Update on Japan

I wanted to share with you a really great story about our trip to Japan. First I wanted to share with you a letter I wrote Friday morning that I was planning to post on this blog Saturday. Here is the content.

Many of you may be wondering about my trip to Japan originally scheduled to leave on the 15th of this month. This trip was rescheduled for the 23rd, then the 31st of this month. As of today I have decided to cancel my part in the trip. Thank you to all those who generously supported me, but it seems God has closed this door and I am at peace with that decision. The main reason I am pulling out of the trip has to do with a lack of funding. I was unable to raise the needed funds. Although many gave generously I decided not to ask most of those who have generously given to me in the past because I had already placed enough burden on them in my year here on the Palouse, and my trip to Zimbabwe last spring. I will be sending my support money back to you, but I am encouraged that God is still sending a team to Japan from Real Life, including Tom Shook, and Rob Tarver. I will continue to keep them in prayer and hope you will as well as they serve the people of Japan and help to spread God's Kingdom.

On a related note, ever since my trip to Zimbabwe last March I have been planning a trip to go back to Zim during the summer of 2012 with Ephraim Tshuma and his family. I have had big plans in my head on this trip, plans that only God could make happen. Since I started planning for Japan, it seems like my plans for Zimbabwe have made substantial movement forward. During the summer of 2012 we were hoping to build a team to dig wells, assist the Zim nationals with medical missions, and partner with the local schools. In the last two months I have talked to 2 mechanical engineers who are interested in going to Texas to be trained in building a low cost well drilling device, I met a nurse and a doctor who have a passion for medical missions, and I have met 3 teachers who are interested in training Zimbabwean teachers.

The great news is I no longer have to post this statement. Friday night I received a text message from one of the student leaders in our youth group named Isaiah. He told Rob that he felt God calling him to support him financially, but Rob told him he had the money he needed for the trip and to start praying for me instead. Isaiah started praying for me and decided he felt God telling him to find support to help me get to Japan. Here is our text message exchange:

Isaiah
"Hey Derek, I just wanted to let you know that I've been praying for you and your trip to Japan. I know some people that are interested in covering your expenses. How soon do you need the money?"

Me
"Are you serious? We need to buy plane tickets early next week, and I still need a lot of money, I mean $1,250.00"

Isaiah
"I can get you $950.00 to you by Monday morning, hopefully more by the end of the week."

Me
"Are you serious, who are these people?"

Isaiah
"Just some friends who wanted to help. I'll keep you posted as more funds come in."

It is clear to me that God wants me to go on this trip to Japan, he made sure the support was there when I had given up all hope. It is a reminder to me, that when God wants something done, he will make it happen. I wanted to share with you this story of God's faithfulness, we are in the middle of a really cool God story! I look forward to what God will do while we are in Japan. Please keep us in prayer. I still need to raise about $300 dollars, if you are willing and able to give I would really appreciate your help pushing me over the edge. I will keep you posted as I know more about our plans.  

The Defense of the Person of Jesus

This last week I had another opportunity to preach at Real Life. Here is the podcast of the sermon.
Listen online

The sermon was in our evidences series on the defense of the person of Jesus Christ. We look at the whether or not Jesus existed and whether he claimed to be God, and if we can have faith in that claim as his followers.

Off to Japan

Pictures from April 2011

When the tsunami hit Japan in March, the devastation was extensive. Entire towns were wiped away. Earthquake aftershocks left the country with even more damage. Before the country can rebuild, they must clear away what was destroyed. I have the opportunity to travel to the town of Sendai and help with the relief effort, specifically cleanup of the disaster left behind. A team of 6 people, including myself, will be traveling to the affected areas to help in the relief efforts on May 15. While on the ground, we will be partnering to help clear debris and give aid. Our plan is to spend a week doing hard labor wherever there are needs. We will also make connections to help our church send a larger team to rebuild in August. Tom Shook with ReachGlobal is our contact on the ground, and he is preparing work for us to do while we are there. As the pictures show, there is still substantial devastation, so we will not have a problem finding work that needs done and people who need help.

The trip will last roughly 10 days with travel time. We plan to fly into Tokyo and spend the night there, and Tom has secured a van for us that we will drive to Sendai and then on to Takiama. We will stay in a missionary guesthouse in Takiama as a base of operation.

We are each raising our cost for the trip, so I need your help to make this happen. The trip will cost between $2,000 and $2,500, and I will need money for a plane ticket as soon as possible. Any funds beyond travel and food needs will be used for the cleanup effort. Please consider making a donation of any amount and keep our team in your thoughts and prayers. I set up a Paypal account to make donating easier (button below), and you can always contact me if you would like more information or to discuss our plans.

Any financial support and/or prayer you can give will be greatly appreciated. Please continue to keep the people of Japan in your prayers as they recover from this tragedy.

Extremists...

I worked with a man of the Baha'i Faith when I was a computer technician, we had several good discussions over the years as we worked together. One day we were eating lunch and he told me he believed it to be dangerous to take any extreme position, even if that position is love. He said that people can sometimes love too much. He believed the key to peace in the world was to dull our passions and extreme positions, so we can all live side by side. I disagreed with him, but it got me thinking if it was possible to love too much?


A popular thought of the day seems to point toward a this sort of apathy. Instead of bringing change into the world we are called to be more tolerant, instead of living life to the full we are called simply to co-exist. It is an interesting thought to imagine that the world is calling us to strip ourselves of any kind of passion so we can live in peace. Recently I read Francis Chan's Crazy Love and he said something that resonated with me. 

You are a danger to the world if you love nothing, and you're even more dangerous when you love the wrong things. When there is a vacuum of love within your soul, hate, bitterness, envy, and racism rush to fill the empty space.

This idea of dulling my sense to love in order to be less extreme is opposite of the way we were created to live. Dr. Martin Luther King was named an extremist in his time, and at first it discouraged him, then after more thought it strengthened his resolve. He said:

“Was not Jesus an extremist for love — 'Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you...Will we be extremists for hate or will we be extremists for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice — or will we be extremists for the cause of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill, three men were crucified. We must not forget that all three were crucified for the same crime — the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thusly fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment.”

King goes on to suggest that the world needs more, "creative extremists for love." This idea of extremism is opposite of the way many think today. We find ourselves paralyzed with fear when we consider the second part of Chan's thought, "you're even more dangerous if you love the wrong things." My challenge to you is that pure love can never be wrong, follow it! Search for love and I believe you will find God. John tells us in 1 John 3:16, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters."


Don't give up on love, because "when you give up on love everything else seems to go with it - joy, hope, forgiveness, compassion - they're all interconnected." Erwin McManus

Passion for God's movement in the world

I have seen this movie a couple times now through different avenues, I thought I would share with you a moving story about a girl in love with God and his mission.

What catches my heart about this video is how this girl keeps talking through the death of her mother and father and breaks down crying when she comes to talk about the mission of God in her life. It makes me think, what breaks my heart?

Care packages for 10th Mtn. Division in Afganistan

Our Church is sponsoring 87 soldiers in Afganistan this Christmas by sending care packages with supplies. Here are a couple pictures of the supplies and ladies boxing it up.

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Feeling Blest

Last night was the last night of the corn maze, and it was a ton of fun. We had a great turn out during the trunk-or-treat time (pictures to come) and we had a a solid last evening of people trying to get their corn maze experience in before it closed down. There were more than 4,000 people who came through the maze over the month and we made money to help benefit the community. The greatest experience for me was getting to serve with and get to know so many people in the church and community. It was an amazing way to jump right into the Palouse. There was a letter to the editor in the Daily News written by a member of our community,

"I would like to applaud Real Life Ministries on the Palouse for the community contribution they have made through the Palouse Corn Maze this fall. It is apparent that much time and energy went into organizing such a flawless production. They succeeded in organizing a safe family friendly event void of any Halloween influences inappropriate for children. In a word, the Palouse Corn Maze can be described as wholesome. Thank you Real Life Ministries for providing a harvest/Halloween event that I can confidently recommend to families with children of all ages." -Britta Johnson

On another note, if you weren't aware my salary for the year is not supplied by the church, but individuals who are investing in m and my future in ministry. I feel blest for all the people who have decided to help and those who are just now starting to support me. The only problem is sometimes funds jump up or down from month-to-month. Real Life has decided to support me and make my budget stable for the entire year. They raised my salary and are willing to cover the expense if the money doesn't come in. I am in awe of how much they are investing in me and look forward to the returns that will come through this year.

As a thank you for the work Bri and I put in at the Corn Maze the church are sending us to Coeur d'Alene for 2 days to spend time together and relax! We leave tomorrow and look forward to a couple days of nothing but fun! Aaron told me he was teaching me an invaluable lesson for leadership. To give good rewards for those who work hard and take on added responsibility. I am thankful I get to learn such a valuable lesson in such a satisfying way ;-)

p.s. the church is doing Christmas care packages for troops just deployed to Afganistan, to learn more about preparing a care package go to www.liferotp.com