We are sorry for the long time between updates.  Something that has occurred caught us completely off guard. We wanted to share this with you, our supporters so that you can be in prayer. 

Kim’s dad was admitted to the hospital last week because of his severe back pain.  The pain was spreading and he couldn’t stand anything to touch his ribs.  As a result, they have discovered that he has stage 4 lung cancer that has metastasized to his bones.  Kim made an emergency trip back to the states last week to be with her dad. 

Some prayer requests are :

1. Kim’s dad as he is undergoing radiation treatments and will have more appointments this week. 
2. Good health for Kim as she helps her dad.
3. Pray for Tim as he is ministering in Japan. 

Thank you for your prayers.  They mean so much to us!

We have a new prayer letter available.  You click here to read it or print it.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers for the ministry in Japan.

Summer this year brought a soaring number of covid cases. Japan was breaking records and had the highest number of cases in the world during the summer season. The children’s camp was a great success in spite of this.  Tim was happy to be back at camp after a few years of not being able to participate because of the pandemic.

These children are very enthusiastic about their singing. They have a week-long contest going on and there are some songs that are divided into teams. The team that sings the loudest gets the points!  No one wants to lose that one!

A highlight of the week is the onigiri contest.  This is a typical lunch item that consists of a rice ball that is wrapped in seaweed.  It can contain tuna salad and other items in the center. During the contest, the campers use their creativity to make their lunch, and then the onigiris are judged. In the past, there has been anything from Snoopy to Hello Kitty!

Unfortunately, the pandemic didn’t stay away.  On Tuesday, Tim started to have a sore throat but attributed it to sitting in front of the fan all day.  It was quite warm and that is the only way to get relief.  His brother, Phil, also started to experience this symptom.  Tim was also tired, but he had been working hard so didn’t think much of it.  As the week went on, he began to hear of people at our church that tested positive for covid. When he returned home from camp, he thought it prudent to get tested even though his symptoms were minimal.  It was positive.  His brother also tested positive. At least they started symptoms at the same time, so they know that one didn’t give it to the other!

The next week was to be missionary kids’ camp.  Kids from all over Japan travel to attend.  Some had already arrived and the food was purchased.  But over the weekend, other staff members started showing symptoms and tested positive.  As a result, the missionary kids’ camp had to be canceled.  I know this was a tremendous disappointment to everyone.

Tim had a complete recovery and was thankful that his symptoms weren’t very severe.  Kim is still stateside due to the birth of a grandchild, so she was greatly relieved that his case wasn’t serious. Everyone seems to have recovered, although some families are still dealing with it as it moves from one family member to another.

Thank you so much for your prayers.  As you can see, they are needed!!

We recently had a church work day for the first time in three years!  In the past, we have had to cancel due to the state of emergency due to the pandemic. We are grateful that we were able to have it as scheduled this year.

There was work to be done inside…

There was work to be done outside…

And like any good Baptist church, we finish with a barbecue and fellowship!

I apologize for the poor focus of a couple of the pictures.  There was so much work being done that there weren’t many pictures being taken. 🙂

Many of you have probably heard about the tragic assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Abe. Please be in prayer for missionaries throughout Japan as they seek to minster to the Japanese during this time of national mourning.

Tim had the opportunity to speak at Kansai Independent Baptist Bible School (KIBBS) this week. KIBBS is located about three hours southwest of Nagoya in the Kobe area near Osaka.

In their heyday, they had upwards of thirty students but these days they are fortunate to get five or six students and a graduate or two every year or two from their three-year program. They currently have five students (three men and two ladies). Good Bible schools like KIBBS are very few and are where good pastoral candidates come from. The lack of students accounts for the lack of pastoral candidates and therefore the increasing number of churches without pastors.

They have a ladies’ dorm wing and a men’s dorm wing with room for several students in each room. They currently have more rooms than students so each student has his or her own room and some to spare.

The buildings are quite old, but they are trying to remodel and update things as they have the resources. They recently renovated the dining room where Tim and the men enjoyed a simple lunch prepared by the staff. The classroom area is still in great need of renovation. Looks like you stepped into the ‘60s with old paneling and worn carpet.

Please pray that the Lord will burden the hearts of young men to serve in the ministry and give them the desire and ability to endure the difficulty of the time-consuming, expensive training. The president of the Bible school who invited Tim to speak in chapel told him that most students work for two to three years to save the money to attend the Bible school. The school is supported by churches and individuals so the students only have to cover about half the actual expense of running the school. Most of the faculty are pastors of area churches and not full-time teachers so their salary from the school is minimal.

Last week, twenty-two Independent Baptist missionary women from all over Japan gathered for a retreat at Camp Raphayada.  It was a wonderful time of fellowship and encouragement.  I (Kim) have had contact with many of these ladies, but have never had the privilege of meeting many of them in person until last week.

Instead of a speaker, each lady shared a ten-minute testimony during our meeting times. These were such a blessing.  It helped us learn more about each other and we gained encouragement as we realized that we all have the same struggles unique to our field of service.

One afternoon, we took a “field trip” to a nearby town famous for its udatsu roof lines.  I have visited this town many times, but it was fun to share it with ladies who have never been there.  I also saw some things that I have never seen before!

My sister-in-law was able to make it back from her stateside trip in time to be with us.  My mother-in-law came for a few hours to meet the ladies and share a little of her experiences. She came to Japan in 1965.  It took them two weeks by boat to arrive! She had four boys, five years old and under! Tim is the oldest. He well remembers that boat ride!

Thank you for your continued prayers for us as we serve in Japan.

~Kim

This picture is such an encouragement to us. For years we have had very few faithful men in the church.  This is very typical of churches in Japan.  Most churches, especially in the early stages, have women and children, but very few men.

This picture is of the men’s fellowship this month. Eight men attended. One of the men shared a challenge from God’s Word. Afterward, the men spent time in prayer. What a blessing to see these men and their desire for fellowship around the Word!!

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

~James 5:16

Before the pandemic hit, we were no strangers to wearing a mask.  Until the pandemic arrived, we were able to avoid it for the most part.  This is a mask-wearing culture.  They wear them to avoid illness or to help with seasonal allergies.  It was only natural that there was no resistance when the mask-wearing requirement came down from the government.  We are guests in this country, so we comply as much as possible.  The youtube video posted here gives you a glimpse of what the last two and half years have been like for us as foreigners living here.  We appreciate your prayers.  We are thankful for the opportunity to serve here and will do whatever is required in this current climate for the sake of the gospel.