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Emast and N@va f^tm

3514 S.W. 12th St

Noath 49,
065

East

15
JAPAN

Des Moines, lA 50315

Higa^i ku, Sapporo

February 1981
Dear Friends in Christ,

Today is Constitution Day in Japan and a national holiday, but there seems to be very little activity. Our windows are plastered with snow and most of the children have been driven indoors by the blinding blizzard, we

are having a record snowfall this year so a great deal of our time is consumned in shoveling out the drive and walks. Last week we had to remove
the snow from the church, house, and garage roofs. Four to five feet of snow covered the entire garage roof and drifts to eight feet deep threat ened the church roof. The weather varies greatly within the city because of the mountains and sea to the west. On January 28th, Ernest enjoyed a

sunny day over at the high .school.

But on his return at 3 00 p.m he dis

covered that snow had drifted into the drive to the height of four feet.

January 18th was a victory day for the Lord when Chibaru Obara was baptized. She is a first-year student at the Christian I-'igl School where Ernest is teaching part time. She has been attending cliurch here since last April. Two other girls from the school have been in church recently.
Our present plans are to leave Japan on April l?th for a one-year fur- ' lough. Mr. Noriaki Kimura, who will graduate from the Osaka Bible Seminary in March, will be coming back to Sapporo with his v;ife Keiko. During our absence they will be leading the work here. About eight years ago, Mr. Kimura, who was living in Sapporo at the time, was baptized in the Tomako--

mai church where his brother Mr. Hiroaki Kimura ministers.^ Mr. Hiroaki
Tragedy struck the home of two of our Sunday School pupils.

Kimura is a convert from the Obihiro church.

Pray that this church will

also raise up Christian leadership.

Tomomi

and Masami Kimura started coming to Sunday School about five years ago. Their older brother,. Hiroshi, was in our English program in the fifth grade

were awakened by their mothrer but they had to help her out-of-the burning
house.

and returned to study with us again last year. On January 19th a fire broke out at 2:00 a.m. Hiroshi. apparently overcome by smoke in his sleep, died in the fire which destroyed the house and aj.1- its contents. The girls
She was rushed to the hospital and put on life support machines,but

died five days later. It was a very traumatic experience for the ten and eleven-year-old girls and their father, who was at a nuclear power plant outside of the city. Hiroshi was very popular among the students and re ceived a city academic achievement award in the seventh grade. He listened attentively to the Bible teachings but our hearts bleed as we recall the words of Tomomi, "My brother didn't believe in God." Their mother was a graduate of a Catholic High School and probably had some faith. As Hiro shi' s teachers we attended the wake service. (The funeral was held the
v/eek Neva noticed that he was reading a tract from the rack in the entry.

next day during our Sunday morning church service.) A boy who sat beside us during the service did not attend the Christmas meeting but tne next

Both we and the students keenly felt Hiroshi's absence in the week. At the close of the class we explained the Christian's and made reference to John 14. A boy who has never shown, any repeated the reference and undoubtedly went home and read the
some time. ^

himself. As eighth graders they are still children but do pray for receptive hearts. T^vo other boys in the class have shown interest in the gospel for

class the next hope of heaven interest before passage for

Please pray for the Kimuras and for the churchhere as he takes the leadership. A number of people have been studying in the Women s Bible ari the English classes. Among these non-Christiaus thpe were xiye housewives and fourteen Junior High students at Christmas services which included an^

llfferlicl

^nndav School. VBS, or camp programs were invited to a children s unrisx

hour's slide presentation by one oX the members.

six Six of the twelve children who attended our first VBS here in the win +er*of 1975 were present for Christmas this year. A number of others have come over a period of 4 or 5 years. Their parents are nox Christians and^^ -^he children are not encouraged to come regularly but we know the power o^

=!nd -nre-school children.

brought frilSds with them for a total of 62 elementary

Of this number 36 were in^grades foui ,

^ow and Saffruit. Pray for the cultivation of these seeds at this time
of transition in leadership

the Word is great and believe seeds planted in young hearts will eventually
We look forward to seeing you while we are in the States.

InK^ service,

JUL2 0I981
Dear Friends in Christ,

Most of you know that we left Sapporo on April 17th. We left the house at 10OO A.M..and arrived in Seattle at lOiOO A,M, the same day although it was a l4-hour trip.

ning at his house in Boise, Idaho, where Patti and Melissa were await
ing us.

us to use as our furlough mission vehicle.

Charles met us at the airport with the Ford pick-up which he found for
We arrived late that eve

Much of the next 10 days was spent in getting the hitch on the truck and hooking up the electrical system to the house trailer. Ernest spoke at the chapel service, Boise Bible College, where Charles- teaches, and at
First Church of Christ in Boise. Neva ^oke to their women's group.

From there we went to Hill City, Kansas, where Linda lives. We were there just a short time "before leaving for Oklahoma where Ernest at
tended the Kaimich Men's Clinic. During Mis time Neva visited her youngest brother at Fort Smith, Arkansas.

On May 8th we made our way East to the Cincinnati area. At Covington, Kentucky, we visited our second son Allan whom we hadn't seen since

During the ten days we spent in Covington we met with the Mission Com
mittee, New Burlington Church of Christ, Cincinnati and Ernest spoke and showed slides there Sundayp May 17th. Then we were able to go to
Minburn, Iowa, and visit Ernest's mother for a day or two.

August 197^.

We met for the first time our daughter-in-law, Debbie.

Other opportunities to tell of the work are as follows*

VBS at Hill City,

Kansas tweva) ,' preachV show slides and speak' to the VBS at First Church Hays (Kansas) Christian Church (Neva), 2 camps in Georgia,' show slides

of Christ, Cherokee,' lowa, show slides and VB at Pleasant Grove Church of Christ, Mt. GileadV Ohio,' preach and tshow slides at Hanover ton, Ohio, show slides at Morrison City Christian Church, Kingsport, Tenn, VBS at

at Rincon Christian Church and preach at Martinez First Christian Church

both in Georgia.

At Minburn," Iowa, Ernest* s family were togiether for a rexmion on July ^th and 5th., Although several nieces and nephews and Ernest's youngest brother were unable to attend there were 52 present from 10 states and

Japan. This included Linda and her husband Gary and Kevin and Jason, Charles and his wife Patti and Melissa, Allan and his wife Debbie, and
Donald with Pam his fiancee. While at Minburn Ernest spoke and showed
slides at the Church of Christ.

On July 11th and 12th some of Neva* s brothers and sisters gathered for a reunion at Clay Center, Nebr. One brother and one sister were not able

to attend.

Ernest spoke and showed slides then on Sunday morning.

Reports from Japan show that thpy are getting along well and have some new ones attending the services. ^
This letter has been delayed due to difficulties in locating a machine that would use our address plates. . We hope to write you sooner the
next time.

We are living in our 17* trailer at Hays, Kansas, where Neva is attend

ing Fort Hays State College.

forwarding agent.

But we ask you to contact us through our

We have aireaByt visited, contacted, or will be contacting oi^ supporting churches. But if you have a specific request please let us ^ow and we
will try to accommodate you.

Again, as always, thanks for your faithful and continued support, which makes it possible for us to cbntinue the witness in Japan.
Yours in His service
ok
3514 SW. 12TH STREET
r^trc e/\9is

December 1981 Dear Friends in Christ,

First of all we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Hapoy New Year, May Cod bless you as you continue to serve Him. Secondly, we want to
thank each and everydne of you for your continued and faithful sup port. Many of you have been partners with us for the full 27 years
we have been in Japan.

We have moved the tr'ailer from Hays, Kansas, to Hill Sity, Kan sas, where our daufchter Linda lives. Neva has been baby sitting in
the morninff and at noon she drives sixty miles to Hays for her clas ses. She will do directed teaching: and take a few night classes this
next semester.

We plan to be back in Japan in time for their summer activities

but definite dates have not been determined.

We have heard from the preacher, his wife and several of the

Christians of the Hi^ashi ku Church of Christ in Sapporo. They have informed us that the summer camp and VBSvw^e held as scheduled. There were 13 children in VBS and 37 people in the family camp. One of the Cirls who has been in the Sunday School for the past six years has indicated she wants to be a Christian. Pray that she will be able to fulfill this desire. She is now in Junior High School.

They had an "Evangelistic Meetin^^, October 23 to 25the preacher there, was the evangelist.
besides the preachinfr service.

Kimura,
a

They showed Christian films

Most of the members of the church,

couple of the women's Bible Study Croup members as well as three new oeople attended, Mr. Kimura has bee^n home Bible study in four homes
of members scattered about the city.

A typhoon, the wot'se in that area for several years, hit Hokkaido
on Aue;ust fifth. Two of the member's homes were surrounded by water
but i t receeded before i t entered their homes thus there was no ex=

tensive damaece. On September fourth one of the members, Mr. limura, cut his foot halfway off in an accidenjt with a chain saw. He will be
hospitalized f^~'six months. " It is in times like these that make furlou^ch so difficult, We are not there to suffer with the church.

Since July Srnest, occasionally accompanied by Neva, visited the followinfc churches* VBS, Perry, lAj Washington Chapel, Minburn, lAj VBS and spoke at Pisin^^ Sun and West Side, Des Moines, lA; Walnut

Corner, Alvin, ILLj Dover, INDj Biadensburg and Clear Creek (Ashland),
0H| Butler, IND; Hooton and Second, Danville, ILLj Earlham and Exline,

lA; Galva and Newton, ILL; Cedar Rapids, lA; Plains and Liberal, KS;

Ballards (Sparta) and Waldron, MIj Clifton, Louisville, KY| Scotch

Plains, NJ| Russell, KS| DeKalbv, MO? Beechwold at Columbus and Miamisburg, OH,

Ernest also took part in presenting the work to six churches in

the S,W, School of Missions and the N,E. Texas School of Missions,

He spoke to a mission's class at Cincinnati Bible College and was cha

pel speaker at Iowa Christian College. He gave a short talk at a prayer and fast service at the National Missionary Convention in New York, and had a display at the Conference on Evangelism in Cincinnati.
We will be goine: to Cincinnati for Donald* s w_edding which..will take place on December 22. He is to be married to Pan xruesdell daugh ter of Mr, and Mrs. Don Truesdell of Madison, Indiana.

Ernest's plans for 19S2 are as followsi January ^thand 11th in Idahoj February 26th to 28th, Faith Promise Rally, in Richmond Hills, GA.{ March 6th to 8th at Kentucky Christian Collegej 26th~ to 28th,

Faith Promise Rally, in Enfield, ILL,

May God bless all of you.

Other dates are pending.

In Christian love,

S514 SVV. 12TH 12TH STRRPT 3514 S\V. STREET

DES MOINES, IOWA 50315