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Not-for-profit Corporation
February 2, 1988
Dear Christian Friends:
We covet your prayers for us as we pray for you.
Yours in Christ,
/ - r . , .
George & Ethel Beckman
OSAKA BIBLE SEMINARY
MISSIONARIES
George & Ethel Beckman
Jenann Beckman
Greetings from a warm and sunny Japan. Most of the first month 8-40 Kamizono-cho
of this new year has been exceptionally warm. Every warm Nishinomlya 622, Japan
day means less fuel required, a blessing to us. However, 0798-71-7170
the weather man keeps predictine cold weather and tomorrow
. _ . T . X FORWARDING AGENTS
IS supposed to be real winter weather.
Roger & Beryl Johnson
On November 22 last year we had a wedding on our lawn. 3320 Westgate Parlway
iic.j/ . Rockford, IL 61108
We were all afraid that it would be too cold to have it 815-399-3690
outside, but it was a beautiful warm day and the wedding
as lovely even though our lawn was not too beautiful since
the grass had already turned brown for the winter. But,
the maple tree had turned red the previous week adding
color to the wedding. Afterward they had a small reception
in the church room prepared by the women of the church.
The next morning when we got up the lawn was white with snow. What a surprise! However,
It lasted only a short while and the weather turned warm again in a couple of days.
Our Christmas meetings began December 4 with the annual Christmas dinner and program of all
the missionaries of the Osaka area. This is one time of the year that we get to meet missionarie
of other churches and enjoy fellowship with them.
The annual sukiyaki dinner given by the Clarks at the end of the fall semester of the seminary
was,-December 11. The students, and facultyall look, forward to this rimo fnn and fpTlnwghip-
The young people of the Rokko church went caroling on Saturday evening, the 19th, ending
at our house for cocoa and cookies.
On December 23 Ethel's Bible classes and the women of the church had their annual Christmas
dinner and program. Several ladies of the English Bible class helped Ethel prepare the meal,
an American style with turkey and the trimmings. After the meal they had a worship service
of hymns and scripture reading.
That evening we got everything cleaned up ready to go to Dave and Ruth's for Christmas.
We got there in time to go to the Christmas program at the church in Tanabe. Saturday morning
before we returned John and his family called us so both families got to talk to them.
New Years is always the big holiday in Japan with three days of vacation. Everyone cleans
his house well the week before and the women cook special foods to last for three days known
as ozechi ryori. Two people shared some of their cooking with us.
When Dave and Ruth came New Year's Day they were able to enjoy some of it, too. They stayed
with us until after Sunday School Sunday morning, when they had to leave to get home in time
for their services in their home that evening. Levi was counting all the first experiences
he was having on that trip; a ride on the subway, a visit to a castle, seeing a musical,
a climb up Mt. Kabuto (not too high a mountain near our home, but a good steep climb), eating
ozechi ryori and a meal in a loaf. He thought it was a pretty good trip.
Seminary began January 5. George is teaching both morning and afternoon Tuesday and Thursday
this term. That is a three hour class in the morning and an hour and a half in the afternoon.
Ethel had a new member begin in her English Bible class since the first of the year. Mrs.
Taniguchi brings her three year old boy with her and he plays quietly beside her while we
study.
We still have not found land. Our wishes seem difficult to fulfill. Most pieces of land
are too small or too far away from a train station. We have faith that God knows where we
are to move to and by the time this land registration problem is settled we will know where
we are to go. In the meantime Ethel is sorting out things in preparation little by little.
Osak^
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NotforProfit Corporation OSAKA BIBLE SEMINARY
MISSIONARIES
George & Ethel Beckman
Jenann Beckman
840 Karaizonooho
Nishlnomiya 622, Japan
0798-71-7170
FORWARDING AGENTS
April 15, 1988 Roger &Beryl Johnson
3320 Westgate Parkway
Rockford, IL 61108
Dear Christian Friends, 815-399-3690
We thank God for all of you, for your prayers on our behalf and your
continued financial support to us and the work of Osaka Bible Semi
nary .
The first news we have to report is that we have a piece of land
on which to build a new home and a meeting room. It is in the neigh
boring city of Takarazuka, about a two minute walk from a train sta
tion on the Hankyu line going into Osaka. It is smaller than we had
hoped for, about 274 square meters ( 327.55 square yards). Finally
after much negotiation a contract was signed and a down pajrment re
ceived for the sale of 300 square meters of this land and the down
payment made and a contract signed for the purchase of the new land.
With the difference in the price of this land and the new plot we will
be able to build a building that will contain a room large enough to
seat 50 to 60 people and living quarters for ourselves. The house is
to be finished by the end of October. Mr. Wada, a member of the Rokko
church is our contractor and we are now busy making plans.
On March 22 to 24, Ethel and Jenann went with Dave and Ruth and
chiJ-dren to the all Japan missionary convention in Niigata Prefecture,
a nine and a half hour trip. Hosts for the convention were M/M Joel
Likins and M/M Bill Belew who did a great job in planning and managing
the convention, and with the help of some of their students and Chris
tians, even to preparing all of the meals for the 53 missionaries and
children present. We were all encouraged by the messages brought by
Professor Tom Friskney and with the fellowship with him and Mrs.
Friskney and our fellow missionaries. Since George still had classes
to teach, he was unable to go.
On March 25 two young people graduated from Osaka Bible Seminary.
Mr. Motonobu Ikeda received the four year ministerial degree. He is
taking an additional course this term and hopes to go to Cincinnati
Bible Seminary this fall. Miss Naomi Ohmura received the two year
certificate and began working as the office secretary from April 1.
Four new students entered Osaka Bible Seminary this new school
year. Mr. Nakahara is the son of a preacher in a Church of Christ
(non-instru-mental) in Shizuoka prefecture. Mr. Kishimoto from Tanabe
is a graduate of Ibaraki College. Mr. Yamamoto is from the Minato
church in Yokohama where Mr. Stephen lijima preaches. Miss Okido is
from Okinawa and is a graduate of a junior college for teachers in
Nagoya.
Since April 2nd, George has been suffering from herpes zoster
(shingles). After a series of five IV's the vesicles have almost all
dried up, but he is still having some pain. The doctor gave him some
medicine to relieve the pain and he is feeling much better.
Now that we can make definite plans for moving, Ethel and Jenann
have begun in earnest to sort out and pack things not needed until we
move. We expect that as soon as the buyer wants possession of the land
here, the garage and the part of the house containing the kitchen and
George's study will have to be torn down. Before then we must get
everything from the attic to the basement in that end of the house
moved. We plan to live in the rest of the house until we move.
We are hoping to go to the States for a short time this summer,
but it will have to be earlier than we had planned and for a shorter
period of time. We will probably leave as soon as possible after this
term ends on July 1 and return by the middle of September.
We are looking forward to the coming of John and his family the
21st of this month for a week's visit. They are in Taiwan now visiting
Tsai's family this week. It will be the first time for Jenann to see
Jennifer.
The grace and joy of the Lord be with you.
Y(^r ministers to Japan,
George & Ethel Beckman
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Miss Ohonura & Mr. Iheda
at graduation
presenting their gift to the Seminary
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4 new students, from left to right:
Kishimoto, Miss Okido, Mr. Yamamoto, Mr. Nakahara
Osakq^
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Not-for-Profit Corporation
Dear Christian Friends,
OctobeTi^ll, 1988
/a^i
OSAKA BIBLE SEMINARY
MISSIONARIES
George & Ethel Becknan
Jenann Beckman
8-40 Kamizono-cho
Nishinomiya 622, Japan
0798-71-7170
FORWARDING AGENTS
Roger & Beryl Johnson
3320 Westgate Parkway
Rockford, IL 61108
815-399-3690
We thank God for the many precious souls who have shown such
kindness and encouragement in the brief trip we made to the States
this summer. Your gracious hospitality has been a great blessing to
us. Even though some of you were very frail in body you welcomed and
encouraged us. May the Lord richly bless you as He has blessed us
through you. In spite of the fact that there seemed to be so much to
be done here in preparation for our move into a new area to begin a
work we believe that it was the Lord^s leading that we return to the
States for this short time and He has given us the strength to get the
most urgent things accomplished up until now.
We had hoped that the new house would be finished by the end of
October, but when we returned we learned that it will not be finished
until the end of November because of delays due to the many days of
rain this summer, and the buyer of this land wanted the buildings on
the lot he purchased demolished by the fifteenth of this month. That
meant many busy days getting the garage, kitchen, pantry and study
cleared out by October fifth so the men could begin tearing them down.
Thanks to the help of David Hinson, our son-in-law, we finished get-
ting"everythTng moved out of"the study and George's dsk moved into a
corner of the living room in one day. During the next week we moved
everything we wanted out of the garage, kitchen and pantry. From the
third (Monday), the plumbers, gas men, carpenter and electrician came
to hook up our appliances into our former dining room. They also had
to move the water heater, electric meter and fuse boxes and telephone
to the part of the house in which we will live until we can move. The
men came to begin demolishing the vacated areas on the sixth.
After visiting with some of the churches and our board of direc
tors, it has become evident that there is some misunderstanding con
cerning the land sold here and the new land bought. Both the land and
the buildings on this land belong to Osaka Christian Mission, a not
for profit organization for religious purposes registered with the
Japanese government, and the new land and building is also the proper
ty of Osaka Christian Mission. The church that has been meeting here
has acquired enough money to put up a building, but because of the
prohibitive cost of land, they asked Osaka Christian Mission for
permission to build on a part of this land. Since they are now inde
pendent of any missionary help, we felt that it was time for us to go
somewhere else and try to begin a new work. Therefore, we asked the
Mission to sell part of this land, buy a piece of property and build a
combination meeting place and home for us in an area where land is
cheaper and where we do not have a church. The church could then tear
down our present house to put up their own building. This request was
granted and the the Mission sold 297 square meters (3195.7 square
feet), about one third of the land here, and bought 274.47 square
meters (2932.8 square feet) of land in Takarazuka, a neighboring city.
The difference in the size and price of the two plots of land provided
the money to build a combination meeting place and house, though
smaller than the present house. There will be very little or no money
left over after construction. While the price from this land seems too
high to imagine, the price of land in any area is also very high. We
thank God that the land here was large enough that we could divide,
making it possible to begin a new work, resulting in churches in two
cities, even though that means both places will be small. Such high
prices make it virtually impossible for a new church to buy land and
have a building of its own.
For the same reason a new missionary coming to the field has a
very difficult time. The cost of living, even when a niissionary home
has been paid for, is double or treble what it is in the States, and
every missionary here is getting along on less than the average church
member in the States. Most of them have had no raise in support to
cover the 50% loss in the value of the dollar in the last year.
When anyone gives to Osaka Christian Mission (of America) or to
the Beckmans, he is giving to a state side organization incorporated
to support George and Ethel or Jenann Beckman for their living and
mission expenses. As you can see from our annual financial report and
budget, most of our mission funds go to help support Osaka Bible
Seminary, the only seminary in Japan among our people, . When we move
to Takarazuka we plan to have one of the seminary students help us on
a part time basis until he graduates. So far we have not added this
expense to the mission budget, planning to pay it out of our living
support until the church can begin to give toward his support.
Mr. Nakahara, the son of the preacher of a non-instrumental
church of Christ in Shizuoka prefecture, began studying at the semi
nary in April this year in preparation to follow his father as the
preacher in the church. Early in September his father died of cancer
leaving the church without a preacher. We ask your prayers for Mr.
Nakahara as he attempts to make the long trip several weekends a month
to preach at the church while continuing his study in the seminary.
While we were in the States the last part of August the two
churches that had been meeting here began meeting together and have
taken the name Kamizono Church of Christ. Upon our return we learned
also that Mr. Kubota, who has been attending worship for about a
year,has decided to become a Christian and will be baptized this
month. Praise the Lord.
May the grace and peace of God, our Father be yours.
For Christ in Japan,
Geor'ge & Ethel Beckman