Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Potters!
This year we learned a lot about ourselves and about God. Ryan and I turn 40 this year, and it feels good to be where we are, who we are, doing what we’re doing. My goal as I grow up is to become more intellectually, spiritually, physically and logistically flexible and graceful. We’ve learned not to be surprised by sin, suffering and challenge - and we’ve learned that Jesus is with us in every moment, palpable or not. This has been a year of surprises and unexpected outcomes - many of them frustrating and difficult. But God is powerful and good.
This year our kids continued in Japanese school and we’re thankful that they’re thriving with good teachers and a crew of friends, mostly Japanese. We’re thankful that - although they fight like siblings and rivals, they also mostly love each other and come back to being friends in the end.
Our house remains the heart of our ministry and we’re thankful for the many friends who have come through our living room and yard and table. We’re currently working on a deck for the yard - there are friends who come to say hi but won’t come into our house because of the obligation it creates for them to also host us (interesting aspect of Japanese culture!), so we’re creating a space to host them in our yard, where they will be more comfortable. We’re thankful for more opportunities and potential relationships than we can possibly follow up with, and pray for wisdom to follow up with the right people.
As support-based missionaries, we’re so thankful for those of you who have committed to partnering with us each month - we truly could not be here without you! We send out monthly newsletter updates, as well as occasional mid-month emails. Below are some of our most memorable excerpts from our year. We are always interested in connecting with more prayer partners. If you are interested in partnering with us, get in touch and we’ll get you started!
March: It’s hanami or “Flower picnic” season here, when everyone stops to take a moment to pause for a picnic under the nearest cherry blossom tree. My phone buzzed non-stop last Friday night with groups trying to meet up and coordinate picnics at our local park. By the time I made it to our park in the afternoon, I realized that - with the common denominator of our kids - three of the picnicking groups who didn’t actually know each other had introduced themselves, and set up their blankets
together in one big party. The beauty of seeing them all sit under the snowing petals, and tearing around the park on each other’s riding toys and bikes is such lovely chaos. Please pray for us as we love and engage these friends. Picnic blanket evangelism.
April:
We are so thankful that we made the choice to switch schools. Thanks so much to all of you who
connections at our doorstep that are facilitated through the school. Please pray for new friendships and new connections. And for safety for school kids as they walk to and from school.
June:
We hosted our second open house this week, welcoming moms into a grace-filled space to laugh, cry, relax, and thrive. I arrived late after taking Jude to physical therapy and loved that I could hear laughter as I walked down the street towards the house. Please pray for my friend (and fellow Covenant College grad!) as she hosts the open houses. Please pray for the four of us Christian moms who host and invite our friends into purposeful conversations about parenting and living in hope.
August: We are joyful! Our (nearly) two year old took his first independent steps! As many know, our youngest was born with significant physical disabilities and uses a prosthetic leg. He has a long way to go, but this is a big milestone for him!
Please pray for the many challenges of a new school year. Ryan jumped into the year with several new classes, running an overnight leadership retreat this weekend and a week-long off campus learning experience for the entire high school in early October. Please pray for student safety, staff wisdom and patience, and for Ryan’s wisdom and energy as he plans and manages several of these events.
September:
Those of you who have been with us for a while know my friend Y, daughter of my elderly neighbor, mother of a rambunctious 2nd grade daughter and a son who died of brain cancer two years ago at age 12. This summer, Y became a Christian. She’s always loved hymns and I gave her a copy of the trinity hymnal a year or so ago for her to play. She visited our church years back, and then discovered that her son’s best friend attends CAJ now and is one of Ryan’s students. This felt like a sign to her, once again connecting her to Christians. In August, I was able to connect her to a friend and mentor at one of my favorite neighborhood churches, and this woman was able to begin discipling her. Then, last week, Y drove away from her mother’s house, past mine, and leaned out the window, and said “I did that prayer, what’s it called? The sinner’s prayer? Yeah, that one. Let’s talk soon!” and drove off. It’s the kind of moment I pray for so many of my friends, and it’s such a privilege to tell you about the fruits of YOUR prayers on behalf of this wonderful woman. Please join us in continuing to pray for Y and her daughter and for the Takiyama Church family who walk beside her as she begins this new life.
October:
One of Ryan’s passions is helping students learn more about who God has created them to be through outdoor experiential learning. Every October, Ryan leads CAJ’s 11th grade Wilderness Camp program, gathering about 60 students and adults into 5 groups and sending them out into the woods—what better way than a 4-day hike to foster conversations about the kind of leader and servant Christ is, and how Christians can live out those characteristics! Through good preparation, experienced staff, and God’s grace, there were no major injuries or dangerous experiences that got in the way of rich conversations and growing self-awareness that students brought back to their "real" life.
November: Although the doctor was fairly confident that he could transfer Jude's toe to his hand, he was not successful. We obviously have very mixed feelings about this. We grieve the long, long surgeries (more than 26 hours altogether) and the intense scarring, without any significant positive outcome.
We lament that, once again, the path forward for this boy is confusing, painful and different from what we expect or understand. But we turn to the psalms and, like David, speak truth to our own hearts: "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?" Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." (Psalm 42) In a true lament, the return to God is not a trite flippancy toward the deepest questions of the heart, but a willingness to hold the both/and truth of the gospel. We both lament the effects of sin and rejoice that our God is with us. Thank you for walking with us.
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