News

In our last prayer update we asked for prayer for my children’s message on July 13, and the English Cafe last Friday. We were blessed to see God’s hand in both of these. On July 13th I presented a 10 minute gospel message in Japanese at a children’s Ice Cream Party our church hosted. I was fairly nervous as it was my first time doing anything like that. My prayer before I spoke was simply that I would be understood. I didn’t have high hopes that I would be able to use clever phrases or even that I would be able to avoid stumbling over words, but my hope and prayer was that I would be able to explain why Christ came to die for us, and that those in attendance would be able to understand what I said. I wound up relying far more heavily on my notes than I wanted, and basically read large portions of my talk, while pushing through some pretty rough portions, but when all was said and done two church ladies came up to me afterwards and told me that it was very easy to understand what I said. Praise God.

We took over as hosts for our church’s monthly English Teaching Outreach in May. In June we had a very small turn out with no people from outside the church attending, so we were a little discouraged and concerned about the future of the event. Another concern that we’d noticed is that our normal program seemed to be too advanced for most of the people who attended. Initially the event was geared more towards allowing Japanese who are studying English to practice their conversation skills with native speakers, however over the last six months or so the people who have come were at a lower level of English ability, and were having a hard time following the program.

We asked for prayers for the July English Cafe, which was held this past Friday and were excited to see a large turnout of people from the church, as well as one non believer who has attended once in the past. With help from a team from Singapore, and a few other church members, we reworked the program a little to make it easier for people of any level of English to participate, and it seemed as though it really worked well. Everyone who showed up was able to participate, enjoy the games and activities, and seemed to be learning a lot. I was able to spend a good 20 minutes talking with the non-believer in attendance, and he really seemed to appreciate being able to practice speaking with someone willing to let him go at his own pace and help him along. At the end of the night he said he was looking forward to attending our next event in August. Praise God!

In the last few weeks since our last update, I was also able to visit the coast with a team from our church to help out at an event put on by a fellow missionary serving in partnership with the Iwate 3.11 Church Network. After three and a half years survivors are finally beginning to move into permanent housing. While this is a huge step for many of them, they now face challenges of really reestablishing their lives in new communities. Pray that the friendships that they have built with each other, and with Christian workers will be able to persist through this change. In the past month I’ve heard stories of five survivors who have given their lives to Christ, which is a huge praise. Pray that they will grow in their new faith in the midst of a very difficult place to be a Christian, and that they will be the first fruits of many more whom God will save in the coming months and years as Christians continue to support, love and share with people in these communities.

This past Sunday I took the JLPT N3 test, and while parts of it were more difficult than I expected, over all I think I did well enough to pass. I won’t get my result until next month though, so please be praying for a good one! Some missions organizations here consider passing the N3 test to be the minimum level of language proficiency needed to begin ministry here in Japan, so passing this one will be a big step. My goal from the beginning was to pass the N2 test, which the one after N3, which is what my brother was able to do after two years of language school. If all goes well I’ll take that test in December.

After two weeks of almost non stop tests and practice tests, the work load at language school is winding down as Summer break approaches. Partly because of this, we’re taking the opportunity to help out a little more at the church. I was asked to give a children’s message at an Ice Cream Party out reach this coming Sunday. Though I was given the option of doing it either in English with a translator, I’m going to try to do it in Japanese. Even for a short 10 minute message it will require a lot of preparation on my part so please pray that I am able to get it all written and practiced before Sunday.

We’re also busy planning the next English Cafe, which will be held on July 25th. After talking with Pastor Kondo we’ve decided to try to target the event more at a beginner’s level of English, as that seems to be where most people are at. Also we’re trying to find good ways to promote it, and hope to get some posters made and put up in advance as well as some fliers distributed. Please pray that the event goes well, and particularly that we get a good turn out. 

There are countless ministry opportunities here, and one of the hardest things is having to turn down so many of them due to the fact that I’m still in language school. And that’s just here in Morioka. The needs on the coast are even greater. Our church is small, with an average attendance of around 70 people, but by God’s grace we’re seeking to have a large impact on this city. It seems that everyone in the church is involved in something, and still there is always more that we hope to do. Pray that God continues to supply laborers, and that He will bring in the harvest!

On Monday, I took 2 exams testing my knowledge of Japanese grammar, and ability to listening ability, and wrote an essay. The essay topic was on whether or not I thought students should be permitted to use their smart phone dictionary in class (I argued that it was, based on the fact that buying an electronic dictionary costs around $400, while the Google Translate app on my phone is free). Tuesday continued with vocabulary, kanji and reading comprehension. In two weeks I’ll take the 4 hour long, 3 part N3 Japanese Language Proficiency Exam, so in preparation for that, today I spend the first three hours of class taking three practice tests once again going over grammar, vocabulary, kanji, and reading comprehension.

It’s been a little bit of a rough transition going back to being a full time student after being out of school for ten years, and learning Japanese is significantly more challenging to me than my computer and Bible classes I took at Master’s. And yet, we are here to share with people the hope of salvation through Christ Jesus, something that is impossible to do unless I can actually communicate with people. Praise God that little by little my Japanese ability is progressing. While I am still far from where I need to be, I feel that I’ve also come a long way from where I was a year ago. Thank you for praying for us as we go through this process, thank you for your long term investment in us, in patiently supporting us through this vital period of preparation for a life time of service here in Japan.

Tomo is officially into her third trimester, and is furiously researching every conceivable baby gadget, tool, and necessity. She’s determined that American baby products are largely superior to Japanese ones, so about half of what we’ll be getting will be coming from the States. She’s feeling pretty ambitious, and is even tossing around the idea of cloth diapers. We’re both really excited about the prospect of having a new baby girl in our home, and also totally exhausted at the mere thought of it. Tomo’s due date is three days before my Fall exams. Please be praying for us to be able to cope with all the preparations, and for a safe and healthy delivery in September!

OK, so a lot has happened since our last prayer update, so I’ll just jump right in. The event with the former terrorist who became a missionary to Japan went really well. Thank you for your prayers! He also shared at some of our Bible Studies, and at a college class which Pastor Kondo teaches, and at all opportunities we had good turn outs, and great times of sharing.  Please be praying that those who heard the message would be challenged to seek the sort of change that Christ can bring about in their lives change which can only be brought about through being born again.

The Ballinger family, our friends, neighbors and fellow missionaries serving at Morioka Church left to go on home service back in the UK. (That’s Titus with their son up top). They’ve had a tremendous impact on the church here and did so much to help us get settled in and connected ever since we arrived last year, they will be dearly missed. God has opened the door for them to work in Tokyo after they return to Japan, which is about 6 hours south of us by car, so we won’t get to see them too often. Please keep them in prayer as they’re doing a lot of traveling on their way back home to the UK.

James Ballinger was coordinating the monthly English Cafe that we have been helping with since last Summer, and so in his absence we’ve agreed to take over his role and keep it going. We had our first one since they left last night. The turnout was pretty low, with only a few people from the church showing up, and no one from outside the church attending as usual, but everything went pretty smoothly for our first time heading it up, and we’ll do a lot more to promote next month’s 4th of July themed Cafe, trusting that God will continue to use this event to reach out to people throughout our city.

Tomo’s just had a checkup, and as has been the case throughout, everything with her pregnancy is completely normal, praise God! In case you missed it somewhere, we’re expecting a baby girl, somewhere around September 16th. Tomo’s belly is getting pretty large, and often get’s in her way, and she’s been pretty uncomfortable lately. Right now it’s the rainy season, but shortly Summer will be in full swing and it will probably get pretty hot humid. Our apartment is not equipped with AC, so it’s won’t be the most comfortable place to be 9 months pregnant. Please pray for us to be able to get through the remainder of the pregnancy as easily as possible, and for a safe delivery and healthy baby.

Looking ahead I’ve got a lot of Japanese tests the last week of June and the first of July. Please pray that I will be able to pass them and continue to progress. I think I’m still about on track for meeting all my language goals that I set on the outset, but these tests will give a pretty good indication if that’s the case. As this point I’m getting pretty good at understanding what people are saying, and can usually give adequete and sufficient answers to questions I’m asked. Carrying an extended conversation or sharing from the Word still requires a significant amount of preparation beforehand, but I continue to practice a little every week at Wednesday prayer meetings.

Thank you for your prayers and support! It’s a busy time of life for us, but whenever we take the time to stop and look at what God is doing we excited to see all the ways He’s working. Pray that we can find time to do that more often!

We’re incredibly happy to announce that we’re expecting a new baby, due on September 16, 2014! We’re praising God for this new addition to our family, and are looking forward to meeting this little one with lots of excitement (“Will it be a boy or a girl?”) and a little bit of nervousness (“How in the world are we going to handle TWO kids?”). But with each new ultrasound and checkup we’re once again in awe of our amazing Creator in watching Him knit together this little child as it develops and grows from a little speck to now even at just over 3 months, squirming around with his/her little arms and legs.

Titus will be a few months short of three when this new one is born, and while he was born in the US our second will be born here in Japan, so it’ll be interesting to go through the whole experience in a Japanese way. The doctors and medical system is quite good over here, but there are definitely differences. For one doctors are a lot more strict about weight gain here, often putting pregnant women on diets to keep it within what they consider acceptable levels. On the other hand Tomo’s American doctor told her to start eating more milkshakes and ice cream with Titus because she thought Tomo wasn’t gaining enough weight. Also, here Sushi is considered one of the best foods for pregnant women, whereas in the US most doctors said you shouldn’t eat any raw fish.

The timing of this new baby fits pretty well with our anticipated home service schedule. We’re shooting to be back in the US in February of 2015 in order to keep Tomo’s green card from being revoked. That would mean the new baby will maybe 5 months old. We appreciate your prayers for Tomo and the baby throughout her pregnancy!

David’s Spring Semester Grades:

I just got my grades in for my Spring finals, and as you can see, I’m still struggling to keep up with Kanji in this more advanced class. And since I can’t read the all the Kanji, that makes reading comprehension a big challenge as well, which is also reflected below. On the bright side I scored really highly on the speaking section of the test (96%), I feel like I’m getting the hang of the Japanese accent, so as long as I can study up on the other areas I should be relatively easy to understand when speaking with people (or preaching).

Speaking:   A
Grammar:   C
Writing:   C
Listening:   C
Kanji/Vocabulary:   F
Reading:   F

As I now enter into a two week long Spring break, I’ll be spending a lot of time trying to catch up on Kanji and Vocabulary, so please be praying that I will be diligent during this time and be able to memorize the dozens (hundreds?) of Kanji characters that I need to be able to read and write for next semester — which is actually the start of a new school year in Japan. So I’ll be a Ninensei (2nd year student), which means I can boss around all the the new incoming Ichinensei (1st year students), Japan’s pretty rigid about seniority here, not just in school, but in basically every aspect of society.

All day today the news was covering stories of survivors on the coast, and reporting on the many memorial events that were being held. It was three years ago today that the prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima were devastated by an unprecedented 9.0 earthquake, 10 meter high tsunami and the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Three years seems like a long time, and while most of the world has moved on to other concerns, for those living on the coast, dealing with the loss of children, parents, friends and homes and entire towns, the pain is still as fresh as ever.

The nightly news struck a very personal tone. A story about a father who lost his wife and son, but survived with his then three year old daughter was particularly difficult to watch. I could easily imagine being left alone with Titus, struggling year after year with the memory of loss, trying to keep that memory alive in my own mind and in the mind of my child. Tomo saw another story about a father who lost his wife and three children. His youngest daughter was 10 at the time, and he held her in his arms as tightly as he could as the waters rushed in until he was knocked unconscious. When he came to his daughter was gone, but he was still alive, and alone. The man said that he talked to his daughter everyday since, and all he could say to her over and over was that he was sorry, but he never heard a word back from her.

Initially I wondered how these people could even bear to share their stories on television, bringing out photos and videos of their lost loved ones to show to TV crews. I wondered how the stations could have the heart to broadcast such sad and hopeless stories of loss, one right after another. I think it touches a bit on how the Japanese deal with death. Remembering those who have passed before them is of utmost importance. They don’t want to forget their loved ones, they want the memories to stay alive, and to share those memories with others. Likewise the survivors themselves do not wish to be forgotten. And despite the fact that an estimated 267,000 people are still living in temporary housing, much of the world has forgotten.

I understand that, there are daily tragedies in this world, new fears, new threats, new disasters. It is impossible to keep track of them all, to care for them all. But it is in large part because of this disaster, and because of these survivors that God has called us here, to Iwate to serve and love and reach out. And for that same reason, many of you have committed to praying for us, and supporting us. God has put on our hearts, and yours as well, a burden for these people, to love them and pray for them, even when the rest of the world forgets them.

May the love of God finally break through into the hearts of the survivors, even in this, the darkest hour of their lives. May we do whatever God has enabled us to do, that His love might be demonstrated and made known among a people that has suffered and lost, and has yet to hear of their God who suffered like them in order to purchase for them a great and everlasting Salvation.