Christmas in Japan

Happy New Year Friends!!!

As I enter 2008 I am thinking a lot about the amazing things that God has done in my life in the past year. God made 2007 a very surprising year for me! One year ago I had begun to think that God would not open the door to Japan for me again -- I was still feeling called to get onto the mission field, but maybe, I thought, God wanted me somewhere else. Now I am a little over two months into my life in Japan, and I can hardly remember how I got here; I just know that God's hand has been over me the whole way. And I never would have imagined the ways that God is already growing my soul, stretching my mind and pulling me closer and closer to Him.

I want to tell you everything that happened in Decemeber, but as it was a busy month, that would make for a really long blog. So here are the highlights of my December:

At the beginning of the month I got to visit the Mukaiyama Kindergarten Christmas Flea Market. One of my readers has her son enrolled there. It is a Christian school, so it was fun and encouraging to catch a glimpse of how God is working there. Debi and I went with our friend Akiko; we had a wonderful time of fellowship.

On the 16th I had the opportunity to share a testimony with some of the church members in Sendai. God led me to share about the centurion in Luke 7 -- verse 9 says that he had faith that amazed Jesus. I don't know if God used what I said that day to move in anyone else's heart, but God has been using what he taught me that week to grow in me a burning desire for faith that amazes Him.

We hosted a Christmas party for all of our LST readers on the 20th. We had a good turn out and lots of fun -- and I learned a lot about planning parties.


The most encouraging blessing that I received in December came in the form of a huge pile of presents from the Cheyenne Church of Christ -- I love you guys!!! I received enough hot cocoa to last . . . well, probably forever -- and lots of other cards and goodies that made me feel really, really loved. Thank you to anyone who sent cards or packages to our house -- we are so grateful for all the encouragement and love!

For Christmas, I was blessed to be able to spend the whole week in Ibaraki with Judith. I tagged along for all the Christmas festivities and had a great time. We got to visit several churches and attend a couple of Christmas parties, which included some gift exchanges that inspired hilarity, and I even ended up with a couple of good presents. I was filled by God with the blessing of time to talk about Him and to Him with several friends.

I was especially touched by Michi, one of Judith's roommates. She is a young woman who has not committed her life to Jesus yet, but she is seeking God and He is drawing her to Him in a way that is amazing to see. I was so blessed by some of the conversations that we had while I was visiting. She is already doing work for God's kingdom with her desire to share what she knows about God and Christianity.

When I returned to Sendai, my friend, Dan, accompanied me on the train so that he could visit friends here. Then, because Dan was staying at their house, one of my readers invited us both to have dinner with him and his wife. It was a great evening of fellowship. Dan and I also got to spend New Year's Eve with Mawatari family (Mawatari-sensei is the retired preacher for the church here and also one of my supervisors). It has been interesting and a lot of fun to experience the holiday season in Japan.

Next week, I will be starting up English lessons again. Debi and Joel will return to Sendai in a couple of days. And 2008 will have begun to pass as quickly as 2007 already did.

Please pray . . .

~a praise to God for the comfort and joy with which He filled my heart throughout my first Christmas away from my family.

~a praise to the Holy Spirit for the ways that He is working in Michi's heart. And please pray that He will continue to grow a faith in her and continue to use her to lead others to Him.

~a praise to the Lord because of the ways He is using Judith for His work in Japan and for teaching me more about Him. Please pray for Judith as she is transitioning over the next few months into a time of training for God's new plan for her in mission in Japan.

~for my reader, Michiaki. Pray that God with give him faith, that He will soften Michiaki's heart and open his eyes so that he can believe.

~for safe travels for Debi and Joel.

~a praise to God for all the Japanese I am learning -- please continue to pray that I will remember more and more. I am desperate to be able to communicate.

A very full November

Hello Friends! Sorry this is so late -- I want to tell you all about November. It was a blessed and busy month, so I'll try to give you the abridged version . . .

I spent a great deal of November getting settled into a routine, renewing old friendships and starting new ones. Near the beginning of the month, Debi and I had the opportunity to go to a weekend retreat with a group from the church that our other roommate, Emiko, attends. They had rented a house in Takayama (just about an hour away from Sendai), and we had a wonderful time worshiping and studying God's word together.

The following week I traveled to Ibaraki to visit Judith (a missionary working with a church there). She had invited me to attend/help with an LST follow-up weekend camp. It was a great opportunity to meet many of the Christians and seekers from that area. I made some really awesome new friends and got to visit with Dan, my friend from college who now teaches there. I was blessed and greatly encouraged by the wisdom and experience that Judith shared with me while I was there -- I am looking forward to seeing our new friendship grow and learning more about missions from her.


Every week on Monday we have a group that comes to our house for dinner, fellowship, singing and a Bible study. This cell group is made up of Christians and non-Christians that have either been part of Debi and Erica's cell group (this past year) or part of Joel and Ben's cell group -- since Joel and Ben have left Sendai this fall, the two groups have combined. In November we were studying the beattitudes -- for now Debi leads the group, but I have helped a little in the preparation. Cell group is truly a blessing in my week, and I believe that God is doing great work in the hearts of those who are part of the group.

On Tuesdays Debi and I attend a Bible study at Starbucks that is led by Emiko. We get together, read from the book of John and share our thoughts. I am so encouraged by a woman named Yumiko, who comes every week -- she has been studying Christianity for some time now. Even though she has not yet decided to make a commitment to Christ, she invited a new person to our group and encouraged her to study the Bible. I am so stunned by her willingness to evangelize before she has even made the choice to commit to Christ.

On Friday nights we attend a devotional that is led by Akira, a church member at our congregation. We sing worship songs in English and, of course, have some time for fellowship -- it is always a blessing to worship God with brothers and sisters! And on Sunday evenings Debi and I usually attend an English worship service at a church near downtown Sendai. We have made some new friends there -- and for me (and my extremely limited Japanese vocabulary) it is encouraging to hear a message from God's word in my heart-language.

In November I also began my language study. Every Monday, I have a volunteer tutor that visits my house for a two-hour lesson. Two or three times a month I meet with another lady who is teaching me "survival Japanese" -- like vocabulary for ordering food or buying stamps. I have been attempting to get in an hour or two of personal study every day, but as my schedule fills that has proved to be more challenging than I imagined.

At the end of November I began my one-on-one English lessons. I am teaching English using Luke, John and Acts. Some of my readers are very interested in learning about the Bible, which is so encouraging -- there is nothing so exciting to me than to be with someone when some basic truth about God finally makes sense to them. I am so fortunate to get to do this work for God! Some of my readers are only interested in the English at this point, but I enjoy all of them -- they are all blessings in my week!

Thank you for all of your prayers -- I know that there are so many of you praying for me, because some of you have told me that you are, but also because I can feel God blessing me, filling me with strength and love in answer to your prayers. So please know that God's power and your prayers are sustaining me as I try to do His good work.

Please pray . . .


~a praise to God for Yumiko -- for her willingness to share Christ with others.

~a praise to God for Marina -- one of my readers who said, "I want to know more about the Bible and more about God." Please pray that God will bless her with understanding of His word, belief in His truth and faith in His power.

~that God will open the hearts of my readers to His truth.

~for safe holiday travels.

~that God will bless me with comfort and peace as I spend my first Christmas away from my family.

~that God will help me remember all the Japanese words that I am trying to learn.

~for strength and healing for Crimsen's mother and for her family.

My Traveling Month

Oh, Friends -- I am in Japan! I am finally in Japan!

But let's start at the very beginning (it's a very good place to start). At the very beginning of October I was blessed to begin my final preparations for the move to Japan. I got to do wonderful things, like buying a plane ticket and telling everyone I met that I was moving to Japan (so exciting!).

I spent one last week in Cheyenne where I received a very loving send-off -- full of prayers and hugs -- and so began the goodbyes. Then I traveled to Kearney, Nebraska where I said goodbye to my sweet, sweet little sister. After that I was blessed to be in York for York College homecoming -- I celebrated my 24th birthday that weekend with the best birthday party ever held in a Starbucks, surrounded by awesome friends! Then it was off to Mattoon, Illinois where I got to spend a few days with my wonderful, 86-year-old great-grandma, and then the last stop was Shoals, Indiana for a week with my mom, step-dad and my grandparents. (I learned how to knit, and I rode a 4-wheeler for the first time ever!)

Very, very early on the morning of the 25th my wonderful mom dropped me off at the airport in Indianapolis, and I began the very last leg of my travels. Two planes, two trains and many, many hours later I was hugging Debi in Sendai Station. God blessed me immeasurably in my travels -- I received so much love and encouragement from all the people I was able to visit with, and I arrived safely in Sendai.

I have spent the last week or so getting settled into my new life in Japan (and I think I still have a long way to go!). It has been interesting and fun learning how to use things like the stove and the washing machine, when all the buttons are in Japanese. I am so blessed by housemates, Debi and Emiko; they have already shown me so much love and support.

I have been making plans with the guidance of Joel, Crimsen, Debi and Mawatari-sensei for the work that I will be doing over the next few months. And I have already been blessed to see many of my old friends from my previous times in Japan -- I am looking forward to renewing and growing those relationships, as well as beginning new ones. Even in the short time that I have been in Japan, I have begun to pick up a smattering of Japanese words; as my very small vocabulary grows, I am looking forward to starting my language training very soon, too.

Please pray . . .

~a praise to God for bringing me safely, in His perfect timing to Sendai.

~a praise to God for the blessing of friendships overflowing with His love.

~for God to open the hearts of the Japanese people to His love, and for God's protection over all those who are sharing that love.

~for God to continue to bless me with peace and cover me with grace as I learn how to live in a new culture and to speak a new language.

~for Crimsen's mother and her family.

I'm goin' to Japan, I'm goin' to Japan

September has seen me a little discouraged and a little frustrated, but also blessed richly by our faithful Father. There wasn't much that I could do this month because most of it was spent waiting for some silly (but curiously essential) papers for my visa. God continued to bless my fundraising efforts -- I am now very close to my goal of $1600 per month. The Cheyenne Church of Christ generously provided the $2000 I needed for travel and other start-up costs with a special contribution at the beginning of the month; I also have received a little over $1400 in monthly donations and pledges.

I had many opportunities to spend time with my christian family here in Cheyenne this month. I have been supported and encouraged immeasurably by the family here, and they have joined with me in rejoicing that God has revealed his perfect timing in making it possible for me to leave for Japan very soon. Over the next few weeks I will be traveling and visiting family and friends from Wyoming to Indiana. I will leave my car (and most of my worldly possessions) with my mother in Indiana and will depart for Sendai from there. I will be leaving Cheyenne on the 8th of October and hope to be flying to Japan sometime before the end of the month. [side note: if you are living somewhere along the way, I would love to see you before I leave the states, if possible -- so please email me or give me a call.]

When I arrive in Japan I will be living with Debi, who has been working in Sendai for one year. Even though Crimsen will not be with us, I will be doing the same kind of work that we were originally planning for me. We have decided that I will be able to get the guidance and support that I need, so I am still able to continue with my plan to work in Sendai for one year. I will be doing some one-on-one English and Bible studies and also working with some group activities and classes, as well as studying the Japanese language and culture.


Please pray . . .

~a prayer of thanksgiving that God has opened a door for me to serve him in Japan.

~a praise to God for the love shown by his children in Cheyenne, who have taken on the task of being my sponsoring congregation and have opened their homes and their hearts to me over the past two months.

~for Crimsen's mother, Shelley, as she begins her chemotherapy treatments and for her family as they support and encourage Shelley and one another.

~for safe travels over the next few weeks as I visit family and, ultimately, travel to Sendai.

~that God will open the hearts of the people in Sendai, so that they can hear of his amazing love.

Listening for His Guidance

The Lord has been blessing me richly over the past month. I was blessed at the beginning of August by a spiritually refreshing time at Wyoming Bible Camp. I have been blessed by the love that the Cheyenne Church of Christ has shown me as I have been among them for the first time in several years. I have been blessed to be able to spend time with old friends. I have been blessed and encouraged by new friends. And God has showered many more blessings on me, more than I can count or list.

I have also been blessed by the unexpected generosity of so many people. I now have received approximately $800 in one-time donations and about $800 per month in pledges. So I am a little over half-way to my goal of a monthly budget of $1600.

God has also challenged me this month. Crimsen, the missionary who was supposed to be supervising my internship in Sendai, will probably not be returning to Japan at the time when we had planned for my internship to begin because her mother has cancer. On Friday (Aug 24th) doctors surgically removed all the cancer that they could, she will soon begin about six months of chemotherapy. (For more information and specific prayer requests visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/shelleywheeler.)

Since Crimsen, understandably, must change her plans so that she can be with her family, I have to seek what God's new plan is for my work in Japan. I am continuing to move forward in my fundraising and the application process to get my visa.

Please pray . . .

~a prayer of thanksgiving with me for the many blessings that God has given me this month including spiritual renewal, opportunities to share God's love and the financial blessings that God has provided in my fundraising.

~that God will continue to provide the funds needed for me to go and serve him in Japan.

~that Crimsen and her family will be filled with peace and optimism as her mother continues to be treated for cancer and that Crimsen's mother will be healed.

~that I will be patient and still as I listen for God to reveal his will for my future work for him.