Sims Jonathan 1985 Japan

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AC A J R e p o r tJONATHAN SIMS C H R I S T S AMBASSADOR T O JAPANAn d the. things yo u have heard me say in the presence o fmany witnesses entrusted to reliablemen who will also be qualified to teach others. II Timothy 2: 2

VOLUME 5 FIRST QUARTER 1 9 8 5 NUMBER 1

A R EC OR D A TT EN DA NC EA repor t in March a b o u t a C h r i s t m a s program i s l a t e to b e sure b u t worthwhile o fmention as t h e good a t t e n d a n c e encouraged me . Also w i t h a h el pe r ta ki ng pic tures th e

program went smoothly. Th e program c o ns is te d o f s in gin g caro ls t e l l ing th e rea l s toryof Christmas Sunday school st udent s r e a ding from Luke chapt er two vari ous games an d agi f t exchange. Previous p re pa ra ti on f o r th e program had been made through handing outabout nine hundred h a n d b i l l s . The young man from Yokosuka attending our Bible collegein Osaka was home over th e Holidays to help i n various ways. He was th e on e who tookthe p i c t u r e s while I d i r e c t e d the act iv i t ies in th e program. Th e c h i l d r e n in Sundayschool had r e h e a r s e d t h e i r par t s inr ead in g S c r i p t u r e an d t e l l ing about _

The at tendance by Am e ri c a ns t a n d a r d s wa s n o t much b u t it wa s th em o st coming to a ny p ro gr am s ince Xh a v e b ee n h e r e t Yoko s u k a O f t h o s ewho cam e e i gh t o f the ch i ld ren w e r ein a Churc h bu i ld ing fo r the f i r s tt i m e in th e ir l iv e s F o u r adu l t s tw oin fant s an d twenty-two who exchangedg i f t s w e r e in a t tendance Comparedwith o u r a v e r a g e at tendance in Sundays c h o o l o f e ight it seemed to b equ i t e a c r o w d Ich inose san wh ot eaches th e ch i ld ren from p re sc ho ol toth i rd g r a d e had p r ep ar ed j u s t enoughf o r t h e r e f r e s hmen t t im e I dona t e da box of t anger ines Th e g rea t e s t nu mb e r o f visitors came a s friends o f t h echildren o f t h e hu s b a n d an d wi f e w h os tu d y E n gl is h in a c las s o f mine. Th eo the r v i s i t o r s cam e d i r e c t l y f r omhanding o u t handb il ls in fron t o f thee le m en ta ry s c ho o l n e a r b y . P r a y t ha tI c an m a k e more c o n t a c t s like t h e hu sband a nd wife who b r o u g h t t h e i rf r iends ch i ld ren and f r i ends of t h e i rchildren

Scr ip tu re Read in g

Game. Time


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A FURLOUGH S COMINGI arr ived in Japan in May of 1981 to begin my f i r s t term of service and four yearshave sped by. In response to a request from some in the U.S. I am planning a t r ip tov i s i t support ing congrega tions , classes and fami ly beginning May 29 and extendingthrough the Nat ional Missionary Convention in Orlando, Flor ida a f t e r which on October3, I wil l return to J ap an , re ch ar ged fo r a second term of service.

During my t r ip in the U.S. the young man f rom Yokosuka , who i nc identa l ly wil l begraduating from Osaka Bible Seminary t h i s Spr ing , wil l be f i l l i ng the pu lp it in Yokos u k a . You will h e a r more o f h im later

My i t ine r a ry i s taking shape. I wi l l depar t from Tokyo on May 29, Wednesday a t19:05 with a br ie f period of dark over the Paci f ic and go through Customs in S ea t t lea f t e r ar r iv ing the M of the same day 10:35. Continuing glast wi l l l ose me t ime so t ha tI arr ive in Norfolk a t 22:36 s t i l l Wed. May 29 . Going the o th er di rec t ion on October3 wil l seem l ike one long day, depart ing Norfolk a t 7:35 Thursday and without seeinga sunse t or dark of any kind w ill a rr iv e in Tokyo on Friday, October 4 a t 1^:50 hours.Speaking appointments are being confirmed. After a week in Chesapeake, Virginia I wil lbe driving to be a t 1 s t Chris t ian , Mckeesport the of June 9, a t F irs t Chris t ian ,Turt le Creek, PA that PM, l a t e r a t Norwin Chris t ian and Fi r s t Christ ian, Big Run andwith my youngest brother in Bellevi l le Michigan on the weekend of June 30. The driveto v i s i t my s i s t e r in Desmoines wi l l be hard as well as th e re tu rn from Iowa to be a tCreswell Church of Chr is t J uly 7 followed by a week of camp. In any case addit ional appointments from July onward wil l be bes t put in my next newsle t t e r .

I wi l l soon be able to see many of you a l l in person to Fellowship and re la teabout the work in Japan. To v i s i t wil l be a wonderful way to recharge for another termin Japan. I am always grateful for continuing prayer and support. The Lord i s answering prayer, providing needs according to His t imetable , sustaining us in our efforts .Through the power given us from above we can be made more effect ive servants .

PRAY THAT ALL WE SAY AND DO CAN BRING GLORY AND HONOR TO OUR LORD ANDSAVIOUR J ESUS CHR I S T .

LAUREL AVENUE CHURCH OF CHRIST1126 La u r e l Avenue

Non-Prof i t OrU.S. Pos tage


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C. A . REPORTJONATHAN SIMS.. .CHRIST S M SS DOR TO JAPAN

VOLUME 5 THIRD QU RTER 1985 NUMBER 3

A FIRST FURLOUGH SUMMARYI have heard various conments about furlough from missionaries who

have devoted much t ime to work in th e f i e l ds fo r th e sake o f our Lord and SaviourJesus Christ . One of the most commonly expressed statements i s tha t a missionarywill need to get back to the field to rest up from furlough. A furlough inany dictionary becomes a synonym with Vacation but for a missionary a furlough-does-not seem to be a time for reiazing~or getting one^s mind off-one s work. On-t he con tr ary, a missionary becomes busy speaking to a number of groups about thework on the f ie ld and becomes t i red from traveling around from place to place. Afurlough is s im ila r t o a vacation in that i t is a financial burden not fully compensated for dollar wise, but is also a change of pace which can be appreciated.I t is amazing to know that many pioneer missionaries such as Hudson Taylor inChina never took a single furlough, a t least as we would interpret the word furlough. Paul did report to the congregation which had:sent him out to thefield, but never lost his zeal to work in the fields and when Paul couldn t bethere in person, sent le t ters to keep in touch. I t is my understanding fromScripture that a Christian can not go on vacation from being a Christian and alsoto be a Chr i s t i an i s no r e a l v aca t i on .

The aim of this furlough which began on May 29 and will finish whenleaving for Japan on October 3 has been to visi t supporting congregations andfamily. I have been able to visit briefly aunts , uncles, sisters and brothersfamilies and with many of you who have been praying for me and supporting the workin Japan. I regret that I have no t been able to vis i t with some o thers o f you aswell . In heaven there wi l l not be hindrances of dis tance and t ime schedule d ifferences to keep people apart as happens here on earth. Traveling more than 8,000miles by car I have made stops in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia,Michigan, Iowa, North Carol ina, Indiana and Ohio and w ill fly Eastern Airlines toFlorida to atte nd the National Missionary Convention in Orlando.

In general, this furlough has been very worthwhile. I t was not pleasantto have two teeth with root canal infect ions to be worked on, nor to be in f l ic tedwith whiplash because of a careless truck driver in North Carolina. I t disturbedme a l i t t le to see changes in-several congregations caused by a weakened stateof the economy. nd a change of leadership always needs getting used to. Butblessings fa r outweigh t roubles .I can not express how much I appreciate the elders of Laurel AvenueChurch of Christ, Chesapeake, Virginia for providing a good vehicle for drivingaround the country. I appreciate greatly the hospitality of those who allowed meto stay in their homes as I went from place to place. I apprec ia te the many opportunities I had to speak to congregations, groups, camps and individuals as wellabout the work in Japan. Those who are keeping me in their prayers and supportingme through finances, encouraging le t ters or cards, or simply through showing interest in reaching across cultural differences with the Gospel mean very much to me.The Lord has blessed me with good health during the t r ips from place to place.Simply to meet many wonderful people who are concerned about my well being andinterested in the work in Japan encourages me to be more diligent and helps tocharge me up f or a dd it io na l s er vi ce in Japan.

A NEW ENGAGEMENT


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In Japan I t I s a r a r e blessing to find couples l i k e Kensei an d Yoshie.Too o f t e n C h r i s t i a n s marry ho n chr is t iahs an d en d up drawn away from t h e Church,because they can t find partners of l ik e f ai th among th e few congregations theymay know about. Crossing denoiiiiiiational l ines a l s o causes problems. There simplyneed t o be more C h r i s t i a n s in Japan and more o p p o r t u n i t i e s fo r C h r i s t i a n youngp eo p le to meet t o g e t h e r .

In speaking fo r myself I ca n only say t h a t th e Lord has n o t ye t ble ssedme through providing t h a t s p e c i a l helpmeet. I f my Creator does b l e s s mw by providing a helpmeet, AHEN. Pray th a t in whatever s i t u a t i o n I am in sin g le o rotherwise, t h a t I can be a s e f f e c t i v e as possible in reaching others with th eGospel of Jesus Chr is t

I am looking forward to beginning another term o f ser vi ce in Japan. Theother da y I received a le t ter from Yokosuka where the people are praying fo r mysafe and speedy r etur n. They have been thinking a l o t about me as I have beentraveling. I have been thinking about them a s w ell, but am eqtially slow in getting le tte r s written. There is much to be done there. Pray that there ca n bebreak throughs in reaching across cultural barriers so that many Japanese w ill respond to the Gospel. I am grateful to have been able to v i s i t many of you duringth is b r i e f furlough, and I ask fo r continuing prayer and support as I r etur n toJapan on O ct ob er 3 ./ s / J o n ath an Sims

Christianity

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LAUREL AVENUE CHURCH OF C HR I ST Pe rm i t N o . 4 8


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October 14, 1985

To La u r e l Avenue Church o f Ch r i s tDea r Br e t h r e n in Ch r i s t :

I a rr iv ed s af el y in Japan on the 4th of October, t i red from a long f l igh t .Now I have se t t l ed down and am resuming var ious a c t i v i t i e s here .

The people here had a welcome p arty fo r me on Sunday. Some new people havebeen coming regularly, so I feel somewhat posi t ive about the work here. Kenseihas done a good job . . . during my absence. He i s thinking a lo t now about hisupcoming marriage on November 23.

We t a lked a littl abou t a schedu le o f church ac t i v i t i e s to be s t a r t e d andwill be sharing responsibi l i t ies of preaching and teaching as his part-time workl imits his preparation time somewhat But with the two of us working together,I feel i t i s possible to reach o ut into the community bet ter than with jus t one.The dollar has been made very weak recent ly , which i s a plus fo r Americanbusiness i t makes American things cheaper in overseas markets- i f middlemenstay out of in terfer ing , but it lowers my in come- by allowing me less yen perdollar . At 214 yen per dollar , my buying power is only 8 of what i t was inMarch of this year when I was getting 250 yen per dollar. In any case, I feelon an equal level with a ll Japanese preachers who are s truggl ing to make ends

m t

Thank you for a l l of your help dur ing my furlough in the U S I feel refreshed and ready to continue on with the work here in Japan. The Lord is su staining my health and thanks to many Christians in America who are concernedabout Mission work, I fee l encouraged a t hear t . Thank you again for your cont inu ing praye r s and suppor t .

In His se rv ice ,/ s / Jonathan Sims

Missionary to Japan

;note from g lo r i a and RENEE:Jonathan loves to get mail from h is Chri st ian f ri ends here in the U.S. Hewould love to get a persona l no te or card from you. Let s send him lo ts ofChristmas cards. His address is : JONATHAN SIMS 3-6 Kugo Cho, Yokosuka-Shi,Kanagawa Ken, Japan 238.


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CAJ ReportJONATHAN SIMS CHRIST S AMBASSADOR TO JAPANAnd the.thinfixyou haveheardme say in the presence nj many witnessesenirusied m reliablemen who willalso be qualified to teach others. U Timothy 2:2

/p V/

VOLUME 5 FOURTH QU RTER 1985 NUM ER 4

BACK HOME IN JAPAN

In every s i tua t ion the Lord blesses those who di l igent ly seek f i r s t HisKingdom and r ighteousness. Even though while driving along an In te r s ta te highwayin North Carolina, my car (not actual ly mine, but provided for me through the elderso f L aurel Avenue Church of Chr is t Chesapeake, Virginia) was h i t by a t ruck causing much damage to the car and whiplash to me, good i s coming out of the s i tua t ion .From my understanding, th e e ld ers did not lose out very much in their investing inthe car as reimbursement for the damages was paid by the Insurance Company and thecar has been sold. The l awyer working on my behalf i s making progress in negotia t ing a reasonable recompense for personal in jury . But most of a l l the Lord i soverseeing a ll things, having healed my neck through normal processes which attimes He speeds up as He deems necessary.)

I again thank a l l who have made the furlough a blessing for me namelythose who l e t me stay with them overnight or several days, those who providedmeals and those who gave me words of encouragement for the task a t hand of reachin g peop le with the Gospel of Jesus Chris t .

I arrived safely back in Japan on October 4, but my large suitcase didn tmake the connection in Chicago. I t arrived on the third day, being delivered tomy front door a t the ai r l ines expense. I st ayed over ni gh t w ith mom and dad inHachioji and then went on to Yokosuka, where a welcome party had been prepared. Ihad several gifts in my large suitcase, so didn t fe el qu ite sett led in unti l i tarrived on Monday. I t took on ly two or three days to adjust to the time dif fer^ence but about two weeks to adjust to my normal eating portions and menu.

The congregation here a t Yokosuka has been continuing on well withKensei in the pulpi t . He was glad to see my s afe re tu rn and fe l t that my t r ip inthe U.S. had been good for me although a l i t t l e long for a vacation. SundaySchool attendance is averaging about six, which is a drop caused by pressures ofsociety on children to attend public school act ivi t ies on Sunday (or other community and group o uting s or events.) Sunday Worship, however has shown increasew i t h s e v e n in a t t e n d a n c e t t im e s .

THE WEDDING CEREMONY

Thanksgiving Day is a wonderful American holiday rooted in Christianprinciples tha t i s not celebrated in o th er coun tr ie s. In Japan one day i s se t toexpress grat i tude for l abor , but for a l l prac t ica l purposes is t reated as an excuse for another day off from work with no special customs or religious signi f icance of any kind. On that day, November 23, Kensei and Yoshie were married. Theceremony was held in the chapel of our Bible College in Osaka and the r ec ep tion inthe sma ll s choo l auditorium. One of th e p ro fe ssor s of the Bible College conductedthe ceremony and mom and dad had been asked to be the go-betweens for the sakeof the ceremony and s ta nd w ith the bride and groom. I took pictures for dad aswell as myself during the ceremony but gave one of the speeches at the reception


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Sims Jonathan 1985 Japan

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