| Description | Morigo Campground, on a beautiful setting near the Sonoseki Dam lake and less than 10 minutes from the city, has a miracle story of how it came to be in the possession of Rifu Church. Subsequently, IM missionary, Ted Livingston, challenged Baptist Youth Fellowship (BYF) groups in the U.S. to raise $40,000 and donate their time to the construction of Morigo Christian Campsite. Years later, God used the campground to host 15,000 volunteers in the 2 years following the 2011 earthquake disaster in northeastern Japan. The campsite suffered the loss of 2 main buildings at the time of the earthquake, more than halving its capacity. The caretaker’s cabin was remodeled and re-purposed as a cafe in 2017, through a grant the from One Great Hour of Sharing. Subsequently, a typhoon and COVID caused the closure of the cafe for 3 years. The cafe and campsite are currently running but in a much lower capacity. Understaffed, volunteer help with felling and clearing trees, maintenance of the 3 buildings on site (possible painting, cleaning roofs and gutters, airing futons), landscape preparation and clearing would be highly appreciated. There is also the possibility of training people from the church in the work at the same time. Tree clearing involves preparing downed trees for use as firewood and chipping smaller limbs to use for mulch. Time of year : March, October or November. Landscape preparation could involve using logs unsuitable for firewood in places to fill in land or create swales for water control, spreading wood chips or other natural methods to inhibit weed growth, and clean up or improve areas near the dorm and chapel. Building maintenance could include exterior painting, roof painting and gutter cleaning, addition of rain gutter on chapel and interior cleaning of the dorm as well as painting the main church building. Other needs are resetting of outdoor steps and the creation of another set of outdoor steps. Preferred time of year: March or last two weeks in April. This is a great opportunity to develop a long-term relationship with Morigo Campground and Rifu Church. It is an opportunity to aid the church body in Japan without having to be fluent in Japanese. Camping ministry is gaining momentum in Japan as camping (glamping) is gaining popularity. It is also an opportunity to encourage your Christian brothers and sisters. The number of Christians in Japan is low and the percentage decreases the further away you get from big cities like Tokyo or Osaka. Rifu Church is the only Christian church in Rifu city. Fellowship alongside the members of the church can happen through shared work and shared meals. Barbecue is very popular in Japan!! Spring and fall maintenance opportunities would most likely be available annually. |
| Language | English |
| Country | Japan |
| Ministry Priority | Evangelism | From Everywhere to Everyone | Short-Term Mission Engagement | Youth and Young Adults | Economic Development |
| Duration | 1 - 2 Weeks |
Morigo Campground Maintenance and Improvement in Japan
