September Newsletter

Thursday September 30, 2010

Departing November 3rd

Dear co-laborer in the Lord,

We are back in the Bay Area after a fun & fruitful month in Dallas and are now entering our final month in the US. We have purchased our one way tickets to HIROSHIMA, Japan, and will be departing on November 3rd. Thank you for journeying with us, and we pray you are blessed and encouraged through our partnership in sharing of the Risen Son in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Blessings! Peter, Jenny, Juhee, and Sungjae Oh

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Final Month

OCTOBER - We had initially thought of possibly visiting Seattle and/or Southern California during this last month, but have realized taking care of all the details of moving to another country is much more demanding than we had anticipated. So we're staying in the San Jose area during this final month to pack our belongings that need to be shipped, address remaining paperwork, obtain our 3 year Religious Visas and International Drivers Licenses, sell our minivan, pack our luggage, and say our farewells.

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Partnering financially

Many of you have financially supported our ministry with Pioneers to Japan. Thank you for giving so generously and sacrificially as your financial gifts are an offering to God given into our stewardship. We'd like to share with you some of the expenses that will be covered. We thank God for blessing us with your financial offerings which will be used to cover moving, living and ministry expenses as we share the good news with those in Japan.

Departure and Moving Expenses
* One-way International airline tickets for a family of four
* Deposit and "Key Money" for apartment/house ("Key Money" is like a big deposit we give the landlord, but we don't get back)
* Furniture and appliances (futons [beds], refrigerator, oven, stove, tables, chairs, etc.)
* Used car (including taxes and fees)
* Language school
* Shipping our belongings (mostly kids' clothes and toys which are both very expensive in Japan)

Monthly Support
* Rent and utilities
* Health insurance
* Ministry expenses (arts and craft supplies like the one in the photo of Juhee, also for a Thanksgiving outreach event we anticipate buying a small turkey which will cost about $60)
* Living expenses (diapers, wipes, food, clothes, kerosene for heater, etc)
* Juhee's education/tuition for preschool
* Travel and communication costs (cell phone, Skype account so we can stay connected with those in the USA)
* Vehicle (gas, tolls and shaken-explained below)

If you have pledged to support us from when we depart, we kindly ask that you click here for an automated email to Pioneers' Finance Team requesting that your EFT be activated. Please allow a couple of weeks for it to process.

Thank you again for partnering with us financially.

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Partnership Update

We have been extremely blessed to have 359 (our hope is to have 365) prayer partners commit to praying for us regularly. God has also brought alongside us many financial partners through whom 89% of our needed Monthly Financial Support has been pledged! Praise God! :)

We thank God for bringing you into our lives, and partnering with us in sharing the Good News of the Risen Son in the land of the Rising Sun. We wouldn't be able to fulfill God's calling without you! We are still seeking 6 prayer partners, and if 15 families were to pledge an average of $50 per month, we would achieve 100% of our needed Monthly Financial Support. Thank you for prayerfully considering partnering with us. (Picture: Trivia time during one of our small group gatherings in Dallas.)

If you would like to partner with us in prayer or finances, please email us at peterandjennyoh@gmail.com.

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Baking Bread for Breaking

During our time in Dallas, Jenny learned how to make fresh bread from scratch. We were very blessed to have a pastor's wife from Dallas Chinese Bible Church share with Jenny how to bake fresh rolls, cinnamon rolls, strawberry pie, and navajo flatbread so that we can take this knowledge to Japan. We hope to break bread with many in Japan, and now we'll have fresh homemade bread with which to do it. (Picture: Pastor B's wife teaching Jenny with Juhee eagerly waiting to "help".)

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Sayonara

Our good friends Paul & Eva have kindly opened up their home to us and our friends in the Bay Area who would like to come spend some time with us before we go. Their house in Sunnyvale will be open on Sunday, October 24th from 5-8pm. We kindly ask that you bring a dish/dessert/snack/drink to share. For their address, click here to send us an automated email and we will send it to you. We look forward to seeing you there! :)

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8월 업데이트

Tuesday September 7, 2010

때가 다가오고 있습니다

안녕하세요!

이제 두달 밖에 남지 않았습니다. 10월말에 일본 히로시마로 떠날 예정입니다. 인생의 한 자막을 내리고 새로운 한 자막을 여는데 함께해 주셔서 감사합니다.

축복합니다! Peter Oh목사 가정 드림

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마지막 2달

9월 – 달라스에서 하나님의 은혜로 많은 분들과 연결. 16일 산호제로 돌아옴. 히로시마에서 Murray선교사님의 도움으로 Certificate of Eligibility를 받은후 샌프란시스코 일본영사관에서 3년짜리 종교비자 받기. 짐싸서 배로 보내기.

10월 – 협력교회들 방문하고 가능하면 Seattle이나 남가주 방문하기. 남은 서류 작업 끝내고, 짐 마저 싸고, 차 팔고, 작별인사 후 10월 말에 일본으로 출발.

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달라스에서의 시간

저희 지금 달라스에 있습니다! 일본으로 가기 전에 동생 원경이와 처남 Jon과 함께 더 많은 시간을 보낼 수 있도록 허락해 주신 하나님께 감사를 드립니다. 동생 집에서 머물면서 대접도 받고 (사진: 바베큐 음식점에서 조카 성제를 안고 있는 Jon 이모부) 뉴비전교회 집사님을 통해 차도 제공해 주셨습니다. :) Dallas Chinese Bible Church 에서 많은 분들과 다시 연결하고 Skillman Bible Church 그리고Global Harvest Church에서 또 새로운 만남들을 허락해 주셨습니다. 남은 2주간 주님께서 허락하실 만남들을 기대하고 있습니다.

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파트너십 업데이트

이제 저희가 소망하던 365명의 기도후원자 중 320분께서 기도후원자가 되어주시기로 작정하셨습니다. 하나님께서 또 후원자들도 더 보내주셔서 이제 저희가 필요한 정기적인 후원금의89%(저번달 78%)가 모아졌습니다! 산호제에 있는 South Bay Agape Christian Church와 달라스에 있는Dallas Chinese Bible Church, 두 중국인 교회가 저희를 협력선교사로 임명하면서 지난 한달간 저희 후원금이 많이 상승했습니다. 이제 미국에서는 7개 교회, 한국에서는 5개 교회, 그리고 5개국에 퍼져있는 많은 개인 후원자들이 저희와 함께 일본선교에 동참하고 있습니다. 할렐루야!

이 여정을 함께 가기를 원하시는 많은 분들을 보내주신 하나님께 감사를 드립니다. 아직 23분/커플의 기도후원자를 찾고 있습니다. 그리고 만약 15가정이 매달 평균 $50을 작정하면 저희가 필요한 후원금의 100%에 도달할 수 있습니다.

저희와 동참하실 기회를 두고 기도로 주님의 뜻을 구하심에 감사를 드립니다. 기도 또는 정기적인 후원으로 동참하고 싶으신 분은peterandjennyoh@gmail.com으로 이메일 부탁드립니다.

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우리 가족 이모저모

주희는 달라스에 있는 동안 이모와 같이 쿠키도 만들고 (사진) 같이 춤추고 노래하며 신났습니다. 원경이랑 처남이랑 조카 둘이랑 뜻깊은 시간을 많이 보내고 있습니다. 주희가 계속 물어봅니다: "What are you doing?" ("뭐하세요?"), "Where are you going?" ("어디 가세요?") 그리고 이모와 이모부와 늘 함께 있고 싶어해합니다. ^^

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August Update Newsletter

Tuesday August 31, 2010

The Time is Drawing Near

Dear co-laborer in the Lord,

We have two months remaining until our anticipated time of departure in October to Hiroshima, Japan. Thank you for journeying with us as we prepare to close this chapter of our lives, and enter a new one.

Blessings! Peter, Jenny, Juhee, and Sungjae Oh

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Final 2 Months

SEPTEMBER - Connect with new friends in Dallas and reconnect with old ones. Return to San Jose from Dallas on Sept. 16th, obtain Certificate of Eligibility with the help of the Murrays in Hiroshima and obtain 3-year Religious Visas from the Japanese Consulate in San Francisco. We'll also need to do a lot of packing before we ship our belongings to Japan.

OCTOBER - Visit some of our supporting churches, possibly visit Seattle and/or Southern California, finalize remaining paperwork, pack our luggage, sell minivan, say final farewells and depart for Japan (Final Date TBD).

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Dallas Times

We're in Dallas! We thank God for allowing us to spend more time with Jade & Jon (Jenny's younger sister & brother-in-law) before we depart for Japan. Thanks to their hospitality, we once again have a great place to stay and they've been feeding us delicious meals like there's no tomorrow (picture: Jon holding Sungjae at Spring Creek BBQ). :) God has also provided a car for us to use through one of our church members for which we are very grateful. We're having a great time reconnecting with old friends at Dallas Chinese Bible Church and making new friends at Skillman Bible Church and Global Harvest Church . We look forward to the remaining two weeks we have here and the divine appointments God has in store for us!

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Partnership Update

We have been extremely blessed to have 342 (our hope is to have 365) prayer partners commit to praying for us regularly. God has also brought alongside us many financial partners through whom 89% (last month 78%!) of our needed Monthly Financial Support has been pledged! The big jump is largely thanks to two Chinese churches partnering with us, South Bay Agape Christian Church in San Jose, and Dallas Chinese Bible Church in Dallas. We now have 7 churches partnering with us in the US and 5 in Korea as well as many individual supporters living in 5 different countries. Praise God! :)

We thank God for bringing you into our lives, and partnering with us in sharing the Good News of the Risen Son in the land of the Rising Sun. We wouldn't be able to fulfill God's calling without you! We are still seeking 23 prayer partners, and if 15 families were to pledge an average of $50 per month, we would achieve 100% of our needed Monthly Financial Support. Thank you for prayerfully considering partnering with us.

If you would like to partner with us in prayer or finances, please email us at peterandjennyoh@gmail.com.

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Family Fun

Juhee's having fun baking cookies (picture) and singing & dancing with Auntie Jade, aka "eemo", during our stay in Dallas. Both Uncle Jon ("eemo-boo") and Auntie Jade have been spending lots of quality time with their neice and nephew. Juhee's constantly asking them "What are you doing?", "Where are you going?" and wants to be with them all the time. :)

6 & 7월 업데이트

감사합니다!!!

안녕하세요!

많은 분들의 기도와 후원 안에서 저희의 출발 예정일인 10월이 다급하게 다가오고 있습니다. 계속적인 기도와 후원 감사드립니다.

"그런즉 저희가 믿지 아니하는 이를 어찌 부르리요 듣지도 못한 이를 어찌 믿으리요 전파하는 자가 없이 어찌 들으리요 보내심을 받지 아니하였으면 어찌 전파하리요" (롬 10:14-15)

일본에 있는 사람들이 듣고, 믿고, 또 주님의 이름을 불러 구원을 얻을 수 있도록 저희를 보내주셔서 감사합니다.

축복합니다! Peter Oh 목사 가정 드림

추신: '이미지 보이기'에 클릭하시면 저희 4 가족의 최근 사진등 여러 사진들을 보실 수 있으십니다.

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남은 3개월

10월에 일본 히로시마로 떠나게 됩니다. 미국에서 남은 3개월 동안의 시간은 저희에게 너무나도 소중한 시간입니다. 적어도 3년간은 미국으로 오지 않을 것 같기 때문이죠. 남은 기간 동안 일본의 영적 갈급함을 여러 소그룹들과 교회들과 나누고 남은 기도파트너와 후원자를 찾고, 가족과 친구들과 뜻깊은 시간들을 많이 보내고 싶습니다. 어린 주희와 백일도 안된 성제와 함께 차와 비행기로 여행을 많이 다녀야합니다. 안전한 여행, 재미있는 여행이 될 수 있도록 기도해주세요.

8월 - 산호제 지역에 있는 교회들과 소그룹들에서 나누기. 17일 달라스로 출발, 한달간 달라스에서 가족, 친구, 파트너들과 만나기.

9월 - 16일 산호제로 돌아옴. 히로시마에서 Certificate of Eligibility를 받은후 샌프란시스코 일본영사관에서 3년짜리 종교비자 받기. 시애틀 방문? 짐싸서 배로 보내기.

10월 - 남은 서류 작업 끝내고, 짐 마저 싸고, 차 팔고, 작별인사 후 10월 말에 일본으로 출발.

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파트너십 업데이트

이제 저희가 바라는 365명의 기도후원자 중 330분께서 기도후원자가 되어주시기로 작정하셨습니다. 하나님께서 또 후원자들도 더 보내주셔서 이제 저희가 필요한 정기적인 후원금의 78%가 모아졌습니다!

이 여정을 함께 가기를 원하시는 많은 분들을 보내주신 하나님께 감사를 드립니다. 아직 35분/커플의 기도후원자를 찾고 있습니다. 그리고 만약 31가정이 매달 평균 $50을 작정하면 저희가 필요한 후원금의 100%에 도달할 수 있습니다.

저희와 동참하실 기회를 두고 기도로 주님의 뜻을 구하심에 감사를 드립니다. 기도 또는 정기적인 후원으로 동참하고 싶으신 분은 peterandjennyoh@gmail.com으로 이메일 부탁드립니다.

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새로운 파트너들

하나님께서 지난 2달간 더 많은 파트너들을 허락하셨습니다. 저와 친구인 Berryessa Valley Church의 담임목사님 사모를 통해 BVC에서 주일설교를 할 기회가 주어지고 또 친구이자 스승인 Kevin Chen을 통해 Indonesian Evanglical Church 의 영어부 주일설교와 Contra Costa Gospel Church 영어부의 청년부와 함께 일본선교에 대해 수요일 저녁 모임을 통해 나누었습니다. 미국인 교회, 인도네시아인 교회, 중국인 교회. 청소년서 부터 나이 드신분까지. 다양한 사람들과 함께 나눌 수 있어서 너무 좋았습니다.

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기도 파트너의 섬김

기도 파트너의 역할은 무엇입니까? 저희의 기도 파트너들은 일본에서 하나님의 나라를 확장시키는데 중요한 역할을 맡게됩니다. 저희가 선교지에서 부름 받은 대로 일을 감당해 낼 수 있도록 일본을 사로 잡고 있는 악한 영적 세력들을 대항해 기도해 주세요. 저희와 저희가 만날 사람들을 위해서 중보기도를 해주세요. 저희의 소망은 365분/커플이 일년에 하루씩 맡아 저희와 저희가 만날 사람들이 일년내내 기도에 쌓일 수 있도록 하는것입니다. 곧 소식지 마다 교회별로 기도후원자 달력이 생길 것입니다. 성함을 찾아보시고 정해진 날에 저희를 위해 꼭 기도해 주세요! 그리고 그 날 외에 다른날들에도 많은 기도 부탁드립니다. :)

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우리 가족 이모저모

대 학방학을 맞이해 집에 돌아온 옛 청소년부 학생들 둘 덕에 저희 부부가 올해 첫 데이트를 즐겼습니다. 조용하고 평화로운 (그리고 왠지 더 맛있는?) 식사를 즐기고 방해를 받지 않고 깊은 대화를 나눌 수 있었습니다. 3시간 동안의 휴가 너무 고마웠습니다.

주희가 기저귀를 떼었습니다. (사진: 주희가 변기에 처음으로 변본날. 아주 자랑스러워했습니다. 너무 가까이 보지 마세요. ^^)

주희는 누군가가 자기한테 몇시냐고 물어보는 것을 좋아합니다. 대답은 영어로 항상 45 내지는 46이라고 합니다. 왜 그렇게 대답하는지는 저희도 모릅니다. ^^;

주희가 이제 알파벳의 H, I, J, M, O, P, 그리고 T자를 쓸 수 있습니다. 그 중에서 제일 좋아하는 글자는 H. 꼬시면 성도 쓸 수 있습니다. 성이 두 자여서 정말 다행이죠?

성제는 자기 침대 위에 있는 인형들을 보며 기쁘게 대화를 나눕니다. 옹알옹알 하며 웃고 놀다가 잠이 들때도 있습니다.

June & July Update

Friday July 30, 2010

Thank you!!!

Dear co-laborer in the Lord,

Our Departure Date (October!) is quickly drawing near, and it was made possible only by your partnership. Thank you for your continued prayer and support.

"And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?" (Rom. 10:14-15)

Thank you for sending us so that those in Japan can have the opportunity to hear, believe, call on the name of the Lord and be saved.

Blessings! Peter, Jenny, Juhee, and Sungjae Oh

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Final Months

We have three months remaining in the US before we depart for Hiroshima, Japan in October. Our time here will be very precious as we don't anticipate returning for at least three years. During our remaining time here, we hope to continue sharing of the spiritual need in Japan with fellowships and churches, raise the remaining needed prayer and financial partners, and spend quality time with family and friends. Please pray for safe and fun travels as we will be spending many hours in the car and in planes with a toddler and an infant.

AUGUST - Share at various churches and fellowships in the Bay Area and possibly Southern California. Leave for Dallas on Aug. 17th to reconnect with family, friends and partners there.

SEPTEMBER - Return from Dallas on Sept. 16th, obtain Certificate of Eligibility from Hiroshima and 3 year Religious Visa from San Francisco, possibly visit Seattle, and pack & ship our belongings.

OCTOBER - Finalize remaining paperwork, pack, sell minivan, say final farewells and depart for Japan (Final Date TBD).

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Partnership Update

We have been extremely blessed to have 330 (our hope is to have 365) prayer partners commit to praying for us regularly. God has also brought alongside us many financial partners through whom 78% of our needed Monthly Financial Support has been pledged!

We thank God for bringing you into our lives, and partnering with us in sharing the Good News of the Risen Son in the land of the Rising Sun. We wouldn't be able to fulfill God's calling without you! We are still seeking 35 prayer partners, and if 31 families were to pledge an average of $50 per month, we would achieve 100% of our needed Monthly Financial Support. Thank you for prayerfully considering partnering with us.

If you would like to partner with us in prayer or finances, please email us at peterandjennyoh@gmail.com.

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New Partners

God blessed us with more partnerships at Berryessa Valley Church, and through our friend Kevin Chen, we were invited to share at the English Ministry of the Indonesian Evanglical Church and Contra Costa Gospel Church's young peoples group. It was great to be able to share with such a diverse group of people. Thank you for welcoming us, and for being such great hosts.

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Serving as a Prayer Partner

What does a Prayer Partner do? Our Prayer Partners will play an integral part in helping establish the Kingdom of God in Japan. We ask that you pray against spiritual strongholds in Japan so that we can be faithful to what we were called to accomplish in the mission field. The focus of the Prayer Partner is to intercede on our behalf and of those with whom we meet. Our hope is that we will have 365 dedicated Prayer Partners committed to praying for us and the friends we make in Japan each and everyday of the year so that we're covered in prayer every single day. We'll soon start having a prayer calendar section in every newsletter with a list of names (by church). Look out for your name and please pray for us on your assigned day. If you have a specific date you would like to pray for us, please let us know. And please pray for us on other days too. We're counting on it! :)

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Family Fun

Peter and Jenny were able to enjoy their first date this year thanks to a couple of our old youth kids who came back from college for summer break. We were able to enjoy a quiet and peaceful meal, and share intimate uninterrupted conversation with one another. We were very thankful for the 3-hour holiday.

Juhee is now completely potty-trained. Yay!!! (Picture: Juhee's 1st poo in the toilet. She was very proud. =D Please don't look too closely.)

Juhee loves being asked what time it is. If you ask her, she'll tell you that it's "Four-tee-five." Recently, she's also started to say that it's "Four-tee-six." We have no clue where she got this from.

Juhee can now write the letters H, I, J, M, O, P, and T. Her favorite letter is H. With some coaxing, she can even write her last name. Thank goodness it's only two letters.

Sungjae enjoys having conversations with his little buddies on the mobile above his crib. He often coos and smiles at them before falling asleep.

4 & 5월 업데이트

Thursday June 3, 2010

축복

안녕하세요!

도전이 많았던만큼 하나님의 축복도 많이 받은 2달이었습니다. 하나님의 축복이 삶에 가득할 때 마다 하나님께서 아브람에게 하신 약속이 생각나곤합니다... 하나님께서 그를 축복하시고 그가 또 주위 사람들에게 축복이 될꺼라고... 저희가 축복을 듬뿍 받으면서 저희 주위에 있는 분들에게도 축복이 되길 원합니다. 기도와 후원으로 축복해 주심에 감사를 드리며 하나님의 크신 축복이 항상 함께하시고 또 동시에 주위 분들에게도 큰 축복이 되시길 기도합니다.

축복합니다! Peter Oh 목사 가정 드림

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아들의 축복

둘째들은 주로 좀 일찍 태어난다고 들어서 예정일(5월 9일) 보다 몇 주 전부터 애타게 기다렸습니다. 매일 통증을 기다렸지만 오지 않았습니다. 예정일이 오고 갔는데도 소식이 없었습니다. 기다림의 시간이 정서적으로 힘들었습니다. 꼭 일본 가기를 기다리는 현재 상황을 생각나게 했습니다. 둘 다 계속 지연되는데도 저희가 할 수 있는 것은 없었습니다. 마치 하나님께서 저희에게 무엇인가를 가르치려 하시는 것 같았습니다. ;)

오랜 기다림 끝에 막상 일이 터졌을 때 너무 빨리 진행이 되어 마치 꿈만 같았습니다! 예정일 보다 9일이 늦은 5월 18일 새벽 4:30에 진통이 시작한지 2시간도 되지 않아 3.57kg(7lbs 14oz)몸무게로 아들 오성제(聖制, 영어 이름 Jacob)가 태어났습니다. 저희 블로그에 가시면 사진들과 그날의 일들에 대해 더 자세한 이야기 를 읽으실 수 있고 성제가 태어난지 약 2시간 후 병원 요람에서 얌전히 놀고 있는 모습도 동영상으로 보실 수 있습니다.

감사하게도 주희도 적응을 잘 하고 있습니다. 힘들었던 순간들이 없진 않았지만 아주 가끔입니다. 주희가 성제를 병원에서 처음 만났을 때를 블로그에 동영상으로 올렸습니다.

주희도 그렇고, 저희도 그렇고, 눈에 익은 주위 환경, 사랑하는 할머니, 할아버지, 친구와 친척들 없이 지금 일본에 있었으면 훨씬 더 힘들었을 것이라는 것을 압니다. 새 생명을 주시고, 주희가 잘 적응하고, 제가 빨리 회복되고, 또 저희 일본으로의 이사를 늦추신 하나님의 지혜와 보살핌에 감사를 드립니다. 저희 아버지는 정말 자비와 사랑의 하나님 아버지이십니다. ^^

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지난 2달간의 축복

저희가 주로 좋은 일들을 함께 나누다 보니깐 선교사 치고는 고생을 너무 안하는 것 같다는 지적을 몇몇분들에게 받았습니다. 힘든일들이 없는 것은 아니지만 그 와중에서도 하나님께서 허락하시는 많은 축복들에 중점을 두고 나누고 싶습니다. 지난 2달간 축복 받은 일들에 대해 쓰고 쓰고 또 쓸 수 있지만 이 자리에 몇 가지만 간략하게 나누도록 하겠습니다.

주희가 성제의 울음 소리에 깨지 않고 잘 자서 너무 감사합니다.

주희가 일어와 영어를 함께 배우는 유아원을 다닙니다. 노래, 게임, 책 등을 통해 Yamashita Family Child Care에서 일어를 재미있게 배우고 있습니다. 집에서 아빠하고 열까지 일어로 세고 “준비됬나요”를 일어로 말하며 숨바꼭질하곤 합니다. 이 유아원의 주인인 일본교회 목사 사모님께서 일본선교헌금으로 주희 학비를 50% 할인해주셔서 또 얼마나 감사한지 모릅니다.

아이들과 선교에 대해 나누는 것을 좋아하는데 올해에도 뉴비전교회의 AWANA 학생들과 함께 나눌 기회가 있었습니다. 주희는 찬양 시간때 춤추고 찬양하는 것을 너무 좋아했고 Peter목사는 강당 위에 아이들을 나열해 놓고 팔짱을 끼게해서 선교사가 선교지에 도달할려면 혼자서는 못하고 많은 사람들의 도움이 필요하다는 것을 이야기했습니다.

할렐루야! 제가 4월에 Pioneers에서 정해준 필수 성경공부 과목 5개중 하나를 마쳤습니다. 친구인 Kevin Chen 박사의 가르침 아래 Biblical Hermeneutics 과정의 모든 수업과 과제들을 마칠 수 있었습니다. Peter목사는 이 4주간 제가 공부를 할 수 있도록 주희를 맡아줬고 성제도 뱃속에서 좀 더 오래 있어줘서 온 가족이 힘을 합쳐 공부를 마칠 수 있었습니다. 이제 필수 도서 한권만 읽으면 이 과목을 완전히 끝마칠 수 있습니다. 할렐루야!

친구 Kevin이 또 자기가 현재 참석하고 있는 산호제 지역 중국인 교회의 영어부인 South Bay Agape Christian Church와 연결을 시켜줘서 5월 2일 주일에 방문했습니다. Peter 목사는 세상을 사랑하는 것과 하나님을 사랑하는 것을 비유하는 설교를 했고 성경공부 시간에는 둘이 같이 일본선교에 대해 더 자세한 사항들을 교인들과 함께 나누었습니다. 성경공부 선생님들이 원래 계획들을 취소하고 다 저희 이야기를 들으러 와주어서 얼마나 감사했는지 모릅니다. 너무 재미있는 시간이었고 사랑과 격려를 많이 받은 축복의 시간이었습니다. (사진: Henry목사님과 함께.)

5월 23일 주일에는 Davis Korean Church(Davis 한인교회)의 선교 훈련 세미나 시간에 Peter목사가 타문화 적응과 문화 충격에 대해서 나누었습니다. Davis한인교회의 친구들과 다시 연결할 수 있어서 좋았지만 오래 있지 못하고 바로 와야했습니다.

계속해서 더 많은 일들에 대해 말씀드릴 수 있지만 다음에 뵐 때 직접 말씀드리도록 하겠습니다. 축복 받으신 일들에 대해 저희와 함께 나눠주세요. 주님을 함께 찬양하고 싶습니다! ^^

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주고받는 축복들

일본선교에 대해서 나눌 기회가 있을때 마다 축복을 받는 만큼 주고 싶기를 소망합니다. 하나님께서 맺어주신 인연들을 통해 6월에 산호제 지역 Berryessa Valley Church, 7월에는 약 1시간반 북쪽에 있는 Contra Costa Gospel Church, 그리고 7월말 / 8월초에는 남가주 지역의 교회들과 학생들 모임에 가서 함께 나눌 계획입니다. 남가주로의 계획을 시도하는 것은 이번이 3번째입니다. 그 전에는 하나님께서 문을 닫으셨지만, 이번에 열어주시면 Peter목사가 가서 일본선교에 대해 함께 나눌려합니다. 8월 16일 부터 약 3주간 텍사스주의 Dallas 방문을 두고 기도 중입니다. 4식구가 함께 가는 첫 여행이 될껍니다.

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파트너십의 축복

이제 310명의 기도후원자와 저희가 필요한 정기적인 후원금의 75%가 모아졌습니다!

아직 55분/커플의 기도후원자를 찾고 있습니다. 그리고 만약 35가정이 매달 평균 $50을 작정하면 저희가 필요한 후원금의 100%에 도달할 수 있습니다.

저희와 동참하실 기회를 두고 기도로 주님의 뜻을 구하심에 감사를 드립니다. 기도 또는 정기적인 후원으로 동참하고 싶으신 분은 peterandjennyoh@gmail.com으로 이멜 부탁드립니다.

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새 출발 목표 예정일

저희 출발 예정일이 이제 2010년 10월로 미뤄졌습니다. 저희 팀리더이신 머레이 선교사님 가정이 현재 미국에서 첫 안식기간을 가지시며 미국의 3개 주를 돌아다니시며 협력교회들과 후원자들, 가족과 친구들에게 바쁘게 일본선교 보고를 하고 후원자들도 더 구하고 있습니다. 9월 1일에 일본 히로시마에 다시 돌아가셔서 적응하신 후 저희 아파트, 차, 가구 등 구하는 것을 도와주시고, 무엇 보다도 저희 종교 비자 신청을 위한 서류들을 다시 제출해 주실껍니다. 저희 출발 날짜는 이 두 서류를 받는것과 후원금의 남은 금액이 들어오는 것에 달려있습니다.

아들 성제의 출생처럼 저희 일본 출발 “예정일”은 오고 갔지만 저희는 여전히 미국에 있습니다. 성제처럼 시간문제라는 것을 알지만 언제가 될찌는 정확히 모릅니다. 저희를 일본으로 보내실 주님의 때를 간절이 기다릴뿐입니다. ^^

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April & May Update

Monday May 31, 2010

Very Blessed!

Dear co-laborer in the Lord,

These past couple of months have been very challenging, but God has blessed us so much. In times of blessing, I'm reminded of God's promise to Abram - that God will bless him, and that he will be a blessing. We have been tremendously blessed, and as we are blessed, may we be a blessing to those around us. Thank you for blessing us with your prayers and financial support. May you also be blessed, and in turn be a blessing to those around you.

Blessings! Peter, Jenny, Juhee, and Sungjae Oh

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Blessed with our baby Boy!

We had heard the second baby tends to arrive early, and so we anxiously waited for his arrival weeks prior to the due date (May 9th). Day after day, we waited for labor pains. There were none. Every time Jenny called Peter, he would answer, "did your water break?!" The answer was always "no" to which he responded, "don't scare me like that." LOL. Our baby's due date came and went with some cramps here and there, but still nothing. We had a lot of emotional ups and downs during this time of waiting. It actually reminded us of our Target Departure Date for Japan. They both kept getting delayed and pushed back, and there was nothing we could do about it. It all felt so anti-climatic. We think God was trying to tell us something. ;)

After waiting for so long, it all happened so fast it all seemed like a dream! Jacob Sungjae Oh was born a healthy 7lbs 14oz, 9 days late on May 18th at 4:30am, less than 2 hours after the first strong contractions woke Jenny up from her deep slumber. You can find out more about the day Sungjae was born here at our blog . Here is a video of Sungjae in his bassinet just 2 hours after birth.

We've been adjusting to life as a family of 4 and loving it! Juhee has been adjusting really well too, for which we are really grateful. She's had a few 'moments', but thank God they are few and far between. Here is a video of when Juhee first met Sungjae in the hospital.

We know it would have been much more difficult for Juhee had we been in Japan without the familiar surroundings and the love and support of grandparents, friends, and family. We thank God for the miracle of a new life, for Juhee adjusting well, Jenny's recovery going well, and for God's wisdom in delaying our move to Hiroshima, Japan. We have such a loving Heavenly Father. =)

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Counting our Blessings

Since we normally share how well things are going for us, some people have commented how we as missionaries, don't suffer enough. We don't know how much we need to suffer to be suffering enough, but in the midst of suffering, we choose to focus on how blessed we have been, and want to share these blessings with you. We can write on and on of our blessings, but here are some highlights of how we've been blessed recently, other than the birth of our son of course. :)

Juhee is sleeping well through the night, and is not awakened by Sungjae's cries. We are very thankful for her sleeping well.

We are really blessed by Juhee's Japanese/English bilingual daycare at Yamashita Family Child Care where she's been learning Japanese through songs, games and circle time. Juhee even plays hide-n-seek with Peter at home counting to ten and saying "ready" in Japanese. The owner of this child care is also providing us a 50% discount as her offering to the Lord. We were very humbled and thankful for this gesture.

We love sharing with children and we were able to share with our friends at New Vision Church's AWANA again this year. Juhee had a great time singing and dancing during praise time and Peter had a line of kids up on stage with him linking arms to illustrate how a missionary needs lots of supporters to reach his/her people group.

Hurrah! In April, Jenny finished the first of five mandatory Bible classes assigned by Pioneers. Thanks to our good friend, Dr. Kevin Chen, Jenny was able to finish all of the lectures and assignments for her independent study Biblical Hermeneutics class. Peter took on the role of a full-time dad during the intense 4 weeks and Sungjae was very accommodating by staying in Jenny's womb a bit longer too, so it was definitely a family effort! Jenny just needs to finish one mandatory reading now before she's officially completely done with the course. Praise the Lord!

Kevin also connected us with his church, South Bay Agape Christian Church in San Jose, and thanks to the Pastors' flexibility we were able to share with the congregation there on Sunday, May 2nd. Peter preached on loving God vs. loving the world, and then we shared together of our journey to Japan during their Bible study time. The teachers were gracious in canceling their scheduled classes so that everyone could come listen to us share! We had lots of fun and we were very blessed and encouraged by the enthusiasm and support from our brothers and sisters at SBACC (picture with Pastor Henry above).

On May 23rd, Peter was given the opportunity to share at one of Davis Korean Church's missions training sessions regarding cross-cultural integration and culture shock. Peter had a great time connecting again with his friends at Davis Korean Church, but had to leave right after his presentation so he could home in time to get Juhee to sleep for the night.

We can go on and on, but we'll save the others for when you see us in person. Feel free to share with us some of your blessings as well. We'd love to praise the Lord with you!

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Mutual Blessings

We look forward to being a mutual blessings with those we have an occasion to share our journey to Japan with. Through blessed friendships, we have the opportunity to share at Berryessa Valley Church in June, Contra Costa Gospel Church in July and hopefully be able to connect with several churches and student fellowships in Southern California toward the end of July / beginning August. This is our 3rd time planning a trip to the SoCal area. God closed the doors for us on previous attempts, but if it is God's will, Peter will be going to share with the folks down there. We're also praying about visiting Dallas for approximately 3 weeks from Aug 16th, our first big trip as a family of four.

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Blessed by our Partners

We have been extremely blessed to have 310 prayer partners commit to praying for us regularly. God has also brought alongside us many financial partners through whom 75% of our needed Monthly Financial Support has been pledged!

We thank God for bringing you into our lives, and partnering with us in sharing the Good News of the Risen Son in the land of the Rising Sun. We wouldn't be able to fulfill God's calling without you!

We are still seeking 55 prayer partners, and if 35 families were to pledge an average of $50 per month, we would achieve 100% of our needed Monthly Financial Support. Thank you for prayerfully considering partnering with us.

If you would like to partner with us in prayer or finances, please email us at peterandjennyoh@gmail.com.

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Target Departure Date

Our new target departure date is now October 2010 . Our Team Leaders, the Murrays, are currently in the US on their first furlough, busily reporting back to their supporting churches, supporters and friends in 3 States. They'll be arriving back in Hiroshima on Sept 1st and once they've settled back in, they will be helping us to find an apartment, a car, buy furniture, etc, but most importantly to resubmit our "Certificate of Eligibility" application forms and supporting documents so that we can obtain our Religious Visas. Our departure will depend on when we receive these two documents(?) and the rest of our monthly support coming in.

Like the birth of Sungjae, our anticipated "due date"s came and went but we're still in the US. Like Sungjae, we know it's just a matter of time, but we don't know exactly when that time will be / when we'll arrive in Japan. All we can do is eagerly await God's timing on our delivery to Japan. :)

Juhee meets Sungjae for the very first time.

Here's a clip of the very first time Juhee sees Sungjae. We didn't know what to anticipate, and we've heard lots of different stories. We prayed and hoped Juhee would get along well with her new brother, and that she wouldn't start crying out of jealousy. We tried to prepare her as best as we could, and communicated to her that baby Sungjae was coming. We were both a bit nervous for this first encounter. Here's what happened.



We pray and hope Juhee and Sungjae will continue to have a wonderful relationship with each other throughout their lives.

Jacob "Sungjae" 2 1/2 hours after birth.

Approximately 2 1/2 hours after his birth, Sungjae (pronounced Sung-jeh) was lying content as can be in his bassinet. Enjoy!



Jenny was resting in a wheelchair, while they were both waiting to be taken to the post-partum room. It's amazing that she was able to smile. I think she was really happy baby Sungjae was out. Can you see the bassinet in the background? That's him!

The birth of Jacob Sungjae Oh

Jacob Sungjae Oh finally decided to join us. He was born on Tuesday, May 18 at 4:30am weighing 7lbs. 14oz.

Jenny was supposed to have been induced that morning (Tuesday), and she didn't really feel anything, just some slight twinges, the previous night (Monday). She had a snack, and then went to sleep at 1:30am. At 2:45am Tuesday, she woke up because she was in extreme pain. She had had a strong contraction! She called her mom to help with Juhee, and then woke me up to go to the hospital. We rushed to the hospital while Jenny suffered through some really strong contractions as they got stronger and stronger. We went to emergency, and they took her to labor and delivery. We asked for epidural, and they said they would have to check her condition first. The doctor examined her, and said she was already 7cm dilated, and that we wouldn't have time for an epidural. Jenny was like, "what!?!" The doctor gave her some kind of medication through her iv to manage the pain, and just a few moments later the doctor said it would be a good time to push. After several agonizing contractions and pushes, baby Sungjae entered this world... all natural, all in less than 2 hours. Wow!

It was a crazy night, and all seems like a dream now. But don't pinch us when you see us! We kind of like this dreamy feeling. :)

We feel God has blessed us greatly with a beautiful healthy baby, the location, the circumstances, and even the timing. Thank you God!