Dear Beloved in Christ and Partner in the Gospel,
Bella getting to know Grandpa Lee
A big part of home-assignment is reconnecting with our families while we’re Stateside. In most cases I would say the blessings of missionary life outweigh the sacrifices, but missing family while we’re overseas is often one that hits hard. So, every holiday that can be spent together, every birthday celebrated in-person, every play-date with cousins is a gift to be cherished during our time here in Iowa. In addition, every time we can be here to support family members who are going through a hard season is also a gift.
Since arriving back to the States last year we’ve been able to grieve the death of a nephew together with his family, and we’ve also had the privilege of encouraging our parents through various health issues. Earlier this winter, John’s father, Poong, suffered a stroke. His recovery went well, but some struggles highlighted the need to address some pre-exisiting heart issues. This led to his open-heart surgery at the end of July.
John’s dad, ready to move on to rehab after 26 days in the hospital
The night before Poong went into surgery, we both felt the prompting to present the gospel as clearly as possible, so that he might have every opportunity to embrace it. He wasn’t asking for it, but we felt the Lord was leading us to speak. We didn’t quite know where to start, but when we opened our mouths, the Holy Spirit gave us the words to share. What started as sharing turned into a gentle conversation. John had a wonderful talk with his dad that evening and walked away with the hope that God would grow the seeds that were sown.
In answer to your prayers, his surgery went well (your prayers change lives)! While his recovery showed promise, he struggled through the emotional valleys of discouragement and hopelessness. It became so severe that John was asked by the hospital staff to visit him despite the risks of the pandemic. It was a reminder that the battle for dad’s life was not only physical, but spiritual and emotional as well.
In the days that followed, John was privileged to fight for him from his bedside: being present, listening, praying and sharing from the Scriptures-even when it wasn’t necessarily wanted. But as the days passed, Poong began to say, “John, read the Bible,” before he was asked. To be honest, we have no certainty about Poong’s physical or spiritual future, but we find peace in remembering God’s power to change and heal our broken hearts. We continue to pray and serve with the hope that Poong will walk alongside us in this journey of treasuring Jesus Christ more and more each day.
Although we’ve been grateful to walk with dad on this journey, it has been emotionally and physically challenging. Facing this reality, we think of many of you who are caring for a loved one in similar ways—whether because of COVID-19 or otherwise—and want you to know what we ourselves need to hear every day: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble… Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:1, 10). Just to be clear, our calling to serve in Tokyo remains strong. We don’t know yet when God will allow us to return to Tokyo, but we receive it as a gift to able to support family during this time.
In His love,
John, Jo Beth, Brooke & Bonnie
Bonnie’s 2nd Birthday
“What’s your favorite color Bonnie?”
“Ummmm…Rainbow!”
| Return Plans & Prayer Points
We are still waiting on the Lord for His timing in our return to Tokyo, and praying toward departure later this year. At this point Japan is still denying entry to most travelers from the US, and our visas expired around the time we left Japan so they are no longer helpful to qualify us as foreign residents. We are also waiting for passports to be issued for two of our girls. Please pray for God’s perfect timing. Also pray that He will go ahead of us and prepare housing for our family. Tokyo has also experienced a spike in Coronavirus numbers. Please pray for our onsite teammates, the Nakazawa family and Michiyo, for their physical protection and emotional relief while living under heightened social-distance restraints in such a densely populated city. Also lift up our teammates and two new staff who are currently Stateside raising support and praying for the open door to join the team on the field: Adam Bailey, Melanie Brunell, Kevin Moore and Sarah Roberts. Thank you to many who have prayed through difficult season for Poong! We are currently 4 weeks post-surgery. The triple bypass and replacement of 2 valves was successful. He is currently under quarantine in a rehab facility, and we plan to continue helping him through recovery when he returns to his home. Please pray for the boys in John’s fishing group and their families. School is starting, and we pray for their continued safety and spiritual growth. We are delighted to hear how some of them have begun seeking God through the scriptures each day! Thank you to those who have stepped out by faith and increased our support-this is a timely answer to prayer! When we return to Tokyo, we are facing increases in our rent, health insurance and needs for a growing family. Please pray for the Lord’s provision for the remaining $1000 of monthly support. Would you prayerfully consider helping with this financial need?
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