March musings & April arrives!

Hide me now, under your wings. Cover me, within your mighty hand. When the oceans rise and thunders roar, I will soar with you above the storm. Father, you are king over the flood. I will be still and know you are God. (credit: Hillsong) 

This Wednesday in chapel, our graduating class lead in worship and shared stories, memories and pictures from their trip to Thailand in March. As they played the song above, memories washed over us: this song weathered us through the earthquake of 2011, and the sudden death of one of our seniors, days before graduation. Indeed, "when the oceans rise" we have learned to be still, terrifying as that posture sometimes is. 

Our students play with hilltribe kids!

Ryan and other senior teachers lead the graduating class to northern Thailand to work with a local hilltribe school. Hilltribes are not legally recognized as Thai; the government often won't support them. Without an education or documentation, they are vulnerable to trafficking or other abuses. By supporting their schools, we hope to offer them a better start. This year, we raised money for and started breaking ground for a pre-school building. 

We're grateful!

- Thanks for those of you who prayed for our dear friend Eri. Her surgery went well, which means that she has completely lost her voice, and she is in therapy to re-gain the full use of her arms. However, the doctors expect a good recovery and she is among the most determined and patient people we know! 

- March was a hard month for me (Nelle). I tend to have migraines during pregnancies, and this winter was extraordinarily bad, with one or more days spent in bed each week. Thankfully, my parents were here during most of that time. Last week, I happened across information about a minor mineral deficiency as a common cause of migraines, which meant that taking one additional supplement has made for my first completely healthy week in months! I'm so grateful. 

- April 18 is our Easter outreach. We're excited that many of our neighborhood friends are planning to attend. We will have an easter egg hunt, an egg decoration party, and hear the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. For some of them, events like these and friendship with neighbors like us are their only exposure to Christianity. Easter sunday, four members of our church will be baptized. We're so excited to celebrate new life with them! 

Not the most orderly shot, but a cute smile!

First day of school

- April is the start of the new school year in Japan, complete with fluttering cherry blossoms and warmer weather. We're two weeks into the year and slowly adjusting to the new pattern. Kid E made a new friend already, and we look forward to building more relationships there! 

We've discovered a few other Christian families at this school, and Nelle is hoping to start a parent prayer meeting with some of the other moms, to pray for the teachers and students. 

Join us in asking

- Pray for those being baptized on Sunday. They have been mentored and supported through this process. We pray that this new stage of life is free and joyful. 

- As we build more relationships with neighbors, we're excited to build capacity for richer conversation. Pray for our friends who are coming to the Easter outreach tomorrow with their kids; we ask that Aya, Yumi, Takako, Yu, and Waka would be drawn to the truth and freedom of the gospel story. 

Birthday dinner!

- We're grateful that Nelle's parents, Ethan and Linda Pettit, were able to spend 3 months with us this winter. We relied on four extra hands and eyes and it took us a while to recover after they left! However, we feel rested and ready to make it through until the end of this term! They returned to a full house and a full schedule on Lookout Mountain, GA - pray for their patience and energy as they re-adjust. 

Family hot springs / onsen trip

Staff at CAJ raise support through the Japan Christian Academy Association (JCAA). If you are excited about what we do and want to be part of our ministry and the ministries and people we support, please support us! Donations made to JCAA on our behalf are tax deductible. NEW!! Use a credit cart to support via Paypal! Follow the link http://goo.gl/7VNPiD to be directed to our JCAA donation page (no Paypal account necessary) OR make checks payable to the address below and JCAA will provide a receipt. Include a separate note indicating that the money is for us. Address: Japan Christian Academy Association: P.O. Box 905, Wheaton, IL, 60189, USA.