In Community:

July 2018 Newsletter

The Journey

by Pastor Craig Swanson

Faith Bible Church has been extremely gracious and generous to the pastoral staff, providing us with a three-month sabbatical every five years.  I remember the first one being a season of refreshment. Recent staffing changes in our JLM had required me to preach regularly in Japanese as well, which was something that I hadn’t done for over fifteen years.  It was taking a toll and the sabbatical was a perfect gift from the church and from God.

The last time, five years ago, Lois and I were wanting to use the time less for rest and refreshment and more for a time of experiencing God on a daily and dependent basis.  A lot of our lives are predictable and under our control.  We can often function with OR without God’s help.  So, we decided to travel to Europe.  We set our itinerary months in advance, found little inns and B&Bs on-line and took off with our backpacks and train passes; not knowing if we could find our way or even communicate with people who might be able to help us out.  Almost daily, we saw the Lord directing our paths, meeting our needs and arranging divine appointments with others who might help us or whom we might bless.

In August, Lois and I will begin sabbatical #3.  We are still hungering to experience God and His power in ways not seen before.  With that in mind, we very recently purchased a used sailboat from a couple in Canada.  The boat was delivered to Anacortes where it cleared customs and became ours.  The first responsibility was to bring it from Anacortes to Seattle which we did the day before I wrote this.  We had one day to complete the trip which required crossing the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  The night before our departure a storm came up with gale force winds, lightning and thunder.  Though the winds had subsided some by daybreak, the seas were still rough and much prayer from family and friends accompanied us on our way south.  We rejoiced with thanksgiving once we safely arrived in the harbor Monday, having experienced God’s faithful provision and protection.

We intend to rename this little piece of fiberglass surrounded entirely by water “Journey”.  It reflects our journey of learning to sail, chartering boats and God’s amazing provision of this boat.  Also, sailing is not about the destinations reached but the “journey” in getting there.  But most significantly, our relationship with the Lord is all about the “journey”, walking with Him in daily fellowship and dependence which is what we desire even more than safety and predictability.  Psalm 107 captures a sailor’s experience saying things like “Others went out to sea in ships” (vs 23), “they saw the works of the Lord” (24), “…a tempest that lifted high the waves” (25), and “in their peril their courage melted away” (26).  30 -31 summarize things beautifully, “They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven.  Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men.”

Our journeys may all look different, but the same God is with us all.  May the challenges along the way draw us all closer to Him and deepen our faith.

ROCK Update

by Stacie Lee

As the school year comes to an end, so sadly do our ROCK events for the year. This year has been FULL of fellowship activities, and our last event was yet another memorable one: the yearly scavenger hunt and graduation party. On June 2nd, we started our scavenger hunt at the church and split into two teams. After deciphering an envelope full of clues revealing the 9 key locations that spanned Seattle to Lynnwood, we set off. The Kumais did an awesome job creating this hunt, spending the morning setting everything up. My team consisted of Julia Kumai, Keoki Chan, and Nathan Crawford. Amy Li led the other group that included Kayla Nakamura, Daniel Wang, Kulani Chan, and Reeghan Crawford. My team won and walked away with some bragging rights and bubble tea.  I was most impressed with how my group kept their spirits up, adrenaline pumping, through the whole day without any complaints. Maybe it had to do with the fact that we thought the other team was beating us the whole time.

This adventure took us to Seattle University, University of Washington, Greenlake, Park and Recreation Centers, Alderwood Mall, and the Lynnwood Park and Ride to find letters that would eventually spell out GRADUATION at the end of this journey. My team’s strategy was to stick together and to earn as many 10 point bonuses as we could! One of those bonus tasks was to take a group picture with other FBC members outside of ROCK. So we called friends that we knew were along the way and we snapped away with our selfies. Special thanks to Preston Mar, Justin Kumai, Matt Kiyoi, Michael Lo, and the Takano’s for letting us pop in for those pictures. There was one point in the day when both teams ended up in the Odegaard Library at UW walking around in circles looking for a piece of paper with a letter on it. I should also mention this was during finals week, and we were in a strictly “NO talking zone”. It was so hard to hold in our excitement when we found the clue before our competitors, in the midst of all of those furiously studying college students. In addition to our key locations, we made pit stops at bubble tea, four of our friends’ houses, and the car wash (free, thanks to Julia’s hook-ups). Six hours later, we finally finished at the Kumai’s house with hungry stomachs and a feeling of accomplishment

To our surprise, the other group arrived right before us but had not been able to complete the scavenger hunt. Regardless of who won, we had a great night with great food (that the other leaders had spent the day preparing while we were out), loving our seniors and celebrating their many accomplishments. Chris Jo said a few words about each senior student, and they were gifted with college essentials and photo collages. Rockers, thanks for a truly amazing year! We already cannot wait to do it again with the remaining and upcoming high schoolers. Seniors, you are all so special to us and we cannot wait to see what amazing things you will do in your future.

WASABI CHOPPED IRON!

by Pastor Mike Kurtz

What do you get when you cross the television shows Iron Chef and Chopped? You get a Chopped Iron competition in which the participants are given a few mystery ingredients to incorporate into a main dish and dessert and then judged accordingly. This was the third year the WASABI group competed in this fast-paced cooking competition, and the results were again pretty incredible especially considering the constraints:

Mystery Main Dish Ingredients:  Ramen noodles, pepperoni, apple juice

Mystery Dessert Ingredients:  Tofu, cornflakes, soda (of own choosing)

With one hour to make both a main dish and dessert, the kids created… a mess, but beautiful dishes in the end! Here’s what they created:

Team #1:  Abby, Sydney, Hailey

Seared ramen patties with zucchini and peppers; Spiced tofu muffins with cornflake glaze

Team #2:  Isamu & friends

Grilled provolone cheese sandwich with spiced ramen, caramelized shallots, mushrooms, and peperoni; salad with balsamic-apple vinaigrette; Tofu-horchata pudding caramelized cornflake topping and cream soda

Team #3:  Hikari, Yukimi, Ella

Miso Ramen; Vanilla ice cream float with tofu & cornflakes

Team #4:  Lauren, Hijiri, Amelie, Kai

Ramen with marinara, fried tofu with chocolate and BBQ dipping sauces; Cola float

The Judges

This year we went with a multi-generational team of judges: John Nakamura representing the seniors, Jeremy Une representing middle-age, and Trevor representing the kids. The judges were very thorough in their evaluation of each dish, and completely unbiased because they did not know who cooked each dish. The chefs waited patiently in another room while the judging was captured via CCTV. We are thankful for the bravery and graciousness of our judges.

And the winner:

Team #3! It was a VERY close competition, but team 3 with Hikari, Yukimi, and Ella were victorious in the end!

CYC Update

by John and Lisa Tsuji

Spring has been a very busy quarter for the College/Young Career (CYC) group.  For our May fellowship, we planned a picnic and bowling event.  We met with the intent of having a picnic on the UW HUB lawn but with the threat of a little rain, we decided to move it inside.  Our spirits were not dampened, and we enjoyed a delicious potluck dinner and time of fellowship.  We then moved down to the bowling area of the HUB where we enjoyed more fellowship and fun spread out over six lanes.  Although there were prizes, skill level did not matter, and the most important thing was all the smiles, high fives, encouragement and team bonding that were seen in abundance during the night.

In June, we normally acknowledge the graduates and celebrate their accomplishments during Link Sunday (more on that later).  This year, however, with over 20 college graduates we knew we would need more time to properly acknowledge this special class of seniors, so we decided to dedicate our June fellowship to doing this.  It was very encouraging to see the underclassmen along with the post-grads really come together to plan and organize the ‘Senior Celebration’ evening.  The work started weeks before the event as people worked on decorations, fatheads for each graduate, food, corsages & boutonnieres, collecting pictures for a slideshow, planning the “Oscar” presentations and much more.  When the day of the fellowship arrived, the non-seniors came several hours early to decorate, cook, sign fatheads and other preparation for the evening.  God blessed all the hard work with a special night.  As the seniors arrived, everyone enjoyed admiring all the decorations and thoughtful touches, using the photo booth, and fellowshipping together.  We then enjoyed a delicious meal, played a grad game and presented Oscar trophies to all the graduates for the different ways in which they demonstrated Biblical qualities.  This was followed by a slide show and then a meaningful time of sharing both by the non-seniors and then the seniors.  It was truly a blessing to hear and reflect on how God has used and blessed this senior class. We concluded the evening with prayer for the seniors and then a time of more fellowship and dessert.

As for Sunday School, we have been studying the various attributes of love found in I Corinthians 13.  Since loving God and loving others are the greatest commandments, we thought it was important to really dig into what true agape love is.  As mentioned in past articles, we also mix in monthly birthday Sundays, where we enjoy breakfast and have extended time for discussion groups.  For the month of May, we mixed things up a bit and had a post-grad panel, where the post-grads in the class could answer questions from the college students, especially the large group of seniors who were about to enter this post-grad phase in life.  It was again a very blessed time, as the post-grads shared very openly and honestly about their own experiences and what they had learned.  We also participated in Link Sunday, where we got to welcome the high school seniors who will be joining our class next school year and to explain what they can expect and how the class and ministry work in an effort to ease any anxiety that might come with the upcoming transition.

So while it has been a busy spring quarter, it has also been very rewarding and a blessing to see the CYC group work together to encourage and support each other, enjoy fun and fellowship, and learn together how to become better image-bearers of God.  Also, John and Lisa have decided to “graduate” with this senior class and to turn the leadership over to Brian Watanabe, Danny Cohen, Jennifer Tsuji and the core team.  We love and appreciate each person in the CYC ministry – past and present – and we have truly been blessed by each and every one.  This is God’s ministry, and He will continue to guide and direct, and we are excited to see where He will take it next. Please join us as we continue to be pray for this ministry and these amazing young people.

-John and Lisa for Brian, Danny, Jennifer, and the rest of the core team

Sacred Road Mission Trip

July 28 – August 4

Twelve years ago FBC began partnering with Sacred Road Ministries.  At the time, Sacred Road Ministries was in the early stages of ministry, building credibility with the Yakama people, reaching out in love, repairing homes and providing for needy children. Most teens on the Reservation are effectively homeless and unemployment hovers around 70%.

As the ministry has grown, it has branched out to target these needs. Kingdom Kids to reach the children, an economic ministry to help with job development and self-reliance, and Hope Fellowship a church that provides what is needed most: hope and a future.

Each summer, FBC has sent a team to show love to the nation by repairing homes and ministering to children at risk.  Read below what has compelled and motivated this year’s team to go. If you feel led, please give to the team, with your prayers and with your financial gifts.

Christopher Jo:

A few months ago Kaleo told me he had heard I had expressed interest in going to the Yakima Nation.  I remember thinking, I don’t recall ever thinking that or saying that and realizing I have a terrible memory so I probably did think and say that to someone and forgot.  I wish my terrible memory would have forgotten that train of thought so I didn’t have to waste your time in reading it.  After thinking about it for a short time, I had a strong sense that I was supposed to go.  Having never gone on a mission trip I believe it was the Holy Spirit encouraging me to serve God in this way.  That sense that I was supposed to go was only strengthened and affirmed through prayer.  I am just excited to serve God and minister to the Yakama people in whatever way he can use me-whether it’s repairing homes, working with the kids, or teaching the Yakama kids the importance of accounting and estate planning. I don’t have much skill with tools but I will say this: for what I lack in any experience or basic skills in roofing, painting, or repairing homes… I also lack in general hand eye coordination and common sense.  Please pray for safety, endurance, and that the mosquitos will find my blood repulsive and find favor with another member of the team (joking).  Most of all my prayer request would be that we can be an example of Christ’s love to the Yakama people.

Julia Kumai:

I am so excited about this trip since this would be my first time going! Throughout the years I have watched my friends and brother go off to help on the reservation building houses, playing with the children, and spreading the love of God. Finally, being a part of this amazing team and truly being able to make an impact on the Yakama community is so exciting. Seeing such a difference in community and culture will be incredible to witness, and I cannot wait! Please pray for good health and successful work.

Jonathan Kumai (Buddy):

I want to go on a short term mission trip specifically Sacred Road so that I can serve the Lord with my friends/peers that I have grown up with in the church ever since I was born. It would be a great opportunity to serve alongside them.

Daniel Wang:

I have always been someone who enjoyed playing with little kids, and I thought this was a great opportunity to show the kids the Lord’s love for them.  I want to try to make this a memorable experience to inspire them to seek the Lord.

Ayako Kasai:

God gave me a heart to seek an opportunity to serve Him in a place outside of my comfort zone. I had been praying for a long time about what His plan was for me. When I discovered FBC had gone to the Yakama Nation for several years, I started to seek His plan.  Should I go to the Yakama Nation this year? God closed other doors for me and moved all other possible obstacles out of the way.  I realized God was telling me to go on the Yakama mission this summer. Through this Yakama mission trip, I am hoping to learn how to love our first neighbors.  In the Bible, it says “Love your neighbor as yourself.” I think there are more challenges in interacting with people who have a different culture and different understanding. But the neighbor in the Bible does mean everyone no matter how little I know about them. I am also hoping to have a deeper understanding of what it means to share the gospel with others. I want to strengthen my relationship with God as well as members of the body of Christ. It will be my first mission trip. My prayer is that God will leave a lasting impact and God’s love would be apparent in Yakama. I am also praying for support, whether financially or through prayer. Please pray for safety, for physical, mental, and spiritual strength. I am truly grateful for my FBC family and all your love, prayers, and support!

Nathan Fukuda:

I want to go on a short-term mission trip so I can serve and use my spiritual gifts for the further enhancement of the Kingdom of God. Moreover, I believe God can dramatically work through serving others to deepen my faith and strengthen my walk with Him.  Please pray that God would work through me and use me to be His witness. Also, pray for the safety of the team while on the reservation.

Yui Mizuno:

I desire to participate in the Yakama trip because my heart has always been for the people who live near me and need God’s love. After learning about the Yakama mission and how FBC has been involved with the Yakama people, I started asking God to give me a chance to go there and see God’s work.  I may not be able to accomplish anything significant, but I feel very thankful to have this opportunity that God has given me. Since this is my first mission trip, I would like to ask for prayers that God will give me strength.  And He would keep me physically and spiritually healthy during the trip there.  My hope is that God will help us to cooperate with one another and feel united as a family in Christ.

Brian Watanabe:

I’m looking forward to heading back to Yakama. I feel like I will be heading back with a different perspective after learning and experiencing so much last year. Please pray for the Yakama people, especially the children and youth. They grow up with hardships we can’t even fathom, but at the same time God is certainly at work there. Secondarily if you would like to pray for us, I would ask for prayer for humility and that we’d keep the main thing the main thing, because the week goes by very quickly!

Hanna Nakamura:

I have never felt so moved until I went to Yakama two years ago. I feel like I’m always in this continuous, sheltered bubble of unrealistic lifestyles. I am surrounded by people that are extremely wealthy and blessed. Although I’m not wealthy, I have learned that I am so spoiled compared to other parts of the world, like Yakama. I want to be able to go out and serve people that need help, love and blessings. I don’t want to stay in Bellevue and live a self-centered lifestyle. This trip has opened my eyes to reality, and I want to be a part of this character-building experience.

Reeghan Crawford:

I love the kids down there and it’s so heartbreaking that these kids have to come from such damaged backgrounds. I think that especially for a high-schooler, it is harder to reach out to share God’s love across the world, so I am so happy to have the opportunity to travel to Yakama. Although it is in the same state and we aren’t traveling across the world, these people are still God’s people and it is our duty to serve in His name. It’s also important to have the reminder that we have so much yet we take it all for granted, and in the eyes of the Lord, regardless of how many earthly things we have, we are all the same. We are all sinners, and I think we forget that sometimes.

Kaleo Chan:

I have always loved serving and immersing myself in the community. Through taking part in this mission trip, we are able to not only share the love of God with our brothers and sisters in Yakama, we are also able to foster cross-cultural understanding and learning. There is so much to see, so much to learn, and so much to experience when you immerse yourself in a culture completely different from your own. I am so excited to be reunited with my brothers and sisters in Yakama who I have grown with over the past five years; I’m looking forward to serving alongside them, doing what I love to do while sharing the joy and hope that comes from God’s love in the communities on the reservation. It is such an amazing opportunity to be able to serve again with the Yakama mission team; this will be my sixth year serving with the team and I feel like each year is even more amazing than the last. Every summer, I am blown away by the amazing work I see God doing on the reservation. I’m so excited to see what He has in store for us this summer! Please pray for our safety, for physical, mental, and spiritual strength, for unity, and that God’s love would be apparent in every service, every word, and in every interaction. AND, please consider joining the team next year for a truly life-changing experience.