Only in October

His mom co-leads the moms-in-prayer with me!

It was that series of silly moments. I hastily apologized as my kids cut her stroller off with their little bikes in the entrance to the convenience store where I was grabbing a coffee. Then we smiled as we left the bread store, and saw her again (also coffee in hand, from the same convenience store). By the time we all showed up at the same park around the corner, we had to laugh. The inevitable exchange of kids’ ages, admiring of each other’s “gear:” “you made that baby-carrier cover your self?!” and commend each other's taste in park-day snacks (same coffee and cinnamon rolls). Then we got into the real conversation. “So, are you a missionary? Are you connected to that international school next to the station?” 

Because our kids had the day off from school, we decided to turn our prayer time into park fellowship, and let our kids play together. As the Spirit would have it, three other moms happened to also come to the park that day; these moms happen to be enrolling in our preschool next April. Each of them was friendly, and Hikari, who I played tag with all the way there, is a Christian! We exchanged emails and look forward to our next prayer time, when she will join us. 

This month, I sensed a strong movement. Something is happening in this city. Not only is this city becoming a hub for young families, but there are several new ministries right at our fingertips. Please pray for those meeting to plan these new ministries. Right now, we're praying for who to invite into leadership, and the values we want to shape the ministry. 

1. Thanks for praying with us! This month, high school students at Christian Academy experienced “School Without Walls” week, going out of their normal school routine to focus on servant leadership, collaboration and stewardship. Ryan, together with the HS principal plans and implements this curriculum. It was a great week! This year, Ryan had conversations with his group, several of whom are non-Christians, about the figurative ways we can “carry each other’s burdens” while they worked on physically carrying each other’s loads on their week long hike. This is an excellent way to bring to life the teaching from Bible class!
2. We’re grateful! Our two older kids each celebrated their birthdays recently, and E is just starting to read! We’re so grateful to have happy, healthy, growing kids. Thanks for your prayers for our family.
3. Exciting news: Remember my friend Chieko? I wrote about her last year. Although she has been attending a church with her daughters for the past few years, and she comes to our moms-in-prayer meetings with a well-worn Bible, she hasn’t formally committed to Christianity because she doesn’t want to offend her parents. Just this past Sunday, she told her pastor that she wants to become baptized! This woman is remarkable for her courage, humor and humility. Her younger daughter is one of E’s best friends at preschool (sometimes the only reason we can entice him to go in the mornings!). It is an awesome privilege to walk toward her baptism beside her. 

Soggy September

As an American, I was raised to value efficiency. Stock up, and shop for a month's worth of groceries in one trip! Send out emails to the whole group. Lead a large meeting, to be sure everyone is welcome.

English practice with Japanese school friends

In contrast, my neighbors bike to the grocery store daily, to shop for one or two meals. Invitations come in person, with a smile and comment for each friend in turn. News travels from mouth to mouth. Each piece of laundry is hung on the clips to dry, taken down, folded, placed on each tiny body. I am often struck with what feels like staggering inefficiency of daily life.

In our roles of teacher and worship leader, we pray for an amazing lesson, one poignant uplifting song set to draw the congregation toward revival, or to awaken epiphany in our students. Yet, life more often takes a daily, walking pace. Catching a student in the hall to discuss a plagiarized paper. Stopping mid-song to deal with a broken guitar string.

Yet, I think about the life Jesus chose. Traveling on foot, eating long, slow meals, welcoming long, interrupted, rambling conversations and inconvenient relationships. The theme for next week's bible study is the Eternal God. It strikes me, an Eternal God has little need for efficiency, which is a product of those bound by time. God, being outside of time, engages each moment without rush. Eugene Peterson calls it the "long obedience in the same direction." Lamentations says, "Your mercies are new every morning." The Israelites found manna each day, and had to trust for more tomorrow.

Rainbow over our river path!

As we give thanks and petition this month, I am mindful of the need for daily faithfulness. For the need of God's eternal perspective - outside of the tyranny of efficiency, outside of the urgency of time.

1) We're grateful: Plans are underway for a rich and meaningful "school without walls" week for CAJ high school students. Ryan works together with the HS principal to plan this curriculum, spiraling servant leadership and teamwork qualities for each grade level. Please pray for safety and great learning experiences for the students and teachers as they spread out all over campus and all over Japan next week!

2) We're grateful for the group of wonderful Christian moms at our public school. I'm so grateful for the new members, and for my wise and patient co-leader. I'm grateful that my language skills are developing too! Please pray as we meet on Monday to pray through the theme of God as Eternal Father.

3) We're grateful for our local church, Kurume Bible Fellowship and our church plant, Tokyo Life Church. We will go on a retreat this coming weekend as a whole body, to rest, pray and enjoy fellowship. Please pray as our church goes through a re-visioning time, and continues searching for a new pastoral team to lead the congregation as our current pastoral team plans for retirement.

Leaving August

Come morning, our entry way is once more filled with assorted bags, helmets and shoes; the kitchen counter a jumble of lunch boxes amid breakfast fixings - we're back in the swing of our regular life!

Our suitcases are empty, and the last waft of American dryer sheets has faded from our clothes. Tonight we're catching our breath after the first English play time with neighborhood friends after the summer holidays. We miss each of you! And are so grateful for the time we had together with many of you this summer. 

We're grateful!

- Ryan's summer studies ended well, with a clearer focus for his final semester of masters work. 

- CAJ is back in full swing, with a theme of Love God, Serve Others. We even had a special concert last week from Christian artist Michael W. Smith! Many students don't know who he is, but the staff were happily snapping pictures. 

- We were concerned that the long summer away from pre-school would mean a hard transition back, but instead, there were many smiles and hugs and excited reunions; we're all growing up! 

Please pray with us:

Baptism for V, with some of our "cloud of witnesses"

- Ryan has a full month ahead with many student events, and a week of hands-on learning for the whole high school, which he plans with the high school principal. Please pray for wisdom and attention to detail in planning. Please pray that students would learn about servant leadership, and experience God, the world, their classmates and themselves in new ways through the curriculum Ryan plans. 

- I'm leading the Moms in Prayer group for our preschool along with another mom, and feel the weight of the former leader's absence, and my lack of vocabulary. On the one hand, a friend commented, "wow - you remembered your Japanese when you were in America!" but on the other hand, I struggle to describe how praying for your child on his way to school is different from hanging a good luck charm on his backpack. Please pray for me as I lead this group of wonderful and inquiring women. Pray especially for Yuko, who is curious about Christianity. 

- Please pray for our children's spiritual, emotional and intellectual health. We know we're asking a lot of them, functioning in multiple languages daily, and between a variety of sometimes conflicting cultures. Pray for their development of truth, values, sense of identity, formation of friendships, as well as language development. 

A prayer from this month:

"Let me use disappointment as material for patience; 

Let me use success as material for thankfulness; 

Let me use suspense as material for perseverance; 

Let me use danger as material for courage; 

Let me use reproach as material for longsuffering; 

Let me use praise as material for humility; 

Let me use pleasures as material for temperance; 

Let me use pains as material for endurance." (John Baillie, 1949)

Back home!

Almost 5,000 miles of driving later, we are back in Japan from our whirlwind support-raising trip! It was wonderful to meet with our supporting churches and those who are partnering with us as we work on reaching our Japanese community and serving the missionary community in Japan! If you'd like to commit to supporting us in the work we do, or have questions about how you can help, please let us know.

As I write each month, I picture many of your faces, reading on the other end of the screen. Today, I have fresh memories, as I remember laughing across your delicious tables, sharing cozily on your couches over a cup of coffee, and enjoying the breeze in backyards overflowing with bug spray, wafting barbecue and damp children. Thank you, each, for the delicious food, the laughter, the tears, the attention and time for us and our stories, for sharing your lives with us. 

On the plane home I had a few moments when all three littles slept. A line from a movie (Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) lingers as I reflect on this summer: "There is no present like the time." Thank you for the gift of your time. 

Gratitude!

1) Our kids are healthy and resilient! Nearly every night one would ask, "are we sleeping here?" They were overjoyed to return home to their familiar territory. Yet we are grateful that they grew in their capacity to handle change and unfamiliar. They engaged deeply with so many new and old friends - and cousins - so many cousins! 

2) As I told many of you in person, we rest heavily on your prayers. "You and your prayers are part of the rescue operation . . . . I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise" (2 Corinthians 1, The Message). We feel loved and supported, having connected with many of our cloud of witnesses first hand. 

Prayers

1) The kids and I came back to Japan early to spend some time with my siblings and parents. Ryan stayed in the states for two more weeks to finish his last on-site class at Calvin College for his Masters of Education. Please pray for me as I solo parent, and as we all adjust to home and this time zone! Please pray for Ryan as he works through his research and ideas. He will spend the next school year doing his research project, in addition to teaching. 

2) We're on the cusp of many new opportunities and changes as we move into the fall. Please pray for wisdom as we choose between various options, take on leadership positions and renew responsibilities at CAJ and in our community. 

We love hearing from you! Thanks to each of you who take the time to pray for us and to send us a quick encouragement! 

On the road (again)

Dear community,

Greetings from muggy north Texas! The benefit of having family move to new parts of the country, is that we get to visit them in new places!

My grand father taught us to use the contrasts in life as fuel for gratitude. This month, we have a lot to be thankful for, with so many changes and contrasts!

Thanks for the many of you who are just now joining us! Please feel free to look through our blog for our past letters. As I've said to many of you in person, your prayers and thoughts are so important to us, particularly as I move into neighborhood ministry full time! We're so grateful that we've been able to share about Japan, our neighborhood, our church and our school with many of you.

- We're grateful for the 4 churches and groups we've shared our stories and challenges with. For the 6 different homes in which we have stayed. For the 66 relatives and 17+ friends we hugged, shared legos, laughed and cried with (so far!). For the hours and hours of safe miles flown and driven. For the comfortable, reliable little car we're borrowing for those miles. For healthy and happy kids, who engage with each new cousin, despite being home-body introverts.

Coming up next:
- We've got another 2 weeks of family visits, and then on to grad school! Please pray for Ryan as he finishes pre-course work this week, and then starts his on-campus classes at the end of July. He will return to Japan in early August for a quick family vacation week, and then back to CAJ to prepare for the new school year.

- Because of our complex schedule this summer, we decided that I will return to Japan ahead of Ryan so that our kids will get more cousin time, and a longer time to transition back to home. Please pray for me, traveling solo with our 3 small children! We are currently seated in different areas of the plane - the airline assures me that the check in counter will do everything they can, but please join us in praying for a good seating arrangement, supportive traveling neighbors and a smooth flight!

- I've mentioned to many of you that I end my formal contract at CAJ this month. After much prayer and deliberation, I am excited to make the choice to focus on ministries I can do with my kids, rather than in a classroom or office. I have been asked to lead two different small groups (Moms in Prayer at our preschool, Japanese Homeschool moms interested in Christianity and English) in addition to continuing the neighborhood English play time each week. I will also begin more formal English home schooling with our kids to be sure they keep up with their English while they learn Japanese at school. Please, pray for discernment as I choose the right commitments for the next few years.

May on the mountain

Many of you have been with us for these newsletters for several years. Some of you are here for the first time. We're so grateful for each of you! Please know that we think of each of you as we send out these stories and pictures on the last day of each month. 

A few airplanes and a few thousand miles and, we're happily adjusting to our America days! I wrapped up this month earlier, while my brain and heart was still in Tokyo, so this is just a quick update while we're on the road. 

We shared from this passage in 2 Corinthians 1 earlier today: "We don’t want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn’t think we were going to make it. We felt like we’d been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he’s the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he’ll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing. You and your prayers are part of the rescue operation—I don’t want you in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God’s deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part." (Peterson, The Message)

Here are a few of our thanks and a few requests as we look ahead:

- We're grateful for many safe and relatively smooth miles; for kids who handled multiple flights, unfamiliar beds and new circumstances with courage and relative calm (for pre-schoolers!). 

- We're grateful for the wonderful hospitality of Ryan's aunt and uncle, who allowed us to rest at their house for a few days, while we spent time with them and let our kids spend time with their great grand father. 

- We're grateful Ryan had the chance to share about our ministry with one of his home churches; thankful that more people will be aware of the great things God is doing in Tokyo!

- We're grateful for the many miles driven to pick us up and drop us off at airports and other appointments. 

- Today, we were able to connect with our home church and spent a day of lavish fellowship and many warm greetings. I've known since my youth that this is a church that lives its mission with astounding generosity, intentional prayer, and sacrificial faith. It is a joy to soak in this community for a few weeks and be filled and challenged as we share face to face about our ministry. 

- Please pray as we begin a month of car travel. We're so grateful for the use of a family car, but also praying for many safe miles to come. 

- Please pray for deepened relationships and chronos time - the time of the heart - as we connect with family and friends. 

- Please pray for Ryan as he prepares for his upcoming classes next month. 

Citizens of May

We're traveling! Today, we'll get on a plane and head toward where most of you are - America! We've been planning for almost a year, and we're excited to see all of you. I wanted to wrap up this month while my thoughts are still centered in Japan. We will update throughout our travels. Thanks for your prayers for us today and in the next few weeks as we fly and drive many hours with young, wiggly ones.

This was a week of goodbyes. Even though we're only traveling for two months, we still brought intentional closure to this season, in preparation for engaging with our lives and family in the states. Two of our friends will move when we are traveling, so those were harder goodbyes. Both we, and our children, are Third Culture Kids; we live a rich, full, global life, but also feel the intense pain of being stretched across continent, ocean, and culture. 

See you in 2 months!

We will miss graduation for the class of 2015!
The seniors gathered for a special picture with Ryan in the school plaza on Friday

Rice planting with neighborhood friends

40 year celebration t-shirts are now 25 years old!
This year we celebrate 65 years at CAJ!

Recently, E started asking me, "Are we American?" "Well, yes, we have passports from America, and we belong to America as citizens. But we also are permanent residents of Japan." I try to explain this tension he already feels so deeply, below the level of his awareness. I am loath to watch him struggle. Yet, I am mindful that he is practicing the struggle of every eternal soul. 

We do - and yet don't - belong on this earth. We are free, eternal souls, wallowing in sin, illness and death. 

We find ways to compromise and balance. Recently, we reached a new compromise that helps us wrestle with the tension of our various loyalties. Pre-school and elementary aged children are not allowed to ride bikes when commuting to school. (From the moment he leaves his house, a child is the school's responsibility, not the parent's) But, the 4 of us are not allowed to ride one bike (we learned this only recently, after the picture from this winter). This is disconcerting - how do we travel to pre-school when we cannot all ride on the same bike, but E is not allowed to ride his own bike (although he is pretty good at it!)? We've worked out a compromise. We bike to CAJ, where he is allowed to park his bike, right next to Papa's bike. Then we walk the rest of the way to pre-school. This turns our 2km commute into about an hour process. But, we also practice the balance of cultural values, national laws, and personal freedoms.

Field trip!