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.
Jonathan (left) and Norman (photo taken several years ago)
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!
We usually see new plant life in the spring, but we are thrilled to find it in the fall this year! No, not these plants. I’m speaking of new life in Christ!
Norman has been discipling a young man from the Philippines who lives and works just minutes from our house. Elijah grew up in a pastor’s family, but he came to Japan over a year ago to work in construction. In the process of his spiritual growth, Elijah became burdened for his fellow workers. He has been reaching out to them. God has produced some fruit! Recently, Elijah’s friend made a profession of faith! Elijah told us afterward, “He had a lot to confess!”
On July 18, Cameron was baptized! Norman created a simple baptismal to be set outside of the church building we’re using on Sunday nights. We rejoice to see Cameron take this important step in his spiritual journey toward Christlikeness. Please keep him in your prayers as he follows Christ day to day.
It’s great fun to be able to see fruit from your labor. We planted a peach tree about 5 years ago, and we are finally getting a taste of a reward.
Spiritual fruit can be longer in coming. I was thinking of the ministry here in Japan, and it seems that God brings certain individuals into our church group, one at a time. We pour into one lady for several months; then God brings one man who is interested in learning more about how to live for the Lord. We are learning the value of ONE. How worthwhile is it to reach just one person? Sometimes we wonder. Yet if you were the one to benefit, I think you’d agree that even one person counts!
Right now, we have a faithful lady who just began attending our Sunday morning Bible study. She listens closely to our study on Our Identity in Christ. She has questions, and her junior high son has some, too. There’s also a man who attends Norman’s discipleship group on Saturday mornings. He desires to grow in his faith and practice, and has been taking steps to lead his family toward Christ. We’ve seen growth in our son, Cameron, too. He has been meeting weekly with a friend, studying the Bible together. Cameron told us last week that he wants to be baptized. We are thrilled with what God is doing!
Galatians 6:9 encourages us “not to grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Perhaps, in our lifetime, we will never know what our harvest will look like. But God is keeping the record! Let’s keep on being obedient, doing good as we find opportunity, and loving God with all our hearts!
In early May, our coffee shop in Minami Aso hosted a concert featuring piano, contrabass, and narration. Over twenty people attended. This was a great way to bring new people into the building and allow us to meet. It was a beautiful concert, too!
The Olympic torch ran by!
Though people are unsure whether the Olympics will actually take place this year in Tokyo, the Olympic torch made its way through Kikuchi in May. Melodie and I accidentally came upon it and stopped for a historic moment. Our dog Fritz enjoyed the hubbub, too!
Ibusuki, Japan
Coronavirus outbreaks make planning anything difficult. Our ABWE annual ladies’ retreat is usually scheduled for April, but last year we met in October. This year, with different people’s schedules and other concerns, we met in May… right as rainy season began! However, there were several times when the rain stopped enough to ride bikes, walk the beach, and cross this semi-permanent land bridge/sand bar to this island. Some of the ladies even climbed to the top of the island… in flip flops! Kudos to them!
My favorite part of ladies’ retreat is always the spiritual sharing we have together. This year we each prepared ahead of time, reading Romans 12 separately. Then together we discussed how to live out what is written within it. I came away with a sense that I really want to change to be more like Jesus!
Extra visitors to ladies’ retreat this year
Homeschool is going to the dogs!
Homeschool is winding down for the year. Melodie is finishing ninth grade, and Cameron eleventh. The McVickers’ dog is on Melodie’s lap as she studies, as Fritz looks on. We are grateful to finish up another year together, studying US government, algebra/geometry, literature, English grammar and composition, and science. Melodie is also studying Japanese, photography, and drawing. Cameron is working on learning to play drums and the dobro (a lap guitar).
In December, Chloe and Cameron passed their test to become brown belts in shinkyokushin karate. It was quite the ordeal! Lots of fundamental moves, 50 jumping squats, 50 pushups, special endurance forms, stretch test, and belt-level kata (forms). After all that, they each had to spar three sparring partners! Full contact (with hand/shin padded protectors and optional helmets)!
Now that they’ve reached this level, they are expected to attend the four belt tests offered each year to assist with the different activities that take place. Chloe was more nervous about this new role than taking the actual test herself! But they did fine.
Little by little, the kids are getting to know their group members. They are also growing in their ability to communicate with them in Japanese. I’m so happy to see them trying to speak! Having karate in common makes it a little easier.
As a side note, our kids are learning very specific Japanese terminology that “normal”, everyday Japanese don’t even know! Most are body parts, like the name for the solar plexus, as well as, the space between your nose and upper lip (it has a name!), and the outside edge of your foot!
Our newest church “member”
Meet Marty and Chika’s newest little one! Coronavirus concerns kept her from attending for a while, but we finally got to meet and hold this little beauty!
