Remembering the Blessings

November and December were two very busy months. There were about 15 Christmas events – at the Christian kindergarten Sungjae attends, at all four chapels of Hiroshima EV Free Church, and at a college campus for the first time – and a few non-Christmas events too.  Here are a few stories about just some of those events. 

November 19th was the day of the Christmas flower arrangement class at Samuel Preschool. On that particular day, all of the moms at my table were good friends that I’d known for 3-4 years. As we were chatting, I asked the mom next to me, J, a member of Kabe Chapel, about the Women’s Ministry outreach the following week. I’d been invited to it just a few days earlier and so didn’t know much about it. She told me that there were going to be lots of delicious desserts and that she would be giving a testimony. I asked her if she’d invited anyone and she said that as she’d be giving her testimony, she felt too shy about asking anyone. I told her that her sharing her testimony is the best reason and time to invite friends! :) She turned to the mom on her other side, one of her best friends, and asked if she would like to come. The mom said yes and added that they talk about so many things, but they don’t ever really talk about faith. We arranged for me to pick up J’s friend the morning of the event. J later texted me to say thank you for creating an opportunity and giving her the courage to invite her friend. Praise God for opportunities like the flower arrangement class where I can sit and chat with moms while doing something that we enjoy and use them to encourage the body of believers! 

Before (at Samuel) and After (in our entryway at home)

On November 21st, there was a Women’s Ministry Christmas candle craft outreach at Koyo Chapel. Among the 30 or so attendees there were about 15 church members and 10 of my friends. I thank God for allowing me to invite friends who are not yet believers, the opportunity for them to deepen their friendships with church members and beome more familiar with “church”, and to be able to hear the gospel through such events. Koyo Chapel’s Women’s Ministry was thankful that I supported their event by bringing so many friends. Most of the church members did not invite anyone, while I showed up with 10 women. The Women's Ministry members are primarily older ladies with children who are in college or beyond, so they really welcome young mothers who come with little children. It’s also always encouraging for those that organize events when more people attend! 

Two left pics: handmade candles (top) + supplies to make Christmas candles (bottom); Top right: all five of the friends in the picture attended last and this year's Christmas craft making event at Koyo Chapel - would be awesome if they continued to go even if I'm not here!; Bottom right: udon lunch with one of my friends after - udon with mochi is a winter special.

The morning of Wednesday, November 26th was Samuel Preschool’s annual Adult Christmas Service. I remember being shocked the first year as there was a choir of about 50 moms on the stage, the pastor, a few other staff, and only about 5-6 moms there to listen. Juhee had been asking me to be a part of the “Hallelujah Choir” since her first year and so during her third and final year, I finally did. This past Christmas was my second time taking part. I’ve enjoyed being a part of it for a few reasons – I love singing, Izumi-san (Pastor Yamada’s wife) has been the guest conductor for the past few years, Izumi-san explains the meaning of the English lyrics and the background too, and she prays at the end of every practice session. I also get to add a bit when I explain to them things like the importance of singing “King of Kings” instead of “King of King” (Jesus is the King of all Kings) and “sleep in heavenly peace” instead of “sleep in heavenly pea-“! The pastor’s message is always clear, simple, and touching, perfect for the listeners. There were about 80-90 moms in attendance this past Christmas (including the choir) and Izumi-san and I were the only Christians. Please pray for the moms in the choir who sing Hallelujah, sing praises to God, and know about the reason for Christmas. Pray that the head knowledge will become heart knowledge, that a Christian mom will reach out to them and make Christianity “real” to them, and that their years as a mom attending a Christian preschool will be life-changing. 

Moms performed carols on flutes, on a trumpet as well as singing carols and the Hallelujah Chorus as part of the Christmas service. After the service, the moms had lunch together and thanked Izumi-san for conducting.

November 28th was the day of Kabe Chapel’s Women’s Ministry Christmas outreach. As previously arranged, I picked up J’s friend and drove her to Kabe Chapel. J’s testimony about being a mother, the shock of finding out about her daughter’s learning disability, and how God is changing her heart and attitude toward her daughter moved many women to tears. Pastor Kitano’s message about the history of Christmas in Japan was very interesting and I’m sure it was new to most people there too. During the game time, I found out that most women have “secret money” which they keep hidden from their husbands! As we were eating our delicious lunch (LOTS of yummy desserts!), I learned more about parenting in Japan… The moms shared about how hard it was for some of them to go to the park with their infants / toddlers due to the fear of being bullied or excluded by other moms. One mom didn’t leave the house for four years except to go to hospital visits, etc. She didn’t go on walks, go to the park, to other play areas… Her daughter had very little interaction with the outside world and didn’t speak till she was four. Her eyes welled up with tears even just recollecting those difficult years. Their stories gave me even more to pray about, especially as I will soon be entering into this world of playground bullying – by moms! Pray that I’ll be able to reach out to moms who are afraid and become a friend to them. 

Top row: J giving her testimony; Pastor Kitano's sermon. Bottom row: J's handmade wreaths decorated each table and the candle holder was handmade by a member of Kabe Chapel for candle services too; two of the members sang a medley of carols beautifully; a delicious buffet lunch! 

Every few months at Juhee’s school, the parents are invited to a “Participation Day”. We observe one class, the kids are dismissed, and then there’s a short talk by the teacher and/or principal. Most of the parents actually leave when the kids leave. On December 2nd, I had a bit of a surprise awaiting me as in addition to moms that I already knew thanking me for inviting their child to another event at Asaminami Chapel and confirming their RSVP, some moms that I didn’t know at all (didn’t know their kids either) also thanked me and told me that their child would like to go. The problem is that they say their name pretty fast and I don’t usually catch it! Juhee and I had stuck on labels with personalized invitations including my contact details on each invitation that Juhee had handed out. Thankfully, a few moms contacted me later on to confirm their RSVPs with me. Following the Participation Day and kids’ Christmas Party, I started LINE chatting with one mom in particular. When she told me that she went to college in NYC, I was glad to find another mom who speaks English and she was glad to have someone to practice her English with too! She also told me that she would sometimes go visit a church when she lived in NYC and so was glad when her son received an invitation to an event at a church. She said that she would like to visit during a Sunday service sometime too. She really wanted to come to our Christmas Eve evening service as she felt that that was the most “authentic” thing to do for Christmas, but she couldn’t make it. However, she and her son did join us for Sunday service on the last Sunday morning of 2014. Juhee was super excited to have a classmate there and for me, it was another “wow, thank you God” moment. Praise God that the mom said that she felt a sense of peace and refreshment and would like to visit again sometime.  

Top row: Parents lined up against the wall to observe the class; Juhee put her hand up and was picked to answer the math question. Bottom row: Getting ready to go home; the Principal and the three 1st grade teachers had prepared short talks for the parents. I'm sure they were just as shocked that so many just went home!

On December 6th, Asaminami Chapel held a Christmas Party primarily for elementary school kids. During the previous two years, they held one combined Christmas party for all kids and didn’t ask people to register in advance, but as their annual events have become more and more popular, they split the kids’ party into two – one for elementary school kids and another one for babies up to Kindergarten age kids. They also asked attendees to call and register in advance so that we would be able to prepare better. We also thought that it might hinder some people from coming, making the numbers more manageable. ^^; Juhee was only going to invite some, but ended up inviting all 32 of her classmates (they asked) and friends from the other 1st grade classes as well as her ballet and calligraphy classes. Little Sungjae also invited a few of his friends (who had older siblings in elementary school). The Children’s Ministry staff planned for about 60 children to attend. But by a few days before the registration deadline, 70-80 had already made reservations and calls continued to come in, at which point they had to turn away with apologies any more parents who wanted to send their children! They also asked me to stop inviting friends—about 30 of the kids + a dozen parents who attended were our friends. At a small church plant where about 25 adults and 10 Sunday school kids meet on Sundays, around 95 people showed up that day who had the opportunity to hear about the true meaning of Christmas. Among the children who were there, only five were from households of believers. Supporting churches and individuals in the U.S. sent us many Christmas decorations, paper plates and cups, napkins, gift bags, pumpkin bread mixes, instant hot apple cider, etc., so that this new church plant with a limited budget could afford this event (as well as future Christmas events), and afford to host so many people. Thank you!!! Please pray for the seeds that were sown that day in the children's hearts, as well as in the hearts of the parents. 

Clockwise from Top Left: Juhee sticking sticker labels with personalized invitations onto the back of the Christmas Party flyers; contents of the goodie bags that were given to each child as they left - homemade cookies, information about the church and other Christmas events, a tract / story of The Three Trees; 100 goodie bags were prepared just in case and a good thing they prepared to many - there were only a handful left!; Juhee & Sungjae both made lists of names of friends that kept on growing; big platters of snacks were prepared for each table.

Clockwise from Top Left: Juhee's friends & siblings were spread out over 3 overcrowded tables and parents sat against the wall; Sungjae and two of his buddies, anxiously waiting to see if their names would also be called out of the hat; a panoramic view of the party; time to say good-bye - local kids walked or rode their bicycles, all of our friends came by car; I drove our kids + 4 others home and babysat them till their moms could come pick them up; Juhee & the friends at her table.

The morning of December 11th, the two of us helped out at two different events. Jenny went to Asaminami Chapel's Women's Ministry Christmas Party with seven of her friends (around 25 people attended in all), and took part in the handbell performance, was in charge of taking care of tables, etc. For two of her friends, it was their first time attending an adult event, hearing a message for adults, and getting to know the other ladies at Asaminami Chapel – an important first step! She also baked a loaf of pumpkin bread for the event and provided instant hot apple cider. We thank God for allowing us to have a blessed time that warmed both body and soul. Peter went with some other missionaries on our missions team to a Christian women's college in downtown Hiroshima to hold a Christmas service and Christmas café. It’s a Christian women's college, but the "Christian" aspect of it has almost disappeared. Please pray that our missions team would be able to continue to visit this college campus, as well as many other college campuses, and spread the gospel message to many more college students. 

Asaminami Chapel's new handbell choir - I'm fourth from the left; Me with 5 of the 7 friends who joined me that morning; Red & gold candle holders and nativity scene candle holders from the US; homemade snacks made by members of the Women's Ministry + pumpkin bread; Pastor Yamada giving a Christmas message to a room full of ladies, about half of them being not-yet-believers.

The often empty, beautiful chapel of the Christian women's college that our team helped at; a group picture of our team with the students; Christmas cafe time prepared by our team.

On December 9th, 11th, and 12th, we had Christmas parties for the Kids Brown children's English classes that we teach. It was a busy week of preparing at home and preparing & holding the events at each chapel, featuring short skits by the students in front of the parents, the story of the birth of Jesus in the Bible, a game to learn about the various meanings of Christmas, and refreshment times with hot apple cider plus pumpkin bread and snickerdoodle cookies that Jenny baked. Our kids had to go with us each time, but we were grateful that by the Lord's grace, they did not get sick and held up well. We were also thankful that among the children and parents who attended last year's Christmas parties, there were those who remembered the story of the birth of Jesus, the different meanings of Christmas decorations, etc. that they had heard for the first time in their lives last year. It’s encouraging for us as the teachers when the students remember even parts of the Bible stories that we went through. Pray that as the teachers continue to go through the Bible a second time this year, and again for a third time from the Summer, more and more of these stories of God’s grace, love, protection, and guidance will stay with the students. 

Pre-event happenings: checking Juhee's homework while baking, baking, baking with and without the kids' help; coordinating Christmas plates, napkins, cups, candy canes, hot instant apple cider, pumpkin bread mixes, etc from the US; counting and splitting them into bags & getting them delivered to each chapel; cutting, tying, and curling ribbons to tie onto the candy canes, arranging everything nicely for the students and guardians to enjoy. :)  

Kabe Chapel's Party: Peter on stand-by to cue his students at they perform the skit for the moms & siblings; Peter reading the story of Jesus' birth in English and Ogawa-san in Japanese; everyone enjoying the snacks and drinks. Moms & kids becoming comfortable at Kabe Chapel, hearts & bodies being fed & warmed, and relationships deepening are the real reasons for us teaching kids' English.

Party at Koyo Chapel for Koyo's and Asaminami's Thursday classes: For about a month leading up to the Christmas party (and in January), I helped at the Thursday Asaminami classes ( =Juhee had to skip a month of calligraphy classes and I had to ask a friend to pick-up Juhee from Asaminami Chapel to take her to ballet class) and here they are rehearsing one last time; Peter's Thursday class had to suddenly change roles on the day due to a couple of kids being absent but they still did a great job performing in front of the parents & siblings; Peter enjoying some rare down time with his students.

Asaminami Chapel's Party: for each of the three parties, I led the singing and "game" times, asking questions about the story that they heard and connections that they see between the story and images of Christmas; our little DVD player came in super handy that week as our kids waited patiently for mommy & daddy to do their thing and the time came for them to enjoy their snacks - some younger siblings joined our kids too!; Pastor Yamada had talks with the moms at all three chapels at the beginning, giving us teachers a bit of time to have a final rehearsal with the kids before show time; all 23 of my students crammed into one little room; students, moms & siblings enjoying the snacks after the program was done.

Besides these, there were many other events both within and outside of the church in November and December – our Pioneers Hiroshima Team’s Christmas Party, our first time ever taking part in Hannukah, Juhee’s preschool alumni Christmas service, Sungjae’s Christmas Nativity Pageant (last year he played a sheep, this year he played a star) & service, ABC’s Christmas Service & Potluck, Asaminami Chapel’s Christmas Party & Potluck, Asaminami Chapel’s Christmas Eve Service, Juhee's birthday party, mochi making at a friend's house... There were many more blessings we encountered and that we would love to remember and share through our newsletters and blog. But this post is, I think, already too long. If you made it this far, thank you! 

It took me much longer than I thought to write this blogpost, but as I was writing it, it was great to remember the many ways in which God blessed our busiest Christmas season yet. It's so easy to remember the stress and craziness and forget about the blessings! Even the fact that our busiest season happened this year and not in previous years was part of God's perfect planning. I seriously don't think we could have pulled everything off before without something bad happening in previous years. But this year, despite my difficult pregnancy and the few months prior having been our busiest yet ministry-wise too, we were in a good place and were able to communicate and work well with the many groups and people we needed to work with. Our marriage being strong really helped too! Hopefully one day, I'll be able to look back at this post and praise God once again for working in our lives and that of our friends, and for allowing us to serve Him and the Hiroshima EV Free Church in this way.

We are so grateful for the opportunity to be here serving God, despite all of our faults and weaknesses, and we thank you for your financial and continued prayer support that sustain us and help us get through the crazy busy, tiring, difficult times as well as the good times. We pray that He continues to use you and us Oh's for His glory, so that many more will come to know Him. :)