We Moved

Yes we moved yet again!  This time to Higashi Kurume where CAJ is located.  I mention that because CAJ is probably one of the bigger reasons that we moved.

For those who have been following us for a longer time you will remember that David our oldest child did his senior year at CAJ and Jonny then followed suit the following year.  I say for a longer time because David has now graduated University and is now working for I-Deep an IT company located in Tokyo.

OK so why is CAJ a major reason for us to move?  Well for reasons I won’t go into right now Sarah our third child decided not to attend CAJ for her senior year, however, Mary our youngest is proud to follow in her brothers footsteps and also plans to attend TWU just like David & Jonny.

When David and Jonny were at CAJ I was taking time out from regular mission work.  Usually we travel home and visit family and those who pray for us and help us financially.  This time however, we did not have the money to travel so I was free to take a part-time job at CAJ to help cover the tuition costs for the boys.

Now it is Rhonda’s turn to work at CAJ and this actually fits into our last child leaving the home.  Rhonda is finally able to get back to the reason she came to Japan and seek to work in Education again.  However having been raising four children, even though this included home-schooling along the way there was still a need to catch up on recent developments in the classroom.  So Rhonda is now a teacher at CAJ.

With both Rhonda and Mary needing to commute to CAJ and Mary at the same time being diagnosed with POTS, it was not reasonable to expect the both to commute for over one hour each way every day.  Our new postal address is;

2-19-10 Kanayama Cho.  Higashi Kurume. Tokyo 203-0003.

The big benefit is that this house is only a one-minute-walk from our oldest son and his wife.  As they are expecting our first grandchild in January it is an added bonus to be this close.

The End of an ERA

Life is full of changes.   People come into our lives and then the time comes for them to go on into what God has for them.  Things grow old and are disposed of.   In the midst of these changes it is very important to see and recognize what God is saying and doing.

Just last year we had an end of an era experience when we had to say a sad farewell to Lydia Jordi who had served on our team for two years.  It was the playful fun-filled smile on the photo of her staff application that won our hearts even before we met her.  Her smile continued on, as you can see from the photo!

In 2006 we  also experienced the end of an era when the building that had become the training centre for YWAM in the Tokyo area was put on  the market to be sold and we were unable to rent it any longer.  This photo shows all that could be seen soon after we left of what had originally been a maternity clinic and had given birth to the Training ministry of YWAM in Tokyo.

We moved on from there into central Tokyo where we are now in the outreach phase of the 3rd Discipleship Training School since our move.   Lydia was the new staff that saw the first DTS off to a good start and we were joined by Chloe & Derick for the second DTS.  Derick is now the Co-Leader of the current school.

This third picture also marks the end of an ERA.      The house that stood on this lot was the first house built in the area for missionary use and was still affectionately  referred to as Mitaka #1 house.  It was a gorgeous two-story wooden house with a lovely view of  Mt. Fuji on a clear day.  We were the last people to live in Mitaka #1 where we were for a year.  The first month of our second DTS in Tokyo, all ten students and three staff also shared the house with us.  In its final days the Mitaka House continued to fulill the reason for which it was built.

The era of those missionaries has come to a close and the Mitaka #1 House has gone, too.  It is the end of an Era.  BUT that means a new era is about to begin.  God is going to do new things here in the city of Tokyo.  We are now a team of 14 staff with five more applying to come in the autumn season.  People will come and some will go.  Buildings will be dedicated for the Kingdom and then they too  will fade away.  BUT the Kingdom of God will move forcefully on and if we keep our eyes and ears open to the true and living God, we can be a vital part of this new era in the Kingdom of God right here in Tokyo.

Tokyo’s Twin Towers

Here is a picture of Tokyo’s twin towers.  There is a lift – (Elevator) in each tower to whisk you up to the observation tower from where you can get a commanding view of the city below.  The best part is that it is free.  Yaaaaaaaaaaaah!! way cooler than Tokyo Tower.  I visited this place last month with Louis from the TBC high school boys small group.

On the right is a view from one of the towers.  It was not the clearest of days but it does give you a feel of looking down on Tokyo.  There are buildings as far as the eye can see in every direction.

Skin Doctor

This is the location of the newly opened Garden Clinic in Hiroo.  Dr. Chin Huai Keong is a long time friend of our family and has worked here in Japan for many years in the medical profession as a dermatologist.

This week we had a dedication ceremony for the new clinic she had opened.  I was asked to be the MC and Pastor Dennis having just returned from a trip to the US was able to be there to give a prayer of dedication.

In this picture you can see Chin-Huai’s husband, Yohan, their oldest boy, William (who used to be in the High School boys small group with David and Jonathan before going to university), me in the middle and Pastor Dennis next to me with Dr. Chin-Huai on the right.

The clinic was crowded with friends and there was only standing room.  It was a wonderful time enjoyed by all.

For those in Tokyo who may be interested in seeking out Dr. Keong’s services, (both in English and Japanese) the address ,  phone number and web page  are:

7-14-7 2F, Minami Aoyama, Minato Ku, Tokyo (along Nisseki-dori, near the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center)

03-6427-9198                                                                                                                                            www.gardenclinic-hiroo.com