Life is different, living in a big city. We are used to suburban living: having a little space between neighbors, having our car parked right outside our dwelling, driving a few minutes away to buy groceries. Now, we look out the window of our second floor apartment and see other second story apartments, clothes hanging out on balconies a few feet away, electrical lines at eye level, and of course the neighborhood cats perched on top of fences and even roofs. Our car is parked a twenty minute walk away, so we don’t use it much. But I can walk to a grocery store or pharmacy within five minutes.

Another difference is the sheer number of people in the space of one city block. You can’t walk five paces before running into someone. I noticed, too, that people in the city are less likely to look you in the eye or acknowledge your existence. I was almost shocked when I visited Kikuyo (the suburb where we used to live). A little girl was walking past on her way to school, and she looked at me and said, “Ohayo gozaimasu!” (good morning). Her parents were some distance away, yet they greeted me without encouragement, as well. So friendly!

We have a small window of time in which to decide whether to continue renting or find a place to buy. We looked at a property to buy last week and are waiting to hear from the owners if they will accept our price. If they accept, we’re in for some major remodeling on this “fixer-upper.” Our entire family is praying that God would clearly lead us in this venture. Would you join us?

We have been in Japan for about two days now, and are still waking up around 5:30 a.m. (which would be 2:30 p.m. EDT). Our days seem very long! Our brains are mush today.

Norman has been running around meeting with realtors, old friends who know people who are selling land or have apartments for rent, and doing errands. He is exhausted.

The kids and I hang out around home more since we have no car. But since we live in downtown Kumamoto, we can walk for groceries, shopping, or just to get out. And after being confined with three hopping, energetic kids in a small apartment, those walks are mandatory! Whew! I’m looking forward to our co-worker watching them tomorrow for most of the day. It’s time for me to find a laundromat and some sanity. (I never noticed how loud one child can be. We live on the 2nd floor, and I’m afraid we stomp, laugh, and drop heavy objects way too much for anyone living below us.)

Norman is looking at a rental house tonight. Also, he is in contact with a man who has land to sell. So many things are up in the air for now, but we know that God has it all figured out already. We just have to wait for His timing and keep on following Him.

We are now back in Japan! We were concerned when a stomach bug started passing through our family just days before our departure date. As it turned out, we had all recovered in time to fly overseas. Unfortunately, only two of us made it to my brother’s wedding. I am very glad that one of them was me!

So, we endured the 15 hour flight to Hong Kong, spent the night in a Chinese hotel, flew the 3 hours to Japan, caught a ride to Kumamoto with our co-worker Sue, and got . . . home?

We found a temporary one bedroom apartment in downtown Kumamoto. You can not even imagine trying to lug even one suitcase through the tiny alleyway, up a flight of steps, down a crowded street that barely allows a car and a pedestrian to pass at the same time. The nearest parking spot is 150 yards from the apartment. Sue and Keiko kindly brought up heavy futons, bedding, a bunch of foodstuffs, etc.through the challenging maze in preparation for us being here.

Needless to say, we are on the lookout for another place. Norman spoke to two realtors today putting in our requests. Pray that God would direct us to where He wants us to be.

Thank you for your prayers! We are very glad to be back here and are eager to see what God will do this year.

We abandoned Alabama this morning, traveled through Tennessee, are kicking through Kentucky, and will soon be over in Ohio. We will be at our supporting church in Amelia this Sunday. Then it’ll be back south, visiting Norman’s aunts on the way home.

Life is crazy these days! We had more than one problem obtaining Melodie’s renewed visa this year. (The rest of us renewed ours in Japan before leaving, but hers is on a different schedule for some reason.) Anyway, after a number of snags, we believe things are ironed out, and we should receive our passports back and her approved visa in the next few days. Praise God!

We hear one-sided conversations in Japanese in our household these days. Norman has been working with his Japanese buddies in Japan to find housing (at least temporary) for when we first arrive in Japan. (We will fly out from Chicago on April 6th!!) It looks like we can stay in a tiny house, renting it a month at a time. We are thankful God knows our needs and is capable to meet each one. We try not to be stressed by the unknowns, the zillions of details that have yet to be seen to, and the last minute decisions to make. Please keep us in your prayers!

I have to tell you about a recent missions conference we attended here in Alabama! This supporting church of ours really goes all out for missions, and they love missionaries! They asked for a wish list, including things we need for ministry, family, or just our wildest dream. We put the normal stuff, including gifts to take back to Japan. But Norman, dreaming big, put down a request for money to buy a big motorcycle in Japan, perhaps even a Harley??? For those of you who aren’t familiar with Norman’s latest ministry, he has been using motorcycles as a way to make new friends and build relationships.

Anyway, to make a long story short, this bike is a reality! Even the church people doubted whether they could fill that wish, but God did a work…and Norman’s ministry will continue! If nothing else, this showed Norman that bikers should continue to be a part of his outreach focus.

Thank you to the supporting churches out there who trust in God to do amazing things! And thank you all for your faithful support and prayers.

Hi! My name is Chloe! I am really excited about going back to Japan and seeing all my friends. Our furlough this year was really nice, but I’m ready to go back.

This year I learned that I really, really like deer meat! Of course, all the stuff my Granny makes is good, but . . .

Thank you for praying for our family!
Ta-ta!

Only 38 days until we leave the States and return to Japan! We eagerly look forward to being back “home.” Granted, our old home was bulldozed after we moved out, but we were not planning to live there again anyway. Actually, we have no clue where we will live! God knows! We will live in the same area we lived last term, but a different house.

Here are a few prayer requests we would love for you to pray about:
1. Pray that Melodie’s visa application will be processed without problem.
2. Pray that we would be able to locate at least a temporary dwelling for when we first arrive in Japan.
3. Pray that we could find land and/or an old farm house for a good price. This would be used for our own habitation as well as provide an area to build something for participants in GRIT.
4. Pray as we pare down our belongings and decide what to take or send to Japan.
5. Pray that we will be able to reconnect with old friends and acquaintances quickly in Japan.

We appreciate your interest in what God is doing in Japan and in the Smith family. Thank you for your ministry in prayer for us.

What are we up to these days? This week we are at a missions conference in Prattville, AL. Melodie lost her first tooth last week (ate it!). We bought plane tickets for April 6th, though we won’t actually land in Japan until the 8th.

We made it safely to Alabama! We made it in four days. First, we visited First Baptist Church in Yarmouth, IA. Then we traveled south for several hours, spent the night at a hotel in the St. Louis area, then traveled some seven hours to reach Norman’s college chum. We spent the evening with his friend and family (including twins aged 3¾ years old) in Arkansas, before traveling the final four hours to Norman’s folks’ house. We were very glad to get out of the van!

Now, we look forward to less than two month’s worth of visiting supporting churches in Alabama, with one in Ohio, to finish up our furlough. The first Friday in April will see us back up north to attend my brother’s wedding in Chicago. As soon as possible after that, we plan to return to Japan, God willing…and pending final approval from the mission agency…and assuming we’ll have obtained Melodie’s visa by then.

Until April, we have lots of packing, sorting, and deciding to complete in preparation for being out of the States for the next four years. We will store some things here in Alabama to be used for next furlough. Last minute shopping is always a necessity.

I think our whole family is ready to go back to Japan. Time to settle down for a while! Of course, once we land in Japan, life will take on another flurry of activity. We need to find housing immediately, retrieve our car from where it’s been used two hours from us, take care of loads of paperwork for the Japanese government, and set up or renew cell phone and healthcare accounts, and tons of other details. It’s always a little hairy to go back without a house waiting for us. But, we try to see it as an adventure…and it is! And eventually, things get calmed down, and life will go on!

Our time in Iowa is coming to a close. As sad as we are to say good-bye to our friends here, we welcome the chance to move south to warmer weather and to spend time with Norman’s family. Our children have enjoyed being involved in AWANA at our sending church, CrossRoad Baptist Church in Ames. Now that they are beginning to feel more at home and make some friends, it’s time to move on again. Oh, well. Such is our life these days!

Following our two months in Alabama, we will head up to Chicago for my brother’s wedding on April 5th. We hope to leave for Japan as soon after as possible, maybe even the 6th!

For now, though, we have about a week and a half to sort through all the stuff we’ve accumulated, give away what we don’t really want/need, throw away the useless items, and pack up the “keepers.” I’ve helped Melodie pare down her pile. Now it’s on to the other two. We must be able to fit everything we’re keeping into our conversion van and small trailer. The trailer will already be mostly filled with a motorcycle and five bicycles. (Yikes! Maybe we need to be more ruthless!)

Our last two Sundays in Iowa will be at Evangelical Free Church in Rockwell City and First Baptist Church in Yarmouth. After our last meeting, we will continue on south to Alabama. Back on the road!

Coming from southern Japan, we typically don’t see snow. However, one of the presents for the kids this year is seeing a goodly amount of it! We left early to miss traveling in a snowstorm, and then we had the delight of shoveling it, building a snowman dubbed “Harry”, making snow angels, and sledding! A lack of the right type of clothing makes this only slightly less than wonderful, but it doesn’t seem to faze the kids.

We hope you had a great Christmas this year with your family, friends, or just you and the Lord. We enjoyed spending time with my parents, siblings and family, and extended family.

As I sit here, snow is quietly drifting down, slowly blanketing the scenery. The world looks different covered in white!

We want to thank each of you who has sent Christmas gifts, cards, and support this year. We are grateful for you! May God richly bless you in this coming year. We pray God’s best for you!