Cambodia Pictures

Here are a few pictures from our day on Sunday.  We attended a Khmer speaking Church that was kind enough to offer headset translations for the English speakers. 

After Church we visted a ministry called Daughters of Cambodia.  Daughers of Cambodia is a faith based organization that is helping to give sex workers in Cambodia a safe alternative escape.  The women who come to this organization come because they are already motivated to change their lives, the programs empower them to set themselevs free and teach them how to sustain their new lives for the long term. 

As an organization Daughters of Cambodia is so convinced that for their ministry to be fruitful, prayer must be a constant pursuit.  To this end they have renovated a room on the 2nd story of a resturant reserved completely as a prayer room. 

Prayer Room.

On our way home tonight we enjoyed a double rainbow over the city.

Japan Team - Sunday at Saginuma Church w/ pics

 Hello Everyone! This is Linda Michel writing to you today.

We had an incredible day with Jim and Angela May, their children and the congregation at their church in Saginuma.  The welcome we received from the Japanese church members was overwhelming.  It was very clear to us that it was truly meaningful to have a team from Calvary visit their church and spend time worshiping with them.  When the congregation realized that George was Jim's brother, they were so excited to meet and talk with him.  Their reaction to George made it quite obvious that Jim has had a very significant impact on the members' lives.  We enjoyed a Japanese lunch with the Mays, and George and Miki, the new associate pastor and his wife.  Our lunch was complete with sushi, barley tea and an amazing assortment of desserts.

 Along with Emily and Jim, we took a nice, long walk in Tokyo.  The shops were plentiful and busy.  On our way back to Okutama Bible Chalet (OBC), which is where we are staying, we stopped off at the busiest train station in Japan.  It was crazy! 

This is now George May writing, just to add that Linda shared her testimony with the church family at Saginuma as Jim May interpreted.  She did a great job and it was clear from comments afterward that it was an encouragement.  I had the opportunity to share greetings from Calvary and our excitement about what God is doing in their church in Saginuma.

Tomorrow morning, the formal SEND conference starts and we will be full speed ahead in ministry on the preschool, elementary and Jr./Sr. High levels!  We very much appreciate your prayer.  Lauren will post a few pics from our day below!

Cambodia Update 

The team arrived safe and sound in Cambodia late Friday night.  On Saturday the team spent the morning touring the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng.  Both of these tours painted a picture of the gruesome details under the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s and helped give the team an understanding of how these events continue to shape the culture to this day.  Following the tours in the morning the team spent part of the afternoon  with World Relief staff learning how the organization approaches the work they do in the country. 

On Sunday the team attended a Khmer speaking church of about 600 people.  The church was even equipped with translation headsets.  It was great to see and hear how the Lord is at work thru the Cambodian people. 

On Monday the team will start the day with some preparation and continued orientation to World Relief and then spend the afternoon facilitating learning experiences and aiding World Relief Cambodia staff in the projects they are undertaking. 

The team has adjusted well to the time change and heat and is in good spirits eager to learn and to serve as opportunities arise. 

Pictures from Mt. Mitake

Pictures from Okutama

Mt. Mitake Hike and Prep for Conference!

Hi Everyone! Lauren here :)

We all had a great nights' sleep and felt rested this morning! We had staff devotions with the missionaries, staff workers and Pastor Jonathan and his son Ben; speaker for the SEND conference, that starts on Monday. We love being here together and experiencing this new culture! The people are friendly and the camp is beautiful.

After breakfast we worked to setup each of our rooms for the kids programs (Preschool, Elementary and Teen). We are teaching the preschoolers and elementary kids this week about ways that we can Fully Rely On God or "FROG"; thru looking at the lives of Paul, Joseph, Peter, Ruth and David. The teens will be focused on the theme "Guard Your Heart".

During the afternoon, we took a cable car to Mt. Mitake Shrine and visited several stores and saw several other shrines devoted to the blessing of growing good crops. The hike was steep and was about 2 miles long. The walk took us on paths with huge cedars, beautiful hydrangea, and monuments that cities around Tokyo pay money to have near this shrine. It was beautiful. The girls on our trip got rice hats and chopsticks! The shrines were intricately designed with beautiful dragons, birds and prayer knots. At the bottom of the stairs to the shrine was a wash basin where Japanese people were to wash their hands to cleanse their hearts from sin before going to worship at the shrine. We were all reminded and thankful that God died once for all and that the cleansing of our hearts is done by the power of His blood, shed for everyone.

Tomorrow we are going to Jim and Angela's church In Saginuma with a luncheon afterwards and Linda is sharing her testimony with them. Please pray that God will give her courage and use her story to impact others. Please also pray for all the missionaries who will arrive tomorrow. We are looking forward to meeting their families and ministering to them while we're here!

More tomorrow.......

We made it!

Hello again,

Just a quick note to say "We made it!"  Thanks for your prayer.  Travel was relatively uneventful -- the way we like it.

It is now Friday, 8pm Tokyo time.  We will update you more tomorrow along with a few pics of Okutama Bible Chalet.

Tomorrow is mainly a planning and prep day, though we may be able to get in a short hike along the river.

Good night!

George for the whole team.