Wow. The past week has been up and down…literally! (Or maybe it’s side to side.) Anyway, schedules are out the window, people are in desperate states, and emotions are all over the place. We’ve been brought to the end of our physical and emotional strength, and have been encouraged to rely on God to get us through.

On Monday, fellow ABWE missionaries gathered at the preschool (owned by one of our church regulars) where our Sunday night Bible study currently meets. There was some damage to clean up, and the missionaries brought 4 van loads of supplies to distribute, which was great since stores in the Kumamoto area were quickly depleted.

Supplies! Lots of bottled water, instant food, paper products, and baby diapers!

Sorting and getting ready to distribute things

A corner inside where the wallpaper was torn during the quake

We as a family were blessed to have been away from home during the second quake. Stronger in strength than the first, the quake caused two bookshelves to fall over onto our beds…where we would have been at 1:30 a.m.! We are grateful that God protected us in this way. Besides that, we were able to have Keiko and Sue at camp with us. There’s nothing as scary as being in an earthquake all by yourself at night!

It was strange to enter a convenience store and find empty shelves. Many grocery stores were simply closed. There were gasoline rations or closed gas stations. It felt like the end of the world!

Then, after all of this, the volunteer fire department workers came to our door midday on Thursday (4/21) to “highly recommend” us to evacuate our house due to the threat of landslides. Our house is right next to a very tall, steep hill. In addition to that, we live at the base of mountain off in the distance. With heavy rain in the forecast, all our neighbors had already relocated temporarily. So, we packed up our family and Amanda, and we holed up in our storefront building about 15 minutes away. Nothing happened overnight, so we were able to return home the next day.

Last night (4/22) was the first night we didn’t feel so many aftershocks. The days right after the big quakes, we would feel 15+ strong aftershocks a day. Very unsettling. Our 75-year-old neighbor told us he’s never experienced anything like this in his entire life. Chloe and I had upset stomachs for several days due to the constant shaking. Adrenaline spikes up and down, and we end up feeling exhausted.

However, we continue to try to help those around us, starting with those we know personally. In coming weeks, as the ground returns to more stable conditions, there will be more work to be done near the epicenter in Mashiki Town. Melodie’s violin teacher had her house there, and it is unlivable. We hope to be able to help her and others like her. For a very short time, people may be more open to speaking about spiritual things. Please pray that we can be a light during this time…and that we’ll have strength to face the overwhelming physical needs of those who have lost everything.

Some of you may be wondering whether we are safe or not, following the recent spate of earthquakes in the Kumamoto area of Japan. We are grateful to say that we are all alive and well. A few items fell off shelves and shook us up a bit, but that’s the extent of it.

We felt a longer, violent shake around 9:30 p.m. (Thurs. night – Apr. 14). That’s when the stuff fell down. Norman, Chloe, and I had experienced a similar tremor back in language school 13 years ago. But this time around, the aftershocks kept coming and kept coming. Our family stayed up until 11:30 p.m., waiting for the tremors to stop, but we finally went to bed. Our sleep was interrupted a lot. It seemed like every 15-30 minutes another tremor would occur, rattling the windows and doors of our old Japanese house.

Melodie particularly didn’t care for the noise and uncertainty of things. She would grip the arm of whomever was closest! Our intern, Amanda, had a new adventure in Japan! It was an unforgettable night. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts.

A tree in our yard

Tulip and asparagus!

Cherry blossoms!

A definite sign of spring — people eating and relaxing under cherry blossoms!

Spring is definitely here! Today (April 2), we had temperatures in the upper 70’s. Our family has been in the process of planting our garden…as well as spiritual seeds where we can. Today, the kids, Amanda, and I were able to spend time with our friend Ritsuko.

Beautiful day to spend together

We are also springing ahead (slowly) in the progress being made on the barn addition.

Digging the trench for the water line

The frame for the addition

The frame with a roof on it

Putting on doors

Pink and blue water lines are in, ready for hooking up, after we finish the floor

The current state of our project — doors and windows! Next step: the floor!

Tango Gomez, who attends our Bible study regularly, came to do a homestay with our family for almost a week. He probably found our American ways to be a little strange, but he did his best to use English and do as we did. That included getting his hands dirty!

Cameron and Tango spreading gravel over the driveway

However, we didn’t do only work! We visited the petting zoo nearby to feed the kangaroos and other critters.

“I don’t carrot all if you feed me!”

Amanda has a little time off since this is the Spring Break between school years for the Japanese school system. The new grades begin in April, so she will begin working at the int’l preschool on April 6th. Keep her in your prayers. This is a new adventure for her! She is also making new friends and hopes to be a witness to them. Two of them are planning to come to our morning Bible study tomorrow!

Amanda and Ritsuko

I just finished writing our prayer letter (the snail-mail version), and realized how difficult it is to squeeze all that’s happening onto one sheet of paper! But I have more space here, so I’ll add to what I just wrote!

First, we got free advertising lately! A journalist from the town’s magazine came to interview Norman at our gallery/outreach center. We got pictures and a nice write-up about what we’re doing on the 2nd page of the magazine! Customers are coming to visit!

In addition to that, Norman had originally hoped to sell coffee at the gallery, but due to a problem with the landlord who helped put in the bathroom, the layout didn’t work out as planned. However, Norman worked hard to have an inspector come see what it would take, then followed her directions to add an additional sink and a wall to separate the kitchen area from the bathroom entrance. She should be coming back tomorrow (3/9) to give her stamp of approval. Once that’s in place, we can begin charging for coffee, giving the gallery a cafe’ sort of feel. Norman’s friend Mr. Takeshita, who’s in the coffee bean business, encouraged him to also sell coffee beans or freshly ground coffee since there is no other store in Kikuchi that sells it. March is the month to get this up and running!

Secondly, our front yard is under construction as I write this! Also in the plans for some time, is the goal to have our “barn” (which came with the property) usable for outreach, bigger gatherings, and larger groups, including GRIT. In order to clean out the extra storage stuff inside the barn, we plan to build onto the front of the building, creating a kitchen and bathroom/shower space. It won’t be big, but it will mean that the barn will be fully functional. Earlier this year, we finished the “cabin” attached to the side of the barn. However, without a bathroom nearby, it was less than ideal. Amanda Gray is currently living in our cabin, and I’m sure she’ll enjoy not having to run outside, across the driveway, to use our bathroom in the house.

Front of our house – trench is beneath dirt!

The barn…and the rough-up plan of the new shower/bathroom area in front of it

All that to say, today the men came to dig a trench from our existing septic tank to the barn. This included removing a large old stump and deep roots that were in the way, as well as some large boulders. Homeschool was delayed as we all watched them dig with the small backhoe. The one downer of the day was when Melodie saw them take the big rocks she had named and played on and bury them beneath the ground where they wouldn’t be in the way of the porch we hope to build in the future. A sad good-bye to “Mt. Everest.”

The former home of “Mt. Everest” 🙁

The barn — with the roughed-out plan before it — and the cabin beyond

Norman and whoever is healthy around here (two of us have had the flu) will be putting up walls as quick as they can, so the plumbers can return to finish hooking up the water. After that, Norman can work on a floor of some kind and move the appliances (that we already have!) from the barn into their new places. He is still searching for a good shower insert to use in a price we can afford.

Can we really squeeze a shower into this teensy space?!

Thirdly, we feel honored to be missionaries. Stuff happens to us that “normal” people probably haven’t experienced. This week, one of our supporting churches (Faith Baptist in Carroll, IA) sent our children a care package. Why? Just because they’re missionary kids! How awesome is that? It touched my heart when they told us they prayed over each child individually. So we had “Christmas in March” at our home!

Getting the package!

Opening the many layers…

The best part in Chloe’s opinion!

Fourthly, our new part-time teammate is here! Amanda Gray arrived March 2nd, and jumped right in to help since I was down with the flu. Our co-worker Sue Hahn took her around on Monday to get some paperwork finished, like setting up a bank account, getting registered as living here, etc. That always takes several hours! Then Amanda joined Sue’s English class and was able to give her testimony. Way to go, Amanda!

February has slowed down a little, though one week was abnormally busy. We have been harvesting some spinach and mini-daikons (Japanese radish) from our garden. Norman hopes to plant potatoes and asparagus in the near future!

We see growth in the spiritual realm, too! The woman who was recently saved, has been growing in her understanding of what the Christian life should look like. Norman’s men’s discipleship class has been equally thrilling, as these men take what they discuss and put it into practice in their homes.

Amanda at an okonomiyaki restaurant

We heard the good news that Amanda Gray received her visa to be able to work here for a year! She will arrive on March 2, God willing, to work at an international preschool and help us with things. We look forward to Amanda’s return! (She was with us during GRIT 2014.)

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I have been thinking about what true love looks like. A quote from my home church pastor came to mind. He gave the definition of love as something like this: Love is seeking the highest good of another person, not counting the cost, and not seeking anything in return. Wow! As I thought about God’s love for me, I realized that it’s true. God didn’t give His only Son to get something from us. We were were desperate and needy ones. Jesus didn’t give His own life for us so He’d receive something from us. He did it because He loves His Father, and He loves each one of us.

As you show your love for others this holiday, evaluate your level of love. Is it modeled after God’s love or by what you see around you in the world? It’s so easy to make our love conditional…with strings attached.

Greater love has no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

We survived the Christmas Crush of events and responsibilities! It was rather too busy, so we hope to utilize our resources and time better next Christmas. However, the real meaning of Christmas was shared with new friends and acquaintances. We leave the results in God’s hands.

Christmas with the Community Children

Now it’s January, and life will hopefully return to some form of normal! It hasn’t been normal since our return from our mini-furlough, but there’s always hope!

We hosted an intern for 6 weeks from December to mid-January. Chris Singh is studying Teaching English as a Second Language in Spokane, WA, and he did his internship in Japan with us. It meant a lot of carting him around to volunteer to teach or observe different English classes and schools, but we hope we were able to encourage him spiritually in his walk with the Lord as well.

Chris opening a present at Christmas with the Smiths

Attendance has increased at our Bible study in Kumamoto City. A couple of new families have been coming regularly. We have seen God working in these people in recent weeks. Our biggest blessing was seeing one of them trust in Christ this month!

Some of the folks who attend Sunday evening Bible study

As always, we appreciate your prayers and support in so many ways. Keep it up, please!

We made it back safely to Japan on October 3rd. The first month back was quite crazy, with a family concert scheduled just a couple of weeks later.

But now that it’s Thanksgiving, I think we’re finally getting settled back in to life here. Of course, December will bring it’s own flurry of activity. Here’s the rundown of our December calendar. As you think of us, please pray for God to work in hearts and lives this Christmas.

We will be hosting a 6-week intern who will arrive December 14th. Chris S. is studying teaching English as a second language and needs to fulfill class requirements while here. We also pray that God will open his eyes to the great need in Japan.

• December 4 — Christmas party with Susan’s English conversation group
• December 5 — Christmas party at The Guidepost Gallery (our outreach center in Kikuchi) — This will be for the children in the neighborhood.
• December 11 — Christmas party at our home for several church people
• December 12 — Christmas theme for Children’s English class for community (1 p.m.)
• December 12 — Christmas Kids’ Outreach for Sue’s neighborhood kids (3 p.m.)
• December 19 — Christmas Party Outreach

We are counting down the days until we head HOME to Japan! It’s really a bittersweet thing. We love our family and some of the ease of doing everything in English, but we also miss our own home and the ministry to which God has called us.

While we have been here, our family has enjoyed spending lots of time with grandparents!

Grandma has lots of dress-up clothes!

We have also been visiting as many supporting churches as we can squeeze into the three months we’re here. We will visit the rest of our churches our next mini-furlough which will occur in 2-3 years. One of our supporting churches has an annual fish boil which we had the privilege of attending. There was a bouncy house, pony rides, and the most tasty fish lunch we’ve had in a long time!

Eating a DQ blizzard! Mmm!

There are many new tastes and experiences to be found in the grand land of the United States of America! The kids all enjoyed their ice cream, but they found a mini-sized one would have been sufficient for their needs. Well, Cameron didn’t agree with his sisters. He finished off a medium-sized one. However, he wasn’t very hungry for supper!

Packed into the car!

It seems that the longer we travel, the more we accumulate! We are riding around in a Chevy Tahoe, but, as you can see, we can barely squeeze everything into it! Thankfully, we only have to cram it all in every so often!

Cool store!

Whenever we have some free time during our travels, we find crazy sights to experience. At this tourist trap, the kids found cool hats and masks. They had to try some on! They have had some money to spend, and they continue finding little purchases along the way. (And I wonder why the car is so packed!) They have been very careful not to buy large or heavy items, since whatever they buy, they’ll have to carry back to Japan themselves!

As part of our three-month furlough, we have spent approximately one month in Alabama, and we are currently finishing up our second month in Iowa. Time is flying by very quickly! Tomorrow we head north to Wisconsin for our last month of furlough. We packed up the car today. It was much easier packing this time, since everything we have here goes with us. When we left Alabama, however, we had to sort before packing. That required a lot more brain power.

As I anticipate leaving this oasis spot, I realize what a blessing it is to be able to have roots. To be able to settle down and stay in one location is something I tend to take for granted. Being able to see the same people each Sunday is also a blessing… not that I don’t enjoy visiting with the wonderful people who pray for our family at the many churches we visit in the States. But there is something to be said for sameness and familiarity.

After saying that, I will backtrack to mention how much I enjoyed visiting our sending church, CrossRoad Baptist Church in Ames, IA. What a joy to see people I’ve known for over twenty years! The large number of international students reminded me of how much I love ministering to these transient, open people in need of friendship and a helping hand leading them to our Savior. Pastor Will Hatfield spoke on our identity, and part of my identity is found in my connection to this group of Christians. I’m so thankful for their influence in my life.