Burney Donald Norma 1967 Japan

SHimU CHRISTIAN MISSION21 Nakano, Otani, Noichi-cho, Kami-gun, Kochi-Ken, Shikoku, ^

m

Mr. Tanoue sends greetings from theroof of the Gomen church building.

3RTTO

Removing rust in preparation for painting, Mr. Hattori defies gravity.

Thanks to Mr. Tanoue and Mr. Hattorifor a well-kept church-yard.

Mr. & Mrs. Donald G. Burney

ddress /o Mr. Robert Winterrowd^R. R. 5, Wabash, Indiana ,46992

.UGUST 1967July was a busy month, and August isprogressing just like July. These pictures werechosen to tell the story of July evangelism to othercongregations in Japan, and to the friends of thosewho are spending their summer teaching in Shikoku.We thought you would enjoy the same pictures andrejoice in the same news of Christ being served.

At the beginning of July our own three studentsfrom Shikoku returned home from Osaka Bible Seminary(Miss Junko Noguchi, Mr. Hiroshi Inada, and MissMichiko Fukoe). Together with Mr. Hiroshi Tanoueand Mr. Minoru Hattori, also students of O.B.S., andMiss Eiko Yamanaka and Miss Sumiko Murata from thelocal (Gomen) church, they have been teachingChildren's Meetings, holding evening TrainingClasses, helping with printing and other preparation, repairing the Gomen church property, selling Bible portions from house to house, preaching,preparing and planning for camp, etc. They havetraveled miles in both the truck and the motor-scooter to reach their classes. On one of the raredays when we did not have VBS both morning andafternoon, they even took our four children andwent swimmingpurely for the purpose of discovering whether the water was suited for swimming atthe place we had chosen for campthey said.

Such an occasion is very rare, but there weretimes when they had to "throw rocks for Christ".Not verbal onesreal ones. And only when the sunwas shining. One 13-lesson series of Children'sMeetings was held on a golf practice-range. It waswonderful, except when the sun shone. Then no onecould stand it. It was solved like this: Theyattached long pieces of straw carpeting to strings,and tied rocks to the other end of the strings.The next move was supposed to be the throwing ofthe rock over the extremely tall net (which keepsthe owner's golf balls out of his neighbor's ricefields). The rock was supposed to pull the string,the string pull the carpeting, the carpeting climbthe net, and everyone have enough shade to sit in.The great flaw in this plan was that none of the

(1)

girls who taught that Meeting could get the rock overthe netit usually came back down on their ownheads. Therefore either Don or Mr. Hattori had to goalong on sunny days to "throw rocks for Christ.

In July the group taught 4 Children's Meetings of13 lessons each, and by the end of August will haveadded to this 9 VBS schools (5 days each) and a three-day camp.

Mr. Inada has taught 30 evening training classesa Survey of Bible Historyand has plans for 25 more.This series is filling a pressing need in the congregation , and should bear great fruit for Christ inthe Gomen church. The course is being taught atabout a 1st-year college level. Those who attend 5nights a week (two hours each) for 11 weeks deservea lot of praise.

We (Don and Norma) have been busy, too, Norma'suniform was most often an apron 11 or 12 peoplefor dinner, 8 or 10 for supper, sometimes 6 (our ownfamily) and sometimes 8 for breakfast . Theschedule changed everytime a Children's Meeting orVBS ended or started, so that there was one periodwhen we were having 5 meals a day to accomodateeveryone, and a period when supper was at 10 or10:30 p.m.

I kept the press running, the truck and motor-scooter running here and there, and everything andeverybody running smoothly. A combination administrator- servant.

We want you to notice the last picture. Mr.Tanoue was so lost in the letter he had justreceived that he didn't know we were taking the picture. We use his picture to urge you to write, re-ndw acquaintances, and let us know you are prayingfor Japan and for all of us in the Lord's service inShikoku.

In Christ,

DON & NORMA BURNEY

Mr. Inada leading an evening class inSurvey of Bible History.

Don and Norma, two of our children (Tomand Sarah),Misses Noguchi, Murata, Fukoand Mr. Hattori. Our truck included.

Mr, Tanoueabsorbed ina letterfrom home.

Children's Meeting near the ocean,. Totalenrollment 112, Average attendance 45.

Everyone interested in the Bible story.A Children's Meeting 2-miles east of us.

'/Ml

Closing prayer at the Meeting on thegolf pract ice-range.

m' -mm

^'flB 4 'A

M jtLeading the children in singingMiss Noguchi, Miss Murata, Miss Fukoe