Q & A

How can you afford all your recent travel, especially in light of your support deficit?

Sign Language Bible translation is “the new frontier” in the global Bible translation effort. Both SIL and UBS are committed to addressing this worldwide need, and we are grateful that they pay all expenses for our Sign Language Translation Consultant training and for workgroup travel

Praise for the good Sign Language translation workshops with Deaf groups in Yamagata, Tokyo and Osaka. We’re especially grateful for the SIL/Wycliffe Asia staff who came to hold the workshops.  

Pray  for ongoing results from the translation workshops.

Praise for the United Bible Society (UBS) invitation for Mark and Pastor Matsumoto to attend the UBS workgroup in Costa Rica.

Pray for safety and health during this time (Nov 24- Dec 10.), and for good results from the meetings. Pray also for their visit with the Columbia Sign Lang. Bible translation project after the UBS meetings.    

Wheelchairs

Praise for the CAJ Fun Run to raise funds to send a 20 foot container of chairs to China.

Pray for Wheelchairs of Hope board meeting on Dec 4 to decide goals/plans for 2009.  Pray for the 3 cleaning days and Christmas outreach opportunities this month.   

l  We’re safely back in Japan

l  Had two weeks in the US to see Daniel and visit supporters/attend a missions conference.

l  Got word that we’ll be losing $800/mo of support in May 2009

l  Pray for

1.      Mark’s work with SIL/Wycliffe staff coming to conduct Sign Language Bible Translation workshops for the next two weeks.

2.      Health and safety in travel during the workshops

3.      Mary Esther’s work with a Wheelchairs of Hope wheelchair cleaning day today 

4.      Daughter Anna to find the right job in the LA area

5.      Financial Support needed $800/mo now, $1600/mo come May 2009 

It has been a while since we have spent an extended amount of time in the US.  We plan to return to visit financial and prayer supporters from early 2009.  At this time we are under-supported by $800/month and got word that we are going to lose another $800/month of support come May 2009. Please pray.

Starting Monday, SIL translation workers will be coming to hold translation training workshops in three big cities in Japan—Sendai, Tokyo, Osaka. Pray that God will use these to train and raise up more translators for the project.  Pray for safety and strength as we travel.  

The Sendai team is going to work on Ephesians, Tokyo is continuing to finish up the last 8 chapters of Genesis.

On Sunday the wheelchair project had a kick off in a new partnering Japanese church.  Today is a wheelchair cleaning day, cleaning chairs to fill a container for outreach in China.

Praise God for a wonderful two weeks in the U.S., with amazing “divine appointments” all along the way. The first week we were in California and the second in Kansas.  It was exciting to be in Emporia KS for a missions conference with many other missionaries, several who were also involved in Bible Translation.  Our hearts were so encouraged.  We return to Japan and a continued full schedule.

It was wonderful to see Daniel again.  We arrived at the time we usually call him each week from Japan.  When he saw us he began to laugh so hard his shoulders shook.  You can only imagine what this did to our hearts! We are so thankful for friends who visit him regularly and send reports and pictures of him so we know how he’s doing while we’re not with him.  

Our daughter Anna will be moving to the LA area.  Please pray for her as she makes decisions about her future and looks for a job there. 

We were able to spend a day relaxing with Andrew and Emily when we landed in LAX.  Andrew is enjoying teaching at UC Irvine, and Emily her job as a Literacy Intervention Coordinator.