April Focus - extended version

Happy new academic & fiscal year. :)

April is the month of new beginnings - flowers blooming, new schools, new jobs, new friends, new homes... We have a few beginnings of our own too this month! Pray for the many people in Japan who are transitioning from the familiar to the unfamiliar, from their safety zones to new territory.

Peter's private tutoring classes - His student has a busy schedule this month so can only make one lesson, but we're grateful for every one! Pray that they continue to have a great time chatting in English. His last email to Peter ended with "I am looking forward to your lesson and happy time." :)

Peter's Friday Japanese lessons - He'll be resuming classes next week after Spring Break. Pray for the relationships that he's developing there too. Last month, a few days after class, his teacher called him to give us a discount coupon to a cave that he'd mentioned during class that we might visit during our Vision Trip. She drove to our area to give it to him. During their next class sometime this month, Peter can thank her and show her pictures that we took in the cave. Maybe through the pictures of the shrine and alters inside the cave, some spiritual conversation might be able to take place. Pray for Peter to be open to the HS's leading and that more opportunities will arise.

Kids Brown - Our new class started last week!  It was a great beginning and the kids are excited about coming back.  I'll be supporting her again this week and then she'll be running the classes on her own.  Praise God for an additional teacher and eager-to-learn kids & parents!

Smile Club - The first class of this new academic year will be on Friday, April 18th. I've been asked to teach English as the attendance is always higher when I teach and they want a strong start to the new year. Pray that we will have a strong start, and that mommies & babies will continue to come. At one of the last gatherings, one of my friends who lives 40-50 minutes away, told Pastor Yamada at the end that she really appreciates the talk bit at the end that Pastor Yamada leads and that it makes it worth the drive for her. Hurrah!

Kids - Juhee will be having her elementary school entrance ceremony on the 9th. I still have a lot to prepare before she starts! I think she's excited but also a bit nervous too. Pray that we'll be able to prepare her well and that I'll be able to have everything ready by Wednesday too. Sungjae's loving being a "big kid" and can't wait to turn 4 just like most of his friends!

Vision Trip - We had a GREAT time during our Vision Trip. It was wonderful to visit with friends, get to know them better, and pick their brains too, as many of them have been missionaries in Japan for at least 10-20 years longer than us. We were treated to picnics on beautiful Spring days and meals on China plates with placemats too! It was great for us to be able to go and see the places of ministry that we've been invited to and to meet the pastors/missionaries there. We still have a lot of processing and praying to do. Please pray with us!!!

Pray that we'll be able to get our English e-newsletter out soon and a Korean one too... We still haven't got one out... :(

As always, thank you for your prayers and for your love. :)