^2

j-JO^
F.leenors

NEWSLETTER

I.ntercessors

S.ervlng
H.im

^Ani4tieut 'JHiMiOK ta fa^iaK

March GOOD NEWS!! 1990 >'

The lovely family pictured at the right with Julius and Virginia were brought to Jesus Christ during the building of the Kamo Church building in 1986. Mr. Igarashii was installing the doors in the building when the Aonos, who planted the church there, witnessed to him. When he was baptized his Buddhist family disinherited him. He then had to seek a different job as a but won his to Christ taught his children the message of Jesus Christ. Last year he felt led to give up his job and move his family to Osaka so he could enter Osaka Bible Seminary. He has been accepted and an apartment on the campus is being remodeled for him and his family. Missionary Joel Likins will rent a truck and help him move and in the remodeling of the apartment so it will

accomodate his family.

The Kamo Church has pledged 50,000 yen a month ($350 U.S.) for their

support and the Seminary is giving him a tuition scholarship from other funds. Thus the prayer for a Japanese pastor for this church is being answered. PRAY for this family and other Japanese who decide to train full time in the Bible.

Fifteen years ago we had a wonderful young University student who wanted to train for the ministry. His family put such pressure on him that he quit after six months at Osaka Bible Seminary. His family not only withheld all financial help but even came to the Seminary to force him back home and into a secular college where he could earn more money. They said his financial future would be nil if he became a Christian minister in Japan.
To the left, Julius is pictured at the Sayama Church

(Fleenors Mission apartment is over the church building). goirig into the baptistry on the last Sunday of 1989
with Mrs. Kohama.

Mrs. Kohama has attended church faithfully since Nami, her

Hh

B _

^
M

daughter who married our son John in July, was baptized

last April.

With tears of joy she made her decision and

Pray for Nami' s

has not missed any services since then.

^
,

father.

He is a very honest and good man.

There is also

a brother to Nami. Mrs. Kohama has brought her sister and another to church since her entering into Christ.
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Ww

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Hi

"He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God

made our wisdom^ our righteousness and sanctification and

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Page 2

GOOD NEWS

The

Kamo

Church

began

with

closed

door

of

ministry for Mrs, Aono and her daughter Mako in the slum area of Tokyo near the Nishi Arai River. Both were excellent Bible teachers specializing in children's work and won many to Christ. In fact, the Mishi Arai Church today has its own land and building and self-supporting pastor.
The leaders are charter members led to Christ by the Aonos. Julius preached at that church for over 10 years while still living in Tokyo at the
Shimoochiai Church,

Mrs. Aono and d?.u5h.":3r Ma'xo vjith

Vir.?.inic in Dacenbei- 1939.

However,
attending

25
the

years

ago,

an

ex-convict

began

church and wanted

to marry Mako.

When told by the mother that he should first prove his change of life for a year, he became angry and attempted to kill mother and daughter. We hid the mother and daughter in our Karuizawa
mountain camp. When this man threatened our
lives as missionaries and said he would kill them

when he found them, they decided to return to the hometown of Mrs. Aono in Kamo City, which was and is a stronghold of Satan for Buddhism and
Communism. We rented a house where services were

held for 20 years, thevi the government decided to put in a road where the house stood. By then they had one complete family and took out a bank loan. The Aonos gave their life savings to buy land which was given at half price by the city of Kamo. You v7ho gave to our work gave to build that first building over 5 years ago. They began praying for a missionary to come to attract
people who wanted English.
We learned of Joel and Debbi Likins desire to come and be "tent-maker" missionaries as Bill

Joel G:.id Debbi Likins with daushters, Mission^ii-ie;? Japan living in Kamo
Cit7.

Belew was doing in the city of Sanjo about 20 minutes by car away from Kamo. As an established
mission, we were able to sign the guarantee

papers for them to get a missionary visa.

They

have breathed life-giving strength to the church

and have given strong and loving help to this church. Joel was born in Japan to missionaries Claude and Evalyn Likins and is very good in the language. His wife is a fine musician and excellent missionary .
Joel Likins and Bill Belew greatly influenced the

Igarashi family to go to Osaka for Bible training as Igarashi has shown the gift as a Bible teacher and a strong witness for Jesus Christ since his
conversion. Also his wife and children are

Complete Christian families in the Kamo Church, December 1989. Found ing first members are to the right,
Mr. and Mrs. Takinaka

standing with him.

Page 3
NEWS! GOOD AND BAD!

J.-inuary found Julius with the worse case of flu he has

aver had. Virginia also was having some serious ,r;alth problems and the medications received in July nad August when she was in the U.S. for daughter

Grace's wedding did not help any.

The decision was made to go to the U.S. for at least
jix weeks and for Julius to come to California to his

rr^gular

Internist

and

G.I.

specialist

in Fullerton.

Julius had a stomach hemmorhage 20 years ago from an

ulcer and two years ago was treated for another ulcer

higher

in

his

stomach.

That

ulcer was

completely

healed, but Dr. Miao said he should be checked each 7-^ar', He has had stomach pain for some time.

He arrived January 27 in Seattle and Julius stayed in

bed several days as he was too weak from the cough and flu symptoms. Then he had an infected tooth treated

Julius and Virginia and Daughter-in-law, NAMI,

John's bride (taken Feb. '90)

Tv'ith anti-biotics and finally had it extracted by a dental surgeon. Virginia also sought medical help in
Seattle and after five days of careful examination and treatment and new medication began to return to her old energy and optimism.

At this date she is feeling great and able to do all the things she has been able to do in the past. We praise God for good Christian doctors and therapists. We drove down to California from Seattle after having had a good visit with our daughter Julia and sons Joshua and Eli, Dana Lee, and Laurie who all live and work in Seattle. Both

Julia and Laurie take classes in the Community College and are working toward college
degrees while continuing their jobs. After arriving in Los Angeles area we rejoiced to see Grace and Robert (daughter and son-in-law) and sons John and wife, Nami, and Joe and wife, Heidi who all live in the Fullerton area. Graciously, Mrs. Dolores Smith, 224 S. Moody, Fullerton, CA 92631, whom we have known for 25 years, has allowed us to use her spare bedroom while here. We were saddened to learn of her husband Ernie's sudden passing in
January. They have always offered us hospitality in their home which Pacific Christian College and Eastside Christian Church, is located near

Julius had several skin cancers removed by one doctor. Dr. Francis, our internist, found Julius had a silent heart attack as his EKG was very different from two years ago. Then
the barium test revealed a large ulcerated area in a different place in the stomach than from where the previous ulcers were located. After a week of tests and a biopsy, it was

discovered he had a rare kind of ulceration caused by a bacteria only known to science 5
years ago. He started on this March 9th. He is also on heart medication and must be on

this for 6 weeks and then swallow a camera again to see if he is healed before any possible
return to Japan. He is also on a very strict diet to prevent further heart attacks. looks and feels very well at this time. He

April 20 is the date set for return to Japan. By the grace of God, we expect complete healing. Son, Stephen, is in Japan now and will arrange to teach one week of classes for Julius until he arrives. Julius will only teach two days a week in the University instead of the planned increase to 3 days. Stephen is pastoring the Sayama church and Julius will
preach once a month.

Page 4
GOOD NEWS OF THE KARUIZAW-MIYOTA
NEW RETREAT CENTER

Son, Stephen, loaded four 40 foot containers in Oregon during the last month with

building materials for the second phase of the project. Running low on funds, he enlisted all volunteer help from the churches and will be unloading the containers
this month. In April and May the crews will work on the Retreat Center. Carol and

youngest son, Matthew, will join Stephen at the end of March to work in the Sayama English Church project and cook for the work crews in Miyota. This summer the three
older children, Rebekah (3rd year in college), Peter (senior in H.S.) and Deborah

(10th grader) will join the family in June, July and August to help in the camp work.
Last year 90 students attended and this year the goal is 180 students, possible with the added dormitory space. The second story of the dormitory will be unfinished

inside, but will house the future Church of Christ in Miyota, the Lord willing.
July 30th v/ill be a Fleenor Support meeting at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park,
California from 6s30 to 10:00 P.M. A $10.00 chicken dinner will be served. A patriotic theme will be presented with slides of all the areas where Julius and

Virginia have been used to plant churche-s in Japan during the past 39 years of ministry. If you will be in California, write to Lee Clarke, 1352 Tower Dr., Vista,
CA 92083. (Phone: 619-726-4703)

Julius and Virginia will be in California the end of July for this presentation and also for an expected arrival of a baby to Grace and Robert VanDitte. Our last year's
newsletter told of their wedding on August 17, 1989. Julius will then have a medical

check-up by his heart doctor and stomach specialist in Fullerton.

we may have the hea4-th-and vigor to complete the tasks HE has for us.

Please pray that

AGAPE,

Julius & Virginia

forwarding Agent in States

Irene E. Grice

Field Address:

715 14th Street S.E.

Rochester, Minnesota 55904 Phone: (507) 288-6554

Julius & Virginia Fleenor Box 13 4-15-8 Irumagawa Sayama Shi, Saitama Ken
350-13 Japan
Phone: 0429-53-7262

Non-Profit Organization
U.S. POSTAGE

PAID
Rochester. I^N 55901
Perniit No. 464

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

IXTHUS MISSION TO JAPAN MAILING

Wewantto keepour mailinglistup-to-date. Pleasecheck

the appropriate box.

Please remove my name from your mailing list.

New address

MISSION P.O. BOX SERVICES 427

NAME:

KNOXVILLE

TN

37901

ADDRESS: CITY:
STATE:

ZIP CODE

(Please Print)
NonProft

IXGTI

F.leenors

NEWSLETTER

l.ntercessors

S.erving
H.lm

^^nc^iieut THcaUok

JUNE 22,

1990

Dear Faithful Friends,

Since writing last in late March, Che big and good news is that Julius' biopsy and x-ray of stomach showed that he had a completely healed ulcer as of April 14. Thus, we made plans to
return to Japan on May 2. The following week Julius began his

classes each Monday and Tuesday in Tokyo at the Daito Univer-

sity.

He is allowed to use the Bible as a textbook for

In Che two days of teaching from morning

until night, he can reach 300 students who would never come
into a church building. We draw from this group and the larger

teaching English.

I|^H|||M
I

number of students Chat son, Stephen, teaches three full days a

week at the extension camp about 45 miles north of the Sayama

Julius was asked to take three days a week, but his heart doctor in FullerCon, CA. advised to cut his work load back to one-third, eat no cholesterol foods, and he would noC likely
have another heart attack. He must be checked every six months, thus, he will come to U.S. every January through March and once in the summer. This year he will arrive in U.S. on July 15 and be on the West Coast until September 10, and then return to Japan teach and preach. We will be speaking to groups in California and showing "Videos" of the Che to the

work. Camp, "A Day With Julius Fleenor", "1989 Camp", and "John & Nami's Wedding." Virginia and Julius visited the churches they had planted and were delighted to find them grovjing and self-supporting. The earliest converts are now leaders and winning souls to
Christ.

While in Fullerton Virginia inquired about earning a M.A. degree in Christian Ministries at

Pacific Christian College and was granted a one-half tuition scholarship.

She began an

intensive program in June to earn nine credits. They assure her that she can have her Master's degree by June 1991. Virginia will Chen have credenCials to substitute for Julius

at Daito University as a teacher, especially when he is ill, or when his preaching/teaching

schedule does not coincide with the University schedule.
graduate program.
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The salary for teaching makes it

possible to remain in Japan in spite of the extreme high cost of living and thus augments
Che small mission salary. Thus, Virginia has enrolled at PCC in FullerCon, CA. to begin this

PRAY FOR IXTHUS AND THE FLEENORS IN JAPAN

I pray that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you^may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until Che day of ChrisC, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the
glory and praise of God. (Phil.1:9-11)

Page 2

Our son Stephen and wife Carol have worked in the Tokyo area for twenty years. He has the ability to do all the mission legal work in the Japanese language since he reads and speaks Japanese fluently. Stephen came with his

parents to Japan as a 3% year old,

October.

forty years ago this

We often remark that if we were gone, son Stephen could pick up all the loose ends of this ministry and carry out such a work with the Sayama Church of Christ which we planted. He preaches in both an English and Japanese service each Sunday in Sayama besides all the other avenues of evangelism at the University. He acts as a real mentor to train and disciple new leaders. Carol majors in her music leadership besides teaching English
Bible in their home.

KARUIZAWA-M KOTA CHRISTIAN RETREAT CENTER

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* * * * * *
"k

Clockwise, Stephen, Debby 16, Matthew 2, Carol, and Peter 18. Daughter 21, is a senior in college training as a teacher in Japanese language.
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* * * * *
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Stephen has been given complete charge of the funds we realized from the sale of the Karuizawa Camp where Virginia and Julius ran Christian camps for 38 years.

Stephen enlisted Christian construction crews and bought all materials in Oregon and they completed the first unit of the camp and conducted sessions for 90 University students in July 1989. Ask our Forwarding Agent, Irene Grice, for the video to inform your church.

Although funds have run out he shipped materials and got volunteer crews from Oregon and Indiana to come and get the second unit finished to the point where we are able to have 225 students in camps from July 20 to mid-August. There will be a team of American University students coming to work on a one on one basis.

At this writing a group of nine young people have arrived. They will be giving a musical at the Sayama church and be doing work on the finishing of the grounds and building besides
working with the students to bring them to Christ.

Other family camps will be held for Christian families connected with the churches with
whom we work at the new Karuizawa-Miyota Retreat location.

Carol is in charge of the music as well as buying and preparing food. Virginia did this for many years so now the baton is passsed to a capable daughter-in-love. We thank God for
Christian family and their ministry in Japan.
THINK ABOUT IT! THE ONLY SAVIOUR OF MEN!

I would not cross the street to give India a new theology: India has a better theology than she can understand. I wouldn't cross the street to give Japan a new religious literature: Japan has a better religious literature than she has a religious life. I
wouldn't cross the street to give China a new ethical code: China has a better ethical code than she has an ethical life. But I would go to India, Japan and China and around the world again and again to tell the story that

"There is a fountain filled with blood.

beneath that flood.

Drawn from Immanuel's veins,

And sinners plunged

Lose all their guilty stains."

-Bishop William Fraser McDowell From Treasury of the Christian Faith.

Page 3

Virginia is shown on June 11, 1990 with Jeff Phillips and his lovely family who

have ministered in Maipu, Chile for 17

introduced herself as

a missionary

from

Japan who had been there almost 40 years,

a young man came up and asked, "Have you ever spoken at the Central Christian Church in
Portland, Oregon?"
more."

"Oh, yes, on every furlough we speak to the combined adult classes.

"Well, I have been looking for you for 20 years or

It is a faithful supporting church."

Virginia was mystified.

Jeff Phillips went on to say, "VJhen I heard your voice talking to Caesar, I remembered it
was your voice that God used to call me to go to Bible College at San Jose, Ca. and to
answer the call to Chili".

Yes, this June brought me one of the biggest thrills of my life. To know that God had used by voice to ask young people to come down and say, "Lord Jesus, I'll go anywhere in the world and preach the gospel". I have made this appeal almost every time I am asked to
speak. I shall continue making this appeal to Christians as long as I am asked to speak.

Also, the minister of the Prospect Heights Christian Church which has supported our work for about 17 years was a classmate. He with others gave such good input in the class discussions on prayer, church growth, and in hermeneutic studies. How I thank God for
this opportunity.
k * -ie -k {< 'k -k -k * -k -k -k -k

Alm.ighty God of truth and love, to me Thy power impart; The burden from ray soul remove, the hardness from my heart.

0 may the least omission pain my reawakened soul. And drive me to that grace again, which makes the wounded whole.
-Charles Wesley

"I am under obligation both to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish:

so I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome." (Rom.1:14-15)

Page 4
PRAYER REQUESTS

Pray for Joe and Heidi as they expect a baby in September about the time of Joe's birthday.
They are both graduates of Pacific Christian

College and worship with a Japanese Christian Church in Baldwin Park, Ca.
John and and Nami Fleenor live near Pacific

Christian
company
this
i,

College

and work for

a Japanese

plan to continue their education

fall.

Grace

Fleenor

Van

Ditte

and

husband

Robert

both work for Japanese companies and expect

their first baby August 1.
Joe & Heidi Fleenor John & Naini Fleenor Grace & Robert Van Ditts

The three couples celebrating Nami's

United States.

are shov/n at a picnic first birthday in the

Virginia has been suffering leg pain for many years but it has escalated over the past six
months.
knee.

She is to have surgery for a chipped bone and to remove cartilege in her right
Pray for her healing for we have many miles to travel yet before "our sun is set"
"Pray the Lord of Che Harvest to send forth labourers into

in this life.

PRAY FOR SOULS TO BE SAVED.

the fields

that are white unto harvest."

forwarding Agent in States

Irene E. Grlce

Field Aou.y.^^.

715 14th Street S.E.

Rochester, Minnesota 55904 Phone: (507) 288-6554

julius & Virginia Fleenor Box 13 4-15-8 Irumagawa Sayama Shi, Saitama Ken
350-13 Japan
Phone: 0429-53-7262

Non-Profit Organization
U.S. POSTAGE

PAID
Rochester, MN 55901
Permit No. 464

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

IXTHUS MISSION TO JAPAN MAILING

We want to keepourmailing list up-to-date. Please check the appropriate box.

Please remove my name from your mailing list.

New address

NAME: ADDRESS:

mission services
CITY:
STATE:

P.O. BOX 2A27 KNOXVIUUE TN

ZIP CODE

37901

(Please Print)
NonProft

I2DS

IX0TI

/CLl

October 25, 1990

Precious Supporting Friends,

We have enjoyed your participation in the work of establishing eight (8) churches
and related work over a period of 40 years. We appreciate your cooperation in prayers and financial support more than words can express. Unfortunately, Virginia has fallen into a deep depression. Drugs have helped relieve the depression some. She inherited this genetic tendency from her father

who was manic depressive and an alcoholic. Virginia's depression is such that she can no longer function as a missionary as she has in the past. I feel that having a home in Japan rent free, I can continue teaching English Bible at the University here. For me it is the mission opportunity of a life time. Even though Virginia is ill, I personally feel useful in God's Kingdom work here.
I thought it only fair to let you know that our work has diminished due to

Virginia's illness and our advancing a^

either diminish or cease.

Therefore, vour enppnrf to us should

This and

We can manage on my teaching salary and social security

Utilities and taxes need to be paid.

for a time.

Vou may wish to help in the maintenance of the camp facility that

reaches 225 students each summer. of you, if God so leads you.

the high cost of living could be offset by some continued token support from many

There are some younger missionary recruits you should be supporting.

This might

be the time to help them. We would like to suggest that you transfer some of this support to a in-issinnflrv recruit who is already in Japan or one interested in begiiiiUrft^' Work" here. In order to make this transition, we would like you to consider continuing your support to us until June 1, 1991. This will give us time to make the necessar:

transition.
However God leads you in your group and/or individual decision is acceptable to
us. We will understand and continue to hold you dear in our hearts as always.

We continue our dependence on God for supplying every need.

In Christ,
Julius Fleenor

/rr7j6
NOTE FROM FORWARDING AGENT: Please continue sending all money to my address:

Irene Grice, 715 14th St. S.E., Rochester, UN 55904. Please send all letters and cards of encouragement to: Julius & Virginia Fleenor, 4-25-8 Irumagawa,

Sayama Shi, Saitama Ken, 350-13 JAPAN.

ounce.

The postage to Japan is 45c per half