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KYUSHUmFDRT

Published Regularly to Report the Work of the Kyushu Christian Mission

JUNE 1951Vol. 2 No. 2

Missionaries: Mr. and Mrs. Mark G. Maxey, 10925 Nishihara cho, Kanoya shi,Kagoshima ken, Japan

Forwarding Secretary: Mrs. Gladys Auerswatd, Box 162, North Vernon, Ind.

Mark G. Maxey Pauline Maxey

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THUMBNAIL HISTORY

Mark G. Maxey was born in Pomeroy, Washington, August 10, 1917, the son ofMr. and Mrs. R. Tibbs Maxey and one of a family of preachers and missionaries. He is a graduate of Minnesota Bible College and Cincinnati BibleSeminary.

Pauline Maxey was bom in Wind Ridge, Pennsylvania, August 2, 1921,the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Pethel and is a graduate of CBS,also.

They were married December 29, 1941. Their two children are Paula,age seven, and Walter Mark, age five.

Missionary work was their lifelong dream, but they became interested inJapan while Mr. Maxey was on occupation duty there as a chaplain with the U. S.Army. Paula contracted polio in Japan, and they returned to America for hertreatment.

Mr. Maxey was discharged from the army at Battle Creek, Michigan,August 30, 1949. After several months of travel in the States, the family sailedfor Japan August 27. Upon arrival there September 12, they spent severalweeks in Osaka getting their freight and making preparations for the trip toKanoya. They arrived in Kanoya October 20, 1950, and began the work of theKyushu Christian Mission.

WHY KYUSHU?

The choice to go to Kyushu was the result of several desires. We wanted topreach the gospel in Japan, in a place where our people had not gone, in aplace where no missionary of any kind lived and where they would not likely go,in a smaller town or village rather than in the city. So we chose Kyushu, thelarge southern island of Japan. Missionaries had long been there, but no onehad gone with the simple New Testament gospel. And even with all the workbeing done, the island was virtually untouched by the gospel.

After choosing the island of Kyushu we learned of the church started at Kan«oya by Arthur Paul Cook, then an Air Force chaplain, now at the Benson church,Omaha. This seemed a natural bridgehead from which to carry the gospel tothe surrouding area. Furthermore, Kanoya fitted the desires we had for amission station. An English missionary once lived here for two years overthirty years ago, but no one has been here since. The nearest missionariesare across the bay in Kagoshima, over two hours away. The next missionaries are at Kummamoto on the west coast and at Beppu on the east (look atthe map). Kanoya is like Nazareth, "Poor and despised." This part ofJapan is looked down upon by all the rest of the country. Here theancient customs and standards prevail while the rest of Japan is undergoinga social revolution. The Kagoshima prefecture has a dialect unintelligiblein the rest of Japan, and this adds to the separation.

Visitors here call Kanoya "the end of the line" and rightly so. To reachKanoya, leave Tokyo Monday on the morning express, and ride south and westall day and night across the island of Honshu. Ride all day Tuesday from thenorthern to the southern tip of Kyushu till you reach the end of the line atKagoshima prefecture. Stay all night in a Japanese inn, sleeping on the floorwith a brick of straw for a pillow. The next morning catch the eight o'clockferry for the hour trip across Kagoshima bay and around the base of majesticMt. Sakurajima (pictured on the front). At the end of the run, jam yourselfinto the pack of fifty standees, and for an hour and a quarter swing and swayride around the bay, up the cliff, and across the plain to Kanoya. It is Wednesday, and you are glad to be at the southernmost city on this peninsula. Whatis more important: you are in the center of hundreds of villages and severalmillion people waiting to hear the gospel for the first time.

POINTS OF PROGRESS

1. Few missionaries today go directly to a remote place and immediately begina pioneer missionary enterprise with no knowledge of the language. But 'thiswas our situation, and we needed at once a Christian man who could interpret,

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teach us Japanese, preach the gospel, and assist in the numerous and difficulttasks of beginning. Such a man we foun-J in Paul Takeo Ilnure. The YoungMarried People's Class of the Benson Chi.vch in Oniaha has taken him as theirliving link missionary so that he would devote full time to this work. We havecome to love and (rust Hro. Imurp. He is with us day after day. The first thing

every moining he teaches us Japanese, and then I teach him vaiious

Bible subjects till noon. He is withme in the work of preaching andteaching. In addition he serves asthe pastor of the Kanoya church.God has blessed us through him.

2, The first weclcs in Kanoya weresi)ent in the acute discomfort of aJapanese hotel. The process of acquiring land and building a home wereslow and tedious, and only those whohave lived and built in the Orientcan appreciate the misery of the task.God was with us even while trying ourpatience. Five hundred tsubos of land

(a tsubo is six square feeti with good water and high voltage electricity nearbywere acciuired at a reasonable price. It was government land, formerly coveredwith barracks to house the Kamikaze pilots who wrought such destruction uponus in the latter days of the war. The barracks foundations are now our sidewalks. A metal pre-fabricated building was purchased in Osaka, shipped toKanoya. and erected. A contractor was hired to build the inside and to installplumbing and electricity. We moved in January 5 and are still in the process ofmaking both house and grounds livable. A small orchard, a vegetable garden,and a flower garden have been planted, also a strawberry bed and three grapevines to provide juice for communion. There is a chicken pen and the children'sguinea pig to comprise the live stock. Our packing cases have been transformedinto a white picket fence. Hundreds of people have come to see this house, andto each of them we give-a gospel portion and speak a word for Christ. Thereis a daily stream of visitors to talk about the aiTairs of the kingdom so thatwe have been tempted to name our home "The Ivighthouse." Actually, theonly time we have to work and write is late at night when everybody else issleeping, for the Japanese are "early to bed and early to rise."

The Mission House

Paul Imure and Family

Before After

The total cost for this house, including laud, fence, and all improvements,is $2,500 of which we still owe $500. 1 know of no other place where so muchcould be acquired for so little that will do so much gcod.

3. While We put part of our tithe into the Kanoya church, it is rapidly becoming self-supporting. Benches have been made to seat one hundred, a baptistryinstalled, communion table and chairs bought, a pulpit made, a new sign board

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9. What other things can you use?

Used clothing is always ^velc()Ine. I have seen shirts and pants patched atleast a hundred times. The children's picture papers, cards, and rolls can beused to good advantne;®. Wrap and lie all pacliages securely. Label them"Gift Package." We have never had to pay duty on a package yet.10. What are your specific needs?

a. We would like to finish paying for the mission house.

b. A church building is needed for the lepers and for the new church atKishira.

c. We have an obligation to assist in the expense of training these fouryoung men for the ministry. Perhaps your group would like to take one ofthem for a pen-pal and assist him financially and with clothing. They need

per month.

d. Additional regular monthly supporters are needed to help carry on th©mission program. This is both a practical and spiritual way to carry out theG-reat Commission.

THE TIME IS NOW

Several have written to say that they are afraid to send missionary assistancethis way until the present crisis is over. 1 do not know that the crisis willever be over, but 1 do know that Japan is the greatest missionary opportunityof our time, that there is no hindrance to the preaching of the gospel, and thatthe people are ready, willing, and eager to hear. What more could one agk?THE TIME IS NOW!

KYUSHU CHRISTIAN MISSION10925 Nishihara cho, Kanoya shiKagoshima ken,Kyushu, Japan

Printed and Mailed ByThe Christian Co-op Press

Terre Haute, Ind.

Sec. 34.66 P. L. & R.U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

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painted, and the entrance hi:ii)roved. Attendance at the morning service averages seventy and at the evening service, held in a rented hall, three hundred.4. There have been forty-two baptisms in Kanoya, five in Kishira, and nineIn Shibushi for a total of fifty-six.5. P^ive young men have decided for the ministry and began their studies thismonth. t"'o in Osaka Bible Seminary and three in Tokyo Bible Seminary.These decisions have not been easy either for the young men or their parents.We anxiously await their return four years hence.6. A new church has been started in Kishira, a village fourteen kilometersaway, with six members and a great many people attending the services andstudying. Sadahiko Paul Motoyoshi, former leader of the Kanoya charch, isthe preacher there.

7. A week spent preaching and counseling in Fukuoka to help the churchthere.

First Baptisms in Kanoya Worshippers at Kanoya Church8. We spent a week preaching on the New Testament church to a denominational group at the town of Shibushi. The preacher and his wife were baptized,and we are hoping that the rest of the church will also make this choice.

9. We preach regularly at the leper colony five miles away and expect soonto have a church of Christ there.

10. Much time has been spent preparing scripts and tape recordings of thesescripts in Japanese for use with the "Life of Christ Visualized" film strips.Thes? have been shown in many places to several thousand people with greateffectiveness. All the aids we brought (portable organ, Public Address system,tiannelgraph, tape recorder, and slide projector) have been put to regular andeffective use.

11. On the 1st and 15th of each month we preach to all the Kanoya policemen.While we have aroused excellent interest, there have been no conversionsas yet.

12. Mrs. Maxey has started regular teaching meetings with the church ladiesboth young and old.

13. Several tracts have been written, translated into Japanese, and published.

14. A new Bible school has been staried in an orphanage and is attended byother children in the neighorhood. Attendance averages one hundred.

SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED

THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED US.

1. How is the Korean War affecting you?

Korea is not far away, but so far we are not in any physical danger nor has Itbrought us physical discomfort. It has, however, raised the prices of all commodities in .fapan so that week by week the missionary dollar buys less andless while the expenses become more and more.

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2. Do you live like Americans or Japanese?We live and eat like Americans as much as that Is possible. The Japanese

do not expect us to live as they do. and 1 doubt if a lamily group could last longat it. Our home and family life are of great interest to the Japanese, and webelieve that they will find many things there that will be beneficial In their ownliving.

3. What about school for the children?

Pauline spends part of each busy day teaching Markie kindergarten andPaula 1st and 2nd grades using the Calvert systeTO. The nearest American children are in Kagoshima so our youngsters have a loneliness that is very real.4. What about medical and dental care?

Japan has good doctors and dentists though their standards of cleanlinessdiffer from ours. In the event of an emergency we can get care at an ArmyHospital in Pukuoka for approximately $12 a day. But Fukuoka is twelvehours away so we will not be going there often.

5. Is it safe to send packages and letters to you? .

Yes. The Japanese postal systens is efficient and thorough. As far as weknow, all packages and letters sent us have reached us. Air mail letters arrivevery quickly and are often given si)ecial delivery at this end.

6. What kind of money do you use?All our expenses in Japan are paid for in yen. the Japanese currency. Each

month we must anticii)ate our expenses and send American dollars to Osaka tobe converted into Japanese yen and sent back to Kanoya. One dollat equalsthree hundred and sixty yen.

7. What is the best way to send money?Any way that suits you suits us. International Money Orders are very con

venient for US if you live near a postofRce that issues them. Checks are easy foreverybody. U. S. PostaJ Money Orders are o. k., but do not have them madeout to the postmaster at Kanoya. .Japan; rather make them out to the postmaster at North Vemon. Indiana, Avoid sending currency if possible. It hasalways arrived all right, but it is dangerous and actually illegal to send itthrough the mails.

Funds may be sent directly to us in .Tapan. Or. if it is easier for you. send itto our forwarding secretary Airs, Gladys Auerswald. Box 162. North Vernon,Indiana.

8. What do you do for food?We buy as nmch as we can on

the Japanese market. This isB* i ~ one oi' the cattle raising centers

of Japan so we can buy meat,also (isli, fruit, potatoes, and

T vegetables. of which we pre-pare with precautions. Other items

^^P^"sive when found. The Osakafi'i' 'sl missionaries .shop and ship for

occasionf['lly. and we have been

' 'Ti grateful for food sent from theStates. If you or your group have

jwF * urge to send a box sometime,any of these things would begratefully received; sugar (brown,

Paula and Markie powdered, or granulated) oleomargarine. vegetable shortening (like

Spry), soap powder, bar soap. Kooi-aid (and such like), coffee (regular or powdered. dried fruits, raisins, prunes, caiuly. chocolate chips, marshmallows, cocoa,chocolate, any breakfast cereal to be cooked, mixes (pie. cake. roll. soup, etc.),Jello. puddings. These will please any missionary in this part of the world.In Kanoya there is nothing that even faintly resembles the wonders of thecorner grocery store.

LINKUBTTBR NOo 23K^shu Christian Mission1 August 1951

Dear Christian FrieaSs

Mo AND MRS. MAKE Go MAXBY10925 Nishihara oho

Kanoya shi, ^gishima kenKyushu, Japan

Aooording to the papersp July was the wettest here in 30 years© I don't know ahout theother 29 but this year was really weto Many people were killed in this perfeoture by landslides and floodso July began on Sunday in the middle of a typhoon but three were baptizedthat day. so that was a good beglnningo

It was still raining the second Sunday© On that day I preached at the Kanoya church atthe morning serviceo After a quick lunch, BrOo Imure and I drove to Iwagawa for a serviceat two o'clock and then on to Sueyoshi for a service at four® We have been having servicesin this town for some time but there have been no converts© There were three believers oflong standing who were faithgul in attendance® On this day we presented the plea of "oneLordp one faith, one baptism<," These three took their stand for the New Testament churchand baptism^ and six more confessed their faith<rent so we could not go immediately for baptism.

Unfortunately the river was a raging tor*

On the return trip home we found the road blocked with a land slideo We took a long de-tour, got stuck twice and finally arrived in Kanoya at 8845o The audienoe, smaller than usualwas waiting patieritlyo It was a chart sermon that night and at the close a high school teacher walked to the front and made hi confession©

The invitation is given a little differently here© We found that singing a song was adecided distractiono So at the end of the service and in complete silence we invite those whobelieve in Christ and are now ready to obey Him to come to the fronto They are asked if theybelieve and each one clearly states, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of Godo" It is

-A-dteiMingHaeraent-te-hear these-declarations of faith and-^d^-know-^fchat t^iey-a^ -br^^^i?^ - -with centuries of heathenismo The invitation is not prolonged nor is there'great urgingoRather we present Christianity as a lifetime committment full of struggles and heartache andurge the people not to come unless they have fully decided on this course o Otherwise wewould be having people come to accept Christ who had only heard of him once and who had noknowledge or basis of understandingo Earlier on a Sunday night I had asked all who were interested in becoming Christians to stay after the closing prayero Seventy-five people stayed®We had another hour of teaching after which I urged them to be present at the church the nextLord's Day morning and there they could make their confess ion© But none of them came© So themissionary here must steer the difficult course of hewing to the New Testament practice whileat the same time striving for honest faith, true repehtanc^, and sincere confession© Even so,it is often true, as in Christ's parable, that the seed sometimes springs up quickly and justas quickly fades away bringing disapointment and heartache to the sower of the seed©

Monday July 9, it was still raining as we left Kanoya for two weeks© We drove straightnorth into the heart of the mountains and turned west and headed for the coast© Here thewater really overtook us© We went through high water in t#6 places and finally stopped in athird place that looked like the end of the trail© It was an all day journey to retrace ourpath and come another way so we decided to risk it© I removed the fan belt to keep the bladefrom throwing water on the plugs and we went through three feet of water without a sputter© Ihave decided that the jeep is a prett good Christian as it is not afraid of "much water"©.

After this we had two hours of primitive mountain roads© It was raining so hard that theroads were actually streams and all you could see were" the^ bushes and rocks on either side©We began to have our doubst as to the wisdom of the trip and whether we would make it or not©Paula and Markie had taken their naps and now they began to sing© It was "Leaning on theEverlasting Arms" sung in Japanese© They had forgotten how the verse went but they knew thechorus and they sang it from the bottom of their hearts© The harder it rained the louder theysang, over and over again® Didn't they know another song? No this was the only one© We concluded that this was the message we needed© They were still singing as we came down the moxm-tain to the sea shore and the sun broke through the clouds© We spent that night in a Japanesehotel in Kummamoto©

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The next day we had a look at famed Kuinmamoto castle, a well preserved fort used in thefuedal warfare of the lasr oentury. On to Fukuoka that night® Fukuoka is on the northwestcoast of Kyushu and is the leading city of the islando The main purpose of our coming was tohave Paula examinedo An Army hospital had kindly consented to do this for us and they yientout of their way to make our stay a pleasant one. We had thought that Paula might have tocome home for more special treatment so we were relieved and grateful when the examiningdoctor said that that would not be necessary at this time®

On Thursda^y we drove on around the northern tip of Kyushu coming to rest at Beppu on thenortheast coast» This is a resort town made famous by its natural hot mineral baths which wetried and enjoyedo Its skyline is dominated by a hugh iron and cement Buddha cast.in 1928 ase memorial, it is said, to all the unknown dead in Japan# Ond Buddhist priest traveled overJapan collecting the bones of 1000 Japanese in unknown graves® These bones were ground andmixed with the cement of which the idol was made®

Here we left our jeep and on Friday afternoon took a ship for the 23 hour trip to OsakaoThe course lay between the islands of Honshii and Shikoku in what is known as the "Inland Sea©"We had heard much of its beauty but it was still raining so we saw nothing but the ship'srail the whole trip.

In Osaka we were greeted by the Martin Clark family with whom we stayed o That night wewere whisked away by the Bills family to attend a Christian rally he was holding in his village o Sunday night we preached for Bro© Mings at his evangelistic service in the Moriguchisection of Osakao Bro© Mings gave the invitation that night and there were five confessionsjthe first fruits of his labors there©

On Monday we bought supplies for shipment to Kanoya 700 miles away© Tuesday the wholefamily went to see the missionary doctor at Kyoto© We were x-rayed^, blood tested and examined

jire „all_WAll.o...JCe_-.are.jilso happy, to rej)or«t thai-we are^ e-xpect-ing an addition to the family in December©

From Tuesday to Friday we attended the A11-Japan Convention of the Churches of Christ,held at a mountain camp 20 miles out of Osaka© It was a wonderful week of fellowship and ofpreaching© Four came from Kyushu besides our family© OoD© Bixler, long-time missionaryhere with the non-instrument bretheren, was the keynote speaker©

Saturday we took the children ^o the Osaka zoo or "gazoo" as Markie says© Right in themiddle of the zoo was an old, flea-bitten Missouri mule, a "Furriner" if there ever was one©I sat down and looked at the critter for a long minute and got as homesick as I've over been©

Sunday afternoon we again took the ship for the return trip© Paula and Markie passed outtracts to everyone and at the supper table let it slip that they had even been up on thebridge taking a turn at the wheel© We have had a small tract made with a picture of Christ onfront© Inside is a page telling about Christ, another page giving some things for non-Christ-ians to think about© The next page tells how to become a Christian© The fifth page urges themto act upon this knowledge© The addresses of the churches are given© They are told to get aNew Testament and read it and that they can get one from us for 20 yen by either coming orwriting© The last page tells the purpose of Kyushu Christian Mission, who we are^ and endswith pictures of the family© These tracts we carry with us to give to all we meet and evendropping them out the window to those we pass© We have already distributed 4000 in this way©The other missionaries liked the idea and have ordered a total of 25,000 printed for their,use with, of course, their own concluding statement© During July we finally completed and gotinto print last year's financial report as well as a picture report of the work© These willbe coming to you soon by international mail and we will include one of these tracts too©

From Beppu it was a day and a half drive due south to Kanyoa and it was'nt all pleasant©We went into the ditch once to avoid hitting an old man on a bicycle© Luckily we were near avillage and all the men came out and lifted us back on the road© We had a total of four flattires and each tire had two or three nails in them© Late Tuesday afternoon we had a flat tire

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in the middle of a good sized towno One of the rules here is to get a flat tire fixed at thefirst opportunityo But it was so late and we were so tired and dirty that I disobeyed therule and took a chanoeo I changed the tire and put the flat tire in for a spare© One houraway and in the middle of nowhere we had another flato Pauline and the children went on homein a passing bus while I stayed and patched and pumped, I haven't fixed a tire like that ina long timeo We were mighty happy to get back homo again©

We had come back however to a double tragedy© Both elders of the Kanoya ohurohp and theonly preachers we have, had been struck down by ToBo Bro Motoyoshi must go to bed for a yearand Broo Imure for six months© We are heartsick both for them and for the work® [The fouryoung men home from Bible college for the summer will fill the gap for the present, each onegoing to live near and preach for one of the churches, but what we will do in the fall is inthe hands of the Lord© Please pray that these men may have a speedy recovery andjthat otherleaders might rise up to take their places© ToB© is the great killer and disabler here© Twoof our Osaka missionaries were struck with it this year©

That is on the cloudy side© On the sunny side is the report of 14 baptisms for the monthand a new church started in Sueyoshi© The news of the sickness of these men has trought theChristians closer together and we had a prayer meeting last night of power and purpose©

"God moves in a mysterious wayHis wonders to performs

He plants his footsteps in the seaAnd rides upon the storm©" --Cowper

Most of you know by now that my sister, Isabel Dittemore, is coming to Japan this falland is planning to come and work near us in southern Kyushu© We are ordering needed suppliesand equipment now so that it may be brought out with hfty -hVi^Tigpg C^e of the things—we need badly is bedding- sheets, blankets, and/or quilts© If you have any of these in mothballs which you are not needing and would like to share in our work here, send them to us0/ Ifrso Isabel Dittemore, 98 Woodmore Avenue, Louisville, Kentucky© She will repack them andsee that we get them© Our house has proved to be a way station for people traveling throughand we have often been hard pressed to bed them all properly©

We are in the midst of the hot, humid and uncomfortable months here, so we have found aa mountain camp and will pioneer with southern Japan's first Christian Service camp next week©But more of that next time©

We all join in thanking you for your letters, boxes, and financial support and for thegreat number of you who remember us every day in prayer© We will be writing you one by onebut please be patient with us if you do not get a prompt reply this summer©

May God bless and keep you all is our daily prayer©

In His service

Mark G© Maxey and family