Forget the Stereotypes: How JEMS ministry has been making an impact in Brazilian churches
Author: Tadashi Suzaki (pictured left, with PJ and Tadashi's wife, Claudia)
I've been participating in JEMS ministry for over 20 years now. Back in 1991, I remember how curious I was as a young Brazilian Nikkei about those Americans coming to my tiny church to teach basic English, crafts and even cooking lessons. Then the next year I'd see them in action in one of our summer camps, withstanding the overall lack of resources with a positive attitude and a true passion for serving the Lord. Year after year there would be a new team, with just a few familiar faces, coming to do whatever we asked them to do.
Our churches would build whole programs around the presence of JEMS workers, doing things from basketball tournaments to English classes for adults in poor neighborhoods. And this ministry not only helped to tear down walls and build bridges but also encouraged local churches to dream new dreams.
I remember being an interpreter for one of the teams, assigned to a really poor church in the outskirts of São Paulo, where kids would show up for Sunday School only to have breakfast. We were teaching night English classes for adults who couldn't even speak Portuguese properly, and one of them came to us baffled by the fact that someone would give up his vacation time to come to Brazil to serve. A few started to attend the services, but an even bigger number of them connected to the local church in ways that wouldn't be possible otherwise.
And behind all this, there is the preparation nightmare. Because the Nikkei churches are scattered all over Brazil and even in Paraguay, it requires heavy work to book flights, manage requests, to cultivate relationships with national pastors, prepare local churches to receive workers, deal with church issues and last, but not least, prepare the teams to deal with the idiosyncrasies of being in another culture. It takes love to do this and I have seen Pastor John Katagi doing this for years, out of his calling to serve here, WITH us.
It's been a privilege to provide the answer with a little help from our friends from JEMS. The church in Brazil has been facing its own share of trouble to stay relevant to a generation like no other. And as our country improves, people start to realize they're having access to more comfort but their souls are still missing something.
And over the past 20 years, it's been a privilege to provide the answer with a little help from our friends from JEMS.
