SmithLife

Spring is on the horizon

2010-03-29T13:24:00.002+09:00

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

2009-11-20T19:18:00.002+09:00

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....

2009-11-11T15:04:00.002+09:00

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...

2009-09-07T20:23:00.002+09:00

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???

2009-07-08T14:57:00.002+09:00

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!

2009-05-17T07:33:00.000+09:00

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...

2009-05-10T08:02:00.002+09:00

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!

Chugging along...

2009-03-23T20:28:00.002+09:00

We had the years second discipleship retreat this past weekend. This time we were joined by Kayo and her 5 month old son. She is a new believer who has just moved back to the Kumamoto area. Susan and Keiko will be meeting with her weekly in the coming months going through a beginning Bible study. Pray for her continued growth as a new believer!

GRIT planning and prep is in full swing. The schedule has a few things on it already and it is looking to be a great summer for making new contacts.　We will have almost daily outreach activities in Kikuyo and Kumamoto. In addition to making contacts we are praying for the spiritual growth of the participants. The economy has kept several people away this year but we rejoice for those who are planning to make it.

Andrew Murray will be joining us just in time for GRIT. He is coming to Japan for a two year internship with eventual plans to return as a career missionary. I am looking forward to the fellowship during his time in Japan.

Warmer weather, thoughts of summer...

2009-03-02T20:27:00.002+09:00

As it gets a little warmer in Kumamoto, I am starting to think and plan for the summer GRIT program. Unfortunately, due to some false assumptions on my part, it looks as if we will have a small group this year. I am still praying that God will bring a few more people in, it looks as if the schedule will have the most outreach time of any of the last three years! We will have outreach events 4-5 nights a week with the schedule as it is shaping up right now. Fun, fun!

I have been able to spend some time recently with a friend from our days in Aira, Ryouji. It has been good to see him again and to know that he is still interested in spiritual things. I do wish that someone who lived closer could spend more time with him, but will do what I can to encourage him from a distance.

Still here...

2009-02-17T09:15:00.002+09:00

I have had a weird last few weeks so life has been abnormal in an already strange house. I won't go into details but it involved a week rooming with various old men and 2 weeks of not getting out much. Glad to be moving on...

One interesting side note to the last month, I had the opportunity to work on a short video intended to be a help and encouragement to Japanese churches. It was fun working with some semi-pro actors and see them do their thing. There is a huge need for more of this type of material in Japan, Christian books, videos and music are all in short supply. We are praying about how we might help meet some of this need and encourage others to use their creative talents for the glory of God as well.

Tonight I will be going to the Kumamoto YMCA for the second time to help out with a high school/ college aged youth group. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better and to having a chance to share Christ with them.

Snow in Kumamoto

2009-01-12T14:31:00.003+09:00

OK, more like a few gentle snowflakes, gone before they hit the ground, but Hey, we will take what we can get! You should have heard the kids yelling.

It is cold inside and outside today. We can't seem to get the living room warm. Or maybe it is just me, Chloe and her friends are outside playing happily! Cameron was playing with them until naptime and Melodie wanted to join them but Susan couldn't go out with her so she was sad.

These first few weeks of the new year are full of paperwork and planning for the coming year. Many businesses and churches as well are thinking about the year ahead and trying to determine when to schedule their major events. After the holidays there is a down time for everyone before it begins to warm up and the busyness of the new year sets in.

FYI, I have updated the rest of the site....finally. The biggest change is that I have started a ministry specific blog on the ministry page. I also updated photos on the family page and added a link to the GRIT blog on the GRIT page. You can read the entries from 2006 and 2008 as well as check out the planning or this year. There are still openings for GRIT is you know anyone who is interested.

2009

2009-01-05T14:13:00.002+09:00

We begin the year 2009 with much fear and trepidation. As I am reviewing my thoughts over the last year and turning to the new year, I am struck by how little I know and how much I rely on the grace of God for even the little things of life. There is no way for me to know now what joys and pains 2009 will bring, but it is comforting to know that God does know and is preparing the way before us as well as preparing us for the way. It seems that each year I am reminded again of how little I have to offer and how much I am in need. Susan and I are in Japan with the mission of seeing Japanese men and women and children come to know Jesus Christ personally and turn to Him for eternal life. This is a mission that only God can perform. He is the only one capable of working in hearts and lives and changing people. Our prayer is that we will be better tools for God to use in 2009 than we were in 2008. May He be glorified as He uses us to accomplish His purpose here in Japan.

The New Year is upon us...

2008-12-30T10:05:00.002+09:00

We made it through Christmas but just barely. On the 22nd, 33 people showed up for our Christmas party. Mr. Inoue did a great job sharing how God changed him and brought him out of the mafia. Many of those who came heard the gospel for the first time. We gave everyone New Testaments as well as other literature. We are praying that God will work in many hearts and lives in the next year!
Our kids had beed sick for a few days and Susan and I followed in the next week. We were pretty much all sick for Christmas! The good thing is that Susan's sister was here from Korea and helped with the kids during that time. In a side note, Merilee has decided to move to Japan next year and teach English. She will also be able to help teach Chloe and Cameron as well as help in ministry in various ways. We can use all the help we can get!
Now we have a little break this week before getting back into the swing of things. I will soon be preparing for the January Discipleship Retreat (we are affectionately calling it the Ice Camp) as well as putting GRIT preparation on the schedule. We have 4 people signed up and 2 more considering it so far. We are looking forward to seeing what God does this year!
Our regular outreach and relationship building will be continuing with me reaching out into 1-2 new groups in the coming months while continuing relationships with current people. We are praying that God will lead us to the people He is working on.

Cold in Kumamoto...

2008-12-14T10:03:00.001+09:00

We are busily planning and inviting people to our Christmas party planned for December 22. I am getting a better response than expected because we found something that the guys are interested in! Mr. Inoue is a former member of the Japanese mafia, yakuza, and is going to be giving his testimony. Our flyer is different than most Christmas flyers due to the photo of a tattoo covered mafia photo, and that is exactly why several of the men I have been talking with want to come! They skipped right over the section about family and Christmas and asked about Mr. Inoue. At the moment we are anticipating around 25 total in attendance with about half being kids. Most of those coming do not know the real meaning of Christmas, we are looking forward to continuing conversations with them about the birth, life and death of Jesus and His love for them. Thanks for praying for us!

In related news, I try to hang out at one of the RC car tracks in the area at least once a week (there are 4 within 30 minutes of our house). Saturday night I won my first race ever! Of course I should qualify that by saying that it was the Freshman class and the rule is that if you win twice you have to move up to the next class so gradually all the good drivers are taken out. Last night was the last race of the year so pretty much there were five of us mediocre guys left. But it was a fun race with lots of crashes and of the five guys in it 2 are hoping to come to the Christmas party if they get off work in time. Now that is cool.

December!!!!

2008-12-01T14:18:00.002+09:00

December has arrived and even in Japan the jingle bells are jingling (much to my annoyance).
I had a chance to talk to one of the guys at the RC airplane club on Saturday for about 90 minutes about Christianity, the Creator God and Truth. He had several questions that most Americans probably can't even imagine being asked! He really thought that in the whole world there is only Christianity and Buddhism. He thought Christianity and Islam are the same. Etc, etc...really interesting conversation! And actually pretty typical of my first conversations with a lot of people.

Christmas brings most missionaries a few extra opportunities to share the Gospel. We are having a Christmas party and planning to invite all of our new friends and contacts. Unfortunately I already see this going the way of most things that people are invited to in Japan. We are having most of Susan's friends saying they are excited to come and most of the guys I am reaching out to are not interested in parties, or music, or religion....tough crowd. Pray for us as we prepare for the ones that do come to the Christmas party and pray for me as I continue to reach out to those who don't as well.

I am not a dump truck...

2008-11-24T18:53:00.002+09:00

...so says Melodie. We had just finished our prayer meeting and when I looked over at her she smiled and said with great conviction, "I am not a dump truck." I was so glad that she cleared that up for me.

I returned home today after being gone since last Thursday. We had the discipleship retreat, church at Nagashima, and then I attended a seminar held at another camp. The topic was John Calvin's writings and view on the millennium. Heavy stuff in any language, virtually impossible in Japanese. I learned a new word, "yayakoshi", it means "complicated or confusing". No kidding...

Another week is past...

2008-11-15T19:14:00.002+09:00

Well, this week has been a busy one! Starting with Sunday when we went to Nagashima to help out while Pastor Kishimoto was out of town. We left early Sunday morning, arrived in Nagashima around 10:30am, church was at 11am, then lunch, then Susan, Keiko and the kids headed back to Kumamoto while I went to Aira to meet with Ryouji. Ryouji quit his job and so was off on Sunday and in church Sunday morning, we have been praying he would have a chance to go. I spent Sunday evening with him and had plenty of time to talk about spiritual things. He is planning to attend church as long as he is able, which probably means until he gets a job. Keep him in your prayers.
Monday morning was the bi-monthly pastor and missionary prayer time in Aira. 3 pastors and 3 missionaries were there this time, we had a good time of fellowship. After lunch, a 2 hour drive back to Kumamoto to get there in time for our Monday night team prayer time.
Tuesday was an "off" day (that means I was able to catch up on some of the things I would normally have finished on Monday.) Wednesday, Susan and I spent 4.5 hours at the eye doctors office. Fun, fun!
Thursday was another interesting day as I took part in an International Day at a local elementary school. There were 6 foriegners present and about 150 teachers from other schools who came to observe the days activities. We were only allowed a few minutes of unplanned interaction with the kids but it was a fun day. I was able to connect with the other visitors and we ended up having a couple over for supper Friday night. Pray for fruit from this relationship!
Whatever else life might be for a missionary in Japan, it is seldom boring! Next week starts a similar schedule and will end with the discipleship retreat on Friday night and Saturday. Whew!

Whew, what a weekend...

2008-11-03T17:43:00.002+09:00

My "weekend" started on Thursday and lasted through Sunday afternoon. In that time I spent about 20 hours with 4 different groups that I am reaching out to. The newest one is the "Real All Stars" an airsoft team in Kumamoto. (Airsoft is like paintball with smaller BB's) There were 17 men from high school up to around 55 years old there for 6 hours of "survival games". They focus on team work and communication with several of the men having past military experience. They were mostly welcoming to me although it always takes 6 months to a year for a group to really warm up to me here in Japan. This is partly due to being a foreigner and partly just the way the society seems to be at the moment. It is hard even for Japanese to make new friends.

Today is a "light" day, I have finally learned that Monday is not a good "off" day for me, so I have changed the pace and stayed home trying to get a few things done. I will be traveling with the family and Keiko to Nagashima to preach on Sunday so I will be working on that throughout the week. I really need to finish by Thursday because I have another "weekend" coming!

Jr. High view of the world

2008-10-09T08:28:00.002+09:00

Yesterday I went to a Jr. High speech competition in Kumamoto. A friend's son was competing and, because I had given him some instruction and pronunciation help, I went to see how he would do. The most interesting thing to me was the topics of the speeches. There were several on dementia, with the rapidly aging population of Japan, more kids are being exposed to problems of the elderly. There were quite a few on various aspects of the environment, recycling, global warming, etc. However, the ones that were the most interesting to me were the ones that spoke about social issues in Japan, things like bullying in schools - a growing problem. This problem and others like it were talked about but a solution was hard to come by. The general consensus seemed to be, "Why can't we all just get along?" There was a call for greater "understanding" of other people and tolerance of other viewpoints. But strongest was the demand that everyone "follow the rules" and conform to society. At least two speeches were dedicated to following the rules of society and gave personal examples of how it had helped them.

While most of us would agree that following the rules is a good thing, this rigid conformity is one of the things that makes our work so difficult. Many people who might otherwise be interested in Christianity are afraid to learn more because it would make them "different". I think that is a key thought and one that needs to be addressed.As a follower of Jesus, I AM different than this world, even in the US where a large number of people would say they are "Christian". The call to follow Christ is a call to a different life with a different purpose - that of glorifying the Father. One reason the church is so important is that followers of Jesus are different and stand out. They need the fellowship and encouragement of others with the same purpose and goals. I believe this is why the New Testament is full of challenges to "encourage one another". We need that encouragement to continue to stand firm and follow Christ.

Conforming to the rules of society won't save us or make us better people. Conforming to the image of Christ will change us and will change those around us.

The pamphlets have arrived...

2008-10-03T18:40:00.002+09:00

And they were stacked 6 boxes high in the hallway when I got home today! 5000 pamphlets is a lot of literature when it has to be stored in your house. I managed to rearrange things in our bedroom and stacked them all under the bed. Lest you be surprised that it would all fit, our bed was designed to store things under so it is about 3 feet off the floor. Now we have some info to give to people with our contact information on it. The next thing is a flyer that is 95% finished. So far I have been giving people my business card and a tract or pamphlet with another churches address on it. This is much nicer.

Melodie is sick. Chloe and Cameron had their first visit to a Japanese dentist today. Susan is really tired because Melodie isn't sleeping well at night. I am tired because I never sleep well at night. Hey, pretty normal week in the Smith household.

Music in the streets...

2008-09-26T11:36:00.002+09:00

Hmm, it's probably not what you think! Here, there are trucks that drive through the neighborhoods selling things or advertising to pick up old bikes, computers, tv's etc for recycling. Whatever they happen to be doing, it is usually accompanied by some kind of music. It is a little strange to hear this man's voice coming through the loudspeakers calling for broken printers while listening to some strange flute music! At other times, cars or trucks with loudspeakers will go through the area shouting out public service annoucements, or the worst, just before an election there are lots of cars with recordings of the candidates promises to the people. There is no escape!

Other than that it is a fairly normal day, I am almost finished with a pamphlet to take to the printer today and am 90% finished with a leaflet that I need to get to the printer for an estimate. Later today, Mr. Ohashi is coming by with his son who is in a speach contest. They want me to listen so he can practice before the contest.

Break is over, back to work!

Raining again...

2008-09-23T16:12:00.002+09:00

It has been alternately really hot and much cooler as rainy days have interspersed with bright sunny, HUMID days. Today is a rainy day.

I received a copy of a pamphlet we are printing to use here in Kikuyo today. It is a challenge for people to think about the meaning and purpose of life while giving Biblical answers to those kinds of questions. It is amazing how God works even in these little things. As we were looking for a place to get an estimate for printing these, God brought a man across my path who works for a printing company - his job is giving estimates and then helping through the printing process! He gave us a great estimate with a substantial discount, what blessing! The neat thing is, when he gave met the copy to look at today, he said that he read through all of it the night before - that is definitely not in his job description. Pray that God will work in his heart through our friendship and more importantly through God's word.

The Challenge of Japanese

2008-09-21T10:56:00.002+09:00

This week I spent a lot of time working on a translation of a Spiritual Gifts Inventory for the next Discipleship Retreat. Keiko is a big help in this department. Actually, she translated and I helped her. We are going for a dynamic equivalent. I read the English and tell her what it means in various forms and she puts it in Japanese. Next step, Keiko will read the Japanese and explain it to Susan and Susan will compare it to the English original. Hopefully we will end up with something worth using. So far I haven't been able to find any tools like this available in Japanese. After the retreat, we will get opinions and look at any problem questions, edit again and then send a copy to 5-6 churches with missionarie or national pastors. Once they have a chance for input we will "finalize" it and make it available to everyone. What a job! I have ideas for several projects like this but I am not sure that I am the one for the job.

Susan and I are chafing at some of our self-imposed limitations. We came to Kikuyo with the idea of trying to do only what would be considered reproducible by a Japanese church planter. This means setting some ministry finance limitations as well as some creative thinking about our methods of making contacts. I t is turning out to be just as difficult as we thought it would be! We are forced to wrestle with some very real problems that have no clear answer that we can see. Examples include finding a place to use to meet for a Bible study, affordable printing for flyers, how to distribute flyers, how to break through the barriers that society has placed between people and build life-changing relationships. The list goes on but you get the idea. All of this is made somewhat more difficult by the fact that our Japanese is not perfect, there is still much we don't understand about the culture, and we are in a new city.

On the brighter side, we are confident that God is able to accomplish HIS work here. Even as I am struggling to meet people and seek out people interested in learing about the God of the Bible, HE is working elsewhere and last week brought a man to our house who is seeking God. Wow! I am still learning to be more aware of where and how God is working. I am SO glad that we are not in this alone! Thanks for you prayers.

Back OnLine!

2008-09-16T18:01:00.002+09:00

Well after another couple of hours with a tech in the house, I think we are back in business. I have (I think) made all of the updates and am sick of looking at a computer. There are new photos on the FAMILY page, new info and a link to our team prayer sheet on the MINISTRY page and there are new photos on the GRIT2008 page as well. We will work on making the next update a littel sooner!

Website troubles..

2008-09-15T14:52:00.000+09:00

Well, I intended to update everything last week, and I did, at least on my computer. But I am having trouble getting it uploaded so there are a few problems. Hopefully the problem can be resolved this week and there will be new photos and information almost everywhere! For now, I think a few things are broken. If you think it is difficult talking to a Tech person over the phone in English, you should try it in Japanese!