Summer 2015 Newsletter

Here's our Summer 2015 Newsletter. If you didn't get it, here's the link. If you would like to receive it straight into your inbox, sign up on the right or send us an email. :)

August Focus (full version)

Hello! :)

We had an awesome three weeks in Dallas and are now back in San Jose. We were showered with so much love and generosity during our time in Dallas. We also enjoyed our first date night in probably over three years! I really wish we had more time to spend there, but alas, we had a full August booked waiting for us in not-so-hot-and-humid California. ;)

A few days after we arrived back in San Jose, a family of four came to visit us from Hiroshima. Juhee and the daughter of that family were in the same class at the local Japanese elementary school in first grade, and they’re currently in the same class for second grade, too! I got to know the mom in May of 2014 after the school’s annual Sports Festival and we’ve become closer and closer since. She started attending Asaminami Bilingual Chapel (ABC) with her daughter and sometimes her son (older brother of Juhee’s friend) too since summer of 2014. Before we left Hiroshima to come to the U.S., my friend invited me over for lunch. I asked her whether or not she thinks that her daughter will want to continue going to ABC even if Juhee is not there (as there had been instances like that before), and she said she didn’t know. We were so happy when my friend excitedly emailed to say that her daughter said she wanted to go! We were also so thankful when she emailed later on to say that she is understanding more and more of God’s Word. While she was here, we had lots of opportunities to talk at home, in the car, while walking… Through sharing Peter's testimony, I was able to share the Gospel message with her. One of the things that really touched my heart was when she told me about how her mom’s passing made her feel somewhat lost and perhaps even insecure, but she feels happier now because she knows of God’s love and that He loves her. I was so encouraged! God arranged for a Japanese-American friend that we met when we first arrived in Hiroshima and haven’t seen since, to feel led to attend the Japanese service of the Japanese-American church that we attended with our friends. We were so surprised to see him there! He joined us for lunch and shared some of his story, of how God has been leading him the past couple of years in providing a dream job for him. There were just so many instances where we knew God’s hand was in this whole trip and He was using it to really amplify His love to them. Since returning to Japan, they’ve started praying everyday before dinner. God is definitely working in the hearts of the K family. Please keep praying for them! We had an awesome time and we’re so thankful that God allowed us to have this concentrated time together, where we were really able to live life together. For a quick summary and some photos, check out my Facebook status update here. You can also read a little bit more about them in a past newsletter we sent out here (see Jenny's section of the Family Update).

So… Let’s see… More about August. A friend / church member of our Hiroshima Evangelical Free Church came and went, we had a reunion with our short-term teams that came out in July of 2011 which was great and kinda surreal, Juhee and Sungjae took their CELDTs (California English Language Development Test – mandatory) and we think they did OK, Sungjae had his Kindergarten assessment and introduction, and we’re now getting ready to hit the road again to go down to SoCal!

Peter will be preaching at both morning and afternoon EM services on Sunday, the 16^th, at Global Missions Church in Diamond Bar, LA for those of you in that area. We’re good friends with the EM pastor there, but it’s our first time connecting with this church, so please pray for a good connection with the brothers and sisters there and that they will want to take part in the work that God is doing throughout the world, especially in Japan. Please pray for our kids too as they adjust to another church, another Sunday School, a long day, and new friends.

During this SoCal trip, we’ll also be connecting with Peter’s sister and her two sons. We haven’t seen them for probably something like six years! It’ll be their first time seeing both Sungjae and Jiyeon. It’ll be a short couple of days, but please pray that we will have a good time catching up and be able to make fun memories together.

We’re also really excited about reconnecting with our former Pioneers Japan Area Leaders, the Hoisington’s! They were awesome leaders and we really miss them so we’re really looking forward to spending time with them. I had a short chat with Cindy today and as we were talking about our arrangements to meet, she said that she wanted to try and make things a little bit easier for us because she knows that furlough isn’t really restful at all. Hallelujah! It was just so refreshing to speak to someone who understood. I already know that our time together on Sunday afternoon is going to be far too short!

What else… We’ve officially become members of LivingStones Christian Church, our new commissioning church. We’re really enjoying being part of their church family and have been encouraged by them so much! This month’s small group meeting will be at our place and we’re looking forward to it!

On the 24^th, kids start school!!! We’re looking forward to having more of a routine. Peter will be walking them to school in the mornings. We still have a few Back-to-School items we need to buy but they’ll have to wait till after the SoCal trip. The kids don't seem too nervous about the start of school, but I guess we'll know better closer to the time. Pray for them please! :)

From the 28^th-30^th, we’ll be going to our first church retreat in many years. We’re looking forward to getting to know more of our brothers and sisters at LSCC and deepening our relationships with them too. We’re looking forward to some R&R physically and spiritually too!

We're still pretty tired, busy, stressed, behind on reports / newsletters / materials churches want us to send them, and trying to navigate through constant changes. Prayers for perseverance, energy, and health would be awesome! We're hoping that we'll be able to finish our speaking engagements by the end of October so that we can enjoy weekends together as a family in November before the craziness of preparing to go back happens in December. 

Going on a family vacation still remains a dream. Maybe it'll happen. Other than finances and time, I think one of the reasons why it hasn't happened yet is because the needs of our older two are so different from our youngest. I'm so grateful that Peter had the foresight to buy season passes to Great America for the family. He's been really good about taking the older two when he can. Peter, Juhee, and Sungjae have probably been there 6-7 times! Maybe a family vacation is more work than it's worth right now in our current stage of life?

* A few stories for you, just to finish off:

- Juhee did something really well and the person next to me said, "A+!" Instead of being excited about her achievement and the compliment she received, Juhee turned to me with a serious expression and asked, "What's that?" Once I explained that it's the equivalent of a 100% score in Japan, she was happy. :)

- Juhee and Sungjae came back from daycare one day and said, "Mommy! Bad news!!!" "What? What is it?" They listed a whole bunch of names and said, "They're not coming to daycare anymore!" "Well, maybe they're just not going on the same day as you two or maybe they went on a family vacation or something." "What's a family vacation?" "You know... Like when we went to Korea for one week last year..." (When mommy was trying not to throw up 'cause of her morning sickness and had a fever one of the days too...) >.<

- Sungjae's r's sound like w's, just like most American toddlers, even though he didn't grow up here hearing it. It's kinda cute. ;) He's learning how to write his name, goal is for him to be able to write it all by himself before school starts.

- When Family K came over, Juhee and Sungjae both had a hard time switching back to speaking Japanese! Sungjae kept on speaking English to them the first day. What a change from when we arrived in the U.S. just two and a half months ago!

- Jiyeon, at 4 and a half months, is now wearing 6-9 month clothing and has two teeth. :)

PI to WOM

Many of our friends, supporters, and supporting churches have been asking us the reason for our change in agency from Pioneers International (PI) to World Outreach Ministries (WOM). Let me start off by saying that it's not because of anything bad! We enjoyed being with PI and are grateful to them for helping us during our early days when we didn't know what to do, for helping us to get on to the field, and for being there for us when things got tough on the field too. They're a great organization and we would recommend them to anybody!

We’ve had to explain the change in writing to a few concerned people and churches. We appreciate your concern! I’ve copied and pasted parts of what we’ve sent to them. If you would like more information on anything discussed below, please let us know.

The reason we were led to change missions agencies are mainly twofold: 1) to provide better healthcare for our family, which will give us more peace of mind, and 2) to be better stewards of the finances God has given us.

God willing, we plan to continue serving in Japan, partnering with local Japanese pastors in growing the Kingdom of God, helping to plant churches, and ministering to the Japanese people. In so doing, we want to make sure our family is healthy. Up until now, we have been paying out of pocket for all of our medical expenses in Japan, which has been in the range of $500 to $1000 per year thus far, except for when we had our baby. This includes all the preventative care we've received , care for illnesses and accidents, and any medical costs prior to us having our baby in Japan. We actually have not taken all the preventative healthcare measures we should have in order to save money, which I know isn't best, but we thank God that we and our children have been pretty healthy.

Pioneers has pretty good international health insurance, for which we were paying a pretty high premium. With the deductible also being pretty high, we never reached our deductible and therefore paid all our medical expenses out of pocket. We asked Pioneers if we could join the Japanese national healthcare system so we could receive care at a reasonable price, and opt out of the Pioneer's group plan. Pioneers said we could join the Japanese healthcare system, but that we would still be required to continue with Pioneer's group insurance as well. We were not allowed to opt out of the Pioneer's health plan. To us, paying into both wasn’t a wise decision.

So as we were praying through this, we asked God what we should do.

Practically speaking, joining the Japanese healthcare system will enable us to 1) take better care of our family by paying more attention to preventative care, which we have been lacking, 2) reduce our medical costs significantly because our monthly fees for Japanese National Health Insurance would be approximately half that of Pioneer's insurance, and 3) our visits to the doctor would be covered by the insurance so we won't have to pay out of pocket for all the healthcare services we receive.

So as we've been praying through all this, asking God for leading, and asking Pioneers to allow us to opt out of their group insurance, we looked into various options.

We came across World Outreach Ministries, and saw that they provided the flexibility we were seeking. After reviewing their website, their statement of faith, and researching about them online, Peter felt this could be a good option for us. After much prayer and consideration, he contacted Jason Peebles, the founder and president of WOM for more information. Through Peter’s interaction with him, he seemed like someone he can trust and be able to partner with for the Kingdom of God.

There are two main differences between PI and WOM. PI is a "sending agency", WOM is a "service agency". What this means in a nutshell is that Pioneers is a lot more "hands on" in terms of member care. WOM, on the other hand, doesn't provide this member care. WOM mainly helps us by being our back office in the US providing administrative support to our financial supporters.

This lack of member care might be a point of concern, but we don't think this is the case for us. Although we won't be able to receive "hands on" member care from an organization, we will be able to receive member care resources and referrals from WOM as needed. Also, and more importantly, our missionary network and partnerships with pastors and missionaries in Japan will provide us the relationships through whom we can continue spurring each other to grow spiritually and provide spiritual accountability. Pioneers actually has a team in Fukuoka, and we will continue meeting with them in fellowship. If God opens the door, we will also be partnering with them in various ministries too, especially with regards to college ministry.

As we've been praying through this decision, here are some of the pro's of making the change to WOM.

1) Better and more affordable health care for our family.

2) Better financial stewardship with lowered medical costs

3) Flexibility in ministry. Working with Pioneers has been great, but we were limited to working with only Pioneers and their direct partners. Although we were able to fellowship with other missionaries and pastors in Japan personally, we weren't able to work directly with them. (This is now changing within the PI Hiroshima Team.) Joining WOM will provide us the flexibility to partner with specific churches, and also work directly with other various missionaries and pastors as occasions arise. WOM leaves much of the decision making to the missionary on the field as they believe that the missionary on the ground knows the situation best.

The con's we thought of are...

1) No longer receiving member care from Pioneers, but we think our spiritual, emotional, and mental health will constantly be kept in check by our local brothers and sisters in Christ (fellow missionaries, pastors, church members in Japan, and many of you!).

2) No longer having the close fellowship times with our Pioneers team. We will still have fellowship with them, but not at an organizational level.

Pioneers sent out a very thoughtfully written letter to all of our financial supporters in July to let them know we are transitioning out of Pioneers, not because we had any problems, but rather with their blessing.

So, as sad as it is to leave Pioneers, we are excited about our new relationship with WOM. We have peace in knowing that this decision is best for our family, our long term commitment in serving the people in Japan, and the best stewardship of the finances God provides us.

We hope you agree. :)

Financial Partnership Information

We are able to serve in Japan because of your partnership with us in God's kingdom work. Thank you for ministering alongside us through your prayers and financial support.

Give online...

1. Click on this link, https://www.deoworks.org/peterjennyoh
2. Click on the red “Give” button under our profile.
3. Follow instructions on the DeoWorks: Mission Japan page.

Or if you prefer sending a check...

• Checks to be payable to: DeoWorks
• Mailing Address: 1144 Cadillac Court, Milpitas, CA 95035
• What to write on the memo line if any: Japan Missions - Month of Donation 

Thank you once again for your continued prayers and support. We believe the ministry here is a great investment in the Kingdom of God and we are thankful for you joining us in His work here in Japan.

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!