Month: March 2007

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Last scheduled meeting before our departure

This Mission Project is atypical for our church.

Normally, there is a little more lead time, and there is often more planning than this one, but since we’ll be going with Habitat, we’ll be working their program and they’ve pretty much laid out what we have to do once we get there.

However, we know that things are fluid, and we talked about our expectations of God, our Team, and the project.

We’re well aware that our goal in going to work in the Katrina-affected area is to serve God. That means that in whatever shape or form our assistance is best needed, we want to help. We hope and plan for that to be actual construction work, but whatever is in store for us, we will adapt.

But also, we’re there to serve in the name of God. It’s more than a service project, or an act of charity; we’re going down to help in the name of Jesus. That means that as much as we’ll be working, we’ll be praying for the region, our co-workers, etc. while we’re working. We’ll be looking for opportunities to let people know that God has not forsaken them, and we’ll be doing so supported by your prayers and financial support; we want them to know that it’s not just our efforts, but a greater group that is behind us as well.



Art Fong’s Notes about today’s meeting

Today, we had our last Katina meeting before we take off to Mississippi.

(Pastor) Ron Miyake gave a devotional about prayer walking and went around and blessed our feet at the end. It’s kinda like how Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, but with no water.

We also shared about our test results from those online personality and conflict resolution test. That was a very revealing and informative exercise! Now I know how to communicate to others in their love language and know how they resolve conflicts.

22 more days until we get commissioned at church and 28 more days until we fly to Mississippi!




Gary & Robert going over materials as Ron speaks about Prayer Walking

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Prep and Stuff



Mailing out Prayer Letters

As our departure date is coming up rather quickly, this was one of our first and few meetings before the actual trip. Most of our meeting was administrative, incuding printing and stuffing envelopes.

We only have a few weeks to plan and meet before we leave, and with Easter in the middle.

Editor’s Note:

This is my first mission with Evergreen SGV, and to be quite honest, didn’t realize how much prep work there was to be done.

One of the points of review was to go over results from a Personality test. The purpose of the tests is for us as individuals, and then subsequently as team members to know ourselves. The better we know ourselves, the better we’ll be able to contribute and cooperate.

An excerpt from our materials follows:

  1. Go to http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm
    (Click on “Do It)
  2. Complete the test and click on “Score it!”
  3. Print out both type descriptions
  4. Highlight the parts that feel explain you best
  5. Go to to http://www.personalitytype.com/
  6. Go to “Know your type?” and select the right one in the drop down box.
  7. Print out “How to Love A (your type)” and “How to Speed Read a (your type).”

There’s also another one, based off the “Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument” which goes over conflict style. A good thing to know while trying to form a team of unlikely folks.

The results of the materials were interesting.

We’re also responsible for reviewing materials in preparation for the Mission. Not so much about construction or Habitat, but more about the reason(s) why we’re doing the trip.

Although our quotes give light to practical and sometimes humorous reasons for going, we’re all in agreement that the Mission isn’t about building homes, it’s about caring for people.

Our motivation is that God loves us all, and there are some people currently in need.

Our support and volunteering aren’t some form of Karma Investment, they aren’t out of obligation to man or even God, we just want people in the region to know that God loves about them, and this is just one of many practical expressions of that Love.

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Team Prayer Letter

Hurricane Katrina Recovery Project Gautier, Mississippi
April 21st – 28th, 2007

It seems like an eternity ago that hurricane Katrina unleashed indescribable devastation upon the Gulf Coast in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida. Thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed and thousands of people were left homeless. Evergreen Baptist Church, San Gabriel Valley extended offers at that time to assist in the form of sending volunteers to help rebuild along with monetary contributions to fund relief efforts. After a season of waiting, God’s timing and plan for us is such that our offer has now been accepted!

In partnership with American Baptist Churches USA (ABC-USA) and Habitat for Humanity (HFH), Evergreen Baptist Church of SGV will be sending a team of ten men to assist in the rebuilding efforts to provide homes for those in need along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. The team will fly down and stay at the Salvation Army Volunteer Village for seven days while working on the construction of homes sponsored financially by ABC-USA. We have the honor and privilege of being a part of the team.

God has called each of us to go on this mission, and we are all quite excited about the opportunity to serve in this way. However, this trip will not be possible apart from people like you coming alongside us to support us with prayer, finances, and encouragement. So our hope and prayer is that God would show you how He would want you to partner with us.

If He calls you to intercede for us, both now as we prepare and during the 7 days that we’ll be in Mississippi, here are a few requests: for strong relationships and cooperation among our team as well with other volunteers that we will be working with; for safety in our travels; for physical protection while working on the construction sites; for protection over our families while we are away; for weather that will be conducive to our construction tasks that we will be assigned; and for God to use our efforts to bless and help the families that lost their homes to the destruction of hurricane Katrina as well as to others providing assistance in the recovery efforts.

If God calls you to contribute financially towards the roughly $8,500 that we as a team need to raise, please fill out the response form and send it with your check in the enclosed envelope. And if He calls you to write a note of affirmation or encouragement to one (or all) of us, feel free to do so on the back of the response card.

Thank you for considering how you can partner with us on this mission. May God’s grace and mercy always be with you.

In His Service,

Evergreen SGV Katrina Recovery Team April 2007

Katrina Recovery Team April 2007

Gary Yee, Art Fong, Peter Lau, (Mathias Nakatsui drawn on whiteboard), Mo Nakatsui, Steve Ogata
Robert Nishikawa, Dennis Cho, Tommy Yamada, Frank Murakami

Dennis Cho “This is an opportunity to give a little of myself to help so many in need. It’s the least I can do considering all the blessings God has bestowed upon me.”

Art Fong “I am truly honored to be used by God in this way and anticipate the many blessings that will come from this as a result.”

Peter Lau “One thing that impressed me about this one is that even though we may not be rebuilding all the homes in a particular region, even a few new homes in an area can help retain and build up property value in that area. Hopefully that will encourage others to stay and rebuild on their own, and help them and investors have confidence in the region.”

Frank Murakami “I am glad I finally get to go to the Gulf area to help those who were devastated by Katrina. To go with a great bunch of guys from our church is a real plus.” “I want the people there to know that I care.”

Mo Nakatsui in Matthew 25:40 it says, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” I see this as an opportunity to give back to God in a small way for the many blessings He has given me.

Mathias Nakatsui “I am looking forward to serving the people in the Gulf Coast by building homes.”

Robert Nishikawa “Serving the Lord is one of the greatest things I can do for a God who has given me so much. I am going take this opportunity and make a difference.”

Steve Ogata “In addition to all the more serious and heartfelt concerns, this is my opportunity to use power tools and enjoy the camaraderie of encouraging joyful Christian guys.”

Tommy Yamada “I’m looking forward to experiencing a new part of God’s kingdom and hopefully ‘feel His pleasure’.”

Gary Yee “I want to be able to put the love of Christ into action…to live out my sacrifice.”

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And So It Begins…

This is our first project with Habitat for Humanity as SGV. We had done some prior projects with Habitat when we were a combined church…

We’d been waiting for a while for this one to get started, many folks were ready and waiting.. and now.. the waiting is over.

Here We Go.

This first team that we’re sending out consists of 10 men.

Why 10? Why Men? Because that’s the way it worked out.. and we had hoped to have an opportunity for the men to work together and serve side by side. If we want men to be better leaders, then all the more we should give them opportunities to lead the way.

The goal is that this will be a pilot group and in the future, we will be able to send other teams sponsored by our church.