The Incredible Story of Jake and Mitsuo

The Incredible Story of Jake and Mitsuo

by Bill MacLeod

He was born in Stayton, Oregon to parents who loved Christ; read the Bible daily and took him to church and Sunday school – but he was not interested. After graduating from Madras High School, he eventually joined the Army. He volunteered to be part of a secret mission that led to a bombing raid over a foreign city, parachuting out of his plane when it ran out of fuel, only to be taken captive when he landed behind enemy lines.

The guards in the prison camp tortured him and the other prisoners and as he watched some succumb to their mistreatment, his hatred for them grew. In solitary confinement he wondered what made people hate other members of the human race, and what made him hate them? For over three years he was interred in this POW camp and one day, after about two years, one of the guards gave him a Bible. He read it through from cover to cover several times until he came to Romans 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

 Finally, he understood the faith he had been brought up with but had never been able to grasp; surrendered his life to Christ and began to forgive his captors. He soon began to treat his captors with respect and found that they, then, in turn reacted in similar fashion. Fourteen months later, the war ended, and he was released from prison. He returned to the USA with a deep desire to attend Bible college to become a missionary – in order to return to the land of his captivity armed this time with the gospel. He wrote of his experiences in a gospel track entitled: “I was a prisoner of Japan”.

In a different part of the world, another man was being prepared to go to war, also as an airman. He rose up through the ranks and earned the position of commander. His big moment came when he was put in charge of a great attack utilizing 423 aircraft that was very successful. Two months later he led another major attack. He became a hero in his country, but as the war continued, people forgot what he had accomplished, and he was demoralized.  He miraculously escaped the bombing that ended the war in the city where he had been just the day before.

Called upon to testify after the war at trials for some of his own military for war crimes, he was filled with revenge and was convinced that his people had been mistreated at the hands of their captors just as his people had mistreated their prisoners. He was surprised to meet his former flight engineer who had been taken captive but had not been mistreated. In fact, his friend told a surprising story of a young lady whose missionary parents had been killed by their country’s soldiers, but who had returned to minister to them with the deepest of love and respect during their imprisonment. Not too long afterwards, he was at a train station in his country when he was handed the pamphlet “I was a prisoner of Japan”…

The prisoner of war from Stayton, Oregon, was Jacob “Jake” DeShazer, who had been part of “Doolittle’s Raiders” over Japan, finally finding Christ in a Japanese POW camp before WWII ended.  The commander was Mitsuo Fuchida, commander of the air attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941; who found Christ as a result of reading Jake DeShazer’s pamphlet “I was a prisoner of Japan”, then also searching the Scriptures to see if it was true…after having missed the bombing of Hiroshima by one day…

Jake returned to Nagoya, Japan as a missionary where he served for 30 years with his wife Florence; and Mitsuo became an evangelist preaching in the US and Japan, and writing three books, including one about his conversion entitled “From Pearl Harbor to Calvary”. The two men whose love of Christ overcame their hatred and revenge, became close friends and led evangelistic meetings throughout Japan where many followed Christ.

I never had the privilege to meet Jake DeShazer personally, but I did interview him by phone before his death in 2008. Mitsuo passed away in 1976. Their stories are among the most incredible to come out of WWII. Never underestimate the power of the gospel to transform lives!

Do Prayer + Mission Connect?

One person who is convinced the two are inseparable is Dennis Fuqua, Director of International Renewal Ministries (IRM) known as the prayer summits. For some years he has led the efforts of Prayer ConneXion, but he’s also a recent addition to the Board of Directors for Mission ConneXion.  Here is what he shared recently about this unique ConneXion event, coming May 17-18…

No one is “against prayer.”  It is just that there could be so many more who really are “for” prayer! 

Would you like to experience a greater confidence that your prayers are right in line with God’s will?  Do you attend a regular prayer meeting that is okay, but not as powerful as you think it could be?  Did you attend Mission ConneXion, received motivation to “do more” in missions, but you are not sure just what that might be?  You know you want to be engaged in God’s work around the world, but can’t pack up and move?

Prayer ConneXion 2019, an official event of Mission ConneXion, is designed to be a place “Where prayer and mission connect.”  Whether you are an experienced pray-er, the leader of a prayer team, or have just sensed a need to grow in prayer, attending Prayer ConneXion 2019 will help you be encouraged and challenged to be more engaged in God’s work through prayer.

Southwest Hills Baptist Church will host this year’s event.  It will take place Friday evening through Saturday afternoon, May 17-18.  Josh White (pastor of Door of Hope, Portland) and Rick Elzinga (recently retired pastor of Southwest Hills Baptist) will be the two plenary speakers.  Both of these men have not only developed significant prayer lives but have helped others do the same.  In addition to these two men, there will be twelve practical workshops presented by experienced prayer leaders throughout the greater Portland area.

Go to https://missionconnexion.com/prayer-connexion-2019/ for more information or just register here.  Registration includes two plenary sessions, two opportunities for workshops, and Saturday lunch.  During the weekend, there will be as much actual prayer as there is talk about prayer!  Groups of 10 or more get a 50% discount.

Hope you can experience how prayer and mission connect!

Is TJD for You?

By Bill MacLeod

Vickie was working for The Walt Disney Studios when she was prompted to take the 15-week, Perspectives course at a church near her home outside LA. She had spent over 30 years in positions focused on leadership and business development, strategic planning, technology, research and development, innovation, and creativity. Feeling a hunger to know and do more for Jesus, she registered for a weekend retreat that promised to help her identify next steps in her journey. After The Journey Deepens (TJD) weekend retreat, her life changed.

Today, Vickie Warren is the ceo of MissionNext, formerly The Finishers Project, which offers “Pathways to connect God’s people with options to serve”.  It is also the parent organization of The Journey Deepens.  For over 11 years now, The Journey Deepens has been helping guide hundreds of people just like Vickie into their next assignment.

Mission ConneXion has been privileged to partner with TJD every year since 2012 because with 60% of its participants finding their place in missions within 3 years of going through a TJD weekend, they’re the best group we know to help people discover their own unique onramp to missions. Here’s what others have said of their experience.

Here’s how a TJD weekend works:

•  Attendees are divided into small groups of 6-8 people each and each group has two cross-cultural experienced missionaries as coaches.
• There are 4 plenary sessions, each one dealing with a particular topic, followed by a 1/2 hour time for each person to be alone with the Lord to process what they have just heard.
• Then they come together in the small groups for an hour to talk through what they have heard, ask their questions and learn from the coaches. These groups are the ‘heart and soul’ of the weekend.
• The four themes covered have to do with:  1) Spiritual preparation for missions service, 2) Your next role in missions (Goer, Sender, Mobilizer), 3) Prayer (a Concert of Prayer is used to model and engage in prayer for the nations), 4) Spiritual warfare.

Like Vickie, you may be in a career that is completely satisfying to you, “being Jesus” in your work environment. You may also wonder, like Vickie, if the Lord could use your career skills and experiences in an environment that is completely dedicated to the furtherance of the Gospel, and the Great Commission…and not known quite how to proceed. The Journey Deepens Portland 2019 weekend is April 12-13!  If you would like to register, click here.

What can you lose?

What Was Worth It?

By Bill MacLeod, Executive Director

Mission ConneXion Northwest proved to be, once again with God’s help, another record turnout underscoring an enthusiastic “Yes!” to the question raised by our “Worth It?” theme. Our plenary speakers brought so much from their own lives to help us frame the question:

• Luis Palau introduced us to an ordinary Wycliffe missionary friend who, “didn’t comb his hair…wore Salvation Army clothes…and shuffled when he walked” to indelibly fix on our minds that Jesus is worth it and if we love Him and are faithful to obey Him, He will even move the hearts of dictators through us…
• Heather Mercer shared how she was told growing up she could be “anything she wanted to be” by her parents, but when she chose a ‘career’ to bring His Name to the ends of the earth; she was “not the number one draft pick”, and that was the only profession her parents did not want her to choose…” but Jesus has always proven to be “worth it”.
• Nik Ripken talked about all those Somalians he and his wife worked closely with, as dear friends, who counted Jesus as very much “worth it” – but who all lost their lives for their faithfulness to Him.
• York Moore shared how growing up an atheist, and destitute in Detroit, Jesus became “worth it” to him in college when he compared his life to that of a firefly, and sin like a spider, and was transformed through the power of the gospel!

If you missed any of them, you can still watch their presentations here.

What else was really “Worth It”? Here are some of the big winners:

• Workshops: 3 of the “top 10” in attendance were brand new entries: “Apologetics for Kids”; “Gospel vs. Social Justice”; and “Next Gen”.
• Churches: 546 were represented in total with nearly 60% of churches drawing multiple attendees. 3 of the “Top 10” churches bringing the greatest number of attendees came from 50 miles away or more! Host Rolling Hills Church was “#1” with 60 in attendance!
• Attendees: People came from 20 States and 4 Countries (including China and the UAE), and almost 30% were first-timers!
• Live-Streaming: 7 countries and 15 different States tuned in to watch online!
• Book Store: first time for Willamette Valley Christian Supply in Corvallis at MCNW. Owner Kevin Ferguson and his team did an awesome job!
• Leadership ConneXion: 170 maxed out the largest room at Rolling Hills Church.
• Worship: “Chasing Ebenezer” duo, Ben and Heidi Sadler, were rated by attendee surveys to be, perhaps, “best ever” based on content, volume, and spirit sensitivity.
• Volunteer Team: over 160 were trained, and most of our “leads” were brand new this year. They rallied and make it happen every year. Without them, and the gracious, partnering efforts of Rolling Hills Church – this event would never get off the ground.
• Matching Gift Effort: Generous attendees – we’re only about $5000 shy of matching our $30,000 goal! If you would like to donate, you may send a check to PO Box 91338, Portland, OR 97291, or give Online here.

Finally, what did attendees say was “Worth It” for them?

Here, from our post-conference Survey, in their own words…

• “I have been sharing what I learned at this Conference…with tears in my eyes.”
• “No words enough. I am now less “clueless” about the suffering within our Body, the Church…”
• “As exhibitors, it was one of the best…we got 30 new contact cards & lots of networking!”
• “God made it clear I was to go on my 1^st short term mission…MCNW was used by God to prepare me to say yes.”
• I prayed a lot before attending for the Holy Spirit to show me where He is leading me and he did~ and I knew it when I connected with one of the exhibitors. Praise God!
• I was a volunteer and I was so blessed!!
• I was greatly impacted by Luis Palau’s quote, “Keep at it laddie. God loves to hear men speak well of His Son,” stuck with me.

If you participated with us this year – Thank You! If you were unable to, please check out the recorded, free, plenary and workshop sessions here.  We trust that this event allowed Jesus and His Gospel, to become more “worth it” for you, and that as a result, you know where you fit in His plan to reach the nations!

An Interview with Heather Mercer, MCNW 2019 Speaker

We asked 2019 MCNW speaker, Heather Mercer about her faith journey, and several questions about this year’s theme, “Worth it?”  Get to know Heather more, and be blessed by her compelling testimony below.

When did you first surrender something tangible and stand completely on faith? Was it worth it?

When I was in college, God challenged me to value people more than possessions and position, and to live among the poor.

We asked 2019 speaker, York Moore, what is “Worth it?”

We are thankful for York’s willingness to answer a few questions around this year’s theme, “Worth it?” Settle in and get to know York in this personal interview about his faith, and how he chooses to follow Jesus every day.

When did you first surrender something tangible and stand completely on faith? Was it worth it?

Growing up in poverty, I strove to succeed in college.  I was fortunate to go to an amazing school-the University of Michigan (Go Blue!).  I graduated with honors and landed a dream job.  There, I worked hard and excelled, making more money than I had ever dreamed possible.  I also started my own consultancy, servicing several Fortune 50 companies as an information broker.  Times were very good, but fear was always close at hand.  Memories of going to bed hungry while squatting in an abandoned building with no electricity would often fuel my fears and keep me going.  Whenever my career or clients became difficult, I always thought back on how hard things were growing up.