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!
