$k r? KYUSHU mFDRT Published Regularly to Report the Work of the Kyushu Christian Mission JUNE 1951 Vol. 2 No. 2 Missionaries: Mr. and Mrs. Mark G. Maxey, 10925 Nishihara cho, Kanoya shi, Kagoshima ken, Japan Forwarding Secretary: Mrs. Gladys Auerswatd, Box 162, North Vernon, Ind. Mark G. Maxey Pauline Maxey HOW TO FIND THEKlfCSIlD CDRISIIAN MISSION 1092S NISfllHARA-CHO KANOYA-SHI lUGOSHIHA-KEN JAPAN S.NEXT TO KAi;OSHIKA PREFECTURE SHIHkx 6CTW« ilUO UWUOKA *S4£FH0 BEppu KURJM6 , KYUSHU oOy KUMHtlOTO I. FIRST TO JAPAN CHINA KWEA RU&SI ALASKA SAM FP-*/«ISCO 0^ JAWW OmUWAY WAKE HONaiA.ij 17. ON TO KANOYA CITY KAGOSHIMA PREFECTURE oSENOAl KAMnvA L»L». TAKASu I. THEN TO THE ISLAND OF KVUSHU touyo JMIKOKU KVUSrtJ J.AND TO THE MISSION HOME AT 10925 NISHIHARA CHO KANOYA CITY KANOYA _ CHURCH • MISSI ON HOHE KANOYA RIVER
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$k r?
KYUSHUmFDRT
Published Regularly to Report the Work of the Kyushu Christian Mission
JUNE 1951Vol. 2 No. 2
Missionaries: Mr. and Mrs. Mark G. Maxey, 10925 Nishihara cho, Kanoya shi,Kagoshima ken, Japan
Forwarding Secretary: Mrs. Gladys Auerswatd, Box 162, North Vernon, Ind.
Mark G. Maxey Pauline Maxey
HOW TO FIND
THEKlfCSIlD
CDRISIIAN MISSION
1092S NISfllHARA-CHOKANOYA-SHI
lUGOSHIHA-KEN JAPAN
S.NEXT TO KAi;OSHIKA PREFECTURE
SHIHkx6CTW«
ilUO
UWUOKA
*S4£FH0 BEppu
KURJM6
, KYUSHUoOy KUMHtlOTO
I. FIRST TO JAPAN
CHINA
KWEA
RU&SI ALASKA
SAM FP-*/«ISCO
0^ JAWWOmUWAY
WAKE HONaiA.ij
17. ON TO KANOYA CITY
KAGOSHIMAPREFECTURE
oSENOAl
KAMnvA
L»L».
TAKASu
I. THEN TO THE ISLAND OF KVUSHU
touyo
JMIKOKU
KVUSrtJ
J.AND TO THE MISSION HOMEAT 10925 NISHIHARA CHO
KANOYACITY
KANOYA _CHURCH •
MISSI ONHOHE
KANOYARIVER
THUMBNAIL HISTORY
Mark G. Maxey was born in Pomeroy, Washington, August 10, 1917, the son ofMr. and Mrs. R. Tibbs Maxey and one of a family of preachers and missionaries. He is a graduate of Minnesota Bible College and Cincinnati BibleSeminary.
Pauline Maxey was bom in Wind Ridge, Pennsylvania, August 2, 1921,the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Pethel and is a graduate of CBS,also.
They were married December 29, 1941. Their two children are Paula,age seven, and Walter Mark, age five.
Missionary work was their lifelong dream, but they became interested inJapan while Mr. Maxey was on occupation duty there as a chaplain with the U. S.Army. Paula contracted polio in Japan, and they returned to America for hertreatment.
Mr. Maxey was discharged from the army at Battle Creek, Michigan,August 30, 1949. After several months of travel in the States, the family sailedfor Japan August 27. Upon arrival there September 12, they spent severalweeks in Osaka getting their freight and making preparations for the trip toKanoya. They arrived in Kanoya October 20, 1950, and began the work of theKyushu Christian Mission.
WHY KYUSHU?
The choice to go to Kyushu was the result of several desires. We wanted topreach the gospel in Japan, in a place where our people had not gone, in aplace where no missionary of any kind lived and where they would not likely go,in a smaller town or village rather than in the city. So we chose Kyushu, thelarge southern island of Japan. Missionaries had long been there, but no onehad gone with the simple New Testament gospel. And even with all the workbeing done, the island was virtually untouched by the gospel.
After choosing the island of Kyushu we learned of the church started at Kan«oya by Arthur Paul Cook, then an Air Force chaplain, now at the Benson church,Omaha. This seemed a natural bridgehead from which to carry the gospel tothe surrouding area. Furthermore, Kanoya fitted the desires we had for amission station. An English missionary once lived here for two years overthirty years ago, but no one has been here since. The nearest missionariesare across the bay in Kagoshima, over two hours away. The next missionaries are at Kummamoto on the west coast and at Beppu on the east (look atthe map). Kanoya is like Nazareth, "Poor and despised." This part ofJapan is looked down upon by all the rest of the country. Here theancient customs and standards prevail while the rest of Japan is undergoinga social revolution. The Kagoshima prefecture has a dialect unintelligiblein the rest of Japan, and this adds to the separation.
Visitors here call Kanoya "the end of the line" and rightly so. To reachKanoya, leave Tokyo Monday on the morning express, and ride south and westall day and night across the island of Honshu. Ride all day Tuesday from thenorthern to the southern tip of Kyushu till you reach the end of the line atKagoshima prefecture. Stay all night in a Japanese inn, sleeping on the floorwith a brick of straw for a pillow. The next morning catch the eight o'clockferry for the hour trip across Kagoshima bay and around the base of majesticMt. Sakurajima (pictured on the front). At the end of the run, jam yourselfinto the pack of fifty standees, and for an hour and a quarter swing and swayride around the bay, up the cliff, and across the plain to Kanoya. It is Wednesday, and you are glad to be at the southernmost city on this peninsula. Whatis more important: you are in the center of hundreds of villages and severalmillion people waiting to hear the gospel for the first time.
POINTS OF PROGRESS
1. Few missionaries today go directly to a remote place and immediately begina pioneer missionary enterprise with no knowledge of the language. But 'thiswas our situation, and we needed at once a Christian man who could interpret,
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teach us Japanese, preach the gospel, and assist in the numerous and difficulttasks of beginning. Such a man we foun-J in Paul Takeo Ilnure. The YoungMarried People's Class of the Benson Chi.vch in Oniaha has taken him as theirliving link missionary so that he would devote full time to this work. We havecome to love and (rust Hro. Imurp. He is with us day after day. The first thing
every moining he teaches us Japanese, and then I teach him vaiious
Bible subjects till noon. He is withme in the work of preaching andteaching. In addition he serves asthe pastor of the Kanoya church.God has blessed us through him.
2, The first weclcs in Kanoya weresi)ent in the acute discomfort of aJapanese hotel. The process of acquiring land and building a home wereslow and tedious, and only those whohave lived and built in the Orientcan appreciate the misery of the task.God was with us even while trying ourpatience. Five hundred tsubos of land
(a tsubo is six square feeti with good water and high voltage electricity nearbywere acciuired at a reasonable price. It was government land, formerly coveredwith barracks to house the Kamikaze pilots who wrought such destruction uponus in the latter days of the war. The barracks foundations are now our sidewalks. A metal pre-fabricated building was purchased in Osaka, shipped toKanoya. and erected. A contractor was hired to build the inside and to installplumbing and electricity. We moved in January 5 and are still in the process ofmaking both house and grounds livable. A small orchard, a vegetable garden,and a flower garden have been planted, also a strawberry bed and three grapevines to provide juice for communion. There is a chicken pen and the children'sguinea pig to comprise the live stock. Our packing cases have been transformedinto a white picket fence. Hundreds of people have come to see this house, andto each of them we give-a gospel portion and speak a word for Christ. Thereis a daily stream of visitors to talk about the aiTairs of the kingdom so thatwe have been tempted to name our home "The Ivighthouse." Actually, theonly time we have to work and write is late at night when everybody else issleeping, for the Japanese are "early to bed and early to rise."
The Mission House
Paul Imure and Family
Before After
The total cost for this house, including laud, fence, and all improvements,is $2,500 of which we still owe $500. 1 know of no other place where so muchcould be acquired for so little that will do so much gcod.
3. While We put part of our tithe into the Kanoya church, it is rapidly becoming self-supporting. Benches have been made to seat one hundred, a baptistryinstalled, communion table and chairs bought, a pulpit made, a new sign board
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9. What other things can you use?
Used clothing is always ^velc()Ine. I have seen shirts and pants patched atleast a hundred times. The children's picture papers, cards, and rolls can beused to good advantne;®. Wrap and lie all pacliages securely. Label them"Gift Package." We have never had to pay duty on a package yet.10. What are your specific needs?
a. We would like to finish paying for the mission house.
b. A church building is needed for the lepers and for the new church atKishira.
c. We have an obligation to assist in the expense of training these fouryoung men for the ministry. Perhaps your group would like to take one ofthem for a pen-pal and assist him financially and with clothing. They need
Several have written to say that they are afraid to send missionary assistancethis way until the present crisis is over. 1 do not know that the crisis willever be over, but 1 do know that Japan is the greatest missionary opportunityof our time, that there is no hindrance to the preaching of the gospel, and thatthe people are ready, willing, and eager to hear. What more could one agk?THE TIME IS NOW!
KYUSHU CHRISTIAN MISSION10925 Nishihara cho, Kanoya shiKagoshima ken,Kyushu, Japan
Printed and Mailed ByThe Christian Co-op Press
Terre Haute, Ind.
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painted, and the entrance hi:ii)roved. Attendance at the morning service averages seventy and at the evening service, held in a rented hall, three hundred.4. There have been forty-two baptisms in Kanoya, five in Kishira, and nineIn Shibushi for a total of fifty-six.5. P^ive young men have decided for the ministry and began their studies thismonth. t"'o in Osaka Bible Seminary and three in Tokyo Bible Seminary.These decisions have not been easy either for the young men or their parents.We anxiously await their return four years hence.6. A new church has been started in Kishira, a village fourteen kilometersaway, with six members and a great many people attending the services andstudying. Sadahiko Paul Motoyoshi, former leader of the Kanoya charch, isthe preacher there.
7. A week spent preaching and counseling in Fukuoka to help the churchthere.
First Baptisms in Kanoya Worshippers at Kanoya Church8. We spent a week preaching on the New Testament church to a denominational group at the town of Shibushi. The preacher and his wife were baptized,and we are hoping that the rest of the church will also make this choice.
9. We preach regularly at the leper colony five miles away and expect soonto have a church of Christ there.
10. Much time has been spent preparing scripts and tape recordings of thesescripts in Japanese for use with the "Life of Christ Visualized" film strips.Thes? have been shown in many places to several thousand people with greateffectiveness. All the aids we brought (portable organ, Public Address system,tiannelgraph, tape recorder, and slide projector) have been put to regular andeffective use.
11. On the 1st and 15th of each month we preach to all the Kanoya policemen.While we have aroused excellent interest, there have been no conversionsas yet.
12. Mrs. Maxey has started regular teaching meetings with the church ladiesboth young and old.
13. Several tracts have been written, translated into Japanese, and published.
14. A new Bible school has been staried in an orphanage and is attended byother children in the neighorhood. Attendance averages one hundred.
SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED
THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED US.
1. How is the Korean War affecting you?
Korea is not far away, but so far we are not in any physical danger nor has Itbrought us physical discomfort. It has, however, raised the prices of all commodities in .fapan so that week by week the missionary dollar buys less andless while the expenses become more and more.
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2. Do you live like Americans or Japanese?We live and eat like Americans as much as that Is possible. The Japanese
do not expect us to live as they do. and 1 doubt if a lamily group could last longat it. Our home and family life are of great interest to the Japanese, and webelieve that they will find many things there that will be beneficial In their ownliving.
3. What about school for the children?
Pauline spends part of each busy day teaching Markie kindergarten andPaula 1st and 2nd grades using the Calvert systeTO. The nearest American children are in Kagoshima so our youngsters have a loneliness that is very real.4. What about medical and dental care?
Japan has good doctors and dentists though their standards of cleanlinessdiffer from ours. In the event of an emergency we can get care at an ArmyHospital in Pukuoka for approximately $12 a day. But Fukuoka is twelvehours away so we will not be going there often.
5. Is it safe to send packages and letters to you? .
Yes. The Japanese postal systens is efficient and thorough. As far as weknow, all packages and letters sent us have reached us. Air mail letters arrivevery quickly and are often given si)ecial delivery at this end.
6. What kind of money do you use?All our expenses in Japan are paid for in yen. the Japanese currency. Each
month we must anticii)ate our expenses and send American dollars to Osaka tobe converted into Japanese yen and sent back to Kanoya. One dollat equalsthree hundred and sixty yen.
7. What is the best way to send money?Any way that suits you suits us. International Money Orders are very con
venient for US if you live near a postofRce that issues them. Checks are easy foreverybody. U. S. PostaJ Money Orders are o. k., but do not have them madeout to the postmaster at Kanoya. .Japan; rather make them out to the postmaster at North Vemon. Indiana, Avoid sending currency if possible. It hasalways arrived all right, but it is dangerous and actually illegal to send itthrough the mails.
Funds may be sent directly to us in .Tapan. Or. if it is easier for you. send itto our forwarding secretary Airs, Gladys Auerswald. Box 162. North Vernon,Indiana.
8. What do you do for food?We buy as nmch as we can on
the Japanese market. This isB* i ~ one oi' the cattle raising centers
of Japan so we can buy meat,also (isli, fruit, potatoes, and
T vegetables. of which we pre-pare with precautions. Other items
^^P^"sive when found. The Osakafi'i' 'sl missionaries .shop and ship for
occasionf['lly. and we have been
' 'Ti grateful for food sent from theStates. If you or your group have
jwF * urge to send a box sometime,any of these things would begratefully received; sugar (brown,
Paula and Markie powdered, or granulated) oleomargarine. vegetable shortening (like
Spry), soap powder, bar soap. Kooi-aid (and such like), coffee (regular or powdered. dried fruits, raisins, prunes, caiuly. chocolate chips, marshmallows, cocoa,chocolate, any breakfast cereal to be cooked, mixes (pie. cake. roll. soup, etc.),Jello. puddings. These will please any missionary in this part of the world.In Kanoya there is nothing that even faintly resembles the wonders of thecorner grocery store.
LINKUBTTBR NOo 23K^shu Christian Mission1 August 1951
The next day we had a look at famed Kuinmamoto castle, a well preserved fort used in thefuedal warfare of the lasr oentury. On to Fukuoka that night® Fukuoka is on the northwestcoast of Kyushu and is the leading city of the islando The main purpose of our coming was tohave Paula examinedo An Army hospital had kindly consented to do this for us and they yientout of their way to make our stay a pleasant one. We had thought that Paula might have tocome home for more special treatment so we were relieved and grateful when the examiningdoctor said that that would not be necessary at this time®
On Thursda^y we drove on around the northern tip of Kyushu coming to rest at Beppu on thenortheast coast» This is a resort town made famous by its natural hot mineral baths which wetried and enjoyedo Its skyline is dominated by a hugh iron and cement Buddha cast.in 1928 ase memorial, it is said, to all the unknown dead in Japan# Ond Buddhist priest traveled overJapan collecting the bones of 1000 Japanese in unknown graves® These bones were ground andmixed with the cement of which the idol was made®