Jubilant January

Sometimes repair uses up every roll of tape you have in the house! And sometimes there are flowers blooming in the snow. 

Look! Wintersweet is blooming!

Thanks to good friends who gave us a beautiful reminder of our theme and challenge for our house: a place of welcome, shelter, healing, and ultimately, a place of sending out. We chose the image of a tree, thinking of the tree of life "whose leaves are for the healing of the nations" from Ezekiel 47 and Revelation 22. And look what we were given! Now, when you're in our neighborhood, you will know just where to find our house! 

It's winter at CAJ, which means that middle school students and teachers take the first morning train toward downtown Tokyo to bring breakfasts to the homeless people who are sleeping in the stations overnight. Ryan helps high school students who welcome the middle schoolers back to campus as they process their experience. 

Best trash find!

This month CAJ seniors are wrestling with a core question that focuses their year long research on a topic that is person to them and could help bring good to the world. Over the years, many colleagues have worked on the curriculum for this massive assignment, and Ryan has put particular ownership into the core question process. 

For the next three months, I am working on a research project for our church. Our city is becoming known as a good place for families. Today I challenged my church family: are we ready for this? Ready to welcome in new friends and neighbors? Ready to fellowship with fellow parents, living out the daily reality of being in community? I've been asked to research by interviewing those in our community with a finger on the pulse of this change. And compile the results and present it to the church by March. Please pray for my conversations and for insight as I listen and compile! 

For years, I have carried around a tiny red pencil which reads "prayer changes things." While reading one of my grandmother's devotional books (Chambers, If ye shall ask . . . ) I was challenged by the phrase, "It is not so true that 'Prayer changes things' as that prayer changes me and then I change things" (14). Dear friends and supporters, your prayers change us, and they help equip us to live and love as we are meant to. Thank you for praying! 

Our new address is: 

3-23-16 Chuo-cho, Higashi Kurume-shi, Tokyo 203-0054

or

〒203-0054 東京都東久留米市中央町３−２３−１６