A new prayer letter has been posted. You can read it here. Thank you for your continued prayers.

Tim returned on January 26 from his trip to Japan for visa renewal. He could not get the final visa, but they gave him a temporary one that will allow him to return. They told him they were understaffed and that it now takes between 50-60 days! We used to be able to take care of it in two weeks. He returned on a Friday and the following Monday someone messaged him that his postcard arrived telling him that it was finished! If he had known, he could have delayed his return. Please pray that the temporary visa he has will be sufficient for us to board our one-way flight on April 16th.

You may remember from our last prayer letter that Tim has been diagnosed with A-fib. He is currently on medication. The cardiologist here in the USA wanted him to have an echocardiogram in the middle of December. Since the cost was significantly higher here than in Japan and he was returning for visa renewal, Tim decided to have it done in Japan. The echocardiogram was inconclusive so they did a CT scan. The cardiologist in Japan said that everything looked good and recommended that he have an ablation. That was mentioned here in the USA as well. The doctor here and the doctor in Japan agreed that it is not urgent, so Tim plans to schedule that when we return to Japan in April.

We have many things to take care of before we return to Japan in April. We appreciate your prayers for strength each day and for good health.

Tim had to make a quick trip to Japan for Visa renewal. We will not be able to wrap up our furlough before his expiration date and he cannot renew stateside. He was spending New Year’s Day with his parents when everyone’s cell phone went off with an earthquake warning and 10 seconds later it started. They were not near the epicenter, but he said it was a long one and one of the most eerie ones he has experienced. They are far enough away from the sea that the tsunami warnings do not affect them. Tim and his family are all safe. Our church is further from the epicenter so they are all safe as well. Thank you for your continued prayers for us!

You can read our latest prayer letter here. Thank you for your prayers!

Facebook reminded me that it has been 18 years since we arrived in Nagoya Japan. I remember that it was the week of Thanksgiving. When we gathered with Tim’s family to celebrate, we went around the table and each one shared what they were thankful for. After 3.5 years of travel, I said that I was thankful that deputation was over! HA! Today, I have many things to be thankful for. I am thankful for God’s sustaining grace that has enabled us to serve in Nagoya all these years. I am thankful for our many prayer and financial supporters that have allowed us to serve. I’m thankful for the Melton family that is serving in Japan. It is wonderful to have family on the field. I’m thankful for furloughs and this time with our stateside family. Holidays in Japan can be some of the loneliest times for me. I am soaking up every minute with our children, grandchildren and my family while we are here. We never know what tomorrow may bring.

“Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the people.”
1 Chron. 16:18

You can read and print our latest prayer letter here. Thank you for your continued prayers for us.

Thank you for your prayers for our daughter for her surgery this week. Everything went well and she is recovering at home. Because of the nature of the surgery, she cannot begin physical therapy until she is healed; however, she is already standing up straight and can walk in the house without her cane or walker. Her pain is under control and she can get the rest she needs. Her shingles are not as painful, probably because of all the meds she is on, and they appear to be healing. We are so thankful for how the Lord orchestrated everything to happen so quickly. Her original appointment with the surgeon was scheduled for September 13! Her general practitioner reached out to the surgeon and asked him to look at the MRI, which expedited everything. Please pray that she won’t overdo it and will be able to return to work in a timely manner. The doctor said it would be a 6-8 week recovery. She is hoping for six weeks.

“This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him,
and saved him out of all his troubles.”
-Psalm 34:6

This has been a difficult time for our family. There is a lot going on. Some of you may remember that our daughter, Rachel, had surgery for a herniated disc in December 2020. She has never really been pain-free but has learned to manage it. She teaches elementary music at a local Christian school. The week before school started, she began to have excruciating pain. Her doctor helped to expedite her MRI and an appointment with her spine surgeon. Last Thursday, she had an appointment with the surgeon. His bedside manner was discreet, but we could tell he was concerned. She has a very large herniated disc. This one makes the first one look like a baby according to Rachel. The surgeon scheduled her for surgery on Friday of this week, but then his office called and they moved it up to Tuesday, September 5 at 7:15 a.m. In the meantime, she has developed shingles. The surgeon has agreed to continue with the surgery as long as the shingles are not at the incision site. Please join us in prayer for this urgent need. Please pray that the shingles will not spread and begin to fade. She was started on medication for them. Please pray that the surgery will go forward that it will provide some relief from the pain and that she will gain back her mobility. She is able to walk with the aid of a cane at the present time. We are grateful for a God Who hears our cry.

A big thank you to the pastors that have given us meetings close to “home” the last couple of months. This has been a big help to us after the passing of Kim’s father.  Next week we head to Michigan for meetings. Please keep us in your prayers with the many miles we will be traveling.

PRAISE!! Hitomi’s surgery went well and there was no metastasis of the cancer. We praise the Lord for answered prayer. Please continue to pray for her as she recovers from the surgery and continues chemo treatments.

Deuteronomy 31:8 is one of my (Kim) favorite verses. “And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” I don’t need to be afraid because the Lord already knows what is ahead for me. I have had a lot of things going on that are out of my control, but I have seen the Lord do some amazing things and take care of me in ways I could not have done for myself. He is a good, good Father!!