Dear Christian Friends,
It is great to know we are always in your prayers. We are doing well. Beginning in January, Mari is going to work for a local bank in the city of Fussa where we live. This will be a more stable job than her previous job. She thought about the possibility of working on Yokota Base because it gives her numerous opportunities. Working hours on Base goes from 7:30am to 4:30pm. This is too much for us to handle. She gave up on this idea. Her working hours on the bank is from 10:00am to 4:00pm. We can manage housework and take care of the two boys. This has been a good news for us.

I am glad to report that I am working for Japanese Christians and with Japanese non-Christians more and more. My teaching schedule for Japan School of Evangelism is that I teach three classes: Introduction to the OT, Genesis, and New Testament World. I have been busy preparing lessons plans for these classes. I do not take these classes lightly and try to move the level of school up to a higher standard. I am also one of the three members of the Curriculum Committee which is responsible for making up a new curriculum. I think this work is very crucial for the school because it will guide the direction of the school.

This is not the highlight of my work this year. It is the work of God through the web page I made. I pray that God continues to use this means to reach out to Japanese people. Up to this day I have had two individuals taking a correspondence course and also another individual having a dialogue with me. Let me write what one of the students taking the course wrote. She wrote, "I am not a Christian. I study History of Japanese and Western Cultural Exchange from the 16th and 17th centuries. Although I do not have a strong desire for becoming a Christian, I have the following question. Why do the only limited number of Japanese people are Christians even though Christianity was rapidly spread in the beginning of the 16th century, when the gospel was preached for the first time in Japan? Therefore, I have begun to read the Bible and talk with Christians from foreign countries on my university campus. My study focuses on the Catholic because it was the main Christian group in the 16th and 17th centuries in Japan. First, however, I would like to know about the Bible, the existence of God, and sin. Particularly I am interested in the original sin. If you think my motive is proper, I would like to learn from you."

I am quite surprised at the number of responses to the page. May God be glorified through this work because God is at work. I would like to move onto two another projects. One is that I am planning to put the translations of John Claytons*s periodical articles. My Japanese preacher friend told me that Bro. Clayton told him to use them freely when he was broadcasting the gospel message through the short wave radio to Japanese. (This radio program is no longer on air.) I will write to Bro. Clayton. After I get a response from him, I will put his articles on the page "Creation and Science." This topic has been asked by several Japanese. I hope this page will meet the needs of many Japanese. The other project is that I will make a new correspondence course. The correspondence made by Jim MuGuiggan is too difficult for Japanese non-Christians who have little knowledge about the Bible. At present, the two Japanese are taking this course. Since a number of people responding to the page want to know about God and the Bible, I need to make the new correspondence course soon.