Merry Christmas!
I thank God for blessing our first celebration of Jesus' birth here in Oita, Japan. We planned to have it December 20th, but because our eldest son, Hikaru, became sick God led us to postpone it to December 23rd. Actually, this day was also meaningful because it is a holiday in Japan to celebrate the Emperor's birthday. We prayed that this holiday will be moved to December 25th to celebrate Jesus' birthday.
We learned about Jesus who is the good news of great joy. Because of Jesus we can go to heaven. This is good news for all people, regardless of race, background, or religion. God inspired us with a creative program including Christmas bingo, a passage listening contest, and a bilingual (Japanese-English) message. We also watched a graceful Christmas video, sang some songs, and enjoyed a potluck dinner together. In addition to our family, three people joined: two native Japanese and one student from a Moslem country who speaks English fluently. Two of them heard the Christmas message for the first time. Praise God. I'm also thankful to God for my wife Tsukasa who prepared many things in addition to caring for two small children.
It's hard to believe that nearly one year passed since we left Canada to come to Japan as missionaries. God helped us to be self supported through teaching English part time. I could also focus on learning Japanese and wrote a language proficiency exam (level 2 -- about 1000 kanji characters) in early December. Through laying a strong foundation in language, we pray to be used by God in a big way in this beautiful nation.
Thank you so much for your endless prayers, encouragement, and material support. Sometimes we are lonely but we look forward to the day when we will all be together in God's kingdom. May God bless everyone with a happy and graceful new year. May the Holy Spirit work mightily in 2010. We love you!
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