Sunday, December 2, 2018

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!! - 12/2/2018

GIC President

It is with much excitement, and thankfulness to God, that I can announce a new leader for our Genesis team! Dr. Bruce Macdonald, from Williamsburg, VA, has been officially invited to join our Genesis team!

Our Genesis team lost our original leader in 2016 due to health issues. Since then, we have prayed to God and talked with many people in our efforts to recruit a suitable new leader. Bruce Macdonald first contacted MTW in March 2017, interested in serving with us. He visited our team in September 2017, and again in October 2018. A great amount of effort and prayer has been devoted to finding the person God wanted in this key role.

Bruce has a very unique story that make him especially qualified to lead this venture of starting up a college targeting "the forgotten youth of Japan." Raised in Saginaw, MI, Bruce became a Christian at the age of nine. He quit school during 9th grade, with just a 3rd grade reading level. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy, spending much of his time in Okinawa, Japan. During his Navy years, he was discipled by a mature Christian who also taught him to read, and Bruce earned his GED. While stationed in Okinawa, he also was a part-time associate pastor at an off-base military community church.

After eight years in the Navy, Bruce and his wife returned to the States. Bruce struggled to earn a college degree, learning in his senior year that he had dyslexia. This explained why studying had always been so difficult for him, and allowed him to develop strategies to facilitate his learning. Bruce went on to complete a master's degree in Christian Doctrine & History, and later a Doctorate of Strategic Leadership from Regent University.

Bruce's work experience includes stints at Christian Broadcasting Network, the US Postal Service, and Strayer University where he served as president of the faculty senate. He currently operates a consulting business and does some university teaching. Bruce has retained his connections to Japan over the years, traveling annually as a guest lecturer at several churches and a Bible school in northern Japan, and symposiums at various venues throughout Japan.

Bruce's wife, Marilyn, also brings much needed expertise to our Genesis team, having a master's degree from the College of William and Mary in Education with a teaching license endorsement in PreK-6 and TESOL PreK-12.

The Macdonalds have two grown sons, and three grandchildren. They are both very excited to be used by God in Osaka, and have a great desire to bring educational opportunities to young people in Japan who otherwise would not be able to attend a college. But more importantly, they desire to be used by God to bring life-changing hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Before Bruce can officially assume the title of team leader and president of our college, he and Marilyn must complete a vetting process with MTW. They are scheduled to attend Readiness Evaluation in January, and "Launch" in March. Upon approval from MTW, they will then need to raise up their support as well. Please pray for the Macdonalds; it has been a long road, and the journey is far from complete. But we are so thankful for this significant step in the development of our missionary team!


HMA Thus Far

What is "HMA"? MTW's terminology for missionary furlough -- Home Missionary Assignment. It's not vacation, but full-time work dedicated to reporting back to supporters on the work God is doing in Japan, and raising up any additional supporters as needed.

Since returning to the States on October 26, I've been living with my Mom in Inwood, IA. There are no subways here, so I quickly bought a car, which is fun after four carless years in Japan!

Just a week after returning to the States, I was the main speaker at the missions conference of Hospers PCA; Hospers, IA. I've also attended the Iowa Presbytery meeting and spoke briefly at One Ancient Hope PCA in Iowa City. I'm also doing all the standard health checks -- physical, dental, and vision.



My mom and I flew to Washington state to spend Thanksgiving (and my 50th birthday -- that's a typo) with my brother's family.


End of Year Giving

With the recruitment of a new Genesis leader, I am now in full-forward movement. That includes supplementing my support account, which needs about $1,000 in monthly pledges before I can return to Osaka. Would you pray about joining my support team with an annual or monthly pledge? One-time gifts are also important in meeting this goal.

The easiest way to contribute is online by clicking here. You can make a one-time contribution, or pledge a recurring gift -- monthly, quarterly, or annually. If you'd prefer to send a check, be sure to make it out to MTW, but designate it to my account number (Kooi -- 14009). Then send it to:

MTW
P.O. Box 744165
Atlanta, GA  30374-4165

If you have any questions, feel free to reply to this email or contact me at brentkooi@gmail.com.



Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and financial partnership this past year!


Prayer Points

Praise God for providing a new leader for our college!

Pray for Bruce & Marilyn Macdonald. There are many unknowns in their future. And MTW's vetting process will also test them, to assure that they are able to handle the stresses of ministry overseas.

Praise God for a good transition back to the US. I've been staying with my mother in NW Iowa, speaking at nearby churches, and preparing for extensive travel starting at the end of January. I will be reporting to my supporters and also working with Bruce to actively recruit teachers and support staff for our college.

Pray for the Genesis team in Osaka during my HMA absence from them. Some are in language school, and others in internships to prepare for future ministry in Osaka.

Pray for me as I try to give some form of leadership from afar to the team in Osaka.



Calendar

December 2
    Grace PCA
    Sioux Falls, SD

December 9
    Sanborn CRC
    Sanborn, IA

January 6
    Cornerstone PCA
    Ackley, IA

January 13
    Inwood CRC
    Inwood, IA

January 28-31
    MTW Reconnect
    Conference
    Dillard, GA

February 14-16
    Reaching Japanese for
    Christ Conference
    Seattle, WA

February 22-24
    Redeemer PCA
    Missions Conference
    Jackson, MS

February 22-24
    Highlands PCA
    Missions Conference
    Ridgeland, MS

March 1-3
    Bay Street PCA
    Missions Conference
    Hattiesburg, MS

March 29-31
    Trinity PCA
    Missions Conference
    Jackson, MS

April 22-25
    Twin Lakes Fellowship
    Pastors' Conference
    Florence, MS

April 26-28
    MTW West Coast Missions
    Conference
    Roseville, CA



Culture Corner

"Is Christmas celebrated in Japan?" Well, it's not a public holiday. But it is a popular event for many people. More lights and trees are decorated each year, and parents often give gifts to their children. But that's where the similarities end! For young adults, Christmas is a "must have a date" night. And families often have a reservation for KFC take-out to eat along with a Christmas cake.

99.5% of Japanese people don't know that Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus. They don't know that Jesus is God. They don't know that Jesus suffered and died for our sins, and that He conquered death so that we can have eternal life. They've never heard -- not once.

Many Christian churches have special Christmas events to share the news of the gospel. Please pray that God will bless these efforts and that many people will find the true hope of the gospel.

Monday, November 5, 2018

Prospective College President - 10/3/2018

Prospective College President

If you've been following our Genesis project, you know we have been looking for several years for a new leader to take the helm in guiding our vision for Genesis College. One prospective leader has risen to the top, and will be visiting Osaka next week, along with his wife.

Please be in prayer for them, and for us, as we meet with them and seek the Lord's leading whether this is the person God has chosen to lead us in the development of a college for the purpose of reaching young people with the hope of the gospel.

It has been a long and arduous journey, serving in Osaka following the departure of our original leader and visionary. Many people questioned whether it was time to give up on the vision for Genesis College; I had my doubts occasionally as well. In many ways, the "college" has been in hibernation mode these last years. During that time, we've had seven missionaries join our team, occupying themselves for future ministry through language study or church planting internships. Now that we are beginning to see some proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, we are sensing renewed hope for this vision that God has given us to reach young people with the hope of the gospel!



Coming to America

As of August 31, I have been in Osaka for four years! That means it's time for my HMA, or "Home Missionary Assignment" (sometimes known as "missionary furlough").

What is HMA? It is:
  • Reporting to my supporters on the work that God is doing in Osaka.
  • Advocating for the work of missions around the world.
  • Recruiting new missionaries.
  • Raising up any additional financial supporters as needed.
  • Rest & Relaxation from life overseas (although most missionaries would tell you that HMA can be exhausting due to extensive travel, speaking engagements, and the lack of a "permanent" home that is our's).
  • Reconnecting with family and friends.
  • Required by the US government, as I would lose my Social Security benefits due to living full-time overseas.
I will be basing myself primarily in Iowa, this HMA, staying with my mom. However I will be doing a lot of travel, reporting to my supporters and recruiting teachers and staff for Genesis College. I will spend the winter/spring missions conference season in Jackson, MS.

I have a number of church visits scheduled already, in Iowa and Mississippi. If your church would like to hear about what God is doing in Osaka through Genesis International College, please let me know; I'd love to schedule a visit!



Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and financial support -- partnering with me in bringing the hope of the gospel to the people of Japan!


Events/Travel:

October 26
Return to the States for "Home Missionary Assignment"

November 4
Hospers PCA Missions Conference; Hospers, IA

February 17-24, 2019
Highlands PCA Missions Festival; Ridgeland, MS

February 22-24, 2019
Redeemer PCA Missions Conference; Jackson, MS

March 1-3, 2019
Bay Street PCA Missions Conference; Hattiesburg, MS

March 29-31, 2019
Trinity PCA Missions Conference; Jackson, MS



Prayer Points

Pray for our visit with our prospective Genesis College leader. Pray that God will guide us in this critical decision.

Pray for all the work I must do before leaving for the States at the end of October. Pray that I leave well, have prepared people well for my absence, and pray for my HMA time in the States.

Praise God for a good trip to Thailand recently. I had MTW leadership meetings in Bangkok, so I took a few extra days before and after to visit both the Thai mountains and the Thai beaches. The meetings were very helpful, and the extra days were good for me as well.


Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Misc. Updates - 7/3/2018

Miscellaneous Updates

In lieu of a standard newsletter, here are a number of updates in the life of our Genesis team mission work:
  • College President: For how long have I been saying "I think we are very close to naming a new president/college planter"? It seems like forever -- to me, if not also to you. I keep hoping that "in the next newsletter," I can make a big announcement! But yet again, perhaps next time. I do believe we are getting close; very close! Pending two additional online interviews, we may be able to make that announcement. Please continue to pray for this critical position.
  • Home Missionary Assignment: As of the end of August, I will have been in Osaka for FOUR YEARS, and will be due to take my "HMA" (sometimes known as missionary furlough). I anticipate leaving Osaka in late October and spending a full year in the States in order to assist our new college planter, the Lord willing, in the work of recruiting teachers and staff for our English school and eventual college. My primary base of operation will be in my hometown of Inwood, IA; but I will travel extensively, recruiting and reporting to supporters, around the US and Canada. January-March will be spent largely in Mississippi and neighboring states in order to participate in their missions conference season. One church in Hattiesburg, as well as my home church in Jackson, have already invited me to their conferences. I would love to join your church as well! Please let me know if that may be possible!
  • West Coast Missions Conference: I participated in the MTW West Coast Missions Conference in April, and was busy meeting with many people, advocating for Genesis College, and speaking with potential recruits. One meeting also was productive strategic planning for the designation of a new GIC college planter. Thank you for your prayers!
  • New Missionaries! This summer, we anticipate welcoming some new missionaries to our team! One family (with four children) has purchased their tickets to arrive on August 21. One bachelor (we have a lot of us on this team!) anticipates arriving late summer. Please pray for the Gibsons, and Jeff as they prepare to move to Japan. There are so many details to work out for such a move.
Encourage One Another
Life on the mission field can seem very monotonous, sometimes. We have to do all the ordinary things of life - laundry, grocery shopping, etc. And in a country where the gospel seems to take such a long time to penetrate hearts, I can sometimes wonder why God brought me here.
One of my first Japanese friends in Osaka is a 30-something young man, Yuuki, raised in a Jehovah Witness home, who became an atheist in university, but then a Christian about six years ago. His family cut off relations with him, and he went through difficult days, feeling very alone in a nation that values being a part of the larger group. I walked with him through dark days during my first two years in Osaka, crying with him, praying with him, loving him. God eventually brought him a renewed sense of hope, and not long after that, a quality young Christian woman whom he has been dating for some time now.

He also walked with me in my dark days this past winter, praying for and encouraging me. During one of those conversations, recalling his own dark times, he said, "I am the reason God brought you to Japan."
While I have no doubt that God's purpose for me in Japan is greater than Yuuki or I could ever imagine, it was certainly good to hear -- to know that I have been used by God in the life of this young man, and to see God using him in my own life.
Please thank God with me for Yuuki, and pray for him as he continues to live for Christ, to shepherd other young men, and looks toward the future with his serious girlfriend.


Prayer Points

PRAISE GOD for continued, if slow, progress in providing a new college planter. Pray that He will bring all things together very soon!

PRAY FOR Daniel & Carla Gibson, and Jeff Edwards, who are in the final phase of preparing to serve with us in Osaka.

Continue to PRAY FORShoko, our new team administrative assistant, as she continues to learn her job, working in a 100% English environment. Some of her tasks include finance work, and helping foreign missionaries with all sorts of things -- translating at their children's schools for meetings with teachers, helping us with just the ordinary things of life in Japan!



Tastes of Home
Life overseas is exciting, but can also be difficult as one misses the comforts of home. And what sort of things do I miss from home? Family, friends, my home church -- especially singing in the gospel choir. Oh, and FOOD!
I'm sometimes asked whether I cook, and what sort of things I cook. Yes, I cook, and I pretty much cook only American foods. They are what I know! I'm somewhat limited by the groceries that are available here, or I might try a creative substitution -- sometimes that works . . . .
But to get a REAL taste of home, I enjoy a couple of Mexican restaurants. (I like to say "there's nothing more American than Mexican food!")

In January, I discovered Taqueria La Fonda, just a ten minute bike ride from my apartment. This tiny cafe (seats 16 maximum) serves up amazing soft tacos, and polenta soup! They opened a couple of months before I moved into my apartment. It may be a good thing I didn't know about them all this time, or I might have spent a lot more money there!

​Now if only I could find Chicago-style pizza. Ah-Hah! Last week I met an American pub owner who also makes Chicago-style pizza pies! They are currently  closed for renovations, but you know I'll be among the first when they re-open!
Stay tuned for an update!

Monday, May 7, 2018

God's Restoring Grace - 4/25/2018

God's Restoring Grace

I want to thank so many of you for the prayers you offered, and the encouraging notes you sent after my February newsletter, in which I shared the struggles I had been experiencing over the previous months. God heard your prayers, and I was overwhelmed with many personal messages of encouragement.

Soon after sending that update, I attended a "Grace Week" retreat in the mountains outside of Tokyo. It was an intense week of speakers who covered topics such as the gravity of our sin, and the immeasurable grace of our Father. (If you are familiar with "Sonship," this is essentially the same thing.) God used the week to bring much needed spiritual refreshment. I have been especially impacted by the question of whether my spiritual goal is for personal resolutions of doing better, or for the Holy Spirit to transform my heart. I am convicted that I all too often strive to change myself -- a battle one can never win.

The retreat also gave me a better perspective of the problems facing me and our missionary team. There is truth to the adage that "misery loves company." Just knowing that I am not alone in experiencing difficulties does give me some relief! Additionally, hearing the struggles of others showed me that my own struggles, while legitimate, are not all that serious. I'm not going through divorce. Our team is not dealing with heresy or scandal, etc.

As for problems on the team, some of these have been removed through the departure of a hired staff member, and a team member who also left the team. I wish that reconciliation would have been possible, or that it may yet come, but that is not always possible in a fallen world. And yet God is faithful, even when broken people cannot always be united.

Please do pray for all the members of our team -- those still with us, and those who have left -- that God will bring about reconciliation and use even our struggles for His glory and the salvation of Japanese people here in Osaka.


Prayer Points
Praise God for His grace in my life, in seeing me through a difficult six month period. Pray that He will continue to work in my life and in this team to bring about full reconciliation.

Pray for our new office staff member, Shoko Reyes, who started working for us a few weeks ago. She is a Christian young lady (married to a westerner -- thus the Spanish surname!), and is working hard to learn many office procedures, including difficult finance work. We are very thankful for God bringing her to our team!



Quick US Trip
I will be in Los Angeles on Wednesday through Monday of this week! I'll be attending the West Coast Missions Conference this weekend, and meeting with some people about the formation of a board of advisors, or directors, as well as the selection of a new college planter (president) for the future Genesis College. Please pray that God will bless the time -- laying a strong foundation for His work in Osaka, and recruiting faculty, church planters, and various support staff.

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Living in the Desert - 2/13/2018

Living in the Desert

Imagine being born into slavery. For hundreds of years, your people have been mistreated and disrespected. But a leader rises up among you and your people leave behind lives of backbreaking work and desperation. You are promised a land of your own where living will be good! But before you arrive (because of your consistent complaining and lack of faith in your God), you will wander for more than 40 years in the desert. Your children will leave your body in an unmarked grave in the desert, and they will go into and inherit the promised land.

Life as a missionary can sometimes feel like that, perhaps especially in Japan. In missionary circles, Japan is known as "the graveyard of the missionary" due to the difficult nature of ministry here. Granted, life is comparably easy in Japan. When feeling sorry for myself that, for example, clothes dryers are not common here, I remind myself that I could be washing my laundry on a rock while staring down a water buffalo. Japan is modern! How could I possibly complain? Well, I do complain sometimes, especially about Japanese bureaucracy, and silly rules that seem to serve no real purpose.

But honestly, life has been particularly discouraging for me the last six months.

(This is where most missionaries dare not go, and I am questioning myself as I write this. Supporters want to hear encouraging missionary reports, right? Well, life is sometimes hard, even -- or perhaps especially -- on the mission field.)

Ministry in Osaka is very different from what I was recruited to do. As you likely know, we lost our founding "college planter" before we even arrived in Osaka. I fell into being the interim team leader. Replacing our college planter has taken much more time than we anticipated. My skillset has been stretched to the limit in being the number one leader; that's not a role where I function best.

Because of the incredible ways in which God worked to prepare me for, and then bring me to Japan and the Genesis team, I have been convinced that our team would not fail because of the loss of our leader. God would provide! I have often heard very undeserved praise for that confidence. But in the last months, that confidence is waning. Our entire team seems to be losing faith in the vision that drew us here, bringing about a real slump in team dynamics. It is a difficult season.

Please pray for us:
  • Pray that God will renew our faith in His calling and in His leading of our team.
  • Pray that the devil will not succeed in discouraging our team. He knows what we are up to, and does not want us to succeed.
  • Pray that God will equip me to lead this team through a difficult period. I've failed in many, many ways, and contributed to the stress -- and conflict -- on our team.
  • Pray that God will provide a new college planter-team leader very soon. We have two good prospects, but the process is taking a long time.
  • Praise God that whatever happens, He will use it for the good of all those who love Him (Romans 8:28)!



Genesis Cafe Trial Event

On January 31, we held a free special event for our Genesis Cafe students. We had a regular English cafe event in our new office, trying it out for potential regular use for our twice-a-month event. Eleven students came, and the room proved more than adequate. Once we are able to make some acoustical improvements to dampen the sound, and purchase some needed supplies, we will move to our own space.

One of the advantages of this move is that we can make coffee for much less than what we pay at the Swissotel cafe (about $8.25 for a small cup!). We can pass the savings on to our student, charging a much lower fee. By charging less, we hope to draw more of our target students -- those who did not go to university, working part-time or low-paying jobs. We'd like to equip them with skills for better jobs, but through our lives and friendship, also share the hope of the gospel of Christ with them.



Prayer Points

Pray about the issues plaguing our team, as described in the article to the left.

Pray for our Genesis Cafe event, as we will soon be moving it out of the Swissotel and into our new office/classroom space.

Pray for a new "college planter." I hope we can name a new president in the next few months.



Culture Corner
"Zen is for monks,
not merchants."

You may be familiar with the Japanese zen minimalism as it is seen in simple gardens, art, and architecture: clean lines; no clutter.

But take a look at a Japanese website and you'll quickly cry "visual assault!"

A recent blog from Moravia, explores why Japanese websites look so 1995 -- busy, chaotic, mind-numbing. They conclude that the Japanese consumer wants ALL the facts -- without any clicking -- before buying.

I think that's true with Christianity as well. The Japanese who is interested in Christianity wants to know everything before committing their lives to Christ. Please don't misunderstand; knowledge is certainly a good thing. I don't want a "convert" who doesn't know what he or she is converting to. But neither can someone know everything about God before becoming a Christian. It's not even remotely possible!

Please pray for the Japanese people to have the faith of a child, and then to study scripture with the love of a child getting to know his Father.



(Click on photo above to compare the US Starbucks homepage to the Japan Starbucks homepage and to read the entire blog from Moravia.)



Valentine's Day in Japan
(A little bonus "Culture Corner" this month, since it is nearly Valentine's Day.)

Men, have you bought chocolate or flowers for your wives or girlfriends yet? If you lived in Japan, you wouldn't need to! Instead, it's the women who buy chocolate. And not just for their boyfriends or husbands, but also for all the men in their lives, including their co-workers. The men treat you terribly at work? Doesn't matter;  many see this tradition as obligatory, and it can get quite expensive.

A month later, it's the men's turn. On "White Day," the men must buy chocolate for the women in their lives. The advantage is they know who gave them chocolate, and about how much was spent! They also are likely to work with far fewer women than the women work with men. It is a man's world!