Whirlwind December

For the first half of December I was in Japan, then on the 15th I started my very first furlough. Before I left, I wrapped up my one-on-one Bible studies and the group discussion class -- those last classes were a good opportunity to exchange Christmas presents and say goodbye as I was preparing to leave for about 6 weeks. I was blessed with the opportunity to meet with several friends that I hadn't been able to spend time with in a while in the weeks before I left.

On the 6th we had an LST Christmas party -- it was fun to get together with lots of friends.

Also, we said goodbye to our friend Yuko, who went to Canada on the 17th. She is living there for a year or so on a "working holiday" visa. We are very excited for Yuko's opportunity to experience life in Canada, and are praying that the experience will bless her and grow her faith.

We rejoiced with one of the families in our church because they are expecting another little one. So please pray for Yuko and Osamu as they prepare to welcome their second child and for little Yoshiki as he will be a big brother in a few months.

On the 15th I traveled into the Minnesota snow to spend some time with Crimsen. I enjoyed my time there. i was so thankful for the opportunity to visit with Crimsen about the past several months in Sendai and to receive her input on my reporting/fundraising plans. It was a blessing to be with her and her family for a few days. (Thanks so much to Crimsen, Judy and Craig!)

Then I spent a few weeks with my family in Indiana and Georgia. It was such a blessing to see them after a very long time. On Christmas day I was with my mother and her husband, my grandparents, my great-grandmother, and my sister.

And I thoroughly enjoyed bowling on the Wii with my grandparents -- we even got my Granny to join in, even at 87 she is still pretty hip!

Then I rang in the new year with my dad and his wife, their two kids and my sister. It was nice to be able to visit my dad's house because I got to see my little brother, Mason, for the first time.

Now I am in Cheyenne, Wyoming with my sponsoring church. I am very thankful for the loving welcome that I received when I arrived. And I am looking forward to sharing with them about this past year and talking about plans for the future of my part in God's work in Sendai.

Please pray with me . . .

~a praise for safe travels for me, Debi and Joel. Debi and Joel are both back in Japan now; I will be joining them a little later in January.

~a praise for the beginning of Ben and Erica's marriage. They were married on December 27th -- please join us in covering their life together in pray as they follow God and seek his plan for their future.

~a praise for all of the people who have hosted me during my time in America in December and January, and for all those who continue to bless God's work and me as they support me with prayers, love and encouragement.

~a prayer for Osamu, Yuko, Yoshiki and the coming addition to their family.

~a prayer for funds to support me as I work in Japan, and a prayer for peace as I try to depend on God and not forget his promise to provide.

~a prayer for the work in Japan as I work with the elders here in Cheyenne and with Joel later this month to make a plan for what I will be doing this next year or so.

My November Runneth Over

November was a very full month! Maybe that is why it feels like it has passed so quickly . . .

On the 8th Debi, Yuko, Akiko and I went to Morioka to visit our friend Yoko. She is one of two members of the church there and an amazing child of God. When we arrived Yoko picked us up at the bus station and took us to a local craft village where we could see traditional Japanese crafts and snacks being made in the old way -- it was really interesting. We also got to sample some really delicious senbei, that area's most famous snack. Then we ate dinner out together with one of Yoko's friends and the preacher of the Morioka church. After staying at Yoko's house on Saturday night all seven of us traveled to Hachinohe, to worship with the family there. It was an excellent time of worship, encouragement and fellowship. Those of us from Sendai were particularly blessed because it had been over 4 months since we had been able to visit our brothers and sisters in Hachinohe. They are such a loving family, and it is always a blessing to be with them.


The next weekend we filled our car with friends (me, Debi, Gaku, Michiaki, and Audrey) and traveled, this time south, to Ibaraki for a mini-retreat with the cell group in Hitachi-taga. We took a hike on Saturday afternoon and had a time of singing and prayer, while enjoying a beautiful view of the city and the ocean. We cooked Japanese curry together for dinner. Then the guys and girls split to have a devotional time -- we each shared about how our image of God has changed over the past year. It was so wonderful to hear how God is working in so many ways in every person's heart. He is faithful in seeking our hearts and drawing us nearer to him. It was especially blessing for me to hear about how the trip to Cambodia (back in March) has been working in the hearts of a couple of the young women who went. They have not yet commited their lives to God, but their testimonies of how he is working on their hearts were so beautiful to hear.

The next morning we worshipped at a couple different churches in the area, then came back together to have lunch, which was hosted by the Omika church family. I felt like everyone seemed refreshed and energized, and it must have been from our fellowship and worship -- because I don't think that anyone got to bed early.

For Thanksgiving, I joined Debi's class for a special lunch time feast on Thursday. Before we ate lunch, each child shared something for which they are thankful -- and I continue to be amazed by their English and especially by their precious hearts! What a blessing it is that Debi's school doesn't mind me visiting every once in a while. It also was fun to see the kids trying all the Thanksgiving foods, like cranberry sauce and sweet potatoe pie.

Then on the last weekend of the month, Debi and I traveled out into the countryside just north of Sendai to visit our friend Audrey. She lives in a tiny town called Kitakami. I was surprised at how much I have become used to living in the city -- I was blown away by the amount of open space, the peace, the shadowy mountains and the sun reflecting off the river in such a way that the reeds along the edge seemed to be shining too. Debi commented that God is an amazing artist. I definitely agree.

This first week in December I will teach the last of my LST classes for this year. We will have an LST Christmas party on Saturday, the 6th. Then I will prepare for my time in the States. I will leave Japan on December 15th. Also, Yuko will leave to go to Canada, where she hopes to stay for about a year. The church is hosting her going away party on the 7th, and she will leave on the 17th.

Please pray with me . . .

~that God will continue working in the hearts of my readers, even when we are not able to meet and study together.

~that God will bless Debi and I in this busy time of year with energy, good time management and lots of peace.

~that God will protect Yuko, Debi, Joel and I as we travel this month.

~a praise to God for the beautiful world that he created for us to enjoy.

~a praise to God for his faithfulness -- that we can trust in him to care for all of us, in every way.

Outstanding October

October was filled with Japanese lessons and English lessons and Bible lessons -- with great moments of learning in all of them. I am constantly surprised by the way that God teaches me as I share about my faith and explore the Bible together with friends that have a fresh perspective on God's ways. I am also especially blessed by the Bible study that I lead each week with three middle-aged ladies. One of them has a comparatively high level of English ability, but has not studied the Bible for very long; the other two struggle a little more with their English, but have more knowledge about the Bible. It is so interesting to watch them interact, helping one another. I am amazed by the way God works in that time, and how he blesses my week with the privilege of being there.

One reason that I like October is because my birthday is on the 13th. Kayoko and Debi blessed me with a birthday party. We went to a very delicious Chinese restaurant with 5 or 6 other friends to celebrate. Then afterward Debi treated me to karaoke, which I always love. Later, we met two other friends for coffee and went to karaoke again. Any day with two visits to the karaoke parlor is a great day!

At the end of the month, I experienced my first (and second) Imonikai, which is a gathering (usually outside, sometimes on the bank of a river) at which everyone prepares and eats imoni (a kind of soup). This is a very popular fall activity in this part of Japan. The church hosted an Imonikai for LST participants in the church yard. It was great because almost all of the church members helped in preparing for the party and were able to spend time with some the LST readers.



On Halloween, I joined Debi's kindergarten class for their Halloween Party. It was so much fun to see all the kids dressed up and help them to play fun games. I was in charge of "Pin the Legs on the Spider".


Last month I asked that you be praying for one of my students, the retired man. He is still asking great questions. (He was surprised to learn that I don't think we can be certain that Jesus was born on December 25th!) Recently, he asked me what part of the Bible I would recommend for a beginner studying the Bible -- the Spirit moved me to recommend the Gospel of John. He marked it in his bilingual New Testament, so I am hoping that means he wants to read it on his own. Please pray that he will and that we will have great opportunities to talk about God's love and grace.

Please pray . . .

~that God will continue to reveal his truth to my friends in Japan and that their hearts will be open to his call.

~that God will be with Crimsen, who recently started a new job; and, of course, praise God for providing for Crimsen.

~that God will guide Debi, as she is part of some big transitions that are happening at her school.

~for Joel, as he makes the most of his time of learning and teaching in Thailand.

~that I will be able to trust more fully in God's provision.

Sweet September

In September I settled into my fall schedule. I have 13 one-on-one English/Bible students. I also get to lead a weekly small group discussion class for three ladies -- we are studying the book of Mark together. It has been such a blessing to see what each of us brings to our time together; God is using each person's strengths to help us all see his glory more clearly. These ladies are not following God yet, but he is drawing them nearer.

This month we had a few opportunities for wonderful fellowship. Akiko, Debi and I went to the street jazz festival that Sendai hosts each year. We saw some really excellent bands, playing all different kinds of music -- there was even a gospel group. Debi and I also hosted a birthday BBQ for three of our friends with September birthdays. It was a lot of fun and felt very good to have a bunch of people in our house again. And Dwight and Josephine Albright visited us for one night as they traveled through Sendai; it was very encouraging to spend time talking with them.

At the end of September, I had a pretty nasty cold, so I have been catching up with work that got a little backe up and finishing the extra tasks required to prepare for extending my time in Japan and for visiting family and friends in the States over Christmas.

This month I would like to ask everyone to be praying for one of my students. He is a retired man, who has lived his life in the traditional Japanese way. He has been very devout to the ways of the Buddhist and Shinto religions, but he also seems a little disillusioned by the religious system and the condition of Japanese society. I have been studying with him for about one year now, and I am still not sure of his level of interest in Christianity. However, I feel very strongly that God is softening his heart. Lately, he has been asking deeper and deeper questions about what it means to follow Jesus. So, please pray that he will be protected as he seeks the truth about God, and that he will hunger for God's righteousness, that he will will receive the gift of faith.

Please pray with me. . .

~that the Holy Spirit will continue to soften the hearts of the Japanese people, and help them to see that he can heal the brokenness of this world.

~for the people in Sendai that are seeking God, that they will continue to seek and that they will be protected from the distractions of Satan.

~a praise to God for all the ways he has blessed and encouraged me this past month.

~for my next year in Sendai -- that God will give me a clear vision of my part in his work and strength to follow him faithfully.

~for the work in Sendai -- that the Christians here will continue to hear and follow God's call to share his love.

Andante August

At the very end of July, after a few days of rest following the busy, busy, busy Let's Start Talking season, my sister (Megan) arrived in Sendai. I was so proud of her because (in spite of some late arriving baggage and a malfunctioning payphone) she made it to Tokyo and then from there to Sendai via train all by herself, which is really impressive for her first time to Japan. She was able to stay for two weeks -- what a blessing it was! It was really fun to share with her some of the things that I have learned and experienced this year, as well as introduce her to many friends here.


We also got to celebrate her 20th birthday in Sendai, and she was so surprised and blessed by the generosity of her new Japanese friends.


During Megan's visit and after that, I had many opportunities to continue connecting with several of the people who participated in LST this summer. I also spent time preparing for fall activities. Now I have begun one-on-one LST style lessons with 13 students (and am hoping to add a couple more very soon). And I will begin a weekly small group discussion class, in which we will study the book of Mark, with three ladies that have been participating in LST for several years. Debi and I are also planning to begin a weekly devotional Bible study at our house sometime around the end of this month.

After taking a short break from my lessons during my sister's visit, I have returned to my Japanese lessons again. I am encouraged by all the things I can understand now, but I still have such a long way to go that sometimes I feel frustrated. However, God is definitely blessing me by using this language learning experience to teach me so many lessons about humility, compassion, discipline and especially about being able to ask for and accept help -- because I still need so much help for everything!

As you all probably know, my first year in Japan will be finished in less than two months and I have decided to stay in Sendai. So my request is three-fold: Please pray that that God will continue to bless this decision; please pray that the finances and other final details can be worked out according to God's plan; and please continue to be a part of this ministry -- you are so important to me as I try to follow God's call for my life. And my thank yous come in a set of three as well: Thank you for your faithful encouragement and prayers -- those are an immeasurable blessing; thank you for your physical support in the form of donations and care packages, emails and letters; thank you for the love you have shown me and enabled me to pass on to God's children in Japan.

Please pray . . .

~a praise to our faithful Father for the LST readers that came this summer, especially for those continuing to study and participate in our fall classes and activities -- pray that their hearts will be open to God's call and that they will feel hungry for God's righteousness and grace.

~a praise to God for the Sendai church -- pray that they will continue to be excited about God and sharing his message.

~for Joel -- that God will continue to bless and grow Joel as He uses him for His good work in Thailand and that God will give him a clear vision for the next phase of working in Japan.

~for Debi -- that God will continue to bless her classroom and give her opportunities to show love to her kindergartners and their families; that she have the energy and time to participate in other ministries through which she can channel her strong desire to serve the Lord and the lost.

~that I will prepare for, participate in and lead my reading sessions and other Bible studies with wisdom and dedication; that I will manage my time with balance and discernment.

~that my faith with remain solid and grow even stronger, as I learn more and more about depending on and trusting in God.