We are enjoying cooler fall temperatures as autumn comes to Iowa! We have had a busy schedule, but we are being encouraged as we fellowship with our supporting churches around the area. What a blessing to sing together, hear testimonies, and share how God is working.

This coming week will be busier than usual. We’ll visit three churches, fellowship with old friends, tour a dog trainers’ school, and travel hundreds of miles!

Last night Melodie and I helped the church here to put labels on 4,500 water bottles in preparation for a parade event . . . which got rained out today! The event continues into tomorrow, so maybe they’ll have another way to distribute them! They each say something about Jesus being the Living Water. How wonderful to know Christ and have our deepest thirst quenched! I am grateful for God’s life-giving sustenance.

After brief stays in Oregon, Alabama, and Wisconsin, we have now relocated to Iowa. We plan to be here for almost three months. (Take deep breath!) Whew! We have been wonderfully blessed by our supporting church in Creston, IA. We are staying in their mission house, which is perfect for us. We even have horses next door to admire!

We’ve been enjoying visiting with a variety of supporting churches so far this furlough. Some of these have been supporting us for over twenty years! We are so grateful for our church families sending us to Japan with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We praise God for each one of you!

This weekend, Norman and Cameron plan to take in a men’s retreat. A couple weeks later, Susan and Chloe are looking forward to a ladies’ retreat. In the meantime, we look forward to Wednesday nights together with the church body here in Creston. After being in charge of running Bible studies and church services, it’s nice to sit back and not be in charge! The encouragement of being together with brothers and sisters in the Lord is not something we take lightly. What a blessing!

Our family began our furlough journey in Oregon. We then moseyed down to Alabama to visit Norman’s side of the family and pick up our vehicle. About three weeks after that, we took two days to drive up to Wisconsin to see my side and celebrate my mom’s 80th birthday. (Happy birthday, Mom!) This past Thursday, we headed to Creston, Iowa, where we plan to settle in for about three months. Our supporting church here has graciously offered us the use of their missionary house. We are so thankful to be able to rest in place (during the week anyway!) in one location with just our family!

By way of update, we have had some terrific news from home in Japan! Elijah led another Filipino friend to the Lord! Please pray for Charlie as he takes steps along the road of discipleship, and for Elijah as he leads Charlie.

Also, Stephen Clemans made it to Japan! He plans to help Jonathan cover for us while we’re in the States. Currently, Stephen is sick and had to see the Japanese doctor. Not a fun way to get started, but God’s doing something!

Our family of five made it safely back to the United States on June 15th. An added blessing was that just days before leaving Japan, the PCR test requirement was lifted! We traveled from Kumamoto to Tokyo (Narita); then on to Vancouver, Canada, and Portland, OR. Pastor Craig Slaughter came to get us, and we spent about 2 weeks in Oregon getting over jetlag AND covid! Double whammy! The church family (Faith Baptist in Salem) bent over backwards to help us out and meet needs during our illness. Thank you!!

We flew then to Alabama to recover more at Norman’s parents’ home. We had to postpone or cancel 2-3 Sundays during this time. Cameron came down with covid in Alabama. We had a forced rest, which wasn’t such a bad thing. 🙂

On July 19-20 we traveled in our packed car to Wisconsin and are currently hanging out with my side of the family. We plan to visit three churches here before moving on to Iowa for about 3 months.

We hear that Jonathan is doing well back in Japan, meeting weekly with Elijah and the international church group as well as brushing up his Japanese speaking level. Keep him in your prayers, please.

Norman has begun a podcast in the last several months called Run With Horses, 30-minute episodes on topics such as discipleship, family, and marriage. He made a new website for it, as well — runwithhorses.net. I add my two cents on the marriage edition of it, and both Chloe and Cameron chime in on Family Fridays. This podcast is also aired on an internet radio program each week, potentially reaching a larger number of people. This is a new ministry for us, and we hope it will encourage many Christians around the world.

Here are a few tidbits of news for those who have been praying for specific things in our lives!

1. Jonathan Jelliff is sitting in our kitchen as I write this! Praise God he made it safely here! He is in the process of getting over jetlag, learning how to care for our two dogs, and meeting the different people we are working with (like Elijah, the church family, Norman’s English student Yusuke, our neighbors, etc.).
2. Other big news is this: Cameron and Chloe passed their black belt tests in karate! They still sport some pretty major bruising (mostly Chloe), but they survived and did well! They ended up having to spar about 14 people, one minute each. Pretty brutal! (I have video if you’re interested!)
3. There is one week before we leave. Please pray that we’ll not catch covid before leaving. (There are still cases floating around our area.) Norman is feeling the pressure of finalizing everything before we leave. I’m not sure why this is so exhausting, but it is!

Thank you for your faithful prayers! We couldn’t make it without your intercession. We praise God for your help.

Thank you to those of you who have been praying for Jonathan to receive his visa for Japan. He has it in hand! Praise the Lord! He has bought his plane tickets to arrive June 7th.

Please continue to pray for Jonathan. We will be dumping a bit of work on his capable shoulders! It will probably feel a little overwhelming at first. Our time together is only about a week (overlapping time), since the Smith family plans to return to the States on June 15.

Please pray for Stephan as he has also applied for his visa to come help Jonathan in our absence. His plan is to be in Japan for a short-term assignment for now. But having both of them here is a huge weight off our minds! We are so grateful for their willingness to come help.

Spring winds are blowing, and we are in the last stretch before returning to the States for furlough. It’s always a challenge, leaving our home for an extended time, living/traveling overseas, and planning to return home later. (Home is now Japan!)

Cameron tells me that he can’t anticipate going to America until his karate black belt test is over! All the training takes a lot of time and energy. June 5th can’t get over quick enough for him.

One of our huge prayer requests has been that Jonathan Jelliff will be able to enter Japan the beginning of June in order to cover for us while we’re gone. He has recently received the first “okay” from the Japanese immigration office, and we’re waiting to hear about the official approval. It looks very likely that he’ll be here as planned. Praise God!

It’s strange to think about living in the USA again. I’m out of step with life there. I remember things as they were four years ago. Now, I have no clue about fashion, life post-covid, or how things have changed. One furlough the payment method for buying gasoline had changed, and we had to figure out how to work the pump. Other times, it’s how to buy certain food or drink from a convenience store. We feel so stupid! I struggled to pay with $20 increments, since we don’t have those in Japan. What will it be like this time around? Part of the adventure, I guess! I just have to remember to go easy on myself. And I hope those around me can be patient with me until I figure stuff out, too!

Norman’s been working hard to prepare the church visiting schedule, plus a lot of the other logistical items, like making our new prayer card (Melodie helped!), finding housing and a vehicle, putting together a report video. I will list the schedule as we know it right now. The open dates should be filled in soon!

OUR FURLOUGH SCHEDULE (as of early May): (Leave Japan: June 15)

June 19 Faith Baptist, Salem, OR

June 26 Bethany Baptist, Salem, OR

July 3 TBA

July 10 TBA

July 17 Heritage Baptist, Prattville, AL

July 24 CrossWalk Church, Appleton, WI

July 31 TBA

Aug. 7 First Baptist, Kiel, WI

Aug. 14 Walnut Park Baptist, Muscatine, IA

Aug. 21 TBA

Aug. 28 TBA

Sept. 4 Calvary Baptist, Chatfield, MN

Sept. 11 Berean Baptist, Pella, IA

Sept. 18 First Baptist, Yarmouth, IA

Sept. 25 Grace Baptist, Altamont, KS

Oct. 2 First Baptist, Creston, IA

Oct. 9 Blaine Baptist, Blaine, MN

Oct. 16 Calvary Baptist, Rochester, MN

Oct. 23 CrossRoad Baptist, Ames, IA

Oct. 30 Faith Baptist, Carroll, IA

Nov. 6 Faith Baptist, Iowa City, IA

Nov. 13 Emmanuel Baptist, Burlington, WI

Nov. 20 First Baptist, Hartland, WI

Nov. 27 Ladysmith Baptist, Ladysmith, WI

Dec. 4 Faith Baptist, Adams, WI

Dec. 11 TBA

Dec. 18 Green Pond Baptist, Green Pond, AL

Dec. 25 Christmas!

Jan. 1 TBA

Jan. 8 TBA

Return to Japan Jan. 12 (or so)

If you’re in the areas listed, come visit with us!

Meet our new friends! Yusuke (on left) has been meeting with Norman almost weekly for English conversation practice. Yusuke is amazing on the slap bass, and he generously uses his talents to aid Chloe in her song-making.

Yusuke recently introduced us to his friend and fellow band mate, Tsuyoshi. He is an accomplished drummer and a welcome addition to Chloe’s music as well! In the near future, you will be able to hear his genius in Chloe’s new songs.

We are grateful for being able to meet these two, especially during a time when people are still social distancing here in Japan. We look forward to building deeper friendships in the coming months!

God has been teaching me some new things about the Christian life. For instance, for most of my life, I’ve desired to be “productive” as a Christian. I want “success” in ministry. I want something to show for my life and my efforts for God. Basically, I want to be effective as a Christian, as a missionary, as a mom. But when you stop to think about it, too often we mistakenly allow someone other than God to define success and effectiveness.

Look at Jeremiah, the prophet. Was his life effective? He shared the Word of the LORD to people, and no one listened or obeyed. If you were to read his prayer letter, would you consider his ministry a success? Not by the definition of this world. Not according to the piles of books on church growth. Not according to my own definition. I wouldn’t want to experience that kind of ministry! But if you look at Jeremiah’s life from God’s perspective, how does that change your impression? God called Jeremiah and gave him the messages He wanted Jeremiah to proclaim. Did Jeremiah faithfully obey God, doing His leading? Yes! That means Jeremiah fulfilled the work that God had for him. That’s success!

Too often my goal is the fruit. I want certain results in ministry, but those are not for me to drum up. I have no control over how people respond to God’s message. In a similar way, I must concentrate on fulfilling the job God has given me. What does God desire from me? He wants my heart. He wants me to have a close relationship with Him. His plan is for my old nature to grow weaker and for Christ to live in and through me (Gal. 2:20).

As a side note, though I can’t produce results by an act of my will, I can upgrade my skills in certain areas. I can learn how to more effectively explain the gospel, for instance. I can integrate tips on how to use my time more wisely. I can learn how to pray better.

I am still learning what this looks like in day to day life. How can love God with my whole being? In what areas is God calling me to be faithful to Him? What skills do I need to be honing to be the best servant I can be? Who is God bringing into my life that He wants me to love? How am I relying on His Spirit to truly love them? Where am I not being obedient? What is hindering me from truly loving God with all my heart? Am I willing to give that up?

Let’s pray together for us to be faithful and obedient servants of our Lord!

The year 2022 is underway. What will the next twelve months hold? Only God knows! I am thankful that we journey together with Him. He goes before us, lighting our path day by day. One plan our family has for this year is to take a six-month furlough to the States, to report to our supporting churches, visit family and friends, and recruit more workers for God’s harvest field.

You may wonder what it is like to be on furlough from the mission field. I will attempt to give a glimpse of it for you. As a side note, each missionary’s furlough may look vastly different from how we do things.

• We have around 34 supporting churches. We hope to visit each one. This means that every available Sunday, we will be visiting a different church to give an update or report. Obviously, in a half a year, there are only 26 Sundays, so that means a number of Wednesday night services will need to be used as well. We enjoy meeting up with “old” friends we’ve seen and known for the past 20+ years, in addition to meeting newcomers to the churches since we’ve been away. It does involve a LOT of traveling!
• Our supporting churches are located mostly in Alabama, Iowa, and Wisconsin, but there are some in Kansas and Minnesota as well. During our furlough, we typically live with both sets of parents for some of the time, and we hope to find a place to live during the times we’ll be in Iowa.
• It is difficult to leave behind those we’ve been meeting with here. Norman always makes a plan to have someone preach each Sunday that we’re gone. So far, we’ve had someone in place to help out. There are two men who are planning to arrive in June to cover for us, but they’re coming from the US, and the coronavirus has kept Japan’s borders shut for much of the last couple years. Pray with us that these two men will be able to arrive this summer!
• We look forward to joining God’s church gathered in larger groups than we see here in Japan. A typical church service here has under twenty people at any one time. To sing together with a group of one hundred is thrilling!
• Our kids love to spend time at American libraries! We borrow loads of books each week we can!
• One of our children said the thing she likes about furlough is traveling by plane to get there. And then she’s able to read ALL the signs! (Japanese is very difficult to read!)
• Some of us look forward to all the food we can’t get here. This includes the wide variety of breakfast cereals, instant oatmeal, certain snacks, flour tortillas, sausage, “real” ham/bacon, macaroni and cheese. (However, when we leave Japan, we will miss Japanese rice, unsweetened green tea, and chopsticks!)
• We will have to get accustomed to driving on the right side of the road again! And American vehicles are SO much bigger than Japanese ones! Driving speeds in the US are also much faster.
• I will need to relearn how to cook in America. I use a gas stove here, so electric is very different. I’ve also grown used to adjusting recipes for using what’s available in Japan.
• People act so differently in America, too! Japanese tend to be reserved and to hide their emotions. It can be both refreshing and shocking to experience the change between the countries!
• It is very strange to live for half a year without a home. In recent years, we’ve been gone from our home in Japan for only a couple months. After even that long, I am more than ready to be back at “our own place.”
• This time, we’ll be leaving behind our two dogs. We hope we can find someone to watch them!

Maybe that gives you an idea of what we’re looking forward to. Furlough can be both exciting and exhausting. We are so grateful for each one who prays for us year after year. And our churches have been so faithful in supporting us for over twenty years now! Thank you from our hearts!