Spring is on the horizon
Wow, time has sure gotten away from me! We have had several things keeping us busy over the last several months, one of our interns left, another intern's parent came to visit, outreach changed flavors as the winter rain kept men away from some of their outdoor pursuits, and general colds and feelings of winter blah kept all our spirits down. But we have health care now...
There are several things on our horizon this year that should be interesting and hopefully have some eternal benefits. GRIT is expected to be small again, probably not really GRIT but at least a focused and intentional program for the 3-4 people expected to be here. The economy has really hurt the summer program. Our team here in Kumamoto will be starting a long study on Doctrine for Disciples, taking a look at systematic doctrine as followers of Christ who really want to live out the great commission in our lives. We are also thinking through some outreach ideas for the year, another biker bbq may be in the works!
Thanks for your prayers and sorry for the loong delay between updates. If no one mentions the website to me I tend to get busy and forget about it. Shame on me. I am thinking about a few ideas that might help me integrate it more with my life (even though I am learning to dislike computers and the time spent in front of one).
Have a great day!
Getting colder in Kumamoto
As the winter approaches and the temperature drops, we are preparing for our second Christmas in Kumamoto. Last year we had a small Christmas party at a local community center. This year we have joined with Obiyama Bible Church to put on a Christmas concert downtown. We are praying many of our friends will come and hear about the true meaning of Christmas.
For those who are interested in such things, we have new photos up on the family page and a link to photos on the ministry blog main page (link is off to the left). We have had a busy fall and should have taken many more photos but we don't always think about it. I (Norman) went on several bike tours with different motorcycle clubs and have made many new contacts through them. We are still praying from fruit from these contacts.
The kids are healthy , amazing since Melodie refuses to wear socks - even on our cold floors. Chloe and Cameron are enjoying school and loving having Merilee help teach them. Andrew has his bike license and is enjoying riding his motorcycle around town. Jacob is actively pursuing various relationships in various activites from soccer to rc cars. Susan is trying to keep her head above water with the kids school, keeping the house running with 2 extra guys, extra peopel for meals on a regular basis and a desire to reach out to the women she has met in our neighborhood.
Above all, we are striving to become more like Christ in our daily lives. Thanks for praying for us!
Long time no update... so sorry....
Well, we are not dead yet, it just feels that way sometimes! I have avoided the computer as much as possible for the past two months. It has been good for me but not good for getting updates and emails sent. I will be hoping to update the whole site in the next few days, providing I have the time and energy and think of it.
We have hosted two BBQ's in the past month. The first had a total of 31 attending, mostly friends and neighbors. The second was the more lively bunch, here till a little after midnight! There were 41 bikers gathered all from my contacts with various motorcycle clubs, shops and riding buddies. About a third of those who came were people we were meeting for the first time. We had brats, multiple flavors of BBQ sauce sent from the US and several salads provided by the ladies. We are praying for spiritual fruit from the relationships built through these contacts.
I have been going the the hospital about 2 times a week to visit Mr Yamano and Mr Iwahashi, both 27 years old. Mr Yamano is a motorcycle contact who was hit by a car. Mr Iwahashi was his roomate for about three weeks. I gave both of them bibles, tracts and other literature and stayed to talk for up to two hours as I had time. Mr Yamano has been released and I am hoping to contiue to build on the foundations of the relationship started in the hospital. Mr Iwahashi is still in the hospital and I am continuing to visit him and a new friend, Mr Yamamoto. Last night I had a good discussion with Mr Iwahashi and Mr Yamamoto about creation and the bible. I am hoping to talk to Mr Iwahashi about beginning a bible study when I go back to see them tommorrow. Pray for his continued interest and salvation.
Sunday nights our team is gathering at our house. For the past two weeks we have been studying worship, it has been an interesting study for me, and I hope for everyone else. We should finish this week. On Wednesdays, Andrew and Jacob are leading the discussion on mentoring/discipleship. They are doing a good job!
The kids are healthy, other than Cameron's allergies. Susan's sister Merilee is here for the year teaching English so she is also helping Susan with the kids homeschooling. Cameron is very close to learning to read, Chloe is constantly with a book in here hand, and Melodie is busy tormenting them in as many interesting ways as possible! Yea for kids!
Moving again...
Wow, I am doing a terrible job of updating this.
Recently we have been extremely busy getting Andrew and Jacob settled in and ready for their internships. There is quite a bit of paperwork they need to do officially and Andrew will be working on getting a driver's license and then a motorcycle license starting Wednesday. I always hate things like this because it seems to take away from ministry but it is required and we have met a few people through things like this.
In other news,we are moving to a house about 30 yards away at the end of the month. With Andrew and Jacob with us, we need the extra space and the new house actually has a yard as well, we will be glad for the kids to stop playing in the street!
I am most happy about the barn! The house was used by farmers so there is a nice sized barn in the yard. I gave our small car to Susan's sister Merilee for the year so I am riding a motorcycle everywhere, it will be nice to have a place to keep it and work on it out of the rain. I have been riding a Yamaha SR400 for awhile but recently found a 1989 Harley Sportster for about the money I could sell the Yamaha for, so.....I am currently repairing a Harley and hoping to ride it soon! woohoo!
I have been reaching out to a lot of motorcyclists in the past few months. There have been motorcycle camp outs, tours and other get togethers that draw an amazing crowd. There were over 3000 bikers attending a 4 day event in the mountains just outside of town last month. I am talking with the pastor of a church in town about starting a joint outreach to bikers in Kumamoto. We have looked into the CMA (Christian Motorcyclist Association) and found that they don't currently have anything in Japan, but they would be happy for us to start something!
Life is interesting.
GRIT will end soon...and then???
The 2009 GRITers will soon leave Japan, or at least some of them will leave Japan, Natalie Jenkins will still be around for the next month, Andrew Murray is here for the next two years and Jacob thress will be here for the next year if his visa comes through. Ok, so maybe there won't be that much of a change anytime soon!
We are looking to thet future however. July 17-18 is the next Discipleship Retreat, we will be looking at the life of David and thinking about how God calls each of us to do things for His glory and in His power. This is the start of several retreats that will be focusing on the personal responsibility that we all have to be and make disciples.
In other news, I have purchased a motorcycle and will be starting to reach out to the bikers in the Kumamoto area soon. There are 2 clubs that I will be taking day trips with regularly as well as the numerous bikers who stay around the city. I have ordered several hundred tracts written by a Japanese man who reaches out to bikers in Tokyo and Osaka. I would love to see a Christian Motorcyclist Association chapter in Kumamoto one day!
Susan and the kids are ready to move back to the house next week. Chloe has really been missing her friends and Cameron misses having a place to get away from his sisters (some boys are like that..), I am not sure that Melodie really misses anything but she knows that others are excited so she is too!
GRIT begins!
Well, a few GRITers are here, a few are stuck in Tokyo and one in in Korea but all are in route! A day or two to get over a little jet lag and we will begin serious outreach and study on Tuesday. I will be updating the GRIT blog from my cell phone so head over the the GRIT page to follow the summer adventures.
Life in the fast lane...
Life is getting hectic for the Smith clan. We are almost ready for GRIT to start.... but not quite. In the midst of getting ready (read more in the GRIT blog, updates there throughout the summer, plus photos) I am getting my motorcycle license, looking for and buying a used motorcycle, continuing regular outreach activities with various groups (some of which GRIT will be joining for the summer), oh, and trying to prepare for two interns who will be with me for the next year! Susan will be abandoning me and the kids on Monday and Tuesday for an ABWE ladies retreat so that affects things as well. Sounds like business as usual for us!
