Kids' English Club has begun!

April marked the beginning of Kids' English Club, an English outreach to Elementary School aged kids taking place once a month on a Saturday morning at each of the two churches. Susan's the main teacher but the whole Murray clan is very much involved and it's definitely a team effort.

The first one was at Kabe Chapel on April 9th. Everyone was a bit anxious as it was everyone's first time and no one knew quite what to expect. A team of people had passed out flyers in front of the two Elementary Schools in the Kabe area the day before, but how many would come??? Susan created registration forms and an individual attendance booklet but how would it be organized / collected? What about the 1,000JPY registration fee and 100JPY class fee?

There were (I think) 13 Elementary School aged children there on the first day, of which about half were not members of Kabe Chapel. So awesome! :) Susan led the kids in basic dialog (like "Hello", "How are you?", etc), a different version of the alphabet song, a number song, and a few other songs with new vocabulary. The curriculum that we're using is from genkienglish.com (link) and is very songs-based. Susan created a lot of motions to go with the songs so everyone was very active most of the time. One of the quiet times was during the Bible story time. Yuka-san (in pic above with the bilingual name tags on her back) is our Japanese Bible story helper and she reads the Children's Bible in Japanese and then Susan reads & acts it out after in English, after going through some of the main vocabulary. Susan taught an hour and a half of English non-stop! It was a great start but there were a few things that could be tweaked, so for the next one, which took place two weeks later at Koyo Chapel...

The Murrays' prepared a craft (Easter eggs! - first time for probably all of them) which engaged the kids as soon as they came in, we had drinks ready for snack time, Susan had prepared more games and more material, and the seating arrangement was different and changed in between too. Every little thing made a big difference! There were (I think) 24 kids of which more than half were new. Some were friends of members and some came through the flyers that were distributed a few days earlier at the nearby Elementary Schools. At Kabe Chapel's KEC, there was one mom that stayed, but at Koyo Chapel, there were 5! It was so awesome that they stayed to observe, learn a bit of English, hear the Bible story, and mingle with the church members.

At the end, as the kids were leaving, we handed out plastic Easter eggs (thank you Rising Son HC at Global Harvest Church (link), Dallas!) with information inside regarding the special Children's English Easter outreach the following day, Easter Sunday.

Juhee really enjoys KEC as she already knows the English taught, the Japanese instruction is relatively easy (and a good way for her to learn more vocab), and it's a low-stress, fun environment. She gets to hang out with the Murrays' too, which is always a bonus. :)

Please pray for all of the students and moms attending KEC as well as all of the volunteers, that it will be a blessing to everyone who comes. Please pray for the Murrays as each KEC session takes a lot of planning, coordination and masses of energy! Pray that God will give them wisdom, lots of good ideas that will be well received, good communication with the volunteers, and of course, tons and tons of energy. We're very excited about this new ministry that God has given to us! :)

Sumire Cafe - Fellowship & Language Learning Time

Every Friday from 10:30, the ladies of Koyo and Kabe Chapels get together at their respective churches to meet for Bible study. They call the group "Sumirekai", Violet (as in the flower) Committee. I haven't been to one at Kabe Chapel yet and don't know what their program is like, but once a month at Koyo Chapel, they have a special program called "Sumire Cafe" where Pastor Haitaka gives a message and they have a cooking class or a mini-concert, or some sort of "lighter" program as an outreach event and a small fee (around 200-250JPY).

This one, on April 15th, was the 3rd one I attended and I went thinking that it was another Japanese cooking class followed by lunch but found out once I got there that there wasn't a cooking class, but there was lunch! :) One of the ladies, a young Chinese mom gave a testimony and shared about her relationship with her (Japanese) husband. I couldn't understand 99% of it :) but I could tell that she was very honest about her sharing and there were lots of laughter and quiet moments of reflection too.

Pastor Haitaka's wife, Keiko-san, watched Sungjae for me, so I was able to try and concentrate, and write down lots of words that I wanted to look up. I was able to actively try to learn much more than I thought I'd be able to! (Pic of Keiko-san and Sungjae after lunch.)

Lunch, of course, was delicious, consisting of two ham and egg salad rolls, two chips, a soup, tea, and a pudding dessert. It was a great time of getting to know some of the other ladies better. Pastor Yamada, the new Japanese pastor, picked up his daughter and Juhee at the bus stop (they attend the same school and are on the same bus) so that his wife and I could stay a bit longer and the girls could join us for lunch.

I'm going to try to go at least once a month this "year" (as in April 2011 - March 2012) to try to continue to get to know the other ladies better and to learn / practice Japanese in a friendly and loving environment. :) Not having to cook lunch is an added bonus! ;)

Makoto Iwabuchi Charity Concert

On Saturday, April 16th, I attended my second concert since coming to Japan, but this time, it was on a much bigger scale. Approximately 350 people came to listen to Christian gospel singers Makoto Iwabuchi (岩渕まこと) and his wife sing at a charity concert organized by the Hiroshima EV Free churches (link) and Japan International Food for the Hungry (JIFH) (link) for the victims of the tsunami in the Sendai area.

They were scheduled to come down to Hiroshima to do a "Happy Easter Hiroshima" concert, but the focus of the concert changed post March 11th. It also changed from an event with an entrance fee to a free event with a love offering collected at the end. Iwabuchi-san is actually from the Sendai area, so this charity concert was especially meaningful to him. He is not only a talented singer but a top class acoustic guitarist and an entertainer too! He and his wife had the audience laughing and crying, clapping and singing, while he laughed, cried, clapped, sang, and played the guitar too. It was hard seeing him cry while he recollected memories from his childhood in Sendai... It was heartbreaking to hear his wife share about their oldest child becoming ill at the age of six (something to do with the brain), passing away at eight, her depression and the many questions she had (like "Why, God???") and how the events became a pivotal moment for her in her Christian walk.

This (link) is one of his most famous songs (I think), titled "God Bless You", which I learned while spending time with our church's short term missions team to Japan back in 2009. It was part of a set of songs they prepared to sing for the church they went to serve in Sapporo. When I found out that the writer of this song was going to be singing it live here in Hiroshima, I became very excited about going! :)

Through this event I also learned how influential our churches & pastors are here in Hiroshima. I already knew that Koyo Chapel is one of only 2-3 churches in Hiroshima with 100+ attendees and that Kabe Chapel, with approx 50 attendees, are both considered to be big churches here, and I knew that Pastor Haitaka had been chairman of the Japan EV Free Association for two terms, but I was surprised to find that our pastors were the ones leading the concert. Pastor Haitaka gave the opening welcome speech (top left pic) and Pastor Kitano then gave a briefing regarding our Hiroshima team's trip up north to distribute food and help clean up followed by a slideshow presentation that Scott had made (top right). Following the hour long concert, Pastor Numata (sp?) who attends Koyo Chapel and is a missionary with JIFH, gave a message (bottom left) and lead perhaps one of the most meaningful parts of the concert. The bottom right picture is one of the powerpoint slide that let the audience know what they were going to do as a group. The first was to pray, second was to write a message to the victims, and the third was to give financially to raise funds to buy books to help rebuild the libraries of 3 elementary and 2 middle schools in the area.

All of the pastors and missionaries that were present went up on stage and held hands together while the audience did the same (2 pics on right) and a minute of silence was observed. Pastor Numata then prayed. He then explained the contents of the envelope that everyone had received as they were coming in (left pic). Inside the envelope were a few things, of which one was a song sheet of a song that we all sang together, a little card, an offering envelope, and a pen that clipped everything together (big black pen and schedule book are mine). Everyone was given time to write a note to put in with their offering while the Iwabuchi's sang one more song. I thought the note was a very thoughtful idea and wrote mine in a mixture of English and Japanese. It would be so awesome if it encouraged someone, even if just a little bit!

This was a very special and meaningful event. I so wish I could have understood more of the Iwabuchi's testimonies, jokes, etc, but alas... Maybe next time. And maybe next time, I'll be able to sing along to more of the songs - and not just parts of "God Bless You" and "Puff the Magic Dragon"! :)

Juhee-isms

A fun piece on Juhee. :)

Juhee loves the movie "The Sound of Music".  For the longest time, she called Maria "Do-Re-Mi" and Captain von Trapp, "Captain Trap It".  She still calls Captain von Trapp "Captain Trap It".  (Picture: Juhee singing "The hills are alive~" in her "Maria jacket".)

Do you know the song, "Row row row your boat"?  This is Juhee's version:
"Row row row my boat, Jesus row my boat, row row row my boat, Jesus row my boat"
We have no idea where she got that from.  One day, soon after we arrived in Hiroshima, Juhee just burst out in song and that's how she sang it.  Susan recently heard her singing it and she said, "Well, if anyone were to row my boat, I'd want it to be Jesus too!"  I agree. :)

We took Juhee to the local zoo and she was suuuuuuuper excited!  She was looking at the map, which has pictures of the animals in their respective locations and after exclaiming, "Mommy!  Look!  Zebras!  Mommy!  Elephants!  Mommy!  Look!  Here are the bears!  Mommy! etc etc" she became very quiet and then said, "Mommy?  Where are the dinosaurs?"  (Picture: Juhee posing with her new "bad face" in front of the water buffaloes.)

Peter was lifting Juhee high up in the air and then swinging her down in between his legs and then back up into the air again.  Juhee exclaimed, "Daddy!  Your legs are so fun!"

Fuji Grand is a department store chain and we have two within 10 minutes drive from us.  We went to one of them a couple of times and Juhee got to go "sit" in the rides (not "ride" 'cause we didn't put any money in so she just sat in them).  She thought it was great fun!  Soon after one of our trips to Fuji Grand, Peter and Juhee were playing together in our playroom and Juhee said, "Daddy!  You're a Fuji Grand!"  (Picture: the other Fuji Grand near us.)

One evening after our team meeting dinner, Juhee called out "Uncle Scott?" just as he was leaving the dining area.  He turned around and replied, "Yes, honey?"  Juhee's eyes got really big and she was quite for a few minutes.  Then she turned to me, smiled and said, "Uncle Scott called me honey.  He's being silly." and laughed.

Towards the end of her first week at kindergarten, I asked Juhee if she had squatty-potties at school.  Her reply, "I haven't checked yet."  It was the first time she'd said that.  Usually she just says, "I don't know."  (Picture: Juhee might not have "checked", but mommy sure did!  All of their toilets are seated toilets.  Phew!)

Juhee's Preschool Prep

Oh my goodness! I think it was one of the most stressful things we've had to do so far. There were SO many things that needed to be done!

How many people does it take to send one child to preschool??? Well, in our case, several. Pastor Kitano went with us to Samuel Yochien, Juhee's preschool, back in Dec to introduce us, for us to look around, to reserve a spot for Juhee, and receive necessary enrollment related paperwork. Then, Junko-san (1st pic)

helped me with some of the forms and with the prep list - there were so many different types of bags, cups, bento boxes (single layer rectangular shape only), towels with hooks, smocks with hooks, indoor shoes, etc items! Then, Yoko-san (2nd pic) helped me with some other forms that came through the mail AND handmade all of Juhee's bags + "lunch mat" + summer smock + "dust rag" (mandatory one per child)! And then there's Aoki-san, Junko-san's friend, whose son is in the same class as Juhee and helps me with all of the many letters that have been coming our way since Feb as she speaks English. Then of course there's little me at home trying to figure at least some things out on my own... @@

(Just some of the paperwork that had to be completed before she entered preschool.)

Juhee has a total of EIGHT bags. Three of them were given by the school - her brown school backpack, her yellow library book bag, and a small pouch specifically for prescribed medication. Then she has a bag for her indoor shoes, for her (o)bento, for her spare clothes, for her artwork, and one for her cup. The big bag for her artwork is to be taken to school every Monday morning with her indoor shoes & bag inside. They're brought back home every Friday and I think I'm supposed to clean the indoor shoes every weekend. Her cup and the bag for her cup travel to and from preschool everyday in her brown backpack as does her hand towel. I think I'm supposed to change the towel to a new one and clean her cup everyday... I'm still trying to figure things out.

(Before and after pics of the matching handmade items that Yoko-san made for Juhee, not including the summer smock.)

Apparently, most moms make their children's bags for preschool. The schools provide a sheet which lists all of the necessary prep items including the bags needed and their set dimensions. And apparently, most homes in Japan have sewing machines!

The cup, by the way, is not for drinking out of, 'cause they provide cups for drinking out of at the school. The cup that she takes and brings back is the one they use to gargle with after they've played outside. Ever since the SARS outbreak a few years ago, all schools (so I've been told) have implemented a gargling procedure where all kids gargle after playing outside as they believe that this helps to stop the spread of SARS. Apparently some Japanese people do it when they enter your home so they don't inadvertently give you their SARS germs. Leave the germs outside, is the philosophy behind the procedure.

She has two badges - one is her name badge which is pinned onto her shirt every morning (I wish I didn't have to 'cause I feel like I'm damaging all of her tops). The other is her school bus badge. She also has a school hat which she has to wear everyday (and is too big for her). The school badge and hat are the same color - blue - and is an easy identifier as to her classroom.

I had to write her name in Japanese on e~verything, but also had to iron on a few "symbols" (the rabbit on her hat) for her on her indoor shoes, backpack, and hat. I also had to draw and color in a symbol (the horrible orange cat in paperwork-related pic above) for her locker, etc so she can easily identify her own stuff. This is because 3(-5) year olds aren't expected to be able to read their own names yet, but Juhee can write her name in English (since she was 2 and a half) and can read it in Japanese. She can write it too with a bit of help thanks to Michelle Yamashita's Yamashita Family Child Care (link).

There were so so so many things I had to do and it was hard because it was all new to me, there was so much of it, and I wanted to do things right! I'm SO glad the prep stage is over. It'll be easier next time around. Thank God for all of the helpers He brought into my life! Phew!!! :)

Hiroshima Team Sendai Reflections

This is an excerpt from the Murray family's latest monthly e-newsletter, sent just a couple of days after Scott returned from his time in Sendai and the surrounding areas.  I thought this would be the best way for me to share with you what happened during the trip and Scott reflections.  Thank you so much for your constant prayers while he, Richard, and Pastor Kitano were up helping with the disaster relief efforts.  We really appreciate it! :)

For some reason, I can't get the first section to display correctly so I've copied and pasted the text here.  Please click on the pictures to see larger versions.  (The dates below say "May" but he obviously meant "March".)

On Sunday evening, May 27^th, Pastor Kenji Kitano, Richard Howerton, and I set out for Sendai City, Japan.  The truck was filled with supplies donated by members of the church and Japan International Food for the Hungry (JIFH). We drove 21 hours straight and then unloaded the supplies.  Half were delivered to Sendai Evangelical Free Church and half went to a distribution warehouse shared by Christian relief agencies.


May 29 - We drove two hours to Ishinomaki, a town struck by the tsunami. This church/home was filled with 5 feet of water for two days and then sat for two weeks.  A large team of volunteers removed everything inside--most of it going into a large trash pile.  All inside items were saturated with water. 


May 29^th Mid-afternoon - A group of us traveled to Onagawa.  A town right on the coast.  Because of the topography of the town, the tsunami that struck was 20-30 meters high (65-100 feet).  Most buildings were gone, but those that remained were gutted.  Houses and buildings were ripped off their foundations and tossed around.


May 30^th  - We traveled back to Ishinomaki.  The team finished removing contents of the church and home.  After it was cleared, the building was cleaned.  Only God could orchestrate the timing.  That morning electricity was restored, so in the afternoon were we were able to use a pressure washer to clean some of the church equipment, doors, etc.  The following day 4 pallets of food would arrive and the church would function as a food distribution point for the community.


May 31^st - About 10 volunteers loaded a truck and van with food and supplies and traveled to Kesennuma, about a three hour drive.  Off the coast of Kesennuma, a small island is the home of about 3000 people.  When the tsunami hit this area, all of the ferries were destroyed.  The people could only receive food dropped from helicopters for the first week.  They still lacked supplies.  We unloaded the truck and van onto a ferry; the captain, new to the area, volunteered his boat and would not accept any money to transport the supplies.  The town was partially destroyed by the 6 meter (18 foot) tsunami that left a path of destruction.


April 1^st -After fixing a flat tire (just kidding-April fool's joke) we left for Hiroshima at 6 am for the 21 hour trip home.

Disaster Relief in Sendai Earthquake and Tsunami Relief On Sunday evening, May 27th, Pastor Kenji Kitano, Richard Howerton, and I set out for Sendai City, Japan.  The truck was filled with supplies donated by members of the church and Japan International Food for the Hungry (JIFH). We drove 21 hours straight and then unloaded the supplies.  Half were delivered to Sendai Evangelical Free Church and half went to a distribution warehouse shared by Christian relief agencies. Trip to Sendail Unloading Supplies at SendaiChurch Unloading Supplies at Destribution Center     May 29 - We drove two hours to Ishinomaki, a town struck by the tsunami. This church/home was filled with 5 feet of water for two days and then sat for two weeks.  A large team of volunteers removed everything inside--most of it going into a large trash pile.  All inside items were saturated with water.    Ishinomaki Christ's Church Saturated items inside the church/house May 29th Mid-afternoon - A group of us traveled to Onagawa.  A town right on the coast.  Because of the topography of the town, the tsunami that struck was 20-30 meters high (65-100 feet).  Most buildings were gone, but those that remained were gutted.  Houses and buildings were ripped off their foundations and tossed around. Destruction at Onagawa Video View of Onagawa    May 30th  - We traveled back to Ishinomaki.  The team finished removing contents of the church and home.  After it was cleared, the building was cleaned.  Only God could orchestrate the timing.  That morning electricity was restored, so in the afternoon were we were able to use a pressure washer to clean some of the church equipment, doors, etc.  The following day 4 pallets of food would arrive and the church would function as a food distribution point for the community. Pressure Washing Church Equipment Cleaning the Church May 31st - About 10 volunteers loaded a truck and van with food and supplies and traveled to Kesennuma, about a three hour drive.  Off the coast of Kesennuma, a small island is the home of about 3000 people.  When the tsunami hit this area, all of the ferries were destroyed.  The people could only receive food dropped from helicopters for the first week.  They still lacked supplies.  We unloaded the truck and van onto a ferry; the captain, new to the area, volunteered his boat and would not accept any money to transport the supplies.  The town was partially destroyed by the 6 meter (18 foot) tsunami that left a path of destruction. A Boat thrown on the parking lot Cars tossed around Destruction in Kesennuma    Transferring Supplies to the Ferry April 1st -After fixing a flat tire (just kidding-April fool's joke) we left for Hiroshima at 6 am for the 21 hour trip home.

Reflections from Sendai    Gas Lines    by Scott       On arrival in Sendai we immediately began serving.  As we drove into Sendai City, not much was evident as far as house damage.  Yet, all of the roads were buckled--especally at bridges.  There was no LP Gas, and Petroleum gas was extremely limited.  One evening Richard and I passed a line of cars that was five blocks long, waiting for a gas station that opened the next morning. It took us two hours to drive to the church in Ishinomaki.  This town is reeling from 2/3 of one school's elemenatary students dying from the tsunami.  We began to clean the church that had been under 5 feet of water.  The soggy materials were heavy and smell was bad.  Yet, the mission was to turn nasty building into a food distribution center.  It happened in three days.  It's been amazing to watch these churches in Japan seek to reach out and help the community.  The pastors are maxxed--having suffered through the tragedy themselves, feeling the burden of their flock and those impacted, and trying to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the community. The Christian relief agencies are working together to Pastor Ito (left side of picture) meet needs.  But in Sendai, the supplies are being destributed by the churches.  What an amazing opportunity for the people in Sendai to see the churches demonstrating the love of Christ.  At lunch on my first day in Ishinoamki, I sat next to the former pastor's daughter who lived at the church with her children.  I had been around her all morning--haven been given the job of trying to find photo albums and things that might be salvaged.  I saw the pain in her eyes of memories destroyed--all their material possessions and all the memoirs of the past.  Yet, at lunch she shared her lunch with me.  I was deeply touched at her spirit to give in the midst of her suffering.  Christ's love shone brightly in her life. I read that at least 181 square miles were impacted by the tsunami alone.  "Impacted" doesn't even begin to describe the horrible destruction.  As we walked along the street in Kesennuma, a man began climbing on the rubble.  I asked, "Can we help you?"  He said that this was his house and he wanted to see if he could find anything to keep.  My heart broke. Japan is considered one of the most unreached people groups.  Less than 1/2 of 1% are evangelical Christians.  Please pray for the pastors and their people who are working to show the love of Christ with their neighbors--helping to meet deep needs.  It will take years to rebuild entire cities that were completely destroyed.  The physcial, emotional, and spiritual needs of the communities impacted are great.  Our hearts hurt, yet, we have this assurance that God is in control.  His glory shines and we pray that people come to know Him and find comfort that only He can provide.

3월 업데이트

Saturday April 2, 2011

기도해주셔서 감사합니다!

안녕하세요!

3월에 너무나도 많은 일들이 있었습니다.  많은 분들께서 전화, 이메일, 또는 페이스북으로 저희 안부를 여쭈어 많은 분들의 관심과 사랑을 느끼는 한달이었습니다.

이번 뉴스레터에 웹싸이트 링크들이 많이 있습니다.  붉은색으로 진하게 되어 있고 밑에 줄쳐져 있는 글자들을 링크입니다.  더 자세한 정보를 위해서는 링크를 클릭해주세요.

맨 밑에 있는 기도 후원자 달력도 꼭 확인해주시고 왼쪽 칼럼에 있는 기도제목들도 꼭 보시고 기도해주세요!  지금 저희가, 그리고 일본에 있는 모든 사람들이, 그 어느 때 보다도 기도가 더 많이, 더 절실히 필요한 때입니다.

부족한 주님의 종,
Peter Oh 선교사 가정 드림

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히로시마시 업데이트

(사진: 저희가 동역하는 두 현지인 교회에서 3인조 팀을 이번주에 피해가 제일 심했던 센다이 지역으로 보냈습니다. 키타노 목사님, 머레이 선교사님, 그리고 리차드 형제님 3분이 리차드 형제님의 3톤 트럭을 약 20시간 운전해서 두 교회에서 기증한 쌀, 깡통 음식, 물 그리고 수천달러의 헌금을 가지고 센다이에 있는 같은 교단 교회를 중심으로 그 지역 주민들을 도우러 갔습니다.)

* 히로시마는 자연재해가 일어난 지역들에서 500마일(805킬로미터) 넘게 떨어져 있어서 안전합니다. 9.0이나 되는 엄청난 지진을 같은 섬에 있으면서도 전혀 느끼지 못했고 쓰나미로 인한 피해도 전혀 없었습니다. 후쿠시마에서도 꽤 멀어 방사능 오염에서도 안전합니다. 바람도 동쪽에 있는 태평양 쪽으로 불어 방사능 오염도, 쓰나미도 전부 저희가 있는 남서쪽과는 반대 방향으로 갑니다. 

* 히로시마에서의 일상생활에는 큰 변화가 없습니다. 조금 변한 것이 있다면 휘발유 값이 gallon당 $7이 넘고 (리터당 약 1,900원) 제일 싼 쌀은 구조팀들이 남쪽에서 구입해서 북쪽으로 가져가고 있기 때문에 구하기가 좀 더 힘들어지고 있습니다. 

* 자연재해가 일어난 이후 2차 세계대전 이후 최악의 환율을 기록했습니다. 많은 선교사들이 힘들어해 하고 있고 외국에서 들어오는 구조비용도 금액이 많이 줄ㅇ져서 들어오고 있습니다. 일본 정부에서 엔화를 안정 시키려고 노력은 하고 있지만 조금 올라갔다 하면 다시 내려갑니다.

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우리 가족 업데이트

* 오 선교사는 지난 목-일 청소년부 수련회에 다녀왔습니다. 고등학교때 부터 믿게 된 간증도 나누고, 쎄미나와 게임 시간 인도도 했습니다. 미국인 여중생이 4명 있었는데, 오 선교사와 함께 "국제팀"을 이루었습니다.  

* 4월 부터 오 선교사는 히로시마 시내에 있는 YMCA에서 풀타임 일어 어학 코스 시작합니다. 다음주 5일, 6일에 시험 보고 그 다음 주 부터 수업 시작합니다.

* 팀리더이신 머레이 선교사님께서 이번주에 쎈다이 쓰나미 지역에 구조 작업 도우러 가계신 동안 오 선교사가 영어 수업을 대신해서 가르쳤습니다. 

* 4월 8일에 주희가 유치원에 입학합니다. 가방만해도 6가지가 넘고 모든 가방과 옷, 실내화, 컵, 수건 등에 주희 이름도 써야하고 서류 작업도 해야하는 등 준비해야 할 것이 많아 바쁩니다. 입학식 날 엄마와 아이들이 정장 차림으로 참석하는데 주차장은 멀리 떨어져 있고 방 안으로 들어갈 때는 각자 실내화를 가져와 갈아 신고 비닐 봉지에 구두를 넣어 갖고 다녀야합니다. 실수할까봐 좀 떨립니다... ^^; 

* 아이들과 함께 예방주사 접종을 위해 소아과에서 2시간 기다렸습니다. 주희는 일본뇌염 예방접종을 받았습니다. (사진: 일본 소아과에서는 체온을 아이와 엄마가 대기실에서 직접 잰후 간호사가 보고 서류에 적습니다.) 

* 저희를 지금 이 때에 일본땅에 불러 주신 하나님께 감사를 드립니다. 할 수 있는 것은 별로 없지만 하나님께서 저희를 위해 계획하신 것에 귀를 기울여 대기중에 있습니다. 구조 작업은 이제 시작했고 아직 한참 동안 계속 될 것 입니다. 이 일을 통해 일본에 기독교가 부흥하기를 소망합니다!

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피신 계획

없습니다. 용감해서가 아니고요 ^^; 히로시마에는 현재 까지 위험의 정도가 상당히 낮기 때문입니다. 일본에 있는 세개의 파이오니아즈 선교단체 팀들 중에서 저희가 제일 북쪽에 있는데 상황이 바뀔 경우 히로시마 팀리더와 일본지역리더께서 빨리, 그리고 단호하게 결정을 내려 저희가 위험에 처하지 않도록 할 것입니다. 저와 아이들은 바로 피신하게 되지만 그런 일이 없기를 바랍니다.

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도울 수 있는 방법

(사진: 청소 작업은 파편뿐만 아니라 사진에서와 같이 쓰나미로 인해 육지로 쓸려온 큰 배들도 포함합니다. 많은 인력과 시간이 걸릴것입니다.) 

* 기도해주세요!!! 정말 놀라지 않을 수 없습니다. 쓰나미, 지진, 방사능 3중 재해로 인해 하나님께서 세계 각지에 있는 사람들이 일본을 위해 기도하게끔 하셨습니다. 일본의 영적 궁핍함에 대해서 몰랐던 수 많은 사람들이 알게 되었습니다. 할렐루야! 저희가 몇 가지 특별 기도제목들을 왼쪽 칼럼에 적어 보았습니다. 꼭 보시고 기도해주세요. 

* 저희가 속해 있는 Pioneers 선교단체에서 Japan Disaster Relief이라는 특별 기금을 마련했습니다. 미국에 계신 분들은 만약 이 기금을 통해 일본 구조에 참여하고 싶으시면 수표(Pioneers앞)와 함께 구좌번호 #150495가 별도로 적힌 종이를 같이 보내시면 됩니다. 저희 이름은 적지 마시기 바랍니다. 

* 직접 와서 도우시는 방법도 물론 있습니다. 일어를 하지 못하더라고 도우실 수 있는 방법들이 있습니다. 관심 있으신 분들은 연락해주시기 바랍니다.

* 저희 파송교회인 뉴비전교회는 침례교단을 통해 기부금을 보낼 계획입니다. 동생이 청소년부 전도사로 일하고 있고 저희의 협력교회 중 하나인 Dallas Chinese Bible Church에서는 적어도 $5,000을 모아 Pioneers' Japan Disaster Relief 에 기부하기로 했습니다. 제 이모는 저희가 동역하는 두 현지인 교회들의 구조작업에 기부할 기부금을 저희 한국 통장으로 직접 입금해주셨습니다. 구조 작업에 함께할 방법은 여러 가지입니다!  

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4월 기도후원자 달력

4월에는 서울에 있는 Jubilee 교회와 달라스에 있는 빛내리교회 성도님들, 그리고 몇몇 친구들이 저희를 위해 기도해주셔서 감사합니다. 기도제목들은 항상 왼쪽 칼럼에 있습니다. 성함이 없더라도 저희를 위해 계속적으로 기도해주세요! 기도 없이는 아무것도 안됩니다! (사진: 오선교사가 키타노 목사님께서 서울 방문하시는 동안 대신해서 카베채플에서 설교하는 모습. 오가와-산께서 옆에서 한줄한줄 통역해주셨습니다.) 

1 Caelyn Shin             16 Lisa Puckett

2 Carolina Kim            17 Lois Park

3 Daniel Ra                 18 Manuela Yim

4 Debbie Yi                 19 Nevah Frogozo

5 Erin Sickels               20 Ruth Kim 

6  Esther Seo               21 Sarah Shih 

7 Evelyn Chang            22 Sophie Chough

8 Gracie Lee                 23 Susie Sun

9 Heather (Alex) Kim     24 Taryn Schmuland

10 JiHyun Hong             25 Victor Chun

11 Jillian Luttrell            26 김인배 장로님, 문연호 집사님

12 Jinny Park                27 박상미 집사님

13 Joe Lee                    28 서수원 형제님

14 Jungwon Yook          29 이보연 자매님

15 Karlan Kim               30 조삼현 장로님, 조미리 집사님

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더 많은 이야기들...

함께 나누고 싶은 이야기와 사진들이 더 많습니다. 다 영어로 되어 있지만 사진들만이라도 구경하러 가끔 들려주세요~ ^^ 아래에 간략하게 요약해 보았습니다.

Death of a Turtle - 너무나도 귀여운 거북이 로고였는데 일본 아이들이 좋아하지를 않아 아이들을 위한 한달에 한번 무료 영어 수업 "Kids' English Club" 로고를 다시 생각하게 되었습니다. 저희가 봤을때는 너무나도 귀여운 거북이였는데 실험 삼아 보여준 일본인들 중에서는 거북이라는 것도 알아 보지 못한 사람들도 있었습니다. ㅡㅡ; 

Fast Food - Udon! - 우동은 여러 번 먹어 보았지만 이렇게 빨리 대접 받은 적은 없었습니다. 일본에서의 fast food, 일본식 우동을 경험했습니다. 

1,000+ Easter Eggs! - 협력교회 중 하나인 달라스의 Global Harvest Church의 Rising Son(오타 아님, 저희 로고입니다)소그룹에서 저희가 부탁한 플라스틱 Easter Egg 1000개 이상을 보내주셨습니다! 4월 24일에 있을 특별 어린이 부활절 주일 영어 예배 홍보를 위해 씌여질 계획입니다. 

"Kids' Room" - 힘들었던 첫 2-3달간 저희가 기다리고 기대하며 갔던 곳입니다. 한달에 2-3번 저와 주희의 스트레스 풀이 장소였고 뛰어 다니게 하고 웃게도 하며 일어를 배우고 연습할 기회를 주었던 추억의 장소였습니다. 마지막 날에 주희가 만든 카드(사진)와 함께 무생채, 무말랭이 그리고 김을 조금씩 준비해 함께 드렸습니다. 마유미 센세이께서 한국어 독학을 하고 계시고 영어도 배우고 계시기 때문에 카드를 3개 국어로 썼습니다. 주희가 그린 그림들과 3개 국어 카드 사진을 Trilingual Thank You Card에 클릭하시면 보실 수 있습니다. 

Update - Initial Response, Update - Prayer Requests , Update - Today's Prayer Topics - 쓰나미, 지진, 그리고 원전사태 이후 블로그를 통해 기도제목 업데이트를 몇 번 했습니다.

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