Christian'Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" Mark 16:15

Volume 71 January 1972

NEWS AROUND THE CHURCHES

Mejirodai Sunday Schoolhouse in background.

MEJIRODA

On November 3 (a Japaneseholiday) the Mejirodai Church andSunday School had a picnic on alarge empty lot across the streetfrom the church which had been

designated for a Kindergarten inthe future. Between 50 and 60 people were present on a lovely fallday, and all had a good time participating in different and funnyrelay races which were planned anddirected by Walter and Mary Maxey.Everyone brought his own lunch, andthe church furnished drink and

cookies. After lunch they playedvolleyball, dodge ball and had abig tug-of-war. A number of peoplein the neighborhood dropped by towatch.

Harold Sims had a bad and long-lasting cold during most of October,and it eventually became acuteasthma. He was hospitalized onOctober 31. So it was up to thechurch folks to make all of the final

preparations for the picnic. Thedoctor released him from the hos

pital on the morning of November 3,

Picnic. The church and Sims

and he drove up to the picnic justas they were finishing lunch. Allwere thankful and happy about hisrecovery and return home.

On November 21 we had a

special Thanksgiving offering forthe people suffering from war,cyclones etc., in eastern India.The Sunday School children gaveover$10.00 and the morning worshipoffering that day was added to it,making a total of $40.00 which wassent to Ralph Harter in Kanpur,India and forwarded by him to therelief work being done by the Evangelical Fellowship of India.

On December 5 we had a specialYouth Sunday. The majority of thoseattending the worship services aremiddle-aged people, and we wouldlike to have more young peoplecoming regularly. Walter Maxey,who is now in the one-year intensive Japanese language course atInternational Christian University,preached in Japanese. The daughterof one of the ladies who comes regularly played the organ, and Goto-san, a sophomore in college and

helper in Sunday School presided.We had more than the usual number

present, and a very good service.

The Sunday School presented aspecial Christmas program on Saturday evening, December 25. TheBeginner, Primary and Juniorclasses each performed a little playand the "Angel Chorus" sangbeforea good sized audience of parents.Then we gave awards for attendance. The winner was a first gradegirl named Kimiko Hibi, who attended 48 Sundays out of a possible52. She was also one of those who

came on die very first Sunday wehad services. In counting up therecords we were pleased to noticethat over half of our students have

attended more than 26 Sundaysduring the year.

The church "Christmas" was

on Sunday evening December 26,and included a Candle Service,Japanese-style light buffet supper,exchange of presents and somegames. One of the farmers nearby,whose son is one of our Englishstudents donated a nice tree.

Mikawashima church young people singing carols on ChristmasEve on the steps leading up toUeno Park in Tokyo.

MIKAWASHIMA

We have mentioned the special,large Thanksgiving offerings that

(Continued on page 2)

Tokyo ChristianVol.71 Jan. 1972 No. I

Published four times a year InJanuary, April, July and November forthe missionaries of the Church ofChrist Cunningham Mission, Tokyo,Japan by Mission Services, Box 177,Kempton, Indiana 46049. Second classpostage paid at Kempton, Indiana.

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Buttray,2-26-4 Kamiochiai, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo161 Japan. Forwarding Agent: Mrs.Homer Anderson, 622 Cullum Street,Meadville, Pa. 16335.

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Patton, 3-7-8H igashinakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164Japan. Forwarding Agent: Mr. and Mrs.G. Wade Fletcher, R.R. 1, Rushville,Ind. 46173.

Mr. and Mrs. Harold Sims, 3-33-7Mejirodai, Hachloji-shi, Tokyo 193Japan. Forwarding Agent: FirstChurchof Christ, Orange at Center St., Eustis,Fla. 32726.

Two-year subscription $ .50Subscription and Flaming TorcA$1.00

Buttrays Travel to Nagano CityFrom right Co left is, Mabel

Buttray, Oishi San, and MachiSan. The occasion of this picture r a toMwas when the Buttrays and Oishi -San made a trip to Nagano city ^

day night prayer meeting at the Kamiochiai Church, Mr. Buttray's eyessuddenly returned from the end of the Psalm and finally focused on versefour! And he read: "May He grant you your heart's desire, and fulfill allyour plans!" Thank you foryour prayers in behalfof this "camp evangelismvision," but please don't stop praying! Oishi San is the young man livingwith us until he can finish his thesis. And Machi San worked for us thefirst nine years that we were in Japan, but is now living near Nagano city.Pray for both of these persons also!

— Stanley Buttray

Brother Maiji Sudo, a Christianfor many years, and now over eightyyears of age. He graduated fromTokyo Bible Seminary when he was63 years of age.

NEWS AROUND THE CHURCHES

(Continued from poge 1)

are traditional in our Mikawashima

church in previous years, but againthis year they reached a new peak.Mr. Cho, the minister, called me afew days after Thanksgiving toannounce that for the special daythey had an unusually good attendance of 130 people and the offering was 3,600,000 yen. In theformer exchange rate this wouldequal 10,000 U.S. dollars, but withthe dollar falling in value daily inthe local banks it amounts to II or

12 percent more. It was almost$100 for every person present. Werejoice with them, and thank God

LET'S ALL PULL TOGETHER!

for the spiritual and material prosperity which God has given to thiscongregation of Korean peopleliving in Tokyo.

NAKANO

Professor Akira Oda from Osaka

Bible Seminary came and preacheda three-day evangelistic meeting

over the week-end of October 31.

The meeting was very well attendedby non-Christian people from thearea, and everyone was edified andencouraged. On November 28 twohigh school girls were baptized.One is the daughter of one of theNakano members, and a championship level tennis player.

— Harold S ims

PLANTING AND REAPINGDuring the month of November

most of our church work was related

to two revival meetings, one at theArakawa Church and the other at

the Sakurayama Church. The attendance was fairly good at the meetings, the preaching was good, andboth churches were given a greatspiritual boost as a result. Oneyoung man accepted Christ asSavior during the Arakawa meetingand was baptized. A young girl alsoreached a decision but has not yetbeen baptized. Several new peopleare continuing to attend the services of both churches as a result

of the meetings. The church members were encouraged in their workfor the Lord during these revivals.

Mr. Yamagata making the "goodeonfession" before his baptism atthe Arakawa Church after the

revival there.

One middle-aged man who livesin the vicinity of the church attendedthe revival at Sakurayama one nightand then left before the service

ended. Since that time he has

attended every meeting of thechurch, he has bought himself aBible, and is reading it with greatinterest. A like interest is beingshown by other people who hadnever darkened the door of anyChristian church before the revivals.

In our travels among thechurches in America last year weshowed a picture of a young men-ber of the Sakurayama Church who,we explained, wished to enter Biblecollege to study for the ministry.His father owns a successful bakerybusiness. When we returned to J apanin September this young man told

Mr. Hirose, who plans to enter Osaka Bible Seminary,giving his testimony during the revival at Sakurayama.

me that he was not fully convincedthen that he should enter the min

istry. But we never gave up hopeand continued to pray that Godwould turn his heart toward the

ministry of the Word.Now this young man has just

visited in our home and told us that

he had made a decision on the previous day to enter Osaka BibleSeminary. When he told his fatherof that decision he told him that he

would have to leave home. For

various reasons that is a more

serious thing for a young Japaneseman than for an American. But for

him it will mean a greater loss fromthe standpoint of this world thanfor an ordinary Japanese youth. His

father planned to turn his bakerybusiness over to his son upon hisown retirement. The son has for

saken this life of ease in order to

preach and suffer for Christ. Thoughhis mother is not a Christian she

understands the strong convictionsof her son and wishes him to staytrue to those convictions.

This young Christian can onlylook forward to a thorny path totread for Christ. God has won a

victory in his heart but he needsencouragement and prayer. Join usin prayer for him and especially forhis father.

Young Mr. Saito of the ArakawaChurch still remains true to his

(Continued on page 4)

lU'

Stephen lijima, minister of the Minato Church, preachingduring a revival at the Sakurayama Church.

Q>itiAn engagement ceremony was

held on November 7 for Hiroaki

Sato, minister of the Sakurayamaand Arakawa Churches, and MissKobayashi, a member of theSakurayama Church.

Brother]im Banta, Forest Lake,Minnesota, again paid us a visiton December 5. He was on another

business trip, this time to thePhilippines and Taiwan.

Stephen and Carol Fleenor arenow proud parents again. Theirlatest baby was a son, bom onDecember 14. They also have adaughter named Becky.

The Tokyo missionaries enjoyeda Thanksgiving dinner together atthe home of the Bob Warricks on

Friday evening, November 26. ForChristmas dinner they will meet atthe home of the Paul Pratts on

December 24.

— Andrew Patton

HMiss Grace Farnham (center)

as she looked two weeks before

Christmas 1971. On the left is Mrs.

Kitajima one of Miss Farnham'smany friends which she has enjoyedsince returning to Japan on September 1. Mrs. Mabel Buttray is on theright, and it is at the Buttrays homethat she is making her extendedstay in Japan. She is planning onreturning to the States sometimein May 1972.

CONGRATULATIONS TO MISSION SERVICES

We would like to add our word of congratulations to those ofmany others who use and appreciate Mission Services on the occasionof the 25th Anniversary of the organization. We have been readingHorizons since it started (our missionary endeavors began about diesame time) and are thankful for the many years of devoted work thesefolks have done in promoting the work of missions in our brotherhood.This has been a period of very rapid and also substantial growth inmany different areas, but Mission Services has consistently tried tokeep all of us informed of the progress without attempting to controlit. This is good service to Christ and His Church.

We pray that the new facilities in Kempton, Ind. will enable ourbrethren there to do more and better Mission services, for we knowthat is their principal desire and purpose. We also hope that a "silveroffering" will be forthcoming to help them continue the work.

Every issue of the Tokyo Christian is the result of hours of hardwork done in a second-mile spirit by the M.S. staff. They not onlyprint and mail this paper, but keep up the address list, do all theediting, proof-reading and related tasks. For us folks out in the field— untrained and inexperienced in writing and publicity — this is avaluable and welcome service indeed.

— Harold Sims

PLANTING AND REAPING

(Continued from page 3)

resolve to enter Osaka Bible Semi

nary in April. A great deal of theprogress which has been realizedin the Arakawa Church recently canbe traced to his influence and faith

fulness in Christ. Please pray forhim also.

We are now making plans andpraying concerning the opening ofa new preaching and teaching point.It takes a great deal of time andeffort to find a place to rent for themeetings and sometimes such a

place simply cannot be found. We

BOX 177, KEMPTON, INDIANA 46049

would appreciate your prayers forthat project too.

Plans for the Christmas programs for the Sakurayama andArakawa Churches are now com

plete. We expect several new peopleto visit these churches for the programs and have chosen counselorsto witness to them at that time.

At this writing Philip is out ofschool due to a cold. Sharon and

Stephen have just recovered fromcolds and have returned to school.

Betty continues to recover fromhepatitis. We are indeed gratefulto the Lord for his healing power.

SBIS rffiWSLETTER JANUARY 1972

Sunday morning January 2 we liad mixed rain and snow falling in Mejirodai,and as I was lining up the slippers and thinking about how this dismalweather would affect our already low holiday attendance, I saw a littlered \mibrella bobbing along the deserted street toward the chiATch, Underit were the bright eyes and shiny red cheeks of the little Tanaka girl,starting the new year with resolve to get another attendance award nextyear. Thus began this leap year over here.

HAROLD'S SICKNESS? About the end of September I began to feel a coldcoming on. After spending a couple of days in bed taking ordinary medicines I thought I was about over it. But it continued to hantf on thruthe month of October, and got worse and worse. I went to 3 different doc^tors and spent a total of about 10 days in bed, and still had a badly congested chest and persistent cough. I badr^ severe attack of diff—iculy-in'breathing on the-afternoonC^'^Qctober 31» ^d spent the—next 3days in th^^J^i^^tp^feBSF^^^e^^s^ving oxygenan^^^^cd^herj^eatments. The doctorsaid I-^iF^cuie asthma^j^^Recovery was slow but steady during all of November, tely over the worst sickness I have had in 24years of living in Japan.

SPECIAL EVENTS DURING THE PALL? On Nov. 3> a Japanese holiday, we had aSunday School and church picnic on the empty lot next door to our house.The weather was fine, and about 60 people had a very good time participating in interesting races and games planned by Walter and Mary Maxey whoare now studying language at International Christian University in Tokyo,and frequently attend worship services here.

Nov. 21 we had a special Thanksgiving offering in both Simday School andChurch, and were pleased at the response by both children and adults. Atotal of $40 was sent to Ralph Barter in India for relief work there.

Dec. 5 we had a special Youth Sunday. Walter Maxey preached in excellentJapanese, I(Iary played her trumpet for special music, the daughter of a ladywho attends faithfully played the organ, and the college student who tea-

-ehes one-nfTrouap-S.S-.—Glaa&es- presi.de<l.^--Xt^was^_a^eal .blesa5ng>--iasd-j?e^a good attendance. Dec® 19th we hit a new record S.S. attendance of 4o.

°

OUR CHRISTMAS? Quite a few of our Japanese friends commented about howthis Christmas might be lonely with only four of us in Japan. Well, eachyear is different and changes do come, but we always try to make the bestof the opportunities this season offers to give and express joy to othersand for ourselves. This year our Christmas was memorable for its length,we had five days of sustained activity and joy, not to mention allthe funand hard work over several weeks of preparation.

1. On Wed, Dec. 22 we had parties for all of our English Class boysgirls. Prom 2 PM we had about 45 of the small ones (through 3rd grade),from 4 PM we had 32 4th, 5th and 6th graders, and from 7 PM we had 11middle school students here. All of them enjoyed games, home-made cookies, sang some carols, saw a movie about the birth and early life of Jesusand received a small book of Bible stories and pictures in English to encourage them in language study and contact with the church where classesare held each Wednesday afternoon.

2. Thursday was the Christmas party for Lois' Ladies Bible Class at Nak-ano. While she went to town for that I went to Christian Academy to hearthe Christmas program and bring the boys home for vacation. After stopping by Nakano to pick up Lois and a special steak supper, we had our family Christmas. Bobby and Danny had been preparing well ahead of time andmade and bi-ought interesting gifts for us, which we appreciated.

3. Friday morning Lois had a pizza party, gift exchaiige, etc., for her 11member ladies English class at Mejirodai. As soon as we had cleaned upthe dishes from that we left for the Paul Pratt house in Ise^ra wherethe missionaries had a get-together for the rest of the evening.

4. Christmas Day was a whirl of varied activity in preparation for the SSand church programs. That evening at 6s30 the children presented theirprogram to the largest attendance yet to assemble in our little building,111. We have only 50 chairs, so all the children not in the program sat onthe floor in front. First on the program was an "angel chorus" of 8

first-grade girls who were not in the plays. They wore their mothers*white under kimonas and white socks ^ and had made white cardboard wings j,lined with silver tinsel and tinsel halos. When the curtain opened on thisgroup in shining white a wave of applause arose from the audience. Eachclass (beginnerj primary, junior) presented a play. Bobby and Danny bothtook parts in them. Then attendance awards were given to all who had attended half or more of the Sundays of the year or more, a total of 22. Ourrecord attendance last Christmas was 20. The winner had come 48 times,

5. Sunday morning, Dec. 26, we had our Christmas worship service, with alittle over average attendance. Then in the evening we had a special program. We began with a 25 minute candle.service, and then had an interesting smorgasbord-type meal. Various kinds of Japanese food was spread outon tables luider signs indicating a shop specializing in that item. Several of the ladies worked very hard on Sat, and Sun. afternoons getting thatready. Then we exchanged gifts, and closed with some carol singing. Therewere 32 present, including two new families who had been invited by theirfriends. A wonderful spirit was evident,

6. On Monday morning, Dec. 27 (Sunday evening in Cincinnati, Ohio) we called our 3 children who had gathered in Hope and Tom*s apartment for a suk-iyaki supper together, and visited briefly with each one of them. Thisbrought our Christmas activities to a very satisfying and happy end.

MONEY EXCHANGES Some people have written to ask about the effects on usand our work of the recent headlines about monetary changes...devaluationof the dollar, and upward revaluation of the yen from 360 to 1 dollar to308 to 1. Of course this means a cut of almost 20^ of our income, becausewe change all dollars into yen. However, we receive yen income of about$100 per month from our English classes mentioned above, and this is aboutenough to tide us over the *'Nixon Shock" as the Japanese call it, for thepresent.

Yours in His serive,

Harold Sims

/

Slf-IS TOKYO MISSION Non-Profit Org.Forwarding Agents U.S. PostageFirst Church of Christ Paid

315 Orange Avenue FEB 10 1979 Eustis, Pla.Eustis, Florida 32726 Permit #57'

It 1 ' j

Address CorrectionRequested /77

Tokyo Christian"Go ye into all the tvorld and preach the gospel to every creature" Mark 16:15

Volume 71 April 1972 Number 2

DEDICATION AT KUMEGAWAThe Kumegawa Church of Christ,

Shigeru Akada minister, dedicatedtheir enlarged and renovated churchbuilding on February 6. In spite ofbad weather there was a large crowdrepresenting most of our churchesin the Tokyo area present for theafternoon service.

The A1 Hammond family boughta house frame from a U.S. militarybase, that was being dismantled,for a very low price about 10 yearsago, and with the help of the KyushuChristian Mission carpenter theyerected a building on alot they hadbought in this growing area northwest of Tokyo's center. The ratherlong building served for both theirliving quarters and Bible classesand other church activities for

some years.

The Hammonds returned to the

United States in 1970, and at thattime they sold the back part of thelot and also the part of the building that stood on that land to Mr.and Mrs. Takekawa, who are members of the church there and were

looking for a place to buy. Themoney received from this sale was

The Kumegawa Churchremodeled and was dedicated

to be used for improvements on thechurch part of the building.

After the young minister wasmarried last year planning for asmall upstairs parsonage andenlargement of the entrance andauditorium began. A Christian contractor did a very commendablejob. So now they' have a meetingroom twice the size of the former

one, walled with new plywood

l?ro. Akada, iniriisier ol' ihe Kumegawa Church pre-setiliiig a cerlilicaJe ol appreciation to the architectlor his work on the remodeling ol the church building.

building which has beenrecently.

paneling, a cry-room, and twoJapanese-styled rooms upstairs forliving quarters for the preacher andhis bride. The increased height ofthe building with the white crosson top makes it stand out so it canbe seen from a distance also.

RECENT VISITORS

TO TOKYO

Mr. E. A. Piquard, who worksfor the Caterpillar Tractor Co. inPeoria, 111. and is a member of thechurch in Creve Coeur, was in J apanfor several weeks during Februaryand early March on business withtjieir related company in Japan.During this time he visited severalof our churches and missionaryfamilies.

* * ♦ * *

Miss PatKenney, who has completed a term of service as a missionary nurse at the ChidamoyoHospital in Rhodesia spent a weekin Osaka and Tokyo, Japan on herway home to the U.S. for furlough.

Tokyo ChristianVol.71 April 1972 No. 2

Published four times a year inJanuary, April, July and November forthe missionaries of the Church ofChrist Cunningham Mission, Tokyo,Japan by Mission Services, Box 177,Kempton, Indiana 46049. Second classpostage paid at Kempton, Indiana.

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Buttray,2-26-4 Kamiochiai,Shinjuku-ku,Tokyo161 Japan. Forwarding Agent: Mrs.Homer Anderson, 622 Cullum Street,Meadville, Pa. 16335.

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Patton, 3-7-8Higashinakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164Japan. Forwarding Agent: Mr. and Mrs.G. Wade Fletcher, R.R. 7, Rushville,Ind. 46173.

Mr. and Mrs. Harold Sims, 3-33-7Mejirodai, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo 193Japan. Forwarding Agent: FirstChurchof Christ, Orange at Center St., Eustis,Fla. 32726.Two-year subscription $ .50Subscription and Flaming Torch$\.00

William Ellis in TokyoFollowing the missionary con

vention, Bro. William Ellis spokea number of times at differentplaces in the Tokyo area, and weenjoyed very much the good fellowship with him. He was also anattraction for the Japanesechurches. His speaking schedulein Tokyo was as follows:April 2 a.m. MejirodaiApril 2 p.m. Kamiochiai, with sev

eral other churches cooperating.April 3 (All day and over

night) Retreat with preachersand missionaries.

April 5-6 Sakurayama (Evangelistic meeting.)

April 7 ShimochiaiApril 8 IseharaApril 9 a.m. MinatoApril 9 p.m. Nakano

Pledding ^ells

-.1 j

Mr. and Mrs. Hiroaki Sato on the occasion of the

marriage at the Kamiochiai Church on March 20, 1972.

One of the most joyous experiences we have had in recent months

was the wedding of our co-workersin the gospel. Hiroaki Sato andMitsuko Kobayashi took their marriage vows on March 20 at theKamiochiai Church. Andrew offi

ciated at the ceremony and broughta short gospel message on theoccasion. The church building wasfilled with guests and well-wishers.

The reception was held at thechurch immediately after the ceremony with Brother Akada, ministerof the Kumegawa Church, as theM.C. A lot of prayer and work wentinto the wedding. The members ofthe Kamiochiai, Arakawa, andSakurayama Churches and some ofthe missionary wives cooperatedin the preparation and service. As

B E-

The Harold Sims family enjoying dinner with their neighborson New Year's Day.

a result it was a wedding in whichmany brothers and sisters in theLord had a great part. We are grateful for this fine cooperation.

Unfortunately, in Japan a wedding where both groom and brideare Christians is still a fairly rareoccurance. We are thankful to the

Lord that this wedding was notonly an occasion for the exchangeof vows but also one in which a

testimony to God's goodness andpower was given to the unbelieving members of the audience.

We believe that Hiroaki and

Mitsuko will form a good team andcan serve the Lord more effectivelynow. They will continue to minister to the Sakurayama and ArakawaChurches. Mitsuko has been teach

ing music in a public school buther teaching career will be terminated at the end of the school yearin March.

The father of the groom andminister of the Kamiochiai Church,Brother Fumio Sato, lost his wifein July of last year, but now hasgained a daughter-in-law. We joinhim in praying that the marriage ofHiroaki and Mitsuko will result in

God's glory and in the salvationof many souls.

— Andrew Patton

PATTON NEWS

Miss Kasabe who was baptized on March 12 at theSakurayama Church.

Our hearts were gladdenedagain in March when two youngladies were baptized into Christ atthe Sakurayama Church. First alady named Miss Oikawa was ledto Christ by her friend, MissYokooka, who attends the Sakaur-yama Church. They are fellow-students in a beauty school inTokyo. A few days later a formerEnglish Conversation student ofmine attended the worship serviceof the Sakurayama Church and madeher decision to accept Christ known.She was baptized on the followingSunday. She had been attendinganother church for several months

but had finally made her decisionto follow Christ. Both of the youngpersons accepted the Lord fromstrong convictions and they showpromise of a fruitful life for Christ.

We rejoice that Brother Saito ofthe Arakawa Church passed theentrance examination of the OsakaBible Seminary and will begin hisstudies for the ministry in April.We praise the Lord for this greatvictory for him and we look forwardto a fruitful ministry by BrotherSaito. We are sure he will be adiligent student of the Word. BrotherHirose whom we wrote about in the

Tokyo Christian, has compromisedwith his father and plans to postpone his entrance into Osaka Seminary until April 1973. He then willhave graduated from his university

and will already have received agood general education in preparation for beginning his ministerialtraining. We believe that his decision to delay his entering the Seminary was a wise one. Later he canenter the Seminary both with hisfather's blessing and with a generalpreparatory education as well.

The Sakuaryama Church held afour-night evangelistic meeting inthe first week of April. BrotherWilliam Ellis, minister in Orlando,Florida was in Japan at that timeas the special speaker for the Missionary Convention which was heldin Okayama Prefecture at the endof March. He was the evangelistfor half of the Sakurayama meetingsand another minister spoke duringthe remaining two nights.

Our daughter, Sharon, will begraduated from high school in Juneand immediately following thatplans to return to the States to enterCincinnati Bible Seminary. 1 willaccompany her to Ohio to help herget settled in school and then planto spend eleven weeks in travelingamong the churches. Our flight dateis set for June 12 and I have reservations on a flight back to Japanon August 29. Betty and our threesons will remain in Japan. Sharonand I will need about $600 for ourplane tickets to the States and wewould appreciate your help on this.Please send your checks for that

purpose to our forwarding agentand designate the gifts for ourtravel. We will also need a car in

which to travel during the summer.Loss on an investment in an auto

mobile would be too great for useonly through the summer. Therefore,if you have a car that you can lendus from the middle of June to theend of August we would be mostgrateful. Would those who can helpin this please contact our forwarding agent about it. If your church orgroup can use me as a missionaryspeaker during my short sojourn inthe States, please contact me.

Even though the official dollar-yen exchange rate has been peggedat 308 yen to the dollar, the dollarcontinues to decline in value in

transactions in Japan. No one seemsto possess enough optimism to predict a change for the better. Rightnow the actual amount of yenreceived from the bank for our

dollars hovers around 300 yen tothe dollar, with the exchange rateconstantly changing. In general,the rate tends to decrease with the

passage of time. This results in acontinuing decrease in the purchasing power of our dollars and in afurther squeeze on our bankaccounts.

Betty continues to progress inher recovery from the attack ofhepatitis. The other members ofour family are in good health. Wethank the Lord for His providentialblessings and protection.

We are grateful to you for yourprayers and your gifts. May ourGod continue to bless all of youand give you victory in every areaof your lives.

— Andrew Patton

cMoAold CUlA ^UfuiQelelnAcde 25tk AH4iMji-eAAx2A4f'

^ ^AanwuT

Harold and Lois Sims

Harold and Lois Sims had a

modest open house reception formembers of the local church and

other friends who were able to

come to their home in Mejirodai tocelebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary on March 21. Manythanks to friends in the United

States who sent cards and best

wishes for the occasion.

They took their vows back in1947 in the First Christian Churchof Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania whereLois' father was an elder and she

had grown up and Harold's fatherhad become the minister nine

BOX 177. KEMPTON, INDIANA 46049

months earlier. Aftera short honeymoon in Virginia, where they visitedtheir living-link churches at Char-lottesville and Newport News, theyreturned home for three days ofpacking and farewells and then leftfor Hawaii on March 31, 1947. Sixmonths were spent helping in thework that had been started by theOwen Stills on the windward side

of Oahu and waiting for militarypermits to enter Japan. They wenton to Japan in the fall of that year,and have lived there since exceptfor four years spent on furloughsin the United States.

"We feel that God, who doesall things well, truly gave us a richblessing when He gave us eachother."

missiomRy

meetinqThe annual fellowship of our

missionaries in Japan was heldthis year in Okayama Prefecture,south of Osaka, where Audrey Westis located. For some of the meet

ings we used the nice new YouthCenter they have built there, andas usual we stayed in a moderatelypriced Japanese inn. The meetingsbegan on Monday, March 27, andended on Thursday, March 30. Someof those attending went to Osaka

the next day to attend the graduation service at Osaka Bible Seminary. The featured speaker at thisyear's meetings was Bro. WilliamEllis from Orlando, Florida whobrought a series of messages onthe Church.

These dates coincided widipre-Easter vacations in the schools,so the children and whole families

could attend and get to know eachother better.

MEJIRODAI

NEWSFor the past three months we

have had sermons planned according to a Theme of the Month. January —"The Christian and Society,"February —"The Christian and HisHome," March — "The Christianand The Church." One Sunday ofeach month we have had one of the

laymen from Minato church comeas a visiting preacher, and theyhave given very practical and profitable messages. Mr. Hatsushiba,an official of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, spoke in January; Mr. Hasebe, a high schoolteacher, spoke in February andincluded personal testimony aboutthe effect on his traditional Japanese home and family when hebecame a Christian, Mr. Kobayashi,part-owner of a brass foundry spokein March.

The second wedding in ourchurch was held on March 5. Neither

one of the couple were Christians,but they have been attending regularly for some weeks, and we arehopeful that they will continue andeventually establish Christ as thehead of their house. Her familymuch appreciated the helpfulnessand sincere good wishes of thefolks in the church here at the time

of the wedding. Some of the Sundayschool children came and stood

outside to see the bride, and onelittle second grader asked to comeinside to see it and behaved him

self like a perfect gentleman — incontrast to his usual behavior in

Sunday school.— Harold Sims

SIMS NEWSLETTER Pall 1972

Dear Friendss

During this summer -we have often brought back happy memories by asking at thesupper table who could remember where we were and what we were doing a yearago today. Although it was not nearly so rushed and filled with thrills asour time in the United States last year, we have had a pleasant, varied andinteresting series of activities during the past 3 monthsi V/e even planted alittle garden. Nothing did much good except the tomatoes, but we had enoughdelicious ones for our family's daily use without buying any at,the store for6 weeks during July and August from our 10 thriving plants. Also, Bobby hadhis first job. He worked for a month (with pay of $3.30 per day) at the nearby Honda place, repairing and servicing motorcycles and small cars. It was agood experience for him in many ways, and because he is very interested inmotors and wheels it was also a lot of fun.

During May and-June we spent a lot of thought and time discussing the possibility of starting a kindergarten in our neighborhood. The people of the area were urging us to do it, and a real opportunity seemed to be opening up.But because of various financial and legal complications that would be too involved to explain here, it is not going to be possible for us to do it. Verylikely the railroad company that developed this area will build and operate akindergarten here answering to the needs of the community, and we will probably be able to use the building for additional Sunday School rooms, and wehope to teach some Bible classes there after it gets started,

VISITORS

In mid-June we enjoyed a 3 uay visit with Dr,He comes frojn Napa, Calif., but they live-TT5w''l!n"1l^ihH:liicum ,where he is connected with Johns Hopkins Hospital, They had spent 3 monthsat the Mashoko missionary hospital in Rhodesia, and were on their way home.

In early Jime we were pleased to have a visit from Mrs,..Mjld^^d Matj^iews ofKewport News, Virginia. She was the wife of the late" Carl MSTttheWs, for 21years the minister of our living—link churchs Northside Church of Christ, Shewas with a group of school teachers on a tour of the Orient, and was able toworship with our group here and stay in our home,

July 22, M^^.andJ/Irs. J. Russell .Morse. and Eugene and Helen and their sixchildren arrived in Japan^^mr'tKdfFWy hoffle^^ deported from Burma.They were here in our little chin^ch in Mejirodai for both services on SundayJuly 23, and all of us were greatly edified by their testimony and exemplarymissionary lives. We had to sleep half of them on the floor, but that is noproblem to all people coming from that direction. They have had many wonderful experiences during the past 11 years since they last passed thni Japan,

Stephen and Carol Pleenor invited all of our missionaries to the Pleenor CsimpHouse anytime during the week of July 17-22, We could only go for 2 days butwe enjoyed that little trip up into the mountains very much, Thtirsday night6 of the boys and 6 men went on a camping trip, sleeping out in an open field.The next day we went for a long ride over rough roads through unspoiled mountains, stopping once to go swimming in an ice—cold mountain stream and several times to look at scenery, including a beautiful waterfall,

CAMP

Our camp air-Lake Motosu, August 7-12 , was another good time away-from Tokyoin the cool, clean, mountain air. We had a total of 110 campers, including8 from Mejirodai. Most of these came from our English classes, and had nocontact with the Gospel message until the days at camp. Many others at campwere first-timers too, so it was a good opportunity for evangelism. We hadno baptisms at camp, but 2 young people were baptised at their home churchesthe week following camp, and most who went from here say they plan to go again next year and stay for the full week if possible. One boy suffered abroken arm during a softball game one afternoon, but that was the most serious accident we ever had at the camp,

Ron Seacat, a Navy medical corpsman from Ashland, Kansas who is stationed atIwakuni, Japan came to visit us during his leave, and went to camp with us.Also the group of 13 young people from Cincinnati Bible Seminary called the'•New Ohio Singers" who were in Japan for the summer attended the camp and contributed a great deal to it by their good attitude of cooperation, and theirmusical programs.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

Aus. 20-27 we had our Vacation Bible School. Because of the hot weather andteacher's schedules the hours were 6s30-8;30 in the evening. We divided into5 classes. Since we have only a one—room chapel, three of the classes met inour home and one in a borrowed tent set up in the back yard.

The Ohio Singers stayed in Mejirodai that week and helped in different classes with handwork as well as presenting.a musical progr^ each night as partof the opening exercises. They also sang at a hospital and an old foik s honenearby. One of their favorite numbers was an arrangement of "Thp LittleLight of Mine", which they closed by cupping their hands around their mouthsand loudly whispering "Shine". The children learned this word the very first•time they heard it, and now when we sing this in Japanese we always have toend with the whispered "shine".

We kept 5 of the singers in our houpe and had at least a dozen people for every meal and up to 20 twice that week. We asked some of the church folk toentertain the singers in their homes and 4 families took 2 each. Some of themothers worried about language problems and differences in food, etc., but ineach case it turned out to be a real joy to both sides. It also gave us ^-opportunity to get acquainted with other members of the families of those moare coming to church. We had a total of 36 enrolled, including several newpeople who had not been to church before.

For the closing program we had a total of 53, including parents. Each classpresented part of. ,the program. The littlest ones sang "shine" with flashlights for effect; the Beginners gave a playlet about the Lost Sheep; Primary children showed handwork and explained the connection with the lessons;j-Q2iiors recited memory work and 2 girls gave an organ number. An oldersuimned'it up with her impression-of the relevance of Jesus to today's world,saying truly'Jesus Speaks To Our World Today" which was our theme.

NEWS

.^.v^ing the summer I bought a Japanese 16mm movie projector, taking advantageof a low price offer. We hope to make good use of it. I have borrowed theMoody Science Film "Dust or Destiny" and showed it 3 times to about ICQ folk.On^Sunday Sept, 10 we hit a new S.S. record attendance with 64.Tng Sundajr^ girls were oaptised. '~One-f:s aii 0 Lh-^xadci Chriot-ian school, and the other is a working girl who has been attending here torseveral months. She went on a trip to Europe this summer, and various impressions of things she saw and thought about seemed to clinch her decisionbecause she made her confession of faith the first Lord's Day after return-

gring home.four's in His service,

Harold and Lois Sims

(Some of you may not know that Harold's father, A.E. Sims, passed away at hishome near Powell, Tenn. a short time ago.)

SIMS TOKYO MISSION . Non-Profit O^pgn.First Church of Christ U.S. Postage Pd.315 Orange Avenue Permit No. 57Eustis, Fl. 32726 Eustis, Fl. 32726

ADDRESS CORRECTIONREQUESTED

/ '7 7

Christian"Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" S\ark 16:1%

Volume 71 November 1972 Number 4

SHINTO FESTIVALSSeptember is the month when

festivals and street processionsare held by the Shintoists in Japan.Generally a booth or room facing astreet is prepared and decoratedwith objects related to the Shintoreligion, such as portable shrinesand pieces of white paper cut in azig-zag pattern representing prayers. Usually older men sit in thesebooths sipping rice wine whilefraternizing with the public.

A large drum on wheels ispulled from the shrine to the boothand children, often dressed in garbworn at Festivals, beat the drumwith a set rhythm. Later a longrope is attached to the drum wagonand a long string of children pullthe wagon by tugging at the ropewhile other children ride on the

wagon beating the drum.Many strong-bodied youth, car

rying a portable shrine on theirshoulders and chanting sounds tokeep the rhythm of the march,accompany these children whilemarching in a zig-zag pattern. Afestive spirit usually helped bythe marchers, while police officersguide the traffic to protect themfrom accidents.

Usually during these festivalsthe people gather around raisedplatforms to be entertained by anyone having talent among them. Wineusually flows freely at that timealso.

Shortly after the street procession priests or other representatives of the shrine, using a weird-looking demon's head with snap

ping jaws as a hood, go door todoor throughout the community collecting donations of money for theshrine and its ministry.

It is difficult to know how manypeople involved In these festivalsare really sincere and how manyfollow out of custom or to be socia

ble. Many people, however, takepart in the festivities. These festivals enjoy police protection whilestreet meetings where the Christian gospel is preached are discouraged or banned for the sake ofsafety. The Shintoists who seemto have lost their power to hold thehearts or greatly affect the livesof people must resort to these festivals to hold the interest of the

people and collect funds.- Andrew Patton

motosu camp 19/2This year the Tokyo churches

again cooperated in a camp at LakeMotosu near Fujiyama the week ofAugust 7-12. The faculty consistedof three missionaries and five Japanese preachers. Two of the preachers' wives and Mrs. Patton took

charge of the big job of cookingfor the group. A total of 110 different people attended at leastpart of the camp, and we averagedbetween seventy and eighty forevery meal. More than one-half ofthose attending were non-Christians, and some of them had neverhad any real contact with the gospel message before the camp. Thispresented a good evangelisticopportunity, of course.

No one was baptized at thecamp, but we have heard of twocampers who made their decisionsand were immersed a week or so

after returning to their homichurches, and we are thankful forthat. Many people have commentedthat this was one of the best

camps ever from the standpoint ofcooperation and good attitude ofthe campers in KP duties, games,studies, keeping the rules andother ways. We were sorry that one

boy suffered a broken arm duringa Softball game one afternoon - -the only accident or injury thatserious in more than ten years ofcamp there.

One of the features of the program this year was the Ohio Singers ~ thirteen young people (mostly

(Continued on page 2)

Camp faculty members, Mr. lliroaki Sato, Mr. Kijima, Mr. Sims,

(Mr. Itagaki, and Mr. Akada, Mr. Fumio Sato is not pictured.

Tokyo ChristianVol.71 Nov. 1972 No. 4

Published four times a year TnJanuary, April, July and November forthe missionaries of the Church ofChrist Cunningham Mission, Tokyo,Japan by Mission Services, Box 177,Kempton, Indiana 46049. Second classpostage paid at Kempton, Indiarra.

Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Buttray,2-26-4 Kamiochiai,Shinjuku-ku,Tokyo161 Japan. Forwarding Agent: Mrs.Homer Anderson, 622 Cullum Street,Meadville, Pa. 16335.

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Ration, 3-7-8H igashinakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164Japan. Forwarding Agent: Mr. and Mrs.G. Wade Fletcher, R.R. 7, Rushville,Ind. 46173.

Mr. and Mrs. Harold Sims, 3-33-7Mejirodai, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo 193Japan. Forwarding Agent: FirstChurchof Christ, Orange at Center St., Eustis,Fla. 32726.

Two-year subscription $ .50Subscription and Flaming Torch%\.QO

PROSPECTIVE SITE FOR NEW CHURCH FOUND

We have already mentioned ourpast efforts toward finding a sitefor a new church work. In spite ofthe fact that there are numerous

communities in the Tokyo areawhere a Christian witness is not

borne, a suitable place for a newevangelistic effort is very difficult to find. We spent many hoursin survey work in the spring butwere not successful in finding asuitable site.

Soon after my return to Japan,however, Mr. Sato, our co-worker,and 1 were invited to lead a groupof people in Nishi-Ichikawa inChiba Prefecture that is meetingfor Bible study in a private home.We are now investigating the pos

sibility of taking up that work.This looks like the answer to our

prayers concerning a new Churchwork. We thank the Lord for this

opportunity and take courage inour efforts to evangelize the millions in the world's largest city.

Ichikawa is a large city nearthe border between Tokyo andChiba Prefecture. Having a population of several thousands of

people, the city has some industryof its own, but many of its inhabitants commute daily to the hugefactories and offices of Tokyo.Pray for us as we survey the possibility of mission work in thislarge city.

- Andrew Patton

MOTOSU CAMP 1972(Continued from page 1)

students of Cincinnati Bible Semi

nary) who came to Japan for evangelism this summer. They participated in all of the team activities,

PATTON NEWSgelism this summer. They partici- Now that my trip to America ispated in all of the team activities, over, we have settled down intoincluding Bible Dramas, and con- our regular routine of work. Noel,

Philip, and Stephen are back intheir school work and studies and

Betty has to spend a great deal of

tributed a lot to the joy and thespiritual life of the camp. Naturally the young people enjoyed theirlively, modem music with a Chris- her time in helping them at home.

A week of camp, a trip or two tothe mountains in Karuizawa, andother interesting activities helpedto make their summer an enjoyable

tian message, as well as practicing English with them. Besidesthe singers there were severalmissionary children and one U.S.Navy man attending who could not one and refreshed them for the workspeak Japanese, so 1 translated ahead.

Andrew has resumed his English classes, the proceeds fromwhich are devoted to the work.

Christian tracts are being handedto the students and personal invitations are given to them to attendthe Church services. He has alsobegun his English Bible class onSaturdays again, with the prospect

all of the chapel and vesper messages into English for them. Wealso had classes in English forthese young people while theJapanese were divided into MiddleSchool, High School and CollegeClasses to study the Bible underthe theme: "Learn of Me."

- Harold Sims

Part of the camp group at Motosu Christian Service Camp,

of some new members being addedto the group. Occasionally he isasked to preach either at the Saku-rayama or Arakawa churches whichhe is glad to do.

Unfortunately the summerbrought a slump in attendance andspirit at the Arakawa and Sakura-yama Churches. We are makingplans for increasing the attendancein our Bible schools and church

services and for reaching the lostin the two communities. A coupleof young Christians at the ArakawaChurch have been sorely temptedby the devil and are now shunningus in our efforts to reclaim them

from his power. They now have noenjoyment of the blessings of Godnor any desire or power to witnessto others. We are alarmed and dis

appointed at their condition andare doing all we can to help them.

An evangelistic meeting isplanned at the Arakawa Church forthe first week in November. A filmby the Billy Graham team will beshown on the opening night of themeeting. This meeting should helprevive the Church and reach the

lost.We thank God upon your every

remembrance of us.

- Andrew Patton

3, PtsttsLate Saturday night July 22

Russell and Gertrude Morse, missionaries for fifty-one years in theChina, Tibet and Burma area, andtheir eldest son Eugene, his wifeHelen, and their six childrenarrived at Tokyo airport. In twotaxis and our little Toyota Coronawe brought all of them and theluggage out to Mejirodai for a veryenjoyable week-end visit. (Peoplecoming from that direction don'tmind sleeping on the floor, youknow.)

On Sunday morning the Americans outnumbered the Japanese inour worship service, and we hada good sermon by Eugene on the

Faith of Abraham. During the afternoon the Claude Likins and Robert

Warrick families came to visit

them, and all stayed for a veryinspirational meeting that nightduring which Bro. Russell Morsespoke of their recent experiencesin Burma ~ including prison episodes that compare with those ofPaul and Silas. I interpreted bothof these messages into Japanese,and the few Japanese who heardthem were deeply impressed by thefaith and accomplishments of thisfamily.

Several weeks later the Englishlanguage "Japan Times" carried anarticle entitled, "Shangri-La Missionaries Finally Ousted" about

Vacation Bible School

At Mefirodai

The Daily Vacation Bible School group at the Sakurayama Church.

Last summer when we were in

the United States for a brief visit

we helped for a few days in twoVacation Bible Schools. Later we

were also offered some unused

materials that were left over after

the 1971 VBS season. So it turnedout that "Jesus Speaks to OurWorld Today" in the United Stateslast year, but from August 20-27,1972 in Japan. It was hard forsome of our teachers to get muchhelp from the English languagelesson comments, but they allquickly understood and appreciated

the interesting hand-work and well-planned visual aids.

We planned our school for thesummer vacation when most of the

families had already returned fromtheir trips and the children werelooking for something else to do.And we chose the evening hoursof 6:30 - 8:30 for physical comfortand the convenience of some. We

have only a small one-room chapel,so we used our living, family anddining rooms for three class roomsand then borrowed a tent from the

(Continued on page 4)

the "Morse Saga" written by a correspondent of the Los AngelesTimes who had contact with them

while traveling^ through S.E. Asia.As the reporter points out, theMorses were the last missionaries

to leave Burma. (The first missionary there was Adc5niram Judsonwho arrived in 1814.)

We do not feel sorry for the"poor missionaries" being deportedfrom their primitive and difficultlife in the jungles and mountainsof northern Burma to the homeland

they have not seen for elevenyears, but we do feel that Burmais poorer without them.

- Harold Sims

Ale^ J^cded^Mrs. Mildre^ Matthews, wife

of the former minister at Northside

Church of Christ in Newport News,Virginia, and a High School Counselor in that city, was on a tour ofthe Orient with a large group ofteachers and visited the Sims

family and Mejirodai church overthe week-end of July 9.

Ron Seacat, a medical corps-man with the U.S. Navy stationedat Iwakuni Japan visited us fromAugust 5-14, and went to camp withus. His home is in Ashland, Kan7sas.

Mrs. Hideko Miyashige, a member of Mejoirodai church, visitedthe U.S. for two weeks in Augustas one of a group of fifteen ladieswho won the trip as an award foran essay contest sponsored by theJohnson Wax Company.

Some of the missionaries in the

Tokyo area got together for a fewdays of fellowship during the thirdweek of July at the Fleenor's Campin the mountain resort town of

Karuizawa.

Bobby Sims worked for a monththis summer at the Honda Motor

cycle and Small Car Service Factory near our house.

- Harold Sims

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOLAT MEJIRODAI

(Continued from page 3)

local community office (usuallyused for funerals) and used thatfor our small Junior department,out in the yard amidst the cloudsof anti-mosquito incense.

The Ohio Singers were with usfor the week, and had a large partof the openings exercises everynight and then helped variousclasses with handwork. During theweek they also sang at the nearbyhospital, an old people's home andthe shopping arcade in the afternoons. Five of them stayed at ourhouse,--and four homes in theneighborhood kept two young peopleeach, which was an enjoyableexperience for both givers andreceivers of this hospitality.

We had only thirty-six enrolled,bur among those were several whohad not attended Sunday School orChurch previously. We also had agood many one night guests to hearthe Singers. Both teachers, helpersand students fully enjoyed ourweek of V.B.S. and we look for

ward to a bigger one next year.- Harold Sims

Ohio Singers Number Two who

toured Japan during the summer.

FORM 3579 REQUESTEDBOX 177, KEMPTON, IN 46049

r..

SHARON PATTON

ENROLLED IN BIBLE COLLEGE

On August 25 Sharon Pattonentered the Cincinnati Bible Sem

inary. On the following day I hadthe painful experience of biddingher farewell. Though we have afeeling of loneliness at parting,we do not fear for her well-being.We have committed her to God and

to our friends and brothers in Amer

ica, and therefore we believe thatshe will be cared for. Many of ourfriends and relatives have invited

Sharon to their homes when she is

free to leave the school campus.We appreciate this very much andit will encourage her and helpcheer her life away from home.

We have told you that Sharonspent the summer in Marietta,Georgia with our dear friends, theBill Culp family. We shall alwaysremember and be grateful for thekindness and helpfulness of the

Culps to her. They helped herabsorb some of the shocks of amissionary child on enteringsociety in America after spendingmost of her past life in a foreigncountry.

We hope that Sharon will beable to find a part-time job in Cincinnati to help with her expenses.But she will need financial helpabove that and we would appreciateit if you could help her meet thisneed. Perhaps there is a Bibleclass or some such group whocould help her in a regular way.Please let her or us hear from youabout that. Her address is: Cin

cinnati Bible Seminary, 2700 Glen-way Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio45204.

- Andrew Patton

Patton Returns To JapanMy eleven-week trip to the

United States ended on August 31when I arrived back in Tokyo. During the short trip I traveled almost8,000 miles by car and more thanthat by plane. I spoke to sixteenchurches, speaking to some of themtwice. I also participated in twoDaily Vacation Bible Schools, twocamps, and attended the NorthAmerican Christian Convention in

Cincinnati. Two trips were madeto North Carolina to visit myparents and at the end of AugustI was able to get Sharon settled in

Cincinnati Bible Seminary.The summer spent among the

Churches and with Christian people was a very enjoyable one.Wherever I went people were veryhospitable and helpful to me forwhich we wish to express our sincere thanks. Most of our supportershave met only a few Japanese andhave never seen any of the peoplehere to whom we minister the gospel of Christ. When we return toour native land and make a reportto them, it is about as direct acontact with the Japanese Christians that they have had. Thoughthey have never been to Japan orseen the work first hand, yet theirlove for Christ, and for the Japanese through Him, is so strong thatit prompts them to help support amissionary sent to them. That factboth humbles and makes us grateful. This kind of motivation and

ministry is the highest form ofservice to God and man.

We thank all of you who wereso hospitable, kind, and generousto me during the summer.

- Andrew PattonPrinted by Mission Services Press.

JAM 1 7 1973Christmas 1972

Dear Friends,

On November 15, yaara ap;o wfl ttrr^vftd In Japan, and we arethankful to say we are stTll here enjoying good health In spirit, mind andbody and knowing God's blessings upon our lives and work. We pray that ourfaithful and gracious Lord will bless each one of you abundantly throughoutthis joyous season and the new year.

The. Mejlrpdal church Is continuing to grow, though slowly.. We finishedan evangelistic meeting on Nov. 5 with the baptisms of 2 fine young peoplewho have been attending for about a year, bringing the tot.al up to 7 faithful,active and happy members added to the body of Christ since the beginning heretwo years ago. Our. Sunday_Si2bQi^^s.,c^eraglng In the high forties, and hada record 6k present on September^lO. -

We enjoyed haylng^9 dlffer©nt^Ji^iiirs from the U.S./\. In our homeduring the summer.;, "Lois l^eps a busy schedule of classes In addition to herdomestic chores. She has the Beginners Class In our Sunday School, 2 LadlesBible Classes, and 5 English Conversation classes for children and 1 for someof the women In our growing neighborhood.

<'̂ "^Hppe and Toni.and their daughter Becky (If) are still living In Cincinnati a different address.

with honors, from the Cincinnati Bible Seminarylast May. Davo>%s continuing his studies there, and has recently been calledto minister'±'0 the church In Shelby, Ohio.

Jonathan Is In his Sophmore year at C.B.S. He worked during thesummer and early fall at Frlsch's Big Boy Resturant.

Bobby)Is a Senior In High School at Christian Academy In Japan. Heworked at a Honda Service Garage during the summer and saved enough money tobuy himself a used 125 cc motorcycle. He also runs on the school crosscountry, track team.

Danny)ls In the sixth grade, and Is progressing In his piano lessonsand In many other ways.

My father departed peacefully and easily from this life to his eternalhomo on October 12, after 82f years (over 30,000 days) of good living. Ireceived the message ).n,.H.lTps.hlmawhere I was preaching a 4-day evangelisticmeeting. There was no real heed *Tor me to go home for the funeral, since mybrothers would be able to take care of everything; and I was sure he wouldhave wanted me to continue that meeting. So while our family burled my father'sbody on a hillside In Tennessee I preached to 7 Japanese people in a little12 X 18 church building next to a rice paddy full of golden ripe grain on theoutskirts of the famous atom-bombed city In western Japan. 4t both ends ofthe earth God was with us=F^mmanuel.

Yours In His service.

BchdlJ. J hin^ pu ^oed iidinp

sj (^fieai jeij which $hall he is

alt ji^sjile.

'Jlnis tjsu is Isfin a Savisufi which

is Chiisi ihc Xsid!

II 2.-/C. //

!'.'/? Japan Sunday School Union No.2392