“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deut. 33:27

Sunday Renewal
What do you preach after an unspeakable tragedy? After the tsunami, Noah and the flood might at first seem to be dicey choice. But Genesis 8, the account after the flood, is a picture of God’s healing grace, renewal of the earth, and firm promise. Pastor Kondo has been preaching through Genesis the past few months. As it worked out, this Sunday was scheduled to be on that very passage. Pastor Kondo preached tenderly and powerfully of the promises of God that carry us through the worst of disasters. It was divine timing and a message of great healing for distraught people.

Thank you for praying for our church today. We were able to hold a service at Cozy Hall as usual. There was no power outage.

I’ve often been frustrated that the rental hall we have is in a triangle between the police station, fire station and hospital. The constant emergency vehicles with sirens blazing can be unnerving during our services, particularly for newcomers. However, it seems that being in this triangle of necessary emergency services has resulted in us being spared from the planned rolling blackouts. Did God know we needed this location to meet at after such a disaster?

How to Pray
1) for the rescue efforts going on in the hardest hit areas where 30 of our churches are located
2) for that the current nuclear problems would be resolved soon. The wind is changing direction toward Tokyo.
3) for a “lifeline” to be reopened to the north areas allowing transport of essential items and help
4) for many people in the area that STILL have not yet been heard from by friends of ours
5) most of all, for Japanese to turn their hearts toward Him and for opportunities to witness and comfort
6) that the surging yen would weaken, and the dollar strengthen. It has been going the opposite direction for some time.