July Focus

Wow… Can’t believe almost half a year has passed already since I wrote a monthly update!

It’s been pretty crazy since March – getting things ready for the birth of our baby, the birth, a trip to Osaka 10 days after birth, a trip to Fukuoka 6 weeks after birth, packing, and then leaving for the U.S. the day our baby turned two months. Spraining my ankle a few days before our trip and having to go to the hospital twice, using crutches, and then leaving Hiroshima on the 20^th of May using a walking cane definitely didn’t help matters!

We arrived back in San Jose, CA on May 21^st after an approximately 36 hour trip involving a car, local train, bullet train, taxi, car, short flight, long flight, and one final car ride before we arrived at our in-laws where we had a delicious homemade lunch. It was great to be reunited again after 4 and 1/2 years apart! We also celebrated Sungjae’s 5^th birthday with a few members of my side of the family together, too.

It took us much longer than we thought to adjust back and to do things like getting the kids registered for school. We had the kids with us most days, all day, so it was hard to get things done too. We were so grateful for the kids being able to go to Yamashita Family Child Care some days! Those times allowed us to catch our breath a little, get some work done, and for the kids to have fun with other kids in English and Japanese.

It’s been such a blessing to be able to move into a large family home and not have to move around during our time here. We originally thought we’d have to move at least twice during the first 3 months, but God provided a place for us to stay for the whole duration and most of the rent too! The way He provided our car is an awesome God-story too, which I hope I’ll be able to share sometime.

Here’s a bit about what will be happening in our lives in July and things you can be praying for. Please. :)

4^th – Living Stones Christian Church’s 4^th of July celebration at Emma Prusch Farm. Our kids’ first ever 4^th of July party! Unfortunately, they didn’t try the tacos, but they did eat the enchiladas.

5^th – Peter preaching at Grace Fellowship, Pleasanton

7^th – Leaving for Dallas, TX. Hopefully we’ll be able to pick-up our new magnets and brochures before we go! Please pray for this miracle to happen.

11^th – Sharing at one of Woodcreek Church’s small groups

12^th – Peter preaching at Dallas Chinese Bible Church

16^th – Peter & I will be getting our “annual” ^^; physicals done very early in the morning. Pray that we won’t have any major health issues and that our kids will be on their best behavior too. July is the last month that we will have really good health insurance. After that, it’ll be fairly minimal.

17^th – Sharing at one of Global Harvest Church’s small group, “Rising Son HC”

18^th – Brunch small group at sister & brother-in-law’s house. Juhee will be going on a date with my sister in the evening. Pray that they’ll have a great time together and make lots of fun memories!

19^th – Peter preaching at both services for Global Harvest Church

20-24^th – Kids will be attending VBS at DCBC

23^rd – Close friends of mine will be moving from Tokyo to the Bay Area

26^th – Peter sharing at Skillman Bible Church

28^th – Return to San Jose

31^st – Juhee’s elementary school classmate & her family will be arriving from Hiroshima and staying with us for one week! We’re all very excited and looking forward to their visit. We will be going to Santa Clara Valley Japanese Christian Church with them to attend service on Sunday. For the dad, it will be his first time at church. The rest of the family has been to Asaminami Bilingual Chapel several times during the past year.

Please pray:

- For safety and health during our travels

- For God to allow times of rest and connecting with family and friends

- For God to open up new relationships with those who would want to partner with us in our ministry in Japan

- For God to raise the remaining financial monthly and one-time support that we need

- For Juhee and Sungjae as they go to a different church and a different Sunday school each week with different kids

- For Peter and Jenny to be able to communicate well during times of busyness and tiredness

- Against burn out as we go through another couple of months of instability, more new experiences, and meeting lots of new people

After Dallas and guests, we’ll have a little bit of quiet before we pack up and leave again for SoCal in mid-August. Soon after we come back, school will start for the two older kids. Hopefully things will settle down in September and we’ll be able to enjoy a bit of normalcy, at least during the week.

Pray too that Peter and I will be able to communicate and work together well. Pray that God will continue to be the center of our marriage, our family, and our ministry, and that our love for each another will continue to increase. :)

Big News Newsletter

Here's the link to our latest newsletter. Let us know if you didn't get it! :)

2015년 1월-3월 소식지

안녕하세요!

올 해 첫 소식지 보냈습니다~ 받지 못하신 분들은 여기를 클릭하시면 읽으실 수 있습니다.

관심 가져 주시고 늘 기도로 함께해 주심에 감사를 드립니다! ^^

December 2014 - January 2015 Newsletter

Good morning!

Hope you've enjoyed a nice weekend with friends and family and had a great time worshiping God together with your family in Christ.

We had a busy Sunday with worship service at Kabe Chapel, lunch and flea market (we sold cornbread muffins and a few items we wanted to try and get rid of) at Koyo Chapel, Juhee's 2 hour long ballet lesson / Sungjae's nap time, and then a PI Hiroshima Team fellowship time in the evening.

A tired Juhee this morning didn't want to go to school today, I think partly because she was tired, partly because she just wanted more downtime at home ('cause even extroverts need their downtime, right?), and partly because of the girl who's been hurting her.  You can read more about her in the newsletter we just sent out.  If you didn't get it, click here.

A thought that occurred to me this morning as I was praying for our little Juhee, was that public school life in Japan will never be easy for her.  There are a few obvious reasons - she's a foreigner, she speaks English, and tends to be liked by most kids - all reasons for the not-so-nice kids to pick on her.  But I think that there's a spiritual aspect too...  As long as she's praying for her friends, inviting them to church, and so many continue to attend church events and even worship services, the Enemy will not leave her alone.

So as you read our latest newsletter and pray for us and our various ministries, please lift up a special prayer for our little Juhee and for us, as we navigate through bullying - physical and emotional pain, fear, avoidance, anger, hate(?)...

Thank you for your prayers!!!

Meet the Yamasaki's

Meet M (left) and E (middle) of the Yamasaki Family. 

E joined Juhee’s class in the middle of their last year of preschool. About a week after she started, the whole family came over to play. E and Juhee soon became friends and Juhee helped E adjust to her new preschool. E’s mom, A, had spent a few months in the U.S. during her college years and was a HS English teacher before having children so was interested in opportunities to speak English. I was happy to have another mom I could speak English with! :) I invited her to our monthly English Café events at Asaminami Chapel and the whole family came a few times (usually dads don’t come)! We weren’t sure if they would continue coming after the casual fun & games orientated “English Café” became a worship service at “Asaminami Bilingual Chapel”, and were very grateful when they did.

But then, E suddenly disappeared. I later found out that E’s grandmother’s was struggling with bad health so E’s mother had to take care of her at her home an hour away. Poor E had to transfer to yet another preschool close to her grandmother’s house. In addition to E’s grandmother’s health issues, E’s sister was having to go for check-ups on her eyes on Saturday afternoons too.

One day, I bumped into E’s mom as she was walking to the bus stop. I offered to give her a ride to the clinic she needed to go to. She was a bit flustered as her husband had taken both sets of car keys that morning so she was having to take the bus instead of driving. We had a really good chat in the car and I ended with, “It was part of God’s plan that we meet and that I drive you to your appointment today. So don’t be angry at K (her husband).” We both laughed and she replied, “Yes, it must be so.” E’s mom and I kept in touch now and again and we bumped into each other at a children’s musical performance over the summer, but the Yamasaki Family were unable to make it to ABC for a long time. Until...

On November 8th, Peter texted me from ABC to let me know that the Yamasaki Family was there! I was so happy to hear that! They started attending regularly again after that.

I finally got a chance to see them again at the ABC Christmas Party and it was nice to catch up in person. E’s dad wasn’t there when I got there as he had to go to a friend’s mother’s funeral. As E’s mom was pretty sure that he’d be going out to dinner with his friends after the funeral, I offered them a ride home. But E’s dad came straight back and played games with the rest of us till it was time to go home! E’s dad hadn’t had any dinner, so I gave him some of the leftover kimchi pasta bake on one of our casserole dishes for them to take home. I checked to make sure he was OK with spicy food and they smiled and said that he loves it.

Clockwise from Top L: Yamasaki family sitting together (bottom right) at an ABC service; Christmas Party - A, E, and M making hen motions, Jenny & A catching up while some played Christmas songs using chimes, Peter vs. K trying to pop the balloon tied to the other person's foot

Towards the end of Juhee’s winter vacation, Juhee and I went over to E’s house to pick up the casserole dish. Apparently K really enjoyed the kimchi pasta bake but was sweating bullets while eating it! The girls had fun playing together (top picture) while the moms chatted, mostly in English, mostly about education. She asked me what I think about the Japanese education system and what we’re planning on doing with our kids. I told her that our kids will probably stay in the public system here till at least 6th grade and that we’re not sure after that. Our kids will probably not be going to college here, so there isn’t much point in them studying for the sake of Jr. High, Sr. High, and then college entrance exams. E’s mom told me that she loved the quieter area where she used to live, but she didn’t want her kids going to the local elementary school there. It’s a very good school which wins lots of competitions, but she observed teachers being unnecessarily strict and scolding the kids a lot. She didn’t want her kids to be in that kind of environment every day so the family moved to this area where the schools are good, but not too strict. She doesn’t want her kids to study just for the sake of entrance exams as most kids in Japan tend to do, but to enjoy learning, learn to think independently and creatively, and be able to do different, multiple extra-curricular activities instead of having to just do one for three years. She also doesn’t want the extra-curricular activity to interrupt their weekends as many do here. She really wants to homeschool at least part-time, but she says that whenever she talks to other moms, no one understands. She also knows that it’ll be difficult for the principal and teachers of their local school to understand, accept, and adjust to too. Like Susan and Kyoko (Clendinnen, our new Team Leader), she also wanted to homeschool their children. I told her that Kyoko (Clendinnen, our new Team Leaders) would be a good person to speak to as they not only homeschool their children but their boys are also registered with their local elementary school too (they only go sometimes for special events), so can give E’s mom advice on that aspect too. Homeschooling is still largely viewed as truancy in Japan, so having one’s children registered at a local elementary school and having their buy-in is very important! The whole Yamasaki family went over to the Murray’s to observe a day of homeschooling one Saturday and spent the whole day with them.

I really believe that God's been working in A's heart & life for a long time. Her host family when she was in America for a few months as a young adult was a Christian family and took her to church. They also gave her a Bible before she left. She still keeps in touch with them! But even before that, I know that it was God who stirred up a desire for her to go to America and prepared the perfect family for her. There was a very long gap, but from about just over a year ago, the seeds that were planted way back then, have started receiving some TLC again.

Peter told me that they hadn't been to ABC for a few weeks so I sent an email asking if they were OK. This is part of her reply:

Oh, thank you, Jenny. It is so sweet of you to check us. We are all fine, we just have been busy. We love your church and we will go to ABC soon.
I hope everything is good for you and your family, too. Whenever you have time, please stop by. Also, you can leave Juhee chan here if you need your time. M and E will love to have your children.

E and her sister like the snacks at ABC. E’s dad apparently likes Peter. :) E’s mom enjoys the opportunity to brush up on her English and the exposure that her children are getting to English too. It’s actually really rare for a whole family of unbelievers to attend. It would be great if the whole family continued to attend ABC, for their relationship with the other members there to grow deeper, and for them to accept Christ as their Savior one day!

Please pray with us for this to happen!!! :)

February Focus

Happy February!

In most of the Western hemisphere, February is a month of love. In Japan, February is a month of chasing out demons. Various types of roasted beans are sold everywhere. Both Juhee and Sungjae are involved in "Setsubun" activities at school / preschool that talk about demons within homes that need to be chased out by throwing roasted beans and chanting “Demons out, luck in!” There's also a rice roll (like 김밥) that is supposed to bring in luck if you eat it all in one go facing a certain direction called "Ehomaki". Please join us in praying that our kids (especially Juhee) will be sensitive when/if they vocalize their difference in opinion as to how demons are chased out and that they don’t get confused. Pray for us as parents too, that we are able to continue guiding them in matters that involve Japanese culture and spiritual matters.

Here are some things that you can be praying for us about in February…

On the 3^rd and 5^th, Peter will be handing over Jess’s Kids Brown classes back to her. Pray that the handover will go well and that Jess will get back into the swing of things quickly. Peter’s looking forward to spending more of his energy on studying Japanese and getting things ready for our time in the US.

On the 4^th, Peter and I will be going to our OBGYN together for our hospital tour. It’ll be Peter’s first visit to the hospital. Pray that we’ll have a good visit and that we’ll get to know the hospital, procedures, and staff well, ‘cause the next time we use the side entrance to go to the upstairs area will be when I’m having contractions!

Pray for me a ton on the 6^th as it’s going to be a really challenging day for me… I have Smile Club in the morning from 10am-noon, will probably have an udon lunch with my friend Rieko and her toddler daughter straight after (a bit of post-Smile Club “tradition”), attend Juhee’s parent participation “day” from 2pm, Juhee’s parent discussion time from 3pm, leave in the middle to pick-up two of my students at 4pm from their school (I do this weekly), and then teach Kids Brown from 4:30-6:30pm. It’s going to be one of the busiest days I’ve had recently and it’ll take a miracle for me to be able to get through the day without being in a lot of pain. I’m sad to think that it’ll probably be my last time teaching English at Smile Club, and one of the last times I’ll get to spend time with Rieko and her daughter for a while. Juhee’s super excited about mommy coming to see what they’re preparing in class and has asked that I take video and pictures so we can show daddy and Sungjae after. :) Pray that God will really bless Smile Club and our lunch together and that I’ll be able to have supernatural amounts of strength and energy that day!

Juhee has extra ballet practices on Saturday, 7^th and Sunday, 15^th in the afternoon prior to her performance on the 21^st. I’m so grateful that another mom is helping me mend her white tutu! I’m not very good at sewing in the first place, but it’s even harder now with a big belly. She also has a sewing machine! Juhee’s looking forward to her performance but not to all of the extra practices (mommy too)! :P

Peter and Jess both have birthdays this month. I thank God for them, the way that God has brought them into my life, and pray that God continues to use them mightily for His Kingdom.

The 15^th is going to be another crazy day so pray for the 15^th too, please. We’ll be attending Sunday service at Kabe Chapel that morning, rushing to Koyo Chapel to eat lunch and hopefully sell a few things at the annual Flea Market along with a couple of our teammates. Juhee and I will have to rush to her ballet practice while Peter takes Sungjae home for a quick nap before our PI Team Fellowship time from 4pm.

On the 21^st, Juhee’s ballet performance is downtown in the afternoon (no parking!), and then I have a meeting at 7pm for Juhee’s afterschool program… :/ There’s also a Hot Chocolate & Desserts event at ABC after service, so it’ll be a tricky day to maneuver and another tiring one too!

On the 23^rd, 24^th, or 25^th, Sungjae will be having his parent participation “day”. Sungjae always gets really excited about mommy coming to watch too! Mommy really enjoys the participation days too as it’s a great chance to get to see what they’re learning, the other kids, and a good chance to connect with the other parents too.

There are a couple of other events too, but these are the major ones. We’re so grateful that Jess is back to take back her Kids Brown classes so we can really start preparing for the baby’s arrival, for our time in the US, for Taisei moving in, and our move next year. I anticipate me being very tired on many days this month, so pray that Peter and I will be able to communicate and work together well. Pray that God will continue to be the center of our marriage, our family, and our ministry, and that our love for each another will continue to increase. :)

Photos from the annual Hiroshima EV Free Church's joint Women's Ministry Gathering. There were about 30 women in attendance, representing each of the four chapels. There were testimonies given by two of the women, songs performed, a message of encouragement given by Pastor Haitaka, obento lunch boxes for lunch, games, and a song performed by the pastors and their wives! 

It was actually at last year's gathering of this annual event that I really felt God speaking strongly to me that He wanted us to work with another church in Japan during our next term. Peter and I had already started praying about our next term and were seeking His will. I came close to tears many times during that meeting as I realized more and more that I would be leaving this group of Christian women who had become friends and cared for us so much. In a country where a church of more than one hundred members is considered a mega-church, the average church attendance is between 20-30 members, the average age of the attendees is in their 60's, and hundreds of churches don't even have a pastor, having a Women's Ministry Gathering where just under 30 women, 3 pastors, 2 missionaries (Susan and me) are in attendance is amazing... There are so so so many more churches here who can only dream about such gatherings...

May God send more workers to this field and may God raise up many strong Christians within Japan to lead the next generation of Japanese believers!

현재 사역 현황 및 2015년 계획안

히로시마에 도착한지 이제 4년이 조금 지났습니다. 올해 6월이면 1기를 마치게 됩니다. 미국에는 6월부터 내년 1월 3일쯤 까지 있게 됩니다. 4년반만에 미국으로 돌아가 그 동안 함께해 주신 많은 분들께 감사를 드리며, 지난 4년간의 선교보고와 2기의 계획들을 함께 나누고 교육을 통해 영적 양식을 채우는 귀한 시간이 될 것 같습니다.

저희가 협력선교사로 섬기고 있는 히로시마 복음자유교회는 코요채플(모교회), 카베채플(지교회), 아사미나미채플(지교회), 그리고 아사미나미바이린구아르채플(“ABC”, 지교회)로 이루어져 있습니다. 거리상으로는 약 20-30분씩 떨어져 있습니다. 히로시마 복음자유교회는 어른수가 약 120명쯤 되는 일본에서는 큰 교회로 쳐지며, 히로시마 지역 내에 교인이 100명 넘는 3개의 교회 중 하나입니다.

현재 피터 선교사는 코요채플과 카베채플에서 어린이 영어 수업 “키즈 브라운”(Kids Brown)을 일주일에 한번씩 가르치고 있으며, 토요일 오후에는 ABC 예배의 찬양인도를 맡고 있습니다. 주중에는 영어수업 준비, 일어자습, 수요기도회, 금요일 일어수업, 토요일 찬양과 예배 준비, 회의, 그리고 때로는 설교 준비에 바쁩니다. 요즘은 미국 갈 준비를 하느라 바쁩니다. 처음으로 가는 안식년인 만큼 모르는 것이 많아, 알아봐야 할 것들이 많은 것 같습니다.

제니 선교사는 아사미나미채플에서 “키즈 브라운”을 매주 금요일 2개의 영어교실을 가르치고 있으며, 가능하면 2월말까지는 계속해서 가르치고 싶어합니다. 같은 채플에서 한 달에 한번씩 유아(0-3세) 어린이들을 위한 “스마일 클럽” 영어교실도 2월까지 가르칠 생각입니다. 그 외에도 여선교회 모임들, 여선교회 행사 준비, 영어수업 준비, 주희의 초등학교와 성제의 보육원 모임들, 주희의 영어 읽기와 쓰기 지도, 집안일, 손님접대 등으로 바쁘게 지내고 있습니다. 3월 21일 출산예정일인 딸을 맞이할 준비에 요즘 새로운 일어단어, 일본에서의 출생에 관한 정보를 많이 알아보고 있습니다.  

2015을 내다보며…

1월: 주환 아찌 (제니 선교사 동생) 방문, 피터 선교사 31일 ABC에서 설교
2월: 피터 선교사는 첫 주 까지, 제니 선교사는 마지막 주 까지 Kids Brown 수업 가르침 (가능하면 3월에도), “타이세”라는 한국계 일본인 강도사가 이사 들어옴
3월: 출산예정일 21일, 아기의 출생등록 및 여권신청, 성제의 여권갱신을 위해 오사카 미국 영사관으로
4월: 주희는 2학년, 성제는 年中(일본 보육원 및 유치원 3년간의 두 번째 해)가 되고, 아기의 여권을 받은 후 일본비자 신청
5월: 성제생일, 짐 싸기, 제니 선교사 가능하면 한달간 Kids Brown 가르치기
6월: 미국 북가주로! 시차 적응, 가족휴가(?), 짐 풀고 다음 목적지를 위해 다시 짐 싸기…
7 월: 제니 선교사의 여동생 가족과 함께 지내며 달라스에 있는 후원교회들 방문, 보고
8~11월: 산호세 지역에 머물며 주희는 미국 초등학교 2학년, 성제는 유치원에 입학, 주말에는 북과 남가주에 있는 교회들에 방문, 보고
12월: 주희의 생일, (성제의 미국에서의 첫 번째) 크리스마스

2016년1월초에 히로시마로 돌아오면 아이들 개학 준비와 함께 아이들이 빨리 일본학교와 생활에 적응 할 수 있도록 돕고, 저희가 현재 임대하고 있는 집 주인들이 2016년4월에 돌아오기 때문에 3월에 이사할 준비를 해야 합니다. 다음 15개월 동안 여행 가방과 이삿짐 꾸기고 풀기의 반복에 바쁠 것 같습니다. 그래서 이미 짐을 싸기 시작했고 앞으로 15개월간 삶의 큰 변화들을 많이 겪어야 할 주희와 성제가 마음의 준비를 할 수 있도록 힘쓰고 있습니다. 

아이들이 가는 곳 마다 잘 적응하고, 수많은 만남과 이별의 인사들에 너무 힘들어하지 않도록 많은 기도 부탁 드립니다. 2015년도와 2016년도 전반은 저희 가족에게 지금까지 가장 힘든 기간이 될 것 같습니다. 함께 기도해주실 모든 분들께 미리 감사의 인사를 올립니다. 정말 큰 힘이 됩니다. 감사합니다.  

2015 Big Picture

A request from one of our supporting churches had me looking back at our e-newsletter archive a few days ago. I was shocked (and somewhat horrified), that we'd only sent out ONE Korean e-newsletter in 2014. And that newsletter began with an apology for it having been a year since we sent out our previous one! Yikes... Major FAIL! :(

As I was reading it, I also realized how much things had changed in our planning of 2015 and our thoughts on our second term during the past six months. 

So I write this blog posting with a BIG disclaimer: this is what we know so far about some of the main events / plans for our 2015. HOWEVER! All of this may change... And we're open to that. :) (Although we would definitely prefer for it to not change too much!) If things do change, I promise to try and keep you updated as much as possible.

Sungjae said during dinner the other night that he wants to ride an airplane again soon. Juhee told him that we will be because we're going to America. So I told him a little bit about what will probably be happening this year and I figured it'd be good to give you a quick updated summary overview too.  During dinner that day, we actually got side-tracked after July and never made it to December even with me just telling him about one thing per month. :P 

January - Uncle John (my brother) coming to visit, Peter preaching on 31st at ABC 

February - Peter's birthday, Peter finishes teaching Kids Brown classes after first week, hopefully Jenny will be able to continue till end of month (maybe longer?), Taisei coming to live with us 

March - baby due on 21st, our 8th wedding anniversary, trip to US Consulate in Osaka to register birth of baby, apply for her passport, and renew Sungjae's

April - Juhee starts second grade, Sungjae becomes 年中 (2nd of 3 years of preschool), apply for baby's Japan visa once we get passport

May - Sungjae turns 5, pack pack pack!!! Jenny teach one month of Kids Brown?

June - fly to America, get over jetlag, family vacation?, unpack and repack for...

July - Dallas (reconnecting with supporting churches, spend time with sister & her family! :D) 

August, September & October - back in SJ Bay Area, Juhee will attend 2nd grade and Sungjae will start kindergarten at a U.S. Elementary school, speaking engagements up and down CA

November - Jenny's birthday, Thanksgiving (Sungjae's first ever in America!), more speaking engagements

December - Juhee's birthday, Christmas (again, Sungjae's first ever in America)

We then return to Hiroshima in early January of 2016, unpack our suitcases, get the kids back into their Japanese school routines, and pack up the house in preparation to move in March.

I included a bit about the beginning of 2016, because we wrote about only 2015 on our Christmas / New Year's cards to our church members, and as a result, I've had people come up to me and ask if we won't be returning - oops! I've had to apologize and explain that we are, but because it's in January of next year, we didn't include it in. We definitely should have though... Next time!

The owners of the house we currently rent in Hiroshima return in April of 2016, so we'll be busy packing and preparing to move as soon as we get back. We'll probably be moving at least once while we're in the U.S. too. Lots and lots of packing and unpacking during the next 15 months - suitcases and boxes!

As many of you know, we've been praying about where and with whom God wants us to serve during our second term. When we move at the end of March next year, it'll either be to a different home in Hiroshima or down south a few hours to the Fukuoka area. We'll hopefully have an update on that for you soon!

Here are some "regular life" pictures for you from this month to finish off, one of pics of us at home, and one of us outside the home. Click on the pictures to see larger versions.

We woke up to lots of snow on New Year's Day! Juhee & Sungjae were so glad they had another chance to make a snowman (didn't get to finish the first one). :) 

One Sunday after church, we ended up having a young family over for some playtime & dinner. We had a great time playing Wii together, our first ever Wii fellowship time! :D Thank you Mo's for the Wii! 

One of our supporting churches, DKC, sent us a whole bunch of refill rubber bands for Rainbow Loom - our kids and their friends are loving it! It's only recently started to become really popular here so it's still pretty expensive. We're grateful for the abundant supply we've received from the US! It'll last us a long time and having so much makes it so much easier to share. :P

I took the kids to our old neighborhood in Yagi during the last day of their winter break. It was the first time in about six months (morning sickness, busyness) that I'd managed to go. I had thought that their homes were unaffected by the landslides that happened in August, but that wasn't the case. The field that Sungjae (with a big head of fresh broccoli) and our neighbor are standing in was completely flooded and all of the remaining vegetables had to be thrown out. They had to replace the flooring of their whole first floor too. The same goes for our old house and the house next to it too! We also found out that one of the grandpas that we had become close to passed away soon after my last visit. It was so sad to hear... :'( 

As part of Juhee's winter vacation homework packet, she had to practice her "katakana", an alphabet used to write words that have come from a different language. One of her words was "Christ". She was so happy to see a Christian word in her homework!

For New Year's, many flower arrangements have bamboo. Most of them are pretty small, but the one in front of my OBGYN was really big, bigger than Juhee! Juhee and I went to eat udon after that appointment. Juhee was so happy she got to see the baby, eat udon while sitting next to mommy, and go on a date with mommy. :) Later that day, I took Juhee to a friend's house from her kindergarten days. They had lots of fun coloring and creating lots of cute things while the moms chatted in English (mostly) about education in Japan. We're so grateful that this family are regulars now at ABC! :)

God bless! :)

Remembering the Blessings

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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