Henry
and
Pastor
D.
We went down to Prince Frederick MD for the evening service at New Life Baptist Church. Pastor DiChiacchio and his wife have been there for several years. The church is in a building program, now waiting on the county to approve the plans. Henry gave a testimony since they did not have a projector for the DVD. He fielded some questions then preached the sermon about A Cup of Cold Water. It was better the second time around.
The Bryant family is a member of this congregation. Henry taught the son and daughter, Gordon and Anna, many years ago. They are a fine Christian family who have taught their children right. Anna and her family live nearby; we hope to get to see her, time permitting. She is about to have her 12th or 13th child. It is always good to see people still serving God 25 years down the road.
We had a lunch date with Pastor King from Granite Baptist Church in Glen Burnie. We met him and his wife, son and daughter at the church, then drove over to a restaurant called The Grill. It was between the Chesapeake Urology Association on one side and the plastic surgery place on the other. Hmmm. Anyway, the food was really great; Henry had some Maryland crab soup.
Next summer, Pastor King, his son and daughter are planning to visit us in Japan in July. He and Henry made some preliminary plans for their time there. He wants to do a three-day VBS as well as visit Japanese sites. It sounds exciting, so we have some work to do.
After lunch, we called the Ed Ocker and he said it was OK for us to come over; they lived about an hour from where we were, near the Potomac River. When we got there we drove down a long driveway back to their home. It is set on rolling hills, right next to the main highway, but far enough away it was not a danger of vehicles having an accident in your front yard. Beautiful place. They have a three-year old cocker spaniel that is really cute and quiet. I don't think she barked at all inside the house. Sara took to her, of course, and the dog took to me. She crawled on my lap for some petting; dogs don't usually do that with me.
The Ocker's took us out to a buffet restaurant (the name escapes me now). During this entire time, Sara did not say anything, as much as Mr. Ocker tried to get her to talk. She finally said something at the restaurant about it being time to leave.
We drove back to their home to get our car, then we left there about 8:15 pm or so and took the Virginia route back to Clinton. We saw a huge thundercloud in the distance that was very colorful at dusk. When we got to the Gill house, it had rained there, so the yard got a nice watering.
Henry and I had a doctor appointment at 10:15. It had been years, of course, since we had seen our family doctor, so he wanted us to have some screening tests like a colonoscopy, mammogram, bone scan and blood tests. The blood tests we had done since we did not eat breakfast that morning. But after calling the places for these tests and discovering the cost, I called Aetna Global to find out if they were even covered. They are not since there is no reason to have them. Preventive tests are not covered under our policy. So I called BIMI and found out the tests would not even be applied toward our deductible. In order to keep down the premium costs for the large group of missionaries around the world, it was decided not to cover screening or vaccinations. But, if the doctors found a diagnosis of some kind, then it would be covered, but in order to do that, a test would have to be done. If it was negative, we would pay out-of-pocket. The cost for the colonoscopy was $1,400 each, the mammogram was $315 and the bone scan was $225. Upon discovering that this would cost about $3,500, which we do not have and if we did, we could use it better elsewhere (like paying a college bill), we decided not to get this done. We went to our doctor's office and explained the situation, wrote a note about the cost, etc., and it will be put into our files accordingly.
We are over half-way finished with our time here and this is the only Sunday we will be at our home church. This morning there was a singing group from West Coast Baptist College; a men's quartet and they sang several songs which were really good.
The guys all knew Peter and Teresa and one particularly said he appreciates Peter. Both work on the cleaning/maintenance staff at the school, Peter being the supervisor and apparently has taught those under him well. Dr. Rasmussen, a VP of the college, delivered the morning message. The notes I took:
The rest of your Christian life starts today.
Comparing our Heavenly and earthly fathers:
F aithful – Proverbs 20:6
A ttitude –
T emperate-
H oly Life – I Peter 1:16
E xcellence – Psalm 16:3
R everant – Ezekiel 14.
Honor our fathers with our life, time and living. I Cor. 6:20; Ex. 20:12. Be a servant.
Follow My Father
Holiness I Peter 1:16 – the light that casts out darkness. Can people tell I am different? How do I look and act?
Giving John 3:16 We are created in the image of God and should follow His steps.
We met Jim and Sharon Pitts who were in our home church years ago; they taught in the school the same time as Henry. We had lunch at Wendy's and just talked about all the folks we both knew from the 1980's; the Shuffields and Coons we have already met. Since Henry was preaching in the evening service, they decided to stay.
Henry played the piano for the first offering and then showed our presentation. I should put a copy of that up on the web someplace. He then preached from Exodus 3 on how God had a plan for Moses and Israel. In Ex. 3:4-7 after God calls Moses, he says, Here I am. Then God proceeds to tell him what is going to happen.
The main points:
- God gives clear instruction in verses 7-10
He promised Abraham He would bring out the Israelites in Gen. 15:12-21
He showed Moses clearly by calling and signs. Ex. 3:1-15; 4:1-12
- You will have peace and confidence about it and start doing it. The Israelites were overjoyed God heard their prayers and worshiped. Ex. 4:31. The people agreed with Moses and he went to tell Pharoah.
- Opposition will surely come. Pharoah did not agree. Things got harder, not easier for Israel. The opposition, when it comes, is insurmountable. God uses the opposition for His own glory.
- God will overcome the opposition if we persevere. Ex. 6:1-3
It has been nearly 19 years we have been in Japan; 21 since surrendering to missions. God has met the needs all along the way. There have been opposition, but God is faithful and since He has lead us in the past, He will lead us in the future. We have about seven weeks left here, then we will return. God is good, all the time.
Henry went with Matthew this morning visiting the bus route, so I stayed here. This day I helped Mary clean up and organize her kitchen somewhat. At least a drawer and the plastic containers under the table got organized. She has done a wonderful job of cleaning the rest of the house and now needs to tackle the smaller spaces that are left. Having lived in Nigeria for many years, she has difficulty throwing anything away, so I am trying to remedy that little by little.
Saturday evening I prepared the gyudon dinner again; it was a big hit. Next time I will have to ask the butcher to shave the meat as it is easier to eat that way. This time I made the sauce using regular soy and adding sugar.
The Gills went to a local nursing home and held the weekly service there for the people. There is a lady named Mrs. Farmer that comes over here frequently. She is a widow and rather lonely I think, so she shows up at the door. Mary has asked her to unwind this big mess of yarn, so Mrs. Farmer just sits in an easy chair downstairs and rolls up balls of yarn and is happy when she gets one completed. She also help the Gills with the nursing home ministry.
This morning we left about 10:00 or so and went to Wal-Mart in search of a wireless because I have seemed to have lost mine, which means I cannot connect to the internet. Anyway, the store did not have one less than $50, so we left and headed for NJ to meet the McMillans. This is a couple that has supported us personally for at least 20 years. Eileen is third-generation Japanese.
When we arrived, the Pastor of their church and his wife had been invited for lunch so we all met in the living room. Eileen's mom was also there, but since she is hard of hearing, really did not say much. We had a wonderful lunch and talked for a long time.
After lunch the Pastor had to leave. We then went into the living room and talked some more. Eileen got out a box of items from her parents and grandparents. This box is an amazing collection of a family's history. Her family members were Christians in Japan; one of her great-grandfathers donated land for the church in Japan. They were part of the samurai class, I believe. At least they were somewhat wealthy at that time.
Her mom returned to Japan a few years ago to meet her sister who was turning 100 I think. It was written up in the local paper where three elderly sisters had met for the occasion. The one in Japan died at 105 not too long ago, if I remember right. It is such a rich family history, it would be great if Eileen can compile all the info and pictures there into a book. Such a thing could be used to show Japanese that a family can live for God.
We left there about 4:00 pm and returned to Clinton about 8:00 pm. Mary had fixed pizza and Dave and Terry Long came over also. The Gills and Longs had served in Nigeria for a number of years but had to leave because of the deteriorating conditions there. We had a good time of fellowship.
Sara, Anna Mae Gill and Anna Long all are born within three weeks of each other back in 1998. So the two Anna's gave Sara a Webkins horse and a stamping package for presents. (Which reminds me, we still have to get her a gift!).
Matthew and Joe finally came over after 11:00 pm while some of the household had gone to bed. They stayed till about midnight after eating some pizza and soda. Another day draws to a close.
This morning I reminded Henry about meeting someone in NJ while we are in the area. He checked the calendar and discovered that we are due at Bethesda Baptist Church in Pottstown, PA, for a meeting tonight. They had rescheduled their mid-week service so we could meet them. We have not met Pastor Wexler as the previous pastor had resigned a few years ago. The last time we were there was on deputation over 20 years ago and the church has supported us faithfully since then.
During this evening's service, Henry played the piano, then showed the presentation, fielded questions and gave a testimony on God's provision while we have been on the field. Everyone was very friendly and happy to see us. I gave the smaller children a Japanese nickel, which they were thrilled to have.
As we left the church we saw fireflies all over the place so Henry and Sara got out the video camera and started shooting. Then we drove down to the hotel which was about 30 minutes from the church. A very comfortable Comfort Inn.
We left the Ferrells about mid-morning and headed for
Goldsboro, SC, a little south of there to meet Merry Sensing. She is from Okinawa and we have corresponded with her for over 16 years. We finally got to meet. She works in a small interior decorating place called Anderson Interiors. Merry holds Bible studies for some of the Japanese ladies in the area. We have written her testimony in Japanese and distributed it in a tract. She has been a blessing to us. Her husband is former military and is not yet saved.
After lunch we had to head to Virginia for a meeting in Woodbridge, south of DC and north of Fredericksburg. We got to the church about 6:30 pm due to traffic congestion through Richmond. After setting up the display and getting the presentation all arranged, services started. Henry showed the DVD, then answered some questions and then preached a short message. After the service we drove over to Clinton, MD.
Traffic. For all the years I have been in the DC area, the governments have still not gotten the roads right. There is always, always construction going on and traffic backups, even at 9:30 p.m. When we got across the expanded Wilson Bridge, traffic slowed down about a mile before our exit for not visable reason. Most distressing, but, then again, this is DC. Things do not change much here.
It was good to get back to our old stomping grounds. For the next couple of weeks we are staying with Ken and Mary and Anna Mae Gill right near our church.
This van is a rolling advertisement for the US Marines.
This morning we left Lakeland and headed for South Carolina. We headed East toward I-95, passing through Orlando where there is Disney World, Sea World and various other entertainment places that have entrance fees upwards of $80 a person. We decided to skip all that.
Here is a unique water tower in South Carolina.
We got up to Greenville and checked into a Best Western near the airport. Stephen met us, then we decided to go to Outback Steakhouse for dinner. We each got something different and shared. Sara wanted chicken fingers again, and the rest of us shared our steak and seafood. The pumpernickel bread was good as well as that onion flower they serve as an appetizer. Yumm
After dinner Steve took us over to where he lives with four or five other guys; we met two of them who were home. It was a bachelors' pad, but rather clean as those things go. Shortly thereafter we returned to the hotel, Henry and Stephen went out for a time together. Turns out they ended up at a book store and purchased a couple of them.
We went to the morning church service at Calvary Baptist Church. We were met by two lovely ladies who took us inside and one took Sara to her class and another man showed us ur class. In the morning service, a guest speaker spoke about giving God's word to people around the world. He collects the quarters people give him and purchases Bibles in all languages.
For the evening service we went with Rob and Mary to another local Baptist Church where Rob was making a presentation about Gideon International, of which he is a representative. He told how his uncle in WWII was in a foxhole and was wondering if he had dug it deep enough. He took out a pocket NT and soon came to Christ. It was a Gideon Bible. His uncle went on to serve God faithfully for several decades as a pastor and preacher.
Rob related another true story of a man who was in a deep depression and was contemplating ending life in a hotel room. He found the Gideon Bible and also got right with God and has served Him since. One never knows how many people will be touched by Gideon Bibles.
We decided to go to Tampa to a place called Mosi which is a hands-on science museum geared toward kids. It was quite interesting, actually. We first saw the butterfly room and learned that the monarchs only live two weeks. There were not that many butterflies about, though.
An example of how a tornado forms
Another section was on natural disasters where you could "experience" an earthquake, hurricane, wildfires and the like. I stood in the room for the earthquake. The floor shook; although realistic, it did not last long enough and nothing fell off the walls. I gave it an 8. Sara seemed to like it, but got bored after a couple of hours, so we headed home.
Sara is 12 today. That evening Chris and his family came over for dinner. They have two girls and a boy and they brought Sara a birthday balloon and cards. We had a special-order cake and ice cream. After dinner, the kids all played and jumped on each other, especially the youngest one. They were laughing and having a good time. Sara said later that she liked her cousins. Now we need to get her a belated gift.
This afternoon the Lynn's daughter, Misty, and her kids came over for dinner. I cooked a modified Japanese dish of gyudon; beef, onions, veges, over rice. They all seemed to like it. Must have been the teriyaki sauce. I miss Japanese food, really. After dinner we went outside and watched the kids swing while Henry and Rob played horseshoes. As dusk came and the bugs came out, we all went inside.
This morning I called Lucette, a long-time internet quilting friend, and we decided it was a good day to visit the over in Lutz, Florida, about 45 minutes from Lakeland. After we tried to get the oil changed (it did not work), we went over in the early afternoon. Our GPS found the house with no problem.
When I got out of the car, AJ comes running to greet me with a big hug and saying, "It is good to meet you!" Lucette and I hugged and we all walked into the house.
We met Mark at the door; Daniel and little Lydia all said hi and gave a hug. Their front room was stacked with items for a Saturday yard sale (wish I could go—I love yard sales, but really have no place to put any purchases). Anyway, AJ kept hugging me while going hither and yon talking up a storm. Henry brought in my computer case and I brought out the goodies for the kids. Each one got a Japanese five yen piece on a ribbon they could hook to a backpack or other ring. Lydia was given one of my pink Sakura Beanie Buddies; AJ got a Tshirt with kanji for love on it: æ„› ai and Daniel was given one with a crane on the front and the kanji 元気 genki, meaning lively. on the back. I gave Lucette the last of my yukata fabrics. I have others in Japan, but may need to acquire some more.
Daniel is big brother. He likes recess and history in school, like any 10-year-old. He is into collecting those silly bandz which are the current fad of that age group. These are different shaped rubber band bracelets the kids wear on their wrists and trade with each other.
http://www.sillybandz.com/
We left about 4:00 pm; it was a really good visit and so good to meet after all these years.
The Leonards decided that Amanda could visit grandma who lives in Dade City, on our way to Lakeland. We left there about 9:00 am. Sara and Amanda played games, slept and had a good time there in the back seat. Georgia is a l-o-n-g state. We arrived at grandma's house about 6:15 pm and the four of us went to the Temple Baptist Church for the evening service. Pastor's wife and Roxanne are good friends. We were greeted by several friendly people, some of whom knew or worked with BIMI missionaries.
Barnabas means "son of consolation" and he was a nurturer, encourager and his ministry was to help people along in their Christian life. We find that in 2 Timothy 4, Paul said John Mark was profitable to the ministry. Barnabas helped bridge the rift between them. Mark was not a perfect servant, but became a much better one under the influence of Barnabas.
Today is BIMI's 50th Anniversary celebration. We went over in the early afternoon and parked by the Lee Roberson Auditorium. Several displays were set up in this building as well as a book table. We headed up to the main building where Open House was from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. The lobby was packed with people. It was so good to see and meet many people we have known through the years. What is even better is to see people still serving God faithfully. Some of the home office staff were in motorized wheel chairs; Mr. Dwire was walking with difficulty with two canes. Several staff members are senior volunteers helping where they can.
We met the Gardners, Monteiths, Burchells and Fishers and saw the Harris family all from Japan. Who is minding the store? LOL.
Bob and Dan
We went with Dr. Frazier to a BBQ restaurant for a hurried dinner as the evening service started at 6:30 pm. Good food, and we made it back in time.
There was a huge tent set up with some 600 chairs; the overflow was in the previously-mentioned auditorium where we opted to stay in the AC. The service was to be broadcast via live stream, but the video portion was not good so mostly we heard what was going on. Toward the end of the service, Dr. Snyder was installed as the new President, then a video presentation of the history of BIMI was played. It is amazing what God has done in the last 50 years through our mission. There are currently some 1000 missionaries in 100 nations around the world preaching the gospel to the lost and dying souls. Should the Lord tarry, let us continue to pray that BIMI remain as strong and true to God's word. He is good, all the time.
Henry left early with Tim and went to BIMI to help out where he could. After taking care of some needed errands, Sara, Amanda and I went over about 1:00 pm. I dropped off the girls to do whatever they were going to do, and I headed up to the main building. The first stop I made was to see Serena about an insurance question. As I was standing near the door ready to leave, Dr. Creed walks in and says to her, "Is she getting straightened out?" or something like that. Surprise! I did not expect Pastor to be there. It is always good to see him. Eventually I helped the ladies set up the dining room for the evening meal. There were several people coming and going whom I recognized.
The building and the grounds of BIMI have greatly improved since the first and only time we saw it back in the fall of 1995. At that time it was newly purchased, so everything was in need of fixing up. Today the grounds are beautifully landscaped; many buildings and homes have been added, the main building has been renovated and decorated beautifully. First class all the way.
Along about 5:00 or so Henry, the girls, and I head back to the house where I made dinner so Roxanne would not have to. Tim came in late. We stayed up and talked until past 11:30. Tuesday was going to be a very busy day.
This morning we went over to my soon-to-meet-for-the-first-time friend Linda's house, which we could see from the parking lot. Linda has one of her young grandsons living with her, plus a small dog who likes to jump all over you, in a friendly way. Sara stayed outside to pet the dog and Henry and I went inside and we chatted for a time. Linda and I were to meet at Paducah two years ago, but I had decided at that time to skip the evening class I was going to take and did not get in touch with Linda and let her know. Some problem with cell phones. Anyway, she went and I was not there, but she was given a goodie bag by Eleanor Burns. Linda had saved it for me and it is loaded with lots of little things made by the Japanese company Clover. I will have fun putting those into a quilt someplace.
Linda and grandson Alexander
She brought out her love quilt that the IQ group had made for her many years ago and found the block I made. It is still a pretty quilt. Callie had done the quilting on her long-arm machine.
Quilt squares on the buildings
We wanted to go see the Christ Camp for the Blind which I think is less than 30 minutes from Berea, but when she called, Mike as in Lexington and would not be back until after 4:00 pm, so we are not able to see that; much as I would have liked to. Years ago I made 10 quilts for their campers, along with many other ladies from the IQ list.
So instead, Linda took us into "downtown" Berea where we saw some of the local crafters. The first was a lady that went to high school with Linda. She makes glass beads that are really beautiful and gave us a demonstration. On her wall is a posted sign: "Real Women do not have hot flashes, they have power surges" The name of her company is Hot Flashes.
We walked over to the next building and met a lady who told us about Berea's Sister City exchange with a city in Japan near Mt. Fuji. They have been doing that for 15-20 years.
Next we went over to the former railroad station and saw a demos of model trains. Rather spiffy.
Of course, there was a quilt shop across the street, so I went in and found some 90 inch wide fabric for $5 a yard, and some Dick and Jane alphabet for $7. A good find, if I do say so.
After this we ate lunch at the Cracker Barrel. Henry and I split a chicken roast dinner that was enough for two people. Sara had chicken fingers, her current favorite. It was delicious, as usual.
We parted about 2:00 pm and headed south to Chattanooga and arrived there about 6:00 pm at the Leonard's.
This morning we went to Stanley Heights Baptist Church with the Leonard family. We met many people from BIMI there that we have not seen in many years. There were two families from Japan there also, as well as some of the people from BIMI HQ.
The Pastor had a time of Children's Worship with the kids from 4-11. He called all the kids down front and they sat on the steps of the platform. One brought a brightly wrapped box in which was an item that Pastor did not know. He took out the item, which was a ticket stub, and related it to the Bible. Sorry to say, I do not remember what he said. ;-( Every week there is a different object in the box and the kids try to stump the Pastor, but so far have not. This was a new thing for me, but I can see how it would help young kids to relate to the pastor. So often children have their separate classes and do not get to know the Pastor through the preaching.
In the evening service a Japanese man gave his testimony of how he got saved years ago in Chattanooga as an exchange student. He went back to Japan and worked in a local Baptist church. He wants to start a new work there. He said that out of 1,000 people in Japan, only 4 claim to be Christian. Now, that is a sobering statistic. His wife sang in English and Japanese.
Then there was a church planter in Connecticut who preached the evening service. He is starting a church in a town that has no Baptist churches. They were able to purchase an abandoned building that used to be a bar. With the approval of the community, they can now start on the renovations. God is good.
Church planting is God's plan for the Great Commission. Go and preach the gospel, baptize believers as their first step of obedience; and teach them so they can in turn teach others. The process still works.
First floor hallway
