May 12, 2023

Joint Worship Assembly – Mito, Japan – April 29, 2023

Time has slipped by and we have now finished three weeks in Japan. The last couple of weeks have been filled with many exciting things. It started with the Spring Joint Worship Service. It has been three years since this event was held in person. Josephine and I journeyed to Mito about 85 miles northeast of Tokyo in order to participate in this in-person gathering.

It was heartwarming to see so many we have known over the years. Eighty gathered for the in-person meeting and another 26 met online via Zoom. Twenty-two congregations were represented by those who participated. It was so very encouraging. We worshiped together in the morning, had lunch together (the weather was beautiful), and then reassembled to play some games and get to know each other. The lesson given was right on and so encouraging.

One surprise came at the end of the meeting. The church building that the Mito church uses was dedicated on the same day forty years ago (1983). In going through some of the history of the church one of the leaders realized that I had preached at that dedication. He felt it appropriate that I lead the closing prayer. I mentioned that finally meeting in-person after three years gave us a glimpse of what our reunion with our Lord will be one day. What memories!

Sermon for Ochanomizu church

The following day we worshiped with the Ochanomizu church in Tokyo. Again, there were reunions with brothers and sisters. Our acquaintance with this congregation goes back to 1969 when we visited as college students. It was on that trip that Josephine and I decided to minister in Japan. This congregation was our guarantor for our ministry in Japan.

Ochanomizu elder visit

The next evening we were visited by one of the elders of the Ochanomizu congregation and his wife. They were not able to be at worship the day before because they went to worship with the Haruna church. We visited for almost two hours. Both their children are now grown and out of the house. He just recently “retired” and was hired back at half salary. This is a common practice in Japan when you reach a certain age.

The next day we hosted two brothers who were in Japan to tour and also to look at possibilities for ministry. We were able to share some opportunities and challenges for the ministry here.

Happy Birthday Josephine

Josephine celebrated the beginning of her birthday month on May 3. Time keeps moving forward as God designed it.

On Sunday, May 7, we worshiped with the Tachikawa church. We are always thankful for their hospitality in allowing us to stay in the third-floor dorm. It makes commuting easy when we worship with them.

Uenohara church reunion

On May 9, we had a special treat. One of the members of the Uenohara church where we ministered for six years (1980-86) communicated with other members who were there when we began ministry there. Four families came for lunch and a time of fellowship. It brought back memories from 43 years ago.

Ephesians Class – chapters 1 & 2

Finally, just yesterday on May 11, I began teaching from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. I had prepared to deliver them in 2020 but was unable to because of the pandemic. Over the course of three Thursdays, I will cover the six chapters of the letter. These classes will be recorded for future use among the churches. There were 7 in-person in the class and another 8 via Zoom. Each class is on one chapter and lasts for about 30-40 minutes.

April 24, 2023

Haruna church of Christ – April 23, 2023

As we finish our fifth day in Japan today, we feel like we are over jetlag and ready to settle down to work on a regular schedule. Yesterday, we traveled for a little over two hours to worship with the Haruna church in Gunma Prefecture. This congregation was the one we most wanted to connect with.

Two months before departing for Japan, I wrote a brother asking if he would drive us to Haruna. It is away from any public transportation so it is only accessible by car. I gave him several dates to choose and it happened that our first Sunday in Japan was convenient for him.

Shiro Obata ministers to this congregation which he started twenty years ago. Brother Obata is one of my Japanese mentors. We first met brother Obata and Rumiko his wife in 1969 as college juniors. He later picked us up in 1977 in Yokohama as a family of four (a three-year-old daughter Rachel and a one-year-old son Jonathan) to begin a nine-year ministry. Since that time, he and his wife have encouraged and taught us many things. At eighty-eight, he continues to minister to this congregation they planted 20 years ago. Before planting this congregation, he served the Tokyo downtown church at Ochanomizu for over 30 years. They have been a blessing!

Next Sunday (April 30), we will worship with the Ochanomizu church. They were our sponsoring church when we moved to Japan in 1977. I will record the sermon for those that worship by Zoom.

On Saturday (April 29), we will journey to Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture for the annual spring joint worship. This will be the first time to have a “hybrid meeting” which means it will be in-person and via Zoom. We are looking forward to the in-person fellowship. It will last from 9:30 until 3:00 in the afternoon.

It has been 6 years since we were in Japan in the spring. We really enjoyed the flowers – Dog Wood, Rhododendrons, Azaleas, along with so many others.

Rhododendron

Iris & unknown flower

Mt. Fuji is still here

On November 2, 2022, Josephine and I returned from a ten and a half weeks trip to Japan. It has been three years since we were there to minister. It was good to be in Japan. This will be a report of some of the things we did during those weeks.

Warm greetings at the airport and upon arriving in Tachikawa

Upon coming out of immigration and customs at Tokyo Haneda Airport on August 23, we were surprised to see Ruku Obata (pronounced Luke) waiting for us. We have known Ruku since he was in grade school. He is twenty-three years old now. After graduating from college, he began a special four-year course in Bible and theology. He graciously drove us from Haneda Airport in southeastern Tokyo to Tachikawa in western Tokyo. He also carried our luggage up three flights of stairs to our dorm room in the Tachikawa church building.

Sister Sano was at the building to meet us when we arrived. She was a great help over the time we were there. She serves as the church secretary and also cares for the flowers around the church building. We were blessed on this trip to have time to deepen our relationship with her.

Fukushima receiving the Hogan-Cate Mission Award at Harding School of Theology 

We left on Monday, August 22, and arrived in Tokyo the following day. Our first priority was to set up housekeeping and get a functional office together. This is something we did each year for twenty-three years until the pandemic started in early 2020. Our primary ministry on this trip was to fill in for Nao and Noriko Fukushima while they were in Memphis studying at the Harding School of Theology. While I shared lessons with the congregation each Sunday, Josephine reached out to members and studied with those interested in English Bible Study.

Lesson topics for the Tachikawa church

For the eight Sundays we met with the Tachikawa church, I chose to preach through John 13-16. This was Jesus’ message to his disciples the night before he was betrayed and killed. On our first Sunday, there were two assemblies. One in Japanese in the morning and one in Chinese in the afternoon on the fourth Sunday of the month. One member is from Mylasia and speaks Chinese. I wrote out my sermon in English and she translates it into Chinese. At the assembly, I read the sermon in English and she read her translation in Chinese. I did this for three Sundays while we were at Tachikawa. The first sermon was written two weeks before we left for Japan to give time for translation. The following sermons were prepared each week.

Visitation for brother Shigekuni – minister, teacher, principal

Since our main work on this trip was to minister to the Tachikawa church, we stayed in the Tokyo suburb of Tachikawa most of our time. We did get out several times. On Monday morning September 12, we traveled an hour and a half to Ochanomizu to meet up with a group going to Hitachi Ota three hours and two prefectures away. We went to the Ota church building for the visitation for brother Nobuyuki Shigekuni. This building was the place where Josephine attended her first Japanese worship assembly in the summer of 1969. The brother we had come to pay respect for was the minister at that time. He later visited us in Memphis in 1975. He was a high school teacher and principal for Ibaraki Christian High School.

Another occasion to get out of Tachikawa was afforded by a brother from the Yokota church. He offered to take us to Haruna in Gunma Prefecture to see brother and sister Shiro Obata. The Obatas helped us numerous times while we were full-time workers in Japan (1977-86). Brother Obata was one of my mentors. He fell in July 2019 and suffered a serious injury to his spine. After much healing and physical therapy, he is back walking and continues to preach for the Haruna congregation each Sunday while seated. Sister Obata suffered heatstroke this past summer and is now in a care facility. It was a blessing to be able to visit them.

Japan School of Evangelism Lectureship via Zoom

In addition to speaking at Tachikawa, I spoke at the fall lectureship for the Japan School of Evangelism with Takeshi Kushida minister for the Hitachi church. My topic was Paul’s understanding of the church from Ephesians. Paul pictured this gathering community of believers in several ways. But I focused on my favorite image of the church as a household of God (Ephesians 2:19).

Our two-week rail pass began on September 28 with our going to Kojima in Okayama Prefecture. This is like going from Memphis to Austin, Texas. We went there to visit with Sandy Rogers. Over twenty years ago, she and Brent moved to Kojima to teach English and started a congregation at the same time. Brent died three years ago but Sandy remains to work with the congregation. Their school closed just before the pandemic broke out. On our return to Tachikawa, we visited a couple Josephine and I had English Bible classes with while they were in Memphis.

Tuesday Bible class with some of the Numazu church members

During the second week of our rail pass, we made a day trip to Shizuoka. I taught a class for the Numazu church at their Tuesday morning Bible study. Sarah Andrews started that congregation after WWII. There are three other congregations she started before the war in that area – Okitsu, Oiwa, and Shimizu. We received a delicious sushi lunch after the class. We visited with brother Tomoyuki Shinozaki former minister for the Numazu church as well as brother Fumio Maeda minister for the Nakada church and his wife Sachiko before returning to Tachikawa.

Later that week of the rail pass, we started our long trip north. It began with the Tomobe church. The church members knew we were coming so they planned an impromptu meeting for that evening. It was a “tea party” with fifteen gathered of which three were non-Christians and one of them came for the first time. I shared a lesson and answered questions during that meeting. We appreciated the members quickly organizing the meeting.

While in Tomobe, Jeanne Ray was our host. She has opened her home to so many over the years. She and Marlin came to Japan in about 1972 to teach English. This gradually changed to re-establishing the church in Tomobe. It has now been over 35 years since they started ministering in Tomobe.

Joel, Hiro, and Seika ministering to the Mito congregation

While in the Ibaraki area, we visited Joel Osborne and Hiro Akahoshi who team minister to the Mito congregation. The church secretary, Seika, also came with them. We had a wonderful meal together and discussed the work in Mito and in Japan in general. We worked with Joel and Hiro in 2011 following the tragic earthquake and tsunami.

From Ibaraki, we went further north to Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture. This is like going from Memphis to Chicago. Twelve of us gathered on Sunday morning for worship. It was such a blessing to be with these brothers and sisters. They rented a room in a local hotel for the occasion. They usually meet in a member’s home. Following the worship, we had a wonderful bento lunch and then an impromptu ladies’ class. It is always an encouragement to see those who have the desire to learn more about God.

Lunch with the Hachinohe congregation after worship

On our way back from Hachinohe, we stopped at Omika in Ibaraki Prefecture. I spoke in chapel for the Ibaraki Christian University. That afternoon, Josephine was asked to share a lesson with some of the ladies. She taught from Habakkuk. Later that week after returning to Tachikawa we had lunch with a couple we taught while in Memphis. The husband teaches at Nagasaki University and the wife works for a research group.

While we had to secure visas to enter Japan, 0n October 11 the borders of Japan were fully opened to foreign tourists. This means that travel to Japan can be done pretty much as it was before the pandemic. This gave us hope for a spring trip in 2023.

Visit with Leslie and Sara Taylor ministering in Matsudo, Chiba

The week before we were to leave, we were finally able to squeeze in a visit to Matsudo in Chiba Prefecture to see Leslie and Sara Taylor. They had worked with the Matsudo church for five years with Steve and Debbie Carrell. They returned to the states for two years before returning two years ago in the midst of the pandemic. They are now working full-time with the Matsudo congregation.

Our final Sunday was spent with the Ochanomizu congregation in downtown Tokyo. They sponsored us when we came as full-time workers in 1977. Over the years, we have benefited from their encouragement and help. I spoke for the Japanese assembly in the morning and then for the English assembly in the afternoon. We stayed in the old building in 1969 as college students. Brother Obata, mentioned above, was the minister at that time. It was like coming home.

Speaking at the Ochanomizu congregation

On Monday, October 31, we began the process of packing and closing up housekeeping. We had tried to go to Japan in 2020 and 2021 but were not allowed. Having finally been able to enter and minister, we are very thankful. It has been great to renew friendships and minister once again in Japan. We are ever indebted to those who encourage and support our ministry. Our prayers have always been that God is glorified through our efforts.

Hello and happy summer everyone! I can’t believe it, I just looked and it’s been three months since I last sent out a report. Wow, time is continuing to fly!

For so long, mainly because of Covid, days and weeks just tend to look the same. We as a church family are unable to have special summer activities, parties, get-togethers, or movie nights any time of year in order to keep from having a large group of people together inside. Each time we think we’re going to be able to open up and plan something, the numbers go up again. They are currently at their all-time high both for all of Japan as well as here in our prefecture. But, as in the States, people have decided that it’s time to just live their lives (carefully, still wearing masks in public) and the government is no longer encouraging people to stay at home or to close down businesses.

I decided, before the numbers went up again, to take a trip, and continued with my plan even after they went up. I spent about five days traveling to and being in the area around Tokyo. My goals were to renew friendships and do a little more networking, get advice on books that should be added to the Kojima library, and then go shopping at one of the larger Christian bookstores in Japan. (still not very large though!) It was exciting to find some really good books in Japanese to add to our library, including a good study Bible, (it weighs a ton!!) and I’m excited to introduce them to the Christians here!

I was terrible about remembering to take pictures, but I enjoyed spending time with Sister Jeanne Ray and some of her English/Bible students, being with Sister Emiko Noguchi for a day, meeting a Christian sister, and hearing about the café and outreach that she and other Christians in her area use to reach hurting people such as alcoholics, homeless people, people suffering from cancer, and whoever else comes their way. I was able to speak with Brother Nao Fukushima only by Zoom because of his wife Noriko‘s illness, and Brother Yoshiya Noguchi for just an hour or two because he was so busy that week. And then a couple nights plus Sunday with Leslie and Sara Taylor and their delightful children and the Matsudo church. I was so delighted to get to spend a few hours with a woman, Nao, who was in my mom‘s Bible class, and her children attended my children’s Bible class here in Kojima two years back around 10 years ago. She’s now a Christian and assisted Sara in teaching the children’s Bible class at the Matsudo Church. And we got to talk a lot, it was great! The first picture below shows the Taylors and Nao with her daughter, taken a week and a half ago when I was there, and just for fun, the next two pictures are her kids, from when she was living in Kojima 10 years ago. And I got a picture of Brent in!

After my time in that part of Japan, I flew to Ishigaki Island, maybe the southernmost and westernmost island in the Okinawa chain of Japanese islands, for a short vacation.

Again, my pictures are either nonexistent or pretty bad, but I’ll put one down below of me eating an Okinawa, or maybe Ishigaki, a dish of noodles with Japanese flavored spareribs on top, and another one of the most beautiful flowers I saw down there.

Highlights of my trip were-

• Spending time with Christian sister Rumi, who decided to join me at the last minute,
• beautiful flowers, amazing night sky—probably the best I’ve ever seen the Milky Way,
• beautiful sunrise over the ocean,
• swimming in the ocean for a couple of hours,
• seeing gorgeous tropical fish, coral, clams, etc. from a glass bottom boat,
• swimming in the most beautiful pool I’ve ever seen,
• relaxing in the best what I would call a bungalow I’ve ever been in,
• making a pottery turtle in a workshop,
• eating amazingly delicious small pineapples such as peach pineapple and melon pineapple,
• eating tropical fish sashimi, and
• just, in general, relaxing in such an amazingly beautiful place.

Rumi flying down to vacation with me at the last minute was a blessing, I think for both of us. I pray that I was an encouragement to her and that she was a real blessing to me.

After 27 years of living in Japan, I’m glad I finally made it to Okinawa!

As I said before, no real big news, except I continue to praise God for the growth I see in the Christians here in Kojima.

For example, one sister considering getting a degree in Christian counseling so that she can be a counselor to others.

One sister teaching and encouraging a seeker, and the actual “teachers” sitting back and listening in amazement.

People teaching our children’s Bible class (so far just one child) for the first time.

One of our seekers said to the group, “I’m looking forward to the day when I will have a story to tell about how God saved me, the same as (some of our other Christians) have! He’s already loved me through all of you.

I pray Ephesians 1:18-20 for all of you, that through the Spirit you know deeply the hope we have, how great and amazing our blessings are, and the unbelievable power God uses for us.

Thank you as always for your prayers, messages of encouragement, and support.

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Grace and peace to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! As always, we thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. We’re happy to share with you what has been going on over the last month here in Japan.

Hamburgers on 4th of July. Japanese grills are very different from those in America, using a different kind of charcoal and a grated covering, since typically they cook small pieces of meat or vegetables on it rather than large burgers or steaks.

Heading into July, of course, we have the 4th of July. However, as you might imagine, Japan does not celebrate the day. Thankfully, we have a family friend who lives out in the Chiba countryside about an hour or so away who is American, so we went out and had a cookout with him and his family. No fireworks this year, but it was nice to celebrate together all the same! This friend and his family are not Christians, and unfortunately, they live far away so it’s hard to connect regularly, but we try to use what influence we can to shine the light of Jesus and plant some seeds. You never know what the Lord is doing through these interactions!

We also had another visit this month with a longtime American friend here in Japan, our sister Sandy Rogers. Some of you may remember that our family first came to Japan in 2010 and lived in the small town of Kojima in Okayama Prefecture for a year. At that time, we worked together with Sandy and her husband Brent, who had a great influence on us in showing us what it looks like to labor in this culture for the Lord. Brent has since gone to be with the Lord, but Sandy is still here working hard to water the seeds they planted together for so long. Sandy was able to stay with us for a couple of nights, and also attended Sunday worship together with us, which was a great blessing. We had some wonderful conversations together. Sandy is planning to return to the U.S. in a couple of years, so please be in prayer for her as she prepares for that major life transition.

Sara, Sandy, and Nao. Sandy and Brent played an important role in Nao coming to follow Jesus. We are so thankful!

You also likely heard about the unfortunate murder of previous prime minister Shinzo Abe. This was definitely a major shock in Japan, particularly because a gun was used. Guns are, practically speaking, banned in Japan, with only very limited kinds allowed for hunting, the permission for which requires a long and extensive process. Of course, Abe was very influential in politics for many years, and it was even possible he could become prime minister again one day. Given the potential impact on people here, we had a special service the following Sunday at Matsudo, discussing tragedy from a Christian worldview. Although no one from the community attended, we did receive a kind word from a non-Christian Japanese friend who saw that we were hosting this. She said: “You are always thinking about what you can do for the people around you. I respect you. Thank you for what you do for Japan.” This individual is one of the people regularly listed on our “names you can pray for” prayer request list at the end of our newsletter. These small statements are very meaningful to hear for us, and we pray that this little light we shine will point this friend and others to the One who cares about Japan and its people more than anyone else.

Our kids doing a Q&A session with kids in the U.S.

July ushers in summer vacation for the kids. Summer break for kids here is shorter than in the U.S., but there are still several weeks off from school that they can enjoy. Our kids enjoyed playing with their friends and were also able to host a short Q&A with several kids from the U.S. who asked questions about life in Japan. We’re so thankful for all the friends in the U.S. who show interest in and concern for our children. What a blessing it is!

Unfortunately, summer vacation has also brought a new wave of covid cases here in Japan. This has perhaps been the largest wave we have experienced here, and several of our closest friends have contracted covid for the first time. In fact, we had potential exposure to one case, but gratefully God protected our family, particularly since that would likely mean being stuck in the house for a full two weeks at least.

Yet, while this wave has produced large numbers (for Japan), we have noticed that the response has been much more reserved compared to previous waves. Many large events are still being held, for example, and we still see plenty of people playing at the local playground, and people walking around town without masks. Although we know of at least one church that has suspended services again, they have provisionally done so only for one week rather than indefinitely. Additionally, and importantly for us, for the first time, the borders have not been closed again. That is a very hopeful sign, we believe. Anyone who knows about life in Japan knows that change here is a slow process. That is true in all areas of life and is one of the reasons the spiritual work here can be so challenging. But it also produces a great sense of joy when the change finally comes, even if it is measured in inches instead of yards.

Despite this recent wave, God has been providing us with new connections and opportunities. Leslie has continued playing tennis several times a month with those individuals we mentioned in our previous newsletter. Sara continues to build relationships with some people in her classes. We also have made a new contact with a foreigner living nearby thanks to a mutual friend with our previous missions partner, Steve Carrell. This individual seems to be seeking something, and while we are currently only connected through Facebook, we’re hoping we’ll be able to meet him in person soon. There are others we could mention as well, but the point is that God is still working and we are very grateful for that.

Our most recent English worship service at Matsudo.

We have also been continuing our English Worship services. Attendance has been somewhat sporadic so far, but we are hopeful this will continue to be a blessing to Matsudo and that God will use it to help make disciples in our community and beyond. At our last service, three Christian sisters from the Ochanomizu church visited with us. We’d like to share something one of them texted Sara later in the day: “I was thinking on my way home, no offense, who could ever imagine that we could have English service at Matsudo. That’s awesome. Of course, God is working, but also I’m very proud of you guys. The seed you planted is starting to bloom.”

Yes – God is indeed working! We are so grateful for our small part in planting seeds and allowing others to see how God does what might seem unimaginable when we trust in him.

Listen To Matsudo Church of Christ Sermons!

Speaking of our services at the Matsudo church, you can now listen to Leslie’s sermons online! This will include both Japanese and English sermons.

Click Here To Listen On The Church Website

Click Here To Listen Through Apple Podcasts

For now, the split will be roughly 75% Japanese and 25% English, but we hope, if the Lord blesses our English services, that we will eventually move to have that every Sunday and thus have more English lessons there. To be honest, uploading the Japanese sermons is a bit embarrassing for Leslie. Although Leslie is capable in Japanese, there are still plenty of mistakes in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

Click on the image to listen to our sermons

Postwar Japan – A Christian Nation?

Leslie also has a new episode up of his new personal missions podcast. Did you know that in postwar Japan, General McArthur considered the possibility of making Christianity the official state religion of Japan? It was a real possibility! In this episode Leslie shares some of the history behind that, as well as some reflections on what that might have meant for the work here, and what it means for the church generally in modern times.

Listen through our host Acast: https://shows.acast.com/notes-from-the-field

Listen through Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/notes-from-the-field/id1630093831

Click on the image to listen to the most recent episode

As you remember our work in prayer as we head into the summer, here are some things we would love for you to remember:

• Cambria and Madeleine, as they continue to grow as disciples of Jesus
• Liucija, as she continues to adapt to life in Japan, and for her and Matthieu both as they continue their relationship in person
• Our DBS study, that we will find others who will join us in discovering God’s word and the life of Jesus discipleship
• The English worship service to bless the English-speaking community, and to grow so as to be more fruitful
• Sara, as she continues to engage with people in our community
• Gratitude for opportunities for Leslie, and for him as he engages in these, that they might be fruitful
• Continued success and fruitfulness with the Kids’ English Bible Class
• That the COVID situation in Japan will continue to improve and we will be able to extend our work further at Matsudo
• Some specific names you can pray for: Craig Carroll, Matthieu, Liucija, Tomoko, Kawakami family, Kobayashi family, Mr. Gotou, Fujita family, Ebata family, Toyoda family, Shirouzu family, friends of our children, coaches and staff at tennis

Men’s Retreat – January 14-15, 2022 with Colton Shannon

Twenty-two plus men came together to encourage each other and learn. Colton Shannon (fourth from the left front row) was the special facilitator for our time together. He spoke three times from Jeremiah. We broke out into small groups twice plus a group discussion after his final lesson.

Here are some of the points Colton made during our time together.

• Willingness to be in pain for something that matters more than the pain – Jeremiah complained to the Lord (12:1-4) and the Lord replied (12:5ff); Jeremiah was in pain for something that mattered more than the pain.
• God invites us, like he did Jeremiah, to be in pain for a mission that matters more than our pain.
• How leaders deal with their pain is inevitably contagious to the flock/family. We can’t give what we don’t have – Israel’s sins were engraved on their hearts and on the altar (Jeremiah 17:1-4); trusting in man (relying on ourselves) is like a shrub in the desert while trusting in the Lord and the help He gives through spiritual relationships is like a tree planted by water (Jeremiah 17:8ff); we need to be in relationship with other godly men to obtain the help we need; we are a group project.

Grace and peace to each of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! We pray this newsletter finds you blessed and fruitful in the Lord. We are so grateful for each of you who take the time to read this newsletter and all who pray for us and our work here in Japan.

This has been a very eventful month in a lot of ways, and we’re excited to share with you the various things we have been involved with recently.

As we mentioned in our previous newsletter, the state of emergency in Japan has finally come to an end, and case numbers have plummeted over the last several weeks. In our town of Matsudo, there have been repeated days with zero new cases, and even Tokyo has been in the 20s and 30s. This has allowed people to be more comfortable getting together and opened the door to planning for some big activities over the coming weeks and months.

We’ll talk more about those plans in a minute, but first, we are excited (and a bit amazed) to share that we officially have a teenager in the family! Cambria turned 13 this month, and we’re very glad the state of emergency ended in time for that, as it allowed us to get together with friends and celebrate her birthday as a family with a baseball game at the Tokyo Dome. It’s bittersweet of course to see her growing up, but what a blessing to watch all the ways she is growing and learning. She’ll actually be helping us out with some events in the future, and it’s so wonderful to have an extra helping hand who we can trust.

Enjoying Cambria’s birthday game together at Tokyo Dome. We rooted for the Hiroshima Carp and they won! Maybe they should invite us to every game!

Along with being able to celebrate Cambria’s birthday more freely, we’ve also been able together with a number of people. We’ve had the Kobayashi family over several times this month, and were finally able to get together with our longtime friends, the Kawakami family. We are so grateful for these friendships. Every time we get together we can’t help but think of how much we long to see these people we love become followers of Jesus. As much as possible we try to plant kingdom seeds in these times together, talking about how God blesses and shapes our lives. We pray that God will give an increase that leads to saving faith and obedient discipleship. We would ask that you be praying for these two families especially as well.

In addition to interpersonal relationships, the “re-opening” of society has also allowed us to start planning for some big events over the coming months. First and foremost, starting on November 14, we will be launching a kids English Bible class on Sunday mornings. Especially because we know so many children who speak English in our community or who have an interest in English, we think this could be a great opportunity. This project is especially on Sara’s shoulders, with the other ladies of the congregation helping out a lot. Please be praying for this event as we launch. We would love to see it become something meaningful to the community, but as with all plans, the blessing must come from God’s hands.

In addition to the kids English Bible class, we’re also beginning to make plans for Christmas events. Specifically, we are hoping to have a true Christmas-week Sunday event this year. In the past, this has been our most well-attended worship service, and we would love to see that happen again. This will require virus numbers to stay low, so please be praying that they will. The theme for this year’s series will be on the joy Jesus brings, and why it is that his birth was met with joy. Especially after several years of a pandemic, joy is something everyone needs. Please be praying that God will be putting it on the hearts of people to come and hear these messages and that it will become a catalyst for gospel-centered discipleship. We don’t just want to see good attendance – we want to see that attendance leading to people who follow Jesus. Your prayers specifically for that would be greatly appreciated.

If things go well into the winter, we are hoping to start our English worship service early next year. It really depends on the virus situation though, as we don’t want to get stuck in a stop-and-start cycle that discourages continued attendance. So again we would appreciate prayers that Japan’s numbers will remain low.

Boston in his costume at the park for the Halloween event. Leslie got to chat with some of the dads, and Sara was able to hand out many flyers for the kids’ Bible class to moms. And the kids had a blast!

We sometimes get discouraged with how much of a barrier the virus presents us here, but it is neither our right nor of any benefit to complaining. We entrust the timing to the Lord. We intended to come to Japan in March of 2019. Instead, it was almost December and that was after months of not being sure we would be able to go at all. But God used that timing to put us in this perfect location – better than anything we asked for or imagined! Will he not use the timing now to produce further fruit? We believe he will.

On the plus side of numbers being low at the moment, we were able to participate in a fun community event in our neighborhood on Halloween day. Although Halloween was virtually unknown in Japan just a decade or two ago, it has become a somewhat big event here, so the neighborhood decided to have a fun event for the kids. We dressed up, gave out candy, and were able to pass out some fliers for the upcoming kids English Bible class. This wasn’t a church event, but any event we participate in is an opportunity to be salt and light, and we’re thankful for each one the Lord provides.

Brother Yukusue is seated in the middle in the blue shirt. This was taken on the day of his baptism.

We do have one final bit of news that is very sad to share. Our dear brother Yukusue passed away this weekend. We will deeply miss his voice and presence at Matsudo, but we rejoice with him in that he is now dwelling surrounded in the presence of the Lord awaiting his glorious resurrection. What is a loss for us is a gain for him, and there is yet more to come. The church is going to try to reach out to his daughter to offer comfort and love. Please pray for us and for her and any other family members, that even in his death, Brother Yukusue may plant seeds of faith through the church in which we so faithfully participated for the final years of his life.

Thank you, as always, for each one of you who prays for our family and our work. We are so grateful for your prayers! As you remember our work in prayer, here are some things we would love for you to remember:

• Prayers of thanks for all that God has given us – our house, our community, a loving church with people willing to work, etc.
• Our upcoming maiden Kid’s English Bible Class on November 14th.
• Our planning and preparation for the Christmas series and related events
• That God will connect us with those seeking and open hearts of those around us already
• That God will grant us wisdom of when to say things and what to say
• That God will help numbers remain low so things can remain open
• That our DBS (Discovery Bible Study) sessions will continue to go smoothly and be fruitful for the church
• That God will help Japan to open its borders soon
• Some specific names you can pray for: Kawakami family, Kobayashi family, Mr. Gotou, Fujita family, Saeki family, tennis coaches/staff/new friends

Purpose:

The purpose of meeting during the week at the building has never been to only have a Bible study but more to allow Christians to come together and encourage one another in their faith. Having small groups has the same purpose, to come together in a more intimate setting to deepen relationships and faith. Additionally, these groups will fulfill the broader vision of Park Avenue Church of Christ by doing community outreach and serving the needs of families.

Groups:

There are several groups for you to choose from based on age and topic.

• Young Adult Group – This is a group of young adults that meets together to share in faith, community, and bible study. It is comprised of families with young children, couples, and singles. Come join this group as we share in the joys and struggles of young adulthood and navigate this walk together while encouraging one another.
• Adult Group with No Children – This is a group for adults who want to study the word and grow in their relationships with other adults. This group is comprised of couples and singles who don’t have children or no longer have children in the home.
• Multi-Generational Group – This group seeks multi-generational bonds and community as we study the word of God together. It is comprised of singles, couples, and families, really anyone who wants to join.
• Outreach/Service Group – A group of people that wants to become the hands and feet of Jesus to the Sea Isle community and beyond. We meet not only to study the word and grow together as a family, but to also plan service activities for the whole family. Come prepared to work and serve.

What to do if I want to join a group:

• First, decide which group you would like to participate in. Then, let Frank Bolling know by signing up (below) or emailing him at frank.bolling@parkave.org, or by filling out one of the group cards located on the literature tables and at the back of the auditorium.
• The deadline to sign-up for a group is Sunday, August 22.
• After the deadline, Frank will divide groups up if needed and contact each group and instruct them to find a time to meet and report back to him.
• Groups will meet from September 12^th through November 20^th. Groups will break for the winter and start again on January 16^th and go through the end of April.

Things to Keep in Mind:

• Groups are encouraged to meet weekly and can meet anytime between Monday and Saturday each week.
• Groups can meet anywhere. They can be in homes, park, or you can plan to meet at the building if you prefer.

Sign-up form:

Wedding and Hitachi Camp

My friends, Niumaia (member of Taga church) and Rachel (who has been staying with me), wanted to get married by the pond by my house. The State of Emergency in Tokyo (where most of her friends live!) and rain prevented that plan. Anyway five of us enjoyed the tiny wedding in my house. Her father in England performed the ceremony on Zoom. She’s still hoping to have a ceremony with guests this fall. We shall see.

The vaccination campaign is off to a very slow start. Japan didn’t get any vaccine until March. I don’t think all the medical workers have received it yet. The city government sent packets of information to the seniors with the warning not to call for an appointment until told to, at least until the end of May. I guess it’s good, in a way. They are giving the vaccine to the hardest-hit cities first, so guess we can wait a little longer. One of my supporters kindly paid for a ticket for me, but I certainly won’t be getting on a plane without my “jab” (British English). I have mixed feelings about getting it.

We had to cancel camp again. 🙁 We just had a one-day workday to keep the jungle from getting out of control. Eight came to help. One of the workers is cleaning off the roof. One job is to clear off the room of leaves and debris.

Thank you for all your help. Jeanne Ray

Grace and peace to each of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that this letter finds you well and blessed, growing daily in Christ, by the power of the Spirit, through the love of the Father.

Spring is fully upon us now here in Matsudo. The barren trees have turned green, and colorful flowers are blooming all around us. Cherry blossom season was as beautiful as always, though the year had a noticeably different atmosphere due to the continuing pandemic. Normally during cherry blossom season, our family goes to a large park just across the Edo River in Tokyo for hanami (a picnic beneath the cherry blossoms). Unfortunately, this year the park was staffed with people going around asking people not to do this. This was disappointing (though understandable), but the trees were still lovely and a welcome sight after the long, dark winter months.

Although the pandemic has prevented certain kinds of outings, it hasn’t shut down our local park. The playground has been full of children playing each day, and often their parents join them, or at least their mothers do.

Before we came to Japan, we wondered how we would make connections here. We knew worship would look different and that we wouldn’t be able to hold events at the building for quite some time. In our previous time here, this was an important means of creating connections. We wondered what we would do without such a valuable tool. Furthermore, we had intended to live in the same neighborhood as the church building – an area called Minami Hanashima, which is where we lived previously. However, when borders closed in April 2020, we lost the apartment we were planning to move into just down the road from the building. We had even paid the deposit already! It seemed hard to understand at the time.

But we continued to pray for God to make us fruitful if it was still his will to send us, and we have come to see that his timing was perfect. (Should we expect anything less?) The house we now have, as we have said in the past, is absolutely perfect for our family. We have a spacious house with plenty of room for our family and plenty of room for hospitality as well. But the biggest blessing of this house is not the house itself, but the playground across the street.

This playground, this humble park tucked between houses and apartments, is where missions happens. This is our Areopagus; it is the Lord’s field, and it is here where we work towards the harvest.

This isn’t missionary rhetoric – God has provided abundantly for us here. We have met 3 families with children who speak English at this park. Three! We didn’t meet another child who spoke English even once at our playground in Minami Hanashima. And we have made other connections besides these. That isn’t intended to be a criticism of our previous location. We have tried to keep up previous relationships, and have connected with a number of previous friends as well. We are grateful for all God did before and the foundation he provided, but what we see at this playground is a testimony to the Lord’s provision for his work now as well.

Through this playground, the Lord has provided friends for our children. They have friends to play with and laugh with each day. That would be a gift in and of itself, but the Lord has gone further. Sara has been able to talk to many of the mothers at the playground while the children play (usually only the mothers join the children, though fathers occasionally come on Sunday afternoons). One mother has asked Sara questions about Christianity and what our worship is like. Another mother said she has been to a church before and would be interested in coming if we have events in the future. Leslie has even been able to meet two of the fathers, and we’ve had one of these families over to our house already for dinner. They stayed over for 4 hours and we had the opportunity to pray together before the meal – quite possibly the first prayer to the Lord they have ever heard.

All of this is God’s provision. Jesus promised it. He tells us in John 15:4-5 that only if we abide in him and him in us can we be fruitful. He tells us to ask for what we need to be fruitful for the glory of the Father. He promised to provide, and he has – abundantly.

This isn’t our doing in the least. If it had been up to us, we would be in a much smaller apartment in a likely less fruitful spot. Instead, we are here, where we can see the Lord providing each day. God provides for his work if we will simply trust him and lean into him and be faithful. That is true here, but it is also true wherever you are.

We are so grateful to everyone who prays for us regularly. Your prayers matter. The image above is proof. Of course, we can’t see the future. Everyone has a choice to make. But God knows those who are seeking, he knows those whose hearts are open, and we believe he has many in Matsudo who are his people (see Acts 18:10). It is our prayer that many of those we have met will be among them. The time is now for planting and watering, and we eagerly await the day God gives the growth.