Keiko's Visa..
It's a go! She received a phone call from the embassy today saying she will receive a visa, length to be determined at the airport upon arriving in the US, but probably 6 months with the possibility of being renewed for an additional 6 months.
Now, we will be looking for cheap tickets for the 6 of us! Plus, I have a list of things to do before we leave that will take more time than I have to complete it. First, we have free use of a storage building that I will be cleaning out on Saturday. Then the packing begins for real!
Our furlough schedule is coming together nicely with the exception of a handful of churches that I haven't been able to get in contact with by email or phone. Something about that time difference...
Beginning the end...
With the arrival of January, we beginning the process or winding down our first term in Japan. Packing, making arrangements to travel to the US, completing our furlough schedule, etc. As part of that process, I am going to Osaka on Thursday to be at Keiko's visa interview. We are praying that things will go well and she will be given a visa allowing her to travel to the US with us for one year of furlough. The excitement will begin Wednesday night when I get on an overnight bus to Osaka, arriving about 6:50am. After breakfast, the interview at 9:30 am and a day of exploring Osaka, I will again get on an overnight bus to return to Nagashima. I don't normally sleep well. I am not really anticipating sleeping better on the bus!
January 15th, the missionaries and pastors are meeting in Aira for a Pastor's Prayer meeting. OF special concern is the health of Pastor Namba in Kagoshima. He has cancer and is going through chemo now. I know he would appreciate your prayers for him, as well as for his family and the church.
God at Work
It's amazing how God orchestrates life. One "chance" meeting in a
laundromat turns into two entire families hearing the Gospel, probably
for the first time.
After rainy day after rainy day earlier this month, I finally broke down
and took our wet clothes to the laundromat. I took Melodie (4 months at
the time) with me. Through the baby's cuteness, I had the opportunity to
talk to an elderly lady sitting there waiting for her own clothes to
finish. Then, in came Mika, a young lady, who also was enamored with my
doll-like child. Even though her clothes had finished drying, she stayed
to talk with me until my clothes were dry, too...about a half hour.
Married, unemployed, she has lots of free time at home. She invited me
to come ring her doorbell sometime and also gave me her phone number. I, in
turn, invited her to attend our Christmas Eve service.
Clothes nice and dry, we returned to our homes. The next week, I called
her, but she was out of town. Christmas was approaching, my sister
arrived from Korea, and time was filled with activities. I prayed about
whether I should invite her again to our church service, but I didn't
want to be pushy. God answered my prayer by prompting her to call me!
Mika asked about the time of the service and if she could bring along a
friend. Of course!! So, Sunday night, she came with her husband (very
nice people) and brought her friend and husband and their two small
children (ages 3 months and 3 years). They were able to hear a Gospel
presentation, and we had a great time together. We plan to meet again
after the New Year's rush. God's ways are perfect.
Welcome to 2007!
Now that the new year is here, the Christmas rush is over and we have a little time on our hands. Actually, in many Japanese homes, all the cooking for the first three days of the new year is done on Dec, 31 so NOTHING is done in the first three days of the year. Cool, huh. You should try that next year. Start off with three days of leftovers!
Next week we start the task of sorting through 4 years of stuff and deciding what to pack and what to give away, or throw away. Because we have a place to store things 10 minutes away, we will be leisurely packing boxes and putting them away. We hope to be mostly done by March. At that time we will move into the upstairs at church and finish packing and cleaning. At this time, we are planning to move to the States the last week of March. Furlough here we come!
Keiko has a visa interview on January 11. We hope to have an answer by the end of the month so we can plan on tickets. She is very excited and nervous. Both about the interview and the prospect of coming to America. A lot of new experiences for her if she gets a visa!
