November Focus - full version

Brrr~ It’s cold! It rained a lot the other day, too! The leaves are changing colors to beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows. Autumn is my favorite time of the year and I’m glad we get to experience it here. One thing I’m really excited about trying out soon is central heating!!! :D 

It’s been great not having to check the weather 2-3 times a day! I don’t need to worry about the weather to do my laundry or see whether or not Juhee will need an umbrella on her walk to and from school. Juhee and Sungjae both had a great time at their first ever Walk-a-thon & Harvest Festival and the weather was perfect! Juhee ran 25 laps and Sungjae ran 50!!! It was great getting to celebrate my birthday with friends and family a few days ago too. I’d forgotten how special that is! We’re thankful that Juhee was able to invite friends from school to a Community Family Festival at a nearby church and that one of her friends came. The mom said, “I wouldn’t have known about this church or the event if you hadn’t invited us.” The kids had a blast and didn’t want to leave! I’m also thankful that our kids got to go trick-or-treating for the first time ever and that they (and us!) had a blast doing it with our LSCC friends. 

October 2009, Halloween Party at POPS, Santa Clara Valley Japanese Christian Church (SCVJCC). Juhee lasted in her hanbok till just after her first ever trick-or-treating saying "Jesus loves you" instead of the traditional "trick-or-treat". She used to do her "peace" signs by just putting up her index finger :)

October 2010, Halloween Party at POPS, SCVJCC. Juhee was a rainbow pumpkin and Sungjae was a bumblebee for his first ever Halloween. Juhee was able to experience hand painting for the first time, too.

October 2015, Halloween Party at POPS, SCVJCC. This time, it was Jiyeon's turn to get her first ever trick-or-treating experience at POPS saying "Jesus loves you" to receive her age-appropriate treats. It was great to be able to spend time one of our long-time supporters who had recently become a grandmother and it was amazing to see how much this precious ministry had grown during the years that we'd been away. In 2009 and 2010, there were probably about 15 moms at the Halloween Party with their kid(s). This year, there were over 30 moms with their kids(s)! The church fellowship hall was packed! Praise God!

Halloween Day 2015, Community Family Festival, Berryessa Valley Church. Juhee had invited about 30 school friends to this event at a local church, just a 5-minute drive from where we and many of her school friends live. One of her friends came! We met one of her gymnastics class friends there, too. All of the kids had a great time and none of them wanted to go when they needed to! It was a great free event that really served the community. To me, this is one of the most important aspects of church.

Halloween Day 2015, post trick-or-treating around Drew & Michelle's neighborhood. I think it was the most fun trick-or-treating I'd experienced as we were in a big group with friends! Chatting, playing, and enjoying food with everyone after was a special treat for us too! Definitely the best ever Halloween. :)

And of course, baby gets a few extra pictures. ;P We're so grateful that Juhee and Jiyeon's costumes were provided to us by friends at LSCC. God is so good! :)

November started with us sharing at Antioch Fellowship, a Youth / College / English Ministry group of a Chinese church, that is now led by one of our former youth leaders and student! It was great seeing them in action, leading and pouring out onto an amazing group of young Christians. When I got there, Aaron (former youth) was taking the HS students through Systematic Theology during their small group time – I thought that was pretty impressive! 

Weekday afternoons are busy with kids’ homework and activities, and weekends are packed with meals with friends and supporters, small group meetings, and speaking engagements (just a few more!). We're looking forward to the Ho and Chiang families visiting us from Dallas too! The kids are super excited! We’re trying to prepare for our return back, but there have been too many things in the here and now that have been requiring our attention (such is life!). In terms of prep, one thing we need to look into is shipping boxes vs. buy suitcases and ship from airport in Japan to our home. Another task is all of the administrative things that we need to get done in the US before we return to Japan, like updating our will. Pray that we'll be able to tie up loose ends, be able to make wise decisions, and not leave things too last minute.

I'm actually taking part in a Japan 102 course with RJC Academy, but I'm incredibly behind on my reading and assignments. The little reading that I have been able to complete has been really insightful though, and has helped me to put some puzzle pieces together. For anyone interested in getting to know more about how the Japanese work, I would definitely recommend the book. Please pray that I'll somehow find time to read more and be able to complete my assignments. They're just short write-ups on my readings, and probably wouldn't take that long, but it's not happening.

Please also pray for the remaining Joy of Learning English classes that I'm volunteering at at Santa Clara Valley Japanese Christian Church. I've been enjoying the fellowship with the Japanese-Americans and the Japanese-Japanese ;) and although I'm the Assistant Teacher, I've been learning a lot too. After one of last month's lessons, I was chatting with a couple of the moms in my class during tea time and they asked about why we lived in Japan and why we're returning. I was able to share with them about the work we're called to, that we're supported in prayer and finances by many Christians and churches in America and Korea, and that there are churches and Christians in Japan, even though they may have never seen a church or met a Christian before. I have two more classes this month and two next month. I'm looking forward to all four of them!

Peter’s parents celebrate 50 years of marriage this month. They’re amazing parents, great in-laws, and awesome grandparents! I really wish I could do more for them and that we could spend more time together. I’m so thankful that God allowed us this time with them. We continue to pray for their salvation, that they will also one day, come to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 

We’re looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with our family and we hope you are too! 

When we first got here, 7 months seemed so long… And now – already! – less than two months are left! :( There are so many people and things that we are going to miss… :’( 

So thankful for you and the love that you continue to shower on us. :)