make lunch for all the workers. So in front with all the workers and many of the church members we had to introduce ourselves. I quickly realized that most of the guys looked perfectly normal to the nationals considering they speak fantastic Japanese… and out of a desprit panic to not look like an idiot I asked one of them what was a Japanese greeting so I wouldn’t look the only uncultured American. Apparently I declared to the croud that I was a foreigner… which they thought it humorous that I would go through the trouble of telling them.

Today was great! It started with a two hour prayer session with some other church staff. Totally the perfect start to all of this!

We then broke into our team meeting and basically drew up our battle plans for this next week. ‘Twas pretty intense considering we had so many different route we could go. I really like the plans we came up but it will be pretty rough going and doing all we planning down. Since Japan is the second least reached nation, the church has been struggling to make an impact. That is one reason the church is working day and night to reach these people with supplies asap because they know this disaster won’t last forever but many seeit as a door from God to usher in his kingdom!

Well pray! As you see in the video we are ging to be 18 miles from the nuclear reactors, so we are trusting Jesus for safety. The good news is the ration detectors are saying that that town is safe.

Other requests are mentioned in the video. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to blog again… do to the traveling we are going to be doing. Watch the video to see the exact plans we intend to exicute.

Thanks for your prayer!

-Shane