Hanbok Pictures

In preparation for our Korean New Year's e-card to go out (hopefully) tomorrow, we had a bit of a photo shoot today with the kids in their Korean traditional outfits, hanboks. (Click on the photo collages below to see bigger versions.)

"Lord, help us to be cooperative and take the pictures quickly (so we can go back to watching TV ASAP)." :P

"What about this? Or this? Or... I'm tired. I need a break."

A few interim individual pics while mommy re-fixes outfits (again).

"Juhee, let's play Wii when this is all over!"
"That sounds like a great idea!" :)

And so they did... :)

Wishing you buckets full of love and laughter in 2015! :D

Looking forward to catching up with many of you while we're back in the U.S!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our friends and family! :)

Thanking God for the love you've showered on us this past year, and for allowing us to be here in Japan to share about God's love for each and everyone of us during this special season...  So humbled and honored to be here.  Thank you!

December Focus (extended version)

It’s COLD here in Hiroshima! If you’re reading this wearing short sleeves or even just one layer of long sleeves, please don’t let us know what the weather’s like where you are! :D The kids sleep with four layers on top and two on bottom, Peter and I sleep with scarves on…

Practice is well under way for our Kids Brown Christmas Parties which will include a skit performed by the students in front of expectant parents. This week is the last week of practice before the parties next week – eek! During the parties, we’ll be going over the story of Jesus’ birth and do a “review” in the form of a fun quiz. The quiz will ask them questions like why the top of a Christmas tree is decorated with a star or an angel, and other questions that will help them to see the story of Jesus’ birth around them when they see Christmas decoration and give/receive gifts. Hopefully most of the kids will remember the story from last Christmas and this year’s re-telling will reconfirm in their hearts and minds the true meaning of Christmas and the greatest Gift of all! Pray for the parties on Dec. 9, 11, and 12th.

Pray for our family during the next couple of weeks as our schedule is a little bit crazy. Peter and I are both helping out at Asaminami Chapel’s Elementary School Kids’ Christmas Party this Saturday and are taking 4-5 of Juhee’s friends with us too. More than 70 kids + 15 parents have registered for the party! Add in staff and we’re seriously going to be really packed in our little chapel! I’ll be bringing the kids back home while Peter stays to lead praise at ABC. Sunday is Sunday School, service, and hand bell choir practice at Asaminami Chapel before we go home and grab a quick lunch and hopefully nap too(!) before our Pioneers Hiroshima Team’s Christmas Dinner. We’ll have to take Juhee and Sungjae with us to the Kids Brown Christmas Parties on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday as both Peter and I will be going to all three and we won’t finish in time to pick-up the kids. Not sure what we’re going to do about Juhee’s homework… We’ll be coming home late too so pray that we won’t get too tired or sick till after the craziness is over. Wednesday evening is the monthly joint Prayer Meeting so Peter will be going to that. Thursday morning is also the day of Asaminami Chapel’s Ladies’ Christmas Party so I’ll be going with (hopefully) a few friends. Saturday is Juhee’s “alumni” Christmas Service at Samuel. Sunday is regular service in the morning but then we need to rush off to Koyo Chapel for the Christmas Baptismal Service. Thankfully, things calm down a bit after that. We still have three more Christmas events after that (Sungjae’s preschool’s Christmas Service, Asaminami Chapel’s Christmas Potluck Lunch, Christmas Eve Service) and a few non-Christmas related events too, so please pray for health and perseverance, and wisdom to know when to rest and when to ask for help.

I’ve been experiencing a lot of pain in my hips and pelvic bone areas, something I didn’t have issues with when I was pregnant with Juhee and Sungjae. It’s been making it hard for me to walk, do housework, and go up and down our narrow, curvy stairs at home. I’ve had to go back to relying on Peter for help, just when I thought I would finally be able to function somewhat normally before giving birth. I mentioned to Peter the other day that if I was like this while I was pregnant with Sungjae, there would have been no way that we could have continued raising support to come to Japan and it’s so true. I worked till the day I gave birth with both Juhee and Sungjae, but with this pregnancy, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll last till I’ll really have to whittle everything down to bare minimum. It’s a very unfamiliar feeling and one that is really humbling me… Please pray that the pain will decrease and that I won't have gestational diabetes with this pregnancy like I did with Juhee's.

One thing I really really want to do, is to have a birthday party for Juhee. We haven’t had one for her the past couple of years ‘cause of busyness and travel, but as this will probably be her last birthday celebrated in Hiroshima, she’s been really good about mommy not having the time and energy to do one the past couple of years, and she really really wants one this year, I really really want to have one for her. Please pray that I’ll have the energy and that we’ll be able to narrow her list down ^^; to the perfect 7 girls for her Frozen-theme 7th birthday party. Pray that we’ll be able to find the right time and date too as we have Christmas events till the day prior. Her birthday falls on the last day of school before winter break, but they have school till 3pm, so not sure if that’s a good day to have a birthday party… The next day is a national holiday (emperor’s birthday), so many of her friends may not be available. Some Japanese families do a Christmas-type thing that day as Christmas Day is not a national holiday here (Juhee has a ballet lesson that day, same as any other Thursday). As a party favor, I’ll be putting in a manga of the Christmas story in each of their bags. Hopefully the girls and their families will read it many times, come to know what Christmas is really about, and want to find out more.

Pray that in the midst all of this busyness, that we will be able to stay focused on the reason for our busyness, the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Pray that once all of the busyness dies down, that we’ll be able to get some good rest. I think we’re just going to chill at home and maybe invite some friends over. :)

There are other prayer general, not-necessarily-December-related requests too in our Partnering in Prayer Section (further down right hand column), so please head on over if you’d like more.

Have a wonderful and warm Christmas, reveling in the love and joy of being a child of God! May many in Hiroshima, all over Japan, and all over the world, come to know that Truth this Christmas… 

So grateful for each and every one of you! :)

Aug-Nov '14 Newsletter

Good morning! After our longest break of not sending out a newsletter, we finally sent one out earlier this week. If you didn't get it in your inbox, here's a link.

Thank you for journeying with us and for your prayers! :)

기도제목들

안녕하세요!

한국에 있는 한 후원교회에서 기도제목들을 부탁하셔서 보내드렸습니다.

블로그에 함께 공유합니다...

+++++++

1. 이제 바쁜 추수감사절과 성탄 시즌이 다가오고 있습니다. 집에서 친구들과 식사를 나누며 주님의 사랑을 나누기도 하고 7-8개의 세채플에서의 성탄 행사가 있습니다. 성탄의 참 의미를 더욱 더 많은 일본인들이 알고 감사할 수 있는 기회들이 되도록.

2. Kids Brown 어린이 영어 수업들 (약 50명), Smile Club 영아 영어 수업들 (약 15명), Asaminami Bilingual Chapel (일영 2개국어 토요 예배)등, 하나님께서 저희에게 허락하신 사역들을 위해.

3. 가족의 건강, 특히 3월 출산예정인 아기와 산모를 위해. 입덧 드디어 끝나게 해주심에 감사! ^^;

4. 저희 부부가 자녀로서, 형제자매로서, 부모로서, 친구로서, 늘 주님께 의지하며 영광을 돌리는 삶을 살 수 있도록.

5. 내년에 6개월간 미국에 들어가게 됩니다. 4년반만에 미국의 여러 교회에 선교보고도 하고 아이들이 친할머니, 친할아버지 그리고 친척들과 시간을 보낼 수 있게 됩니다. 아이들이 미국생활에 잘 적응하고 6개월 후 일본에 돌아와서도 너무 힘들어해하지 않고, 저희가 2기를 위해서 잘 준비하고 올 수 있는 시간이 되도록 기도 부탁드립니다.

소식을 더 자주 전해드리지 못해 죄송합니다. 입덧이 저번주에서야 끝났는데 이제 조금씩 기운이 나서 집안일도 하고 식구들 밥도 하고 3개월만에 Kids Brown 수업도 가르쳤습니다. 다음주에 가능하면 소식지도 보내드릴 계획입니다.

+++++++

그리고 저희 부모님과의 카톡 내용 중 하나도 공유합니다. 내년 출산 계획에 대해서 물으셔서... 8월에 잠깐 서울에 갔을 때 한국에서 셋째를 낳을 추천에 상당히 끌렸었는데 히로시마로 돌아와서 이것저것 알아보고 곰곰히 생각하고 기도한 결과 히로시마에서 갖게 될 것 같습니다.

히로시마로 돌아와서 친구한테 부탁해서 같이 구청도 다녀오고 시청도 다녀오고 지금 다니는 산부인과에도 물어보고 친구들한테도 물어보고 미국 국제보험에도 알아 보고 등등 결과는 여기서 출산해야 하는 것이 여러모로 제일 좋을 것 같아요. 아직 알아봐야 하는 것이 한 가지 더 있긴한데 여기서 출산하는 것이 나을 것 같네요. 

이번 아기가 셋째가 아니고 첫째였으면 서울로 갔겠지만 오 서방, 주희, 성제를 놔두고 제가 자리를 그렇게 오래 비우는 것이 아무리 생각해도 마음이 편치 않네요. 가는 짐 싸는 것도 끔찍하고 돌아와서 짐정리하는 것도 끔찍하고 서울에 있는 동안 피터가 오지 않으면 애기를 데리고 미국 대사관 가서 여권 신청도 못 하는데 그럼 애들 짐도 피터가 다 챙겨서 싸 갖고 와야하고 애들 방학 기간 동안 급하게 애기 여권 신청하고 일본 비자 신청도 하고 빨리 발급되야 같이 히로시마로 들어가는데 그렇지 않으면 나 혼자서 애기 데리고 들어와야하고... 피터가 4월 9일까지 미국 들어가야 하는 것 연장 못 받으면 제가 한국을 왔다갔다 하는 것은 정말 옵션에 끼지도 못해요. 여러모로 여기서 그냥 애기를 출산하는 것이 우리 가족 모두에게 가장 안정적이고 제 몸과 마음이 제일 편할 것 같네요. 산부인과도 주희가 혼자서 걸어다닐 수 있는 거리라 제가 입원해 있는 동안 학교 갔다 와서 같이 숙제하고 이야기하다 집에 가면 되요. 

5월말이나 6월초쯤에 가족이 다 같이 미국에 들어갔으면 좋겠는데 제가 그 바로 전에 2개월이나 자리를 비우면 6개월 동안 집 비울 준비, 미국 갈 집 준비 등이 더 힘들 것 같고, 서울 갔다 오면 여행하느라 힘들어서 회복 기간도 있고, 저나 애기나 여기에 적응도 해야하고요...

저희도 서울, 히로시마, 산호제 세 곳을 두고 이것저것 생각 많이 해보고 많이 기도해 봤는데요, 여기가 맞는 것 같아요. 

그리고 엄마는 안 오신다고 하셨고 우리 냉장고는 작아서 제가 미리 해놓을 수 있는 미역국에 한계가 있으니까 미역국 끓여줄 사람 두고 기도 중이에요. 집 10분 내로 재일교포가 운영하는 음식점이 2개 있고 작년에 알게 된 친구도 가능성이 있고... 친구는 돈을 안주고 미역만 줘도 해줄꺼고 음식점들은 돈내면 안해줄리가 없고요. 주희도 자기가 이제 두 명의 big sister이 되니까 자기가 더 바빠질꺼라고 자기가 엄마 많이 도와줄꺼라고 하고 있고...^^ 성제도 도와준다는데요...^^; 

의사 선생님들, 간호사들 다 너무 좋으시고요, 미국에서는 개인 병원에서 검사 받고 출산하는 것은 돈이 장난 아니게 들텐데 여기서는 그렇지 않아요. 시에서 지원이 많이 나와서요. 일본국민보험 들지 않았어도요. 

Detail이 너무 많았죠? 저희도 엄청 머리 아팠는데요, research 많이 하고 기도하고... 이제 머리도 덜 아프고 마음이 편하네요. 특히 우리 주희 성제랑 적어도 2개월 정도 떨어져 있지 않아도 된다는 것이... 더군다나 내년은 정말 심적으로 불안한 일들, 새로운 경험들이 많은 한해가 될텐데 엄마가 긴 시간 동안 옆에 없는 불안함과 아픔까지 겪게 하는 것은 좀 아닌 것 같아요... 안식년은 저랑 피터도 처음이라 저희도 research에 기도에 지금 답 보다는 질문이 많은 상태에서 애들이 불안해 하지 않고 잘 적응 할 수 있도록 도와야 하는데 잘 할 수 있을지 모르겠네요... 애들이 적응이 빠르고 강하다고는 하지만 일단 적응하는 동안에는 힘드니까 부모가 현명하게 사랑으로 잘 보살펴 줘야하는데 저희가 잘 할 수 있도록, 애들이 하나님의 supernatural한 힘으로 잘 적응 할 수 있도록 기도 많이 해주세요... 

내년은 애기 출산예정이 없었어도 힘들었을 한 해였는데 하나님께서는 왜 아가야 까지...ㅡㅡ; 감사하게 받기는 하지만...^^; 하나님께서는 저희를 좀 과대평가 하시는 듯..?

이제 2014년은 벌써 끝나가고 2015년이 너무나도 빨리 다가오고 있는 것 같습니다. 위 부모님과의 최근 대화내용에 언급했듯이, 2015년의 계획에 있어서는 아직 까지는 답 보다는 질문이 더 많은 상태입니다. 꼬~옥~~~ 함께 기도해주세요! 감사합니다~~~ ^^

Oct&Nov Focus

Hello blog followers! It’s been three long months and a big surprise since I’ve been able to blog. It’s so nice to blog again!

October’s been a busy month and I’m so grateful for God’s timing in having my morning sickness nearly finish as it starts to get busier and busier during the next few months. Peter’s really grateful too ;) He’s been super busy doing ministry and taking care of things on the homefront too.

Here are a few things you can be praying for…

Kids Brown classes – Peter is continuing to teach Jess’s Tuesday Kabe Chapel and Thursday Koyo Chapel classes. I’ll be resuming my Friday Asaminami Chapel classes hopefully from this Friday. Pray for the just over 50 students who are coming to church, praying, learning English, and listening to a Bible story every week, most of them from non-believing families. Pray for the KB Christmas Parties that we’re starting to prepare for. They’ll be taking place December 9^th, 11^th, and 12^th.

Pray for Peter's Friday morning Japanese classes and his private English lessons too. His student calls their times together "happy time". :)

Smile Club has been amazing as we’ve had 4-5 new moms join this year with their babies and God’s also provided two additional volunteer helpers too! One of the church members who had been helping gave birth to her first child and I wasn’t able to do as much because of my morning sickness, so the timing was perfect. Pray that these two non-Christian volunteers will continue to come help and that the new moms and babies will continue coming for the next 2-3 years.

There are lots of events at Juhee’s and Sungjae’s (mostly Sungjae’s) school over the next couple of months. Pray that I won’t miss any of the many details like I did a couple of months ago with one of Juhee’s parent participation days.

We haven’t been able to have anyone over for a few months, but we’re finally going to have friends over again for meals and playtime. We’re having a couple of families over in November and Juhee’s hoping to have a birthday party this year ^^;;;;; so pray for lots of wisdom and energy! Pray also for Col 4:5-6.

Please continue to pray for our next term. During August, we spent some time in Fukuoka, meeting with pastors and missionaries there. Our time was cut short due to my morning sickness, but God gave me supernatural energy for the days that we were there. We have an even clearer idea now of what God may be leading us to do in Fukuoka and the partnerships that we’ll be involved in. The baby being due next March, the month that we originally thought we’d be moving down to Fukuoka / Itoshima, has meant that our move looks like it will be delayed by a year. Please pray that we will be able to have more clarity as to God's will for us during our next term.

Please pray for our furlough plans too! We have a few things that we’re unsure of, one of which whether or not Peter’s Certificate of Coverage (CoC) can be extended. If not, he has to return to the US by April 9^th, just a couple of weeks after the baby’s due. There’s a lot that needs to be done to register the baby at the Consulate in Osaka and local government offices here, we need to prepare the house and our stuff to be away for 6 months, etc, so if possible, we would like to leave together around early June. It’s going to take a miracle for this happen so please pray!

Thank you so much for your constant prayers and encouragement. :)

Our Monthly Support is now at around 95%!!! The exchange rate has been great which has helped a lot too. The support from approximately 50 individuals/families giving regularly + 16 churches + one-time gifts currently make up our ongoing Monthly Support. THANK YOU!!! :)

May-Jul '14 Newsletter

We just sent out our May-July Newsletter.  Click here if you didn't get it.  Thank you for your prayers! :)

July Focus

Can you believe that 2014 is already more than half over? How time flies... 

So... I didn't get to work on my Bible units / coursework at all during June. :( Maybe in September..? Ach... Please pray that we'll be able to find some way for me to be able to complete all of my responsibilities at home and with ministry while somehow finding the extra time and energy to complete my coursework. 

Please pray for the usual Friday afternoon Kids Brown classes. My 4:30 class has expanded again and I now have 1st-4th grade girls. Together with my 5:30 class, I think I have about 25 students praying, learning English, and listening to Bible stories at church every week. Of the 25, only 3 are from Christian families. At the end of July, we have a special combined summer class at Koyo Chapel so please pray that everything will go smoothly. It'll be Jess's last class before she goes on Home Assignment and Peter takes over her classes.

Pray for Peter's Friday morning Japanese classes and his private English lessons too. His student calls their times together "happy time". :)

Please pray for our new team members that arrived earlier this month and another new team member arriving later this month! The family that arrived is an experienced missionary family, the wife is from Hiroshima, and they have three boys! Sungjae was the only boy of all of the Pioneers Japan MKs, but now there are three more! Yay! The other team member arriving this month is Korean-New Zealand and will be taking over Jess’s ladies’ English classes for six months. Hopefully she’ll stay for longer!

July 18^th is this term’s last Smile Club and 4 of my mommy friends and babies/toddlers said that they would be coming for the first time. That’s awesome! And the way that God made it happen was awesome too! Hopefully it’ll be their first of many visits to Asaminami Chapel. I’ll be teaching English that day. :)

Juhee has a ballet performance on the 26^th. Juhee’s really excited and I’m really stressed! There’s a lot of prep (including sewing!!!) and lots of extra rehearsals that we need to fit in. Yet another mom is thinking of having her daughter quit because it’s so much work for the mom! Juhee LOVES ballet so I don’t think that that’s an option for us, but please pray for me as I juggle extra responsibilities this month. I’m also teaching English at Juhee’s elementary school for a couple of hours on Saturday, 12^th so a few of the moms and I have been busy preparing for that too. Juhee also has a calligraphy competition at the end of July so she has an extra calligraphy lesson too! Juhee will be going to her first ever overnight church kids’ camp this month so I have a lot to prepare for that too. Juhee’s a very busy girl. ^^;

On Wednesday, July 23^rd, I’ll be visiting a Korean class that it taught by a Korean missionary, a 5 minute walk from our place. He’s getting married in September, and there’s a slight chance that I might be substituting for him during that month. The church that the missionary supports is all the way downtown and they don’t have women’s ministry events so it’s hard for him to invite them to events at his church. Pray that I’ll be able to quickly connect with the ladies there and that I’ll be able to invite them to events at our churches. The missionary currently teaching these classes would love to see this happen too.

Please continue to pray for our next term. We met with the Japanese pastors and received some good advice and insight from them. As much as it saddens us to think of leaving Hiroshima, we are leaning more and more to believing that God is leading us down to Itoshima City in Kyushu. We communicate often with the missionary couple down there who is due to retire in a couple of months. There's a big gap between the time they retire and when we would be able to go down, and there are a whole bunch of other logistics that need to be thought through that naturally comes with a big move. We will be going down to talk more with the local Japanese pastor at a neighboring church and to find out more about the area next month. Please pray that we will be able to have more clarity as to God's will for us during our next term during that time and that we will have a lot of good, encouraging conversations with the leaders down there.

Thank you so much for your constant prayers and encouragement. :)

Our Monthly Support is now around 95%!!! I have to check, but we’ve had a couple of our supporters increase their amounts and have also had a few one-time gifts given over the past few months. Thank you! The support from approximately 50 individuals/families giving regularly + 16 churches + one-time gifts currently make up our ongoing Monthly Support. THANK YOU!!! :)

June Focus

June.. had the potential to be a not so super crazy month. ;)

A continued BIG prayer request for this month too is for me to able to finish the coursework for at least one of my Bible units. LOTS of prayers for this one please!!! It didn't happen last month. :( Pray that I'll be able to complete it in a timely way, but also do well and that I'll be able to really learn while writing my coursework. Pray also for protection for us... Pray that I don't take out my stress on the family and that we all work together to try and make this really happen!!!

Thank you so much for your prayers for a Korean newsletter to be sent out! It happened!!! Thank you for praying for all of the various events at the kids' schools last month too. They all went as well as they could have or better! Praise the Lord! :)

There's the usual Friday afternoon Kids Brown classes that you can be praying for. My 4:30 class is now just 1st grade girls and my 5:30 class is now a mix of pre-K to 5th grade boys and girls. :)

Pray for Peter's Friday morning Japanese classes and his private English lesson too.

We'll be meeting with the Japanese pastors on Monday, June 9th to discuss our 2nd term in Japan. Please pray for wisdom, clear communication, and good understanding during the meeting.

We also have our first ever picnic with the Japanese pastors and their wives on Monday, 16th. It's during monsoon season, so not sure if we'll be able to have a picnic BBQ, but hopefully we will! Pray that it'll be a good time of fellowship. We don't usually get to just hang out and have lunch with them! :)

Please pray for Peter as he attends his first ever Church Planting Institute (CPI) Seminar in Osaka, June 11th-13th. Pray for me, too, while he's away!

We're spending time with a few different friends this month and Juhee & Sungjae are having fun making friends with kids in the neighborhood. Please pray for all of the new and continued relationships that God is bringing into our lives.

Jenny also has the opportunity to invite friends to talks at Koyo Chapel and Kabe Chapel this month too. A few friends have already expressed interest in going - yay! Juhee and Sungjae will also be inviting their friends to Asaminami Chapel's Ice Cream Party on the first Saturday of July. Praise God for opportunities to invite friends to church events and for friends to invite! Pray for all of the various outreaches happening at all three chapels during the next month.

Thank you so much for your constant prayers and encouragement. :)

Our Monthly Support is now at 85%! The support from approximately 50 individuals/families giving regularly + 16 churches currently make up our ongoing Monthly Support. THANK YOU!!! :)

Prayer points...

Pray for Japan!  Pray for revival in Japan.

Almost every night, I pray with the kids before they fall asleep (I don't always put them to bed, hence the "almost").  Ever time I pray with them, we pray for unsaved members of our family and for our friends in Hiroshima, practically all of whom are not Christians.  It's heartbreaking and sometimes discouraging that despite our prayers and so many having attended church events and various services, that none of them have yet to show more interest in getting to know about the Gospel.  We know that it usually takes yea~~~rs from when one person hears the Gospel to when they profess faith, but still...  We love our friends so much and we would so love for them to come to faith while we're still here!!!

Here's an article I found today which I think is very informative: Engaging Japan with the Gospel.  It's an interview with Michael Oh, a fellow Korean-American missionary here in Japan.  He's a little bit more famous than we are. ;)  (Big time understatement!)

Pray for me today as I'll be chatting with a couple over Skype re issues that they're having in their marriage (I think).  They're my friends from High School in Germany that I've written about a few times.  The wife has been suffering from depression for over 10 years now.  I'm very under-qualified and feel completely inadequate to be talking with them about marriage issues with them, but they don't seem to have anyone else they both feel comfortable opening up to.  So please pray for me and for them as we chat tonight, after our kids have gone to bed.  Oh, Holy Spirit, guide me big time please!  Pray that instead of stressing and panicking about what to say and how to say it, that I'll be open to His guiding.  I really care about both of them and their two children and would hate to say their marriage fall apart.  

I think Peter and I are both feeling that the decision regarding our next term is imminent.  We're still  not 100% sure but we've been receiving input from those that know the situation in both possible locations better than us.  We will also be meeting with the Japanese pastors at some point in June to speak to them about both.  Please pray for us and the pastors as we prepare for the meeting.  Pray for wisdom, clear communication, grace, and understanding as we discuss our next steps together.  It's exciting and daunting, all at the same time!