So, I actually managed to get a newsletter out for 2011... our email contact list is horribly out of date, so I'm also posting it here. Hope you enjoy... and sorry if you're getting this twice! :)
Happy New Year!
Every year when December comes, I start thinking about
getting family pictures taken and sending out beautiful Christmas cards… obviously
this hasn’t happened yet, so this year I’m sending greetings through a New
Year’s newsletter… and I'm not even late because Japan celebrates the new year
for almost an entire week. It is
also a Japanese tradition to send cards for the New Year, not Christmas, so you
could also say I’m just adapting to the culture. J Anyway, Merry Christmas and Happy New
Year! I can’t believe 2011
is over. As usual, I have a goal
to be a better communicator this year (this is a goal every year), so here’s a
brief re-cap of what our family has been up to lately…
This was our 2nd year living in Okinawa, Japan,
and serving as the pastor of Keystone Nazarene Church. We continue to fall more in love with
Japan every day, and it’s so exciting to see how God is working in the lives of
our church members and challenging us personally as we learn and grow. Since a large portion of our church is
U.S. military, we lose about 1/3 of the congregation every year. We’re getting used to this, and it
helps us cherish the time, however limited, we have with the families God
brings to our church. We are also greatly blessed with international friends
and missionaries who are here on a more permanent basis, so we’re very thankful
for those relationships. 
Brian was able to travel to Sendai, Japan, twice this year
to assist with tsunami relief.
These were life-changing experiences for him and our church members, and
if I can ever get him to slow down, I’ll have him write a longer blog about his
time there. :) Brian is still serving as the
Asia-Pacific youth coordinator for the Nazarene church, and this was an
abnormally busy year for his NYI responsibilities. With meetings in El Paso, Nazarene Youth Congress in
Kentucky, a regional conference in Manila, and the 3rd Wave
conference in Thailand (that’s where he is now), he’s been building up his
frequent flyer miles…. all on different airlines. ;) But seriously, he still very much enjoys his work with youth
leaders and somehow balances all his responsibilities while continuing to make
progress in his Japanese language studies.
Justin turned three in January 2011, and Noah celebrated his
first birthday last June. Both
boys are full of energy and amaze us every day with their creativity and
imagination. Justin is quite
obsessed with cars, trucks, and really any form of transportation. He also loves to read books and spend
time with friends. Noah loves to
follow Justin around and do whatever his older brother is doing. :) He has a quieter personality than
Justin, but he is quite fearless and adventurous, which keeps us on our toes.
It is such a joy to see how much they love each other and are learning to play
together….. most of the time. A definite highlight of the year was getting to
see their grandparents and other extended family on a short trip to the states
last summer. We’re thankful for family who forgives us for keeping their
grandchildren and nephews halfway across the world. :)
And, I guess that leaves me (Julie). Well I’ve been busy trying to keep up with the rest of the
family. :) This last year I was blessed
to teach an adult English class at a local language school, and I was elected
to the board at Okinawa Christian School International. It’s very easy to stay busy with only
church responsibilities and language study, but it’s a blessing to also be
involved in organizations and relationships outside our church family. It’s definitely been a challenging year
as I continue to transition to life with two young children on top of other
responsibilities, but God is so faithful in the strength and grace he provides
daily.
There are so many more stories I would love to share of how
God is working in our lives and in the lives of our friends, but this is
already longer than I expected. As
usual, I hope to be a better communicator through our blog this year, so please
check for updates and keep me accountable!
Thank you so much for your prayers and support. We couldn’t do any of this without the
amazing network of prayer partners God had blessed us with. Please continue to pray for us as we
seek God’s guidance in every area of our lives. And let us know how we can pray for you! We will be in the states for home
assignment in April, May, and June 2013.
Please let us know if your church would be interested in having us speak.
We love you and pray you will be amazed by our great God in
2012!
-Brian, Julie, Justin, and Noah
