Final Report . . . as an Intern, that is.

How the winds of change are blowing! For everyone on the team, this is a new beginning, yet God is using the experiences He has already led us through to equip us for our next steps. We go from living in Japan as missionaries to; reporting in Canada and America, entering graduate school, finding jobs, receiving training and helping with church planting in other Asian countries. Lord, your light is our life. As you have led us before, lead us now. You have shaped us according to your purpose and called us to serve you in places where there are people that need to know your love. In your goodness, Father, please continue to grow our faith, increase our strength and desire with which to serve you, and allow people everywhere that don't know you to see your glory.

Asia Missions Forum: The yearly forum was in Bali, Indonesia in early August this year. It was incredible! We were a group of about 100, missionaries from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, China, New Zealand, Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia and India. Joel, Jon, and Ben all worked very hard on organizing and leading the forum this year. They did a great job! The main speakers this year were Kerry Holton (professor at York College) and Steve Sikes (full time minister and former YC professor). The theme was from 2 Chronicles 7: "...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from thier wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land." We spent time in worship, time meditating and relfecting together about the meaning of seeking God's face and the significance of our identity as his people. It was an amazingly rewarding and uplifting time!

Saying Goodbye: Watching Joel, Ben, Erica, and the Straker family pack up and prepare to leave Sendai for a while has been a very emotionally intense experience. Although there are many different feelings present at transitional moments like this, the strongest by far have been a deep appreciation for my team and overflowing thankfulness for the Lord Jesus, our Hope and Guide. Seeing groups of people come to the church and share about their experiences with each member of the team has been a really welcome opportinity to thank God again for all of the Bible studies, parties, cooking classes, singing classes, soccer games, volleyball games, sewing sessions, devotionals, one-on-one reading sessions, coffee shop conversations, cell group gatherings, meals shared in the Life Center at the church building and meals shared around the table at home. So many connections, so many memories, so many impressions left on peoples' lives by God's mighty hand. Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to reflect on your accomplishments and displays of power in Sendai over the past few years. What an outpouring of love and well-wishes this team has received! Continue to nurture and grow our relationships. Thank you for watching over Ben, Joel, Erica and the Strakers as they make adjustments to their next "phase" of ministry. Continue to lead them and bring them closer and closer to your heart everyday.

Cell Group: a new season: We began again last week, meeting with both the members from the cell group Erica and I were leading and two of the members of Ben and Joel's group. We ate, worhipped, shared about our lives recently and read from Luke together. I was good to gather again! I think we had all missed it. Lord, thank you for the opportiniy for Japanese Christians to minister to Japanese non-Christians through this small group.

Kindergarten: I love my job! I love the kids! I'm learning a lot everyday. Joel got to come in and share about Canada for culture day before he left, and Ben and Erica also got to come in the meet the kids. Please pray that I can be a light for them, that I can have courage to take advantage of ministry opportunities with my coworkers as well. Thank you, Great Provider, for this blessing and remind me that I am to take what you give me and return it for your purposes.

Sasha is coming!!! She'll be here in about two weeks and I can hardly WAIT! I'm really excited for her to begin her year-long internship here, knowing that her giftedness will bless many people in the course of her time here. Please be praying for her; her transition to living in Japan, the start-up process for her ministries, for her financial support, and for the hearts of the people she'll be working with.

Thank you again, everyone, for your support in prayer and in funds. God has smiled on us! Thank you for being with me through this experience and for your continued prayer support. Please continue to check this blog for updates about Sasha, cell group, and the kindergarten.

May/June Report: Making Transitions

Summer is here! This time of year is always packed with activities and contact with new people. There is always a group of people at the church and God is blessing conversations! Lord, thank you for the opportunities you are providing for people to make connections with each other! As summer activities continue to bring people together, please allow for and bless opportunities that we have to teach and encourage people through your Word.

LST Team: At the beginning of this month, our 8-week full-time Let's Start Talking team from York College arrived in Sendai. Each person on the four-person team will have reading/discussion sessions with about 16 different Japanese people one-on-one. It's been good to see how the team is starting to the bond with their new friends and have conversations full of God's rich blessings. Also, the church is hosting two Missions Apprentice Program interns from York that help with reading sessions, shadow the missionaries in different activities and responsibilities. One LST team member shared tears with her reader recently as they discussed the different types of soil described in Luke 8. As the two talked about the different "heart conditions" that each kind of soil represented, the need for life change became obvious for this reader, and God lovingly planted a seed in her heart. Lord, please allow Marina meditate on what she learned about having a noble and good heart. As she hears your word and retains it, nourish the seeds that have been planted in her. Thank you so much for all the conversations that are happening now because the LST team is here.

English Playmates: This summer, I began a class called English Playmates for young children that also come to the church building when their parents have reading sessions. Usually Erica or one of the MAP interns helps with the class. We start with a short English lesson, followed by a craft. We have also gone to the nearby park to play and have read Bible stories in Japanese together. It's always a great time to practice Japanese, teach English, and enjoy the kids' personalities.

Cell Group: Take a look at this picture. Now double the number of Japanese people, add Erica and I, throw in some songbooks, Bibles, and a few hard-hitting discussion questions relating to God's grace. What you end up with is our Monday night cell group! This small group comes over to our apartment for worship and time studying about and discussing the Bible: Chihiro, Kazuhiro, Yui, Yuko, Michiaki, and Haruna. Yuko is one of the young Christians at Sendai church of Christ. The other five are university students that have a great deal of interest in finding out more about Christianity after studying with us individually this year. Every Monday during June and July, we meet to share a meal, have worship time, and discuss our topic for the night. The first two nights, we talked about a story that parallels the God's gift of grace from the book "In the Grip of Grace." The third night we read from Genesis together about sin putting distance between man and God. Last time, talked about what sin looks like in our lives today and how God gives us grace to overcome that sin. This Monday, Jonathan will give a presentation about the history of the Bible for a combined group (the group that meets at our apartment and the group that meets at Joel and Ben's house). What a good opportunity having this small group has been for Erica and I to see where our friends are in their search for truth and to answer their questions individually. Michiaki is especially fascinated, confused, and searching in the midst of our discussions. He is definitely asking guestions and thinking deeply about grace. Would you please keep him and all of our friends in your prayers? Please ask Him to make their hearts ready for His message of grace. Thank you!

Ministries as a Team: Recently, Joel, Ben, Jon, Erica and I were asked to sing at the wedding of Fusako, a friend that the team met one of the first times they were in Sendai as an L.S.T. team. We also have opportunities to sing at the other events, like the Gospel meeting at the church tonight. The preacher at the Mito church is coming to be a guest speaker. We are also singing at chapel service for Shokei College, a school in Sendai where we have several contacts through L.S.T. Jonathan continues with coffee shop, which is an excellent relationship-building oppotunity because readers stay around after their L.S.T. lesson to enjoy a cup of coffee and more conversation. Many readers feel that this is a safe environment for them to ask more questions about God and faith in Him. Joel and Ben go to Watage every week for a group Bible study and for sports day. Joel oversees all the details that go with being the L.S.T. coordinator and is in close contact with the Friendscamp team for this year, making preparations for them to arrive and host camp in late July. Thank you for your prayers for all of us! Lord, thank you for the blessing and the testimony this team is. Give us strength to continue to glorify you in all we do.

From Intern to Kindergarten Teacher! The end of the Asia Missions Forum (Bali, Indonesia) in August marks the end of the internship here for Erica and I. After that, I plan to continue living in Sendai for at least one more year. I recently accepted a teaching position at a language school in downtown Sendai. In mid August, I will become the teacher for the English kindergarten that is run by this school (Abroad Language School and Learning Center). God really provided for me with the timing and amazing working environment that I've experienced so far with this company! Please thank Him in prayer with me! He is good!

Transitions: This year has flown by so quickly! In a few short months, our the team will be making transitions into different areas: Ben, Erica, and the Straker family are returning to the USA and Canada for a furlough and then work/school; Joel will also return for furlough and then travel to several countries in Asia for short-term internships and missions equipping/training; Crimsen will be returning to Sendai from her one-year furlough in September; Sasha, a former Sendai L.S.T. team worker planning to do a one-year internship in Japan, will be joining Crimsen and I here after she raises funds. As all of these transitions are happening, would you please keep all of us in your prayers?

THANK YOU!!! I look back on this year and am humbled by the kindness and support you have all shown. Erica and I have always had everything we needed and never had to worry about having prayer cover or enough money for everything we needed. What a blessing from God! Lord, I lift up your name, convicted that you are the Giver of good things. Father, thank you for your grace and love and power. Thank you for the support we've received from so many people, making it possible for us to be in Sendai for this year. Please continue to water seeds that have been planted in your name. We love you, Lord! In Jesus, Amen.

March/April Report: The end of an amazing quarter

Happy Birthday, Akiko!
On the far right, loving friend and amazing language teacher Akiko san celebrated her birthday yesterday! What a kind, gentle person and encouraging Christian sister! We've been so blessed to be able to build a relationship with her. Erica and I recently studied the first half of Esther with Akiko, each of us letting the story impact us in new ways. After traveling to Cambodia with Ben, Joel, Jon, 17 from Japan and 72 all together last month, she has a renewed vision for world missions and a desire to serve as a missionary. Happy Birthday, Akiko! Chihiro san and Yuko san made the party complete!

Gospel Singing Class: Looking ahead to our mini-concert at the "Night of Music" party in May, we are practicing hard! Our numbers continue to be around seven or eight each time we meet and God has really blessed me and Erica in our opportunities to share His character with this class. They enjoy the music and are learning about how God finds pleasure in our praise. They offer insight and continually ask questions when we discuss the meaning of each song we sing. Lord God, you have blessed this group. As they continue to seek understanding of who you are, please show them how much you love them and are eager to draw them closer to you.

Monthly Activities: On the last day of February, we had a Valentine's Day party. The highlight of this activity was an activity called "Spread the Love," where we passed valentine's day cards we made for ourselves around in a big circle and each person had a chance to write something encouraging on everyone else's card.
March 24th was Ladies' Tea. There were ten women in all, and we are so thankful that some of our readers could meet and talk with church members at the party.
On Saturday, we will host a cherry blossom-viewing party in a park near the church.
Father, we know that you desire for us to share our faith. Thank you for the opportunities the church members in Sendai have had to do that with nonChristians in the area through monthly activities.

Language Study: My Thursday one-on-one Japanese classes with Saito sensei from the Sendai International Center have been so interesting! We meet once a week and have class entirely in Japanese. I stumble to spit out sentences much of the time, but I learn so much from her and enjoy our growing friendship! She took me to the library today and helped me get a library card.
Monday mornings with Jon, Akiko, and Michiko continue to fill my mind with knowledge of the language and culture.
Monday afternoons with Ben boost my confidence for applying the Japanese I know in everyday situations.
Lord, you have blessed me tremendously with my language teachers. Thank you for their patience and encouragement. Thank you for the capacity you have given us to learn other languages and become a part of new cultures.


One-on-one Bible Studies: In this monthly report, I'd like to concentrate on one of the students I read with, Kazuhiro. Not only have we been experiencing Luke's gospel together, but also have spent time in Exodus, Psalms, and John. Kazuhiro has a hunger for knowledge of God, mentioning often how intrigued he is by Christian philosophy. Now, after several months of study together, I have observed his search evolving from an interest in knowledge of the basics of Christianity to an evaluation of the desire he has to follow God. In our last class, he observed that he has everything he needs and thus, wonders what more can be gained by a relationship with God. Father, I ask again for your wisdom. I am preparing to meet Kazuhiro shortly. Please guide me with your Spirit and continue to reveal your glory to him. Please pray!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you always for y0ur encouraging emails, letters, cards and packages! Thank you for your support. Most of all, thank you for your PRAYERS!!!

January/February Report: Renewed Perspective

God has used many experiences over the past two months to show me that a ministry philosophy, just like an understanding of and relationship with God, should be dynamic. As we grow and are molded by different people and experiences, so God grows our faith and strategies for sharing that faith with others.

God is working in Japan, friends! Thank you for taking time to read about them and pray.

Hokkaido: Upon my return to Japan on December 26th, the team traveled together to Nisseko and Sapporo in the northern island of Hokkaido. Michiko's family hosted us and it was a joy to get to know them and see Michiko, Jon, and Hijiri together with family and friends. We were able to do many things while we were there: celebrates birthdays (Joel's 29th and Hijiri's 1st), ski, play games together, worship together, greet the new year and enjoy much time eating and fellowshipping with each other. This picture is from a concert at maternity clinic/hospital owned by friends of the Umeharas who attend the same church. We were able to meet many people there, experience how the facility ministers to families, and even sing for a family welcoming a brand new baby into their love. A beautiful experience!

Osaka: After a couple days of unpacking and repacking following our return from Hokkaido, Ben, Joel, Erica and I left Sendai again to meet Judith and Gae (missionaries working in Ibaraki, Japan) in Osaka. For about a week, the six of us were able to talk with, pray with, and observe missionaries Chad and Jennifer Huddleston and meet the team they work with to plant churches in that area. After being a part of that house church environment and experiencing active and intense moments in prayer, our team came away with a renewed perspective on and vision for ministry in Japan. Prayer is so much a part of what that team does. The experience reminded us all in a powerful way how important and integral prayer is in ministry. My love for Japanese people and awareness of their need for faith grew. Japan needs more missionaries! When you have a moment, will you please pray from Luke 10:2? "He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."


Kojima: It was such a joy to be able to go to Kojima in Okayama prefecture with Erica for a couple of days during the Osaka visit. Erica interned for Brent and Sandy Rogers, the missionaries there, for several months last year and it was a rich blessing to see her reconnect with her friends. We helped the team prepare for a Christmas party and got to meet many new readers. Would you please pray for the ministries in Kojima? Pictured here are Miho, Kumi, and Miao san. Each of these three ladies are studying English with a mission team from Chico, California.


Back in Sendai: It's good to be home! Upon beginning our second quarter, Erica and I have seen God working in the hearts of the people we read and discuss the Bible with. Here are some of the questions our Gospel Singing Class talked about last time after we sang "The Greatest Commands" together:

• How do you love God? Is it the same as loving your parents?
• What happens if a person does not love God?
• Why do I have to love God?
• If God loves everyone, why do some people go to hell?
• Are there people who believe in God out of fear?
• Why did God create people?
• Why did God become a man?

Lord, we ask for Your wisdom in answering questions about our faith. We want others to feel the love that we have experienced and come to faith because of that love.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

Birthday Bonanza!

In January and February, we celebrated about a bazillion birthdays!!! Happy Birthday Hijiri, Gae, Yoshinori, Haruna, Mawatari Sensei, Keiko, Rumiko, Chihiro, Sachiko, Michiaki, Megan (in York)...if I forgot someone, I'm sorry! God loves you, Friends!!! I'm thankful for all of you!

November and December Report: A Wealth of Reconnections

I’ve been in the United States since the 11th of this month. I returned to be a part of my brother Marc’s wedding. In the last couple weeks, I’ve been able to spend time with family and close friends in several places. I visited with the East Hill church family in York, Nebraska. I traveled down to Oklahoma to see Marc and Katie begin their marriage together (a beautiful ceremony!) and to see friends and family from all over the country. Finally, I’ve spent quality time here in Leavenworth with my mom, Cindy, and my dad, Ron. I was also able to share a little bit about Japan with the youth group and Ladies’ class at Leavenworth Church of Christ. God has blessed me with this time of rest. I return to Japan on Monday. Would you please keep me in your prayers as I travel? I am looking forward to returning home and seeing my teammates and other friends again. I have missed them so much!

One-on-one Bible Studies: I participated in many interesting conversations in Bible studies during November and December. I have been especially humbled and encouraged by discussions with Michiaki and Akiko. Michiaki has probably had the most questions about the Bible out of any of those with whom I read. Akiko and I have nearly finished studying the Gospel of Luke together. She struggles with many of the things we have talked about but is truly amazed by Jesus’ life. Both she and Michiaki are involved in the gospel singing class that Erica and I lead. They offer insight about things they have learned and thought about with the group. Please pray specifically for these two seekers!

Gospel Singing Class/Ladies’ Night Out: After talking with Gospel singing class participants, Erica and I decided to meet every week next quarter as opposed to once every two weeks so that we are able to connect with the group more often and teach more songs! We are so thankful to God for guiding us through our first quarter of group classes and for leading so many people to participate in devotionals at the church over the past few months. A big ‘thank you’ to Erica for planning and leading these classes for the two weeks that I’ve been in the States!

Monthly Activities: Soup and Games night in November was a gathering of about 40 people at the church. Erica’s parents, sister, and brother were in Sendai and able to help us make soup and keep games going in several groups. This month, Erica put in a lot of hard work to prepare for Cocoa, Cookies, and Carols.

Travels: Please keep the Sendai team in you prayers as we travel to Hokkaido, Osaka, and Ibaraki from December 27th to January 15th.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Debi Hobelman, Sendai Japan

Monthly Report 3: The Three-Month Mark

As Erica and I celebrate the three-month anniversary of the day we came to Sendai, we realize that God has worked through us and through others around us in ways we could not possibly have imagined He would. We are blessed by times of worship in which we are able to lay praise at the feet of Jesus together with our Japanese brothers and sisters. We have constant contact with non-Christians at the church and in other places, many of whom have shown strong interest in learning about what it means to follow Jesus. We are able to express ourselves in Japanese at times and are learning more every day. We have grown together as teammates. We have shared our faith, and have been moved as those around us have shared theirs. Father, thank you for your providence and guidance over the last three months. Thank you now for the way you will work in the hearts of people in Sendai, Japan in the future, showing them your love for them in powerful ways.

Gospel Meeting in Hachinohe:
From September 18-20, Erica, Ben, Paul Mawatari, and I visited Hachinohe for a Gospel Meeting and LST activity. Many church members and LST readers from this summer’s project participated. Erica and I met a young Christian from Morioka named Yoko. She joined us in Sendai the next weekend to spend some time and worship with us. Please pray for her. The church in Morioka is very small and she was fed by her time in Hachinohe and in Sendai with a larger community of believers.

Group Classes:
A new quarter has begun! Erica and I are teaching group classes for the first time and learning a lot! We have met once for our Ladies’ Night Out class and once for our Gospel Singing Class. Please pray for courage as we lead these classes for the first time and for the relationships between non-Christians and church members that attend to grow.

One-on-One English Bible Studies:
Erica and I are each studying the Bible with 12 LST readers from this summer. I have studied with most of my readers two or more times now, and it is exciting to see how our relationships are progressing. We feel more comfortable with each other and we always find ourselves looking at the clock and wondering where the time has gone. Many have shared very interesting and encouraging insight into Scripture.
Would you please pray for those I’m studying with by name? Megumi is an older woman who has had a long relationship with the mission team and has done LST reading sessions for a few years. She has a Bible of her own and is looking forward to knowing more about what it says. Kazuhiro is a physics student at Tohoku University who is looking to improve his English so he can study abroad. He thinks deeply about passages in the Bible and asks really good questions. Chihiro is also researching several areas related to physics and is pursuing her doctoral degree. She has read with LST teachers for about three years. Michiaki is a mathematics student who is very amazed by the miracles Jesus performed. He is also in a group Bible class taught by Ben and Joel. Shuichi is an older businessman who wants to expand his knowledge of the Bible. Please pray that as he does so, that he will find faith. Daiki is a restaurant worker with little English, but is drawn in by activities at the church, enjoying the fellowship very much. Rina is a young mother who is very interested by the deeper meanings of Jesus’ parables. Itsuko is a contact the mission team made at the International center in town. She loves to have conversations in English. Katsuyoshi is a graduate student in law. He would like to research the Bible. Tomomi is another young mother who is struggling to understand how a relationship with God can provide guidance and comfort to her in the midst of many painful experiences. Akiko is a single woman whose children are grown. She struggles with loneliness but has been coming to worship every Sunday morning that she is able too. Please pray that she will see that Jesus is the cause for our joy! Namiko is a high school student whose parents are both Christians. She, herself, has shown resistance to the idea of becoming a Christian until recently. She has been coming to church, but has very recently become very busy with studies. Please pray for my friends!!!

Monthly Report 2: Getting to Know our Family

Opportunities to meet and connect with people, in Sendai and in other nearby cities, this month have opened my eyes to the network of church families in Japan. Erica and I met many church members in our travels to the Ibaraki prefecture and to Hachinohe. What a blessing to have faces for the believers I know are worshipping and ministering in other places in Japan!

Fellowship with family in Sendai has also ministered to us in a huge way. It’s been so rewarding to spend time with church members every Sunday in worship and to continue loving and serving each other at the fellowship meal after services. The mission team (Joel Osborne, Ben Berry, Crimsen Ruhnke and Jonathan Straker) left for three weeks to attend the annual Asia Missions Forum in Cambodia and spend time with missionaries in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand as well. Erica and I found ourselves wishing we could have gone with them, but were also very thankful for the time we were able to spend together in Sendai. We were able to deepen our friendship, explore our surroundings, study and plan, meet new people, and spend time with friends we met through the Let’s Start Talking program. A lot of growing has happened this month, for which we both thank God, who always provides.

Church Meeting in Ibaraki:
For the 10th, 11th and 12th of this month, Erica and I were in Ibaraki prefecture for an area summer church meeting. We spent a lot of that time with Judith Alexander, a missionary in Takahagi. It was her responsibility to organize the class for the youth at the meeting, so we got to help her with that and also with the preparations for housing many of the college-aged women that attended. One of the activities that the young people participated in was a trip to an area children’s home to teach songs and play games and find other ways to make connections with the children that live there. It was so good to work with Judith, connect with young people she works with, and to meet other missionaries and ministers in the Ibaraki area.

Hachinohe LST Activity:
Hachinohe (hah-chee-no-heh) is a city Aomori prefecture that is about four hours North of Sendai by car. A missionary couple from the Tachikawa congregation in Tokyo, Steve and Debbie Carrell, drove up to meet us Sendai. From there we all went to Hachinohe together on the 18th, 19th, and 20th of August. Erica and I led a Let’s Start Talking follow up activity there and worshipped with the congregation on that Sunday. The church has about seven members, It was good for us to see them working together and to fellowship with them.

Language Study:
We’re plugging away! Erica and I are now most of the way through our first textbook, so we are celebrating how far we’ve come and continuing to ask for patience and strength for the road ahead. While the mission team was traveling in Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, the two of us were responsible for our own language study. It was a good opportunity for us to find out about our learning styles and to keep each other accountable. Our biggest challenge now is using what we’ve been studying. It’s intimidating to know that communicating something to a Japanese person in their language requires them to wait patiently while you find the right words. What a deep appreciation I now have for English-language learners!

Time with Readers and Church Members:
Ever since the Let’s Start Talking team went home in late July, Erica and I have met with a few of the readers to spend time together in several ways. We went sightseeing with Keiko, her daughter Yuma, and another reader, Yui (see picture). Akiko invited us to her house for a barbeque with other LST readers: Daiki, Haruna, and Kaiyoko. We went to see fireworks with Namiko and Yumika. It’s exciting to feel bonds starting to form with readers and with church members. Every Sunday after worship service, the church has a fellowship meal. Over and over again I am touched by the kindness of this family, how they work together, and their patience with my language barrier.

Thank you so much for your prayers, emails, financial support, and all your well wishes.
Debi Hobelman
O, Thou who changest not, abide with me.

Monthly Report 1: Finding Home in a New Place

Greetings from Sendai, Japan! It has been just about one month since Erica Towell and I arrived here to begin our one-year internship and time has flown!!! Between moving in, beginning language study, and trying to involve ourselves as much as we can with the contacts the church has made through the Let's Start Talking program, our hands have been full!

Moving in:
God has graciously provided us with an apartment that is everything we need and more. It's cozy, while big enough to host devotionals and Bible studies. The location is perfect (about a ten minute walk from the church, a five minute walk to the missionaries' house, and just around the corner from a convenience store). Quite a few church members and other friends of the missionaries have donated furniture and appliances for us to use for a year, as well, and we have been very blessed by their help.

Language Study:
Every Monday and Thursday morning, Erica, Eryn Halstead (a six week intern) and I meet with Jonathan Straker, one of the missionaries, to study Japanese. We go through one lesson each class time, so we learn about eight new sentence patterns a week. Jonathan's wife, Michiko, also helps with our study. On Mondays, Michiko meets with us to talk about Japanese culture. Right now we are focusing on basic ettiquette. Both the language study and the culture study have helped us identify and communicate with Japanese people a little more everyday.

Let's Start Talking Program:
Right now, the six-person Let's Start Talking team from York, Nebraska is finishing up their six week project at the church. This summer, about eighty-five Japanese people have had English discussions in a one-on-one setting about passages from the Gospel of Luke. It has been so good to see how each member of the team relates to their readers in a special way. Erica and I have spent much time at the church while the reading sessions are going on to greet readers as they come in and to begin to establish friendships with them. When the Let's Start Talking team returns to the States in a few days, Erica and I will keep in contact with these readers about one-on-one Bible studies, group Bible classes, and monthly activities that we hope to host beginning in September.

Friends Camp:
On Friday, a week-long camp for Let's Start Talking readers and members of the church begins. A camp team made up of several members of the East Hill Church of Christ in York, Nebraska, will be arriving tomorrow night to observe the mission team in action and to prepare for the camp. The team includes several members of the missions committee at East Hill. Those attending the camp hosted by this team will have opportunities to discuss several passages of scripture in discussion groups, providing LST readers with added exposure to the Bible and opportunities to connect with church members.

O, Thou who changest not, abide with me.