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UPDATE FROM DALE AND ANN LITTLE, September 2004

Modeling and Encouraging both Church Planting and Theological Education in Japan
Tokyo JAPAN

Summer Outreach English Classes

We held our fourth annual OEC from August 26-30. Six teachers came again to Tokyo, five from Woodlands Community Church (an EFC) in Wisconsin and Chie Koepke from California. Chie was on the first team in 2001. Fifty students attended the classes. Pastor Hayasaka had more input this year, preaching at a 30 minute chapel on the last day of classes. Students were also expected to attend Sunday worship services on either side of the week of classes. The church is hoping for a strong connection between the English classes and various activities of the church. Follow up Bible studies are planned for the fall.

On our last Sunday at Sunrise Chapel (Aug 8) the church held a farewell fellowship for us. Our work at Sunrise Chapel is finished and the church is firmly under the leadership of Pastor Hayasaka.

Our Continuing Ministry in Japan

When we return to Japan in January 2005 we plan to continue our church planting ministry. Our current thinking is to simultaneously partner at two or three church plants in the greater Tokyo area, each on a part time basis. Each church plant would be led by a Japanese pastor. We would come alongside to help get the churches started, participating at each church once or twice a month. There are now three church planting projects in which we could possibly participate.

This is a new strategy for us. We think it may fit us well because it is difficult for Dale to lead a church plant while also teaching theology. Both ministries can require full time energy! In addition to the seminary at which Dale currently teaches part time, an additional well known school has unofficially also asked him to teach theology beginning April 2005. So it seems better for us to continue our church planting ministry by partnering with Japanese pastors who are trying to plant churches rather than by taking full church planting leadership ourselves. We think this approach will facilitate church planting vision and will ensure Japanese leadership is in place from the beginning of our church plants.

Family News

We left Tokyo for home assignment on Aug 10 and enjoyed a week in the Vancouver BC area visiting Dale’s family. On Aug 17 we flew on to Maine and stayed for a few weeks with Ann’s family on the farm in Cape Elizabeth. On Sep 1 we moved into a cozy winterized cottage a few hundred meters from a beach. For our current address and phone number, please .

During our home assignment we will likely be on the road most weekends, trying to visit our nineteen US supporting churches. Kathy Mueller of Door Cr eek Church, an EFC in the Madison WI area, loaned us a minivan for our home assignment. Thank you Kathy!

Kristy worked as a cashier at Maxwell’s Farm Market (Ann’s family’s store) during the summer. We overlapped with her for ten days before she headed back to Trinity Western University for her third year, where her major is psychology and her minor is missions. This year she is the resident assistant for the international girls’ dorm. Bryan (15) and Matthew (13) are enrolled in North Star Academy, an online school. It is a new learning experience for them and us, but it fits well with their schooling needs and our deputation schedule.

Kids Korner: Bryan Wins Haiku Award!

During the Christian Academy in Japan middle school awards night in June it was announced that Bryan and three of his classmates were four of the fourteen winners in the nation wide annual international school haiku contest. Haiku is a 5-7-5 syllable poem about nature. Here is his poem:

Title: Japanese White Eye

A tiny green bird

Its eye is circled in white

Painted in the tree

In the spring Japanese white eye birds come to our balcony in Tokyo to eat oranges we put out for them. Bryan’s award winning haiku poem gave him a chance to write about his favorite hobby, bird watching.

Prayer and Praise

* Pray that many OEC students at Sunrise Chapel will join Bible studies and come to know God.

* Praise God for provision of a house to rent and a car to use during our home assignment from late August through mid January.

* Pray that we will be able to visit as many as possible of our nineteen US supporting churches while on home assignment.

* Pray the adjustment of Matthew and Bryan to their online studies during home assignment.

* Pray for Kristy and her new responsibility as RA for international girls dorm at TWU.

* Pray for clear direction in our choices for church planting when we return to Japan in January 2005.

* Pray that the remaining CN$1900/US$1300 for our computer project will soon be raised.

Dale and Ann Little