Professional Documents
Culture Documents
MAXEY FAMILY
IN MEMORIAM
SHIRLEY ANN SMITH
^'i.iwKLerreR.
Survived by children,Joy
and Tim & husband, Cecil
March, 1978
*******
*******
i)h^ 4- 'I
a '1st and 2nd graders class in Bible school and the youth on
Sunday night. They have two daughters, Cindy, in the 3rd grade
and Patty who will soon be 5. We are very grateful that this fine
Christian family will be sharing with us in this work.
hard getting started again but now it seems we haven't ever been
gone. All of a sudden Christmas was upon" us. In spite of the over
whelming activities coirpassed into one week and a Sunday there is
a special brightness about Christmas in Japan. For one thing it
>
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DECEMBER 21 AT KUSHIRA
New Jersey. The 25th was a full day from morning till night so
for the first time in our lives we postponed our family observ
ance until the 26th. Walter and Mary, grandchildren Shelley and
er and
promises to God about our spiritual life for the com
ing year. There was time for tea and sweets before going on to
DECEMBER 24 AT ORPHANAGE
2. She spent the first five days of her vacation in bed very sick
so she wasn't ready to go back yet. Nor were we ready either.
Trip two for me to go to Fukuoka to preach and
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FELLOWSHIP WITH
PROF.
HARVEY BEARD
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& BIBLE
LANDS
believe.
So we are s t i l l look
ing and expecting to find the site we need. The money received is
safely in a savin^account in the Kagoshima Bank in Kanoya. He ask
your continued prayers and si:5)port of this project. We have asked
the churches that support us if they would not make the can^) the
missionary project for their VBS this year. Would you encourage it.
18th
A
PROSPECTIVE SITE PRICED^^T^'^
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KAOOSHIMA
CHRfSriAN
M1SS10
MISSIONARIES:
FORWARDING SECRHTARItS:
i'lay 1978
No. ^
Dear Friends,
Sumner is here and "June is busting out all over." It's supposed to be the rainy sea
son, which nearly everyone dreads but endures, but this year we're enjoying clear, beauti
ful skies nearly every day-- in spite of the fact that this year we needed the rainy season
to be a rainy season, Bainfall for the year is below average almost everyr^here and some
cities are rationing water, Kagoshima may soon be turning off the water during certain
hours of the day if rain doesn't come soon. Korea is especially hard hit with drought.
Usually during the rainy season, Japan can expect several landslides. This year, because
of little rain, there haven't been any yetbut I have been trying to climb out from under
the idea that a landslide fell on me! This is i'lary and I have been so behind with every
thing and yet have really been wanting to write to so many of you for so long that I have
managed to talk Walter out of this newsletter in order to share some family hapoeninps
with you.
ing hard to finish up the final copy of Walter's thesis for the Master of Arts degree in
Jiast Asian Studies at Indiana University. He had completed all the classroom work during
our furlough and had set this April as the deadline for completing his thesis (even though
he officially had longer.) So, April became a "race mth the calendar," but thanks to help
from friends in Bloomington who handled the details there, the thesis is in and Walter
should have his degree this month. I had the honor of typing it, but I also learned a few
things in the process. We are all proud and happy to know all the hard work is over.
Right after that, we left for the All-Japan Church of Christ Convention and missionary
convention in Okinawa.
even greater blessing. Shelley and Trent had a terrific time playing with American friends
and going up and dovm the elevators between the meeting rooms and our room on the 9th floor!
Shelley was old enough this year to feel the sadness of parting with her special friend,
Karis Pratt, when the convention was over, though, and she had a real genuine cry that after
noon. It seems like there is never enough time just for visiting, but the "young" missionary
wives did get to share some iSrma Bombeck columns, which has become an annual highlight 1
After returning home from the convention it was time to start
preparing for the annual combined women's meeting of all the area
churches, I was asked to be speaker this year and decided to
IH
share some of the insights and blessings I had received from attending a women's seminar in the States during our furlough,
Preparing for the meeting brought back many special memories of
ica, many good books have been xmtten and seminars developed on
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3:00 p.m.--a day full of fellowship, sharing, and a delicious noon meal prepared by the lad
ies of the Kanoya church.
Our ladies group here in Kagoshima has recently divided into two groups (the dovrntox-m
group and the Yoshino group here) and each group meets separately now because of scheduling
difficulties. Most of the ladies in Yoshino work and can meet only at night.
ing Spirit-Controlled Temperament now and the ladies are very interested.
We are study
Shelley and Trent are growing like weeksalmost before our eyes,
it seems. Th^have learned more and more Japanese and can play with
their Japanese friends fairly easily, even though there are times vjhen
what they want to say is not what they say--like the time Shelley thought . 'Jf /
she asked a boy playing here at lunch time if it wasn't time for him to
be eating, too, but had really asked him if he wouldn't eat with us. The
boy was overjoyed and ran home to get his mother's permission before he
joined us!
"
dergarten course since last fall, but, due to my failure to set up a regular^ schedule, we are behind and are now trying to catch up and finish.
She is a good student and learns easily, so the teacher really should be
trying harder! She will start a first grade course this fall. Trent
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group I I . *%
is en[
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four
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years of age, which seems to bear good results. Ue hope Shelley vdll
tomed" to foreigners.
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DRSSS-ALIK ES FOR
MOTHER'S DAY
It has been interesting and fun, and vro even had the opportuni
appearing on a local TV station, but it has demanded time and \:-3 will be quitting ne:-:
r.yjrt:.
SHELLEY - ^
TRENT - ^
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HOKKAIDO
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I^lssion Sei'^rieea
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I KYUSHU.
SHtKOKU
tN USA:
F. 0. Box 177
TO
June, 1978
NUMBERS FOR
UNNUMBERED
219 -
Jul
220
Oct
LINKLETTERS
221 - Dpp
June
217 - Sept
1974
218 -
225 -
1977
Oct
231 -
Jan
232 -
Apr
227 - May
233
June
Feb
228 -
234 -
223 -
Apr
229 - Aug
224 -
Jul
230 -
1973
216 -
1975
222
1976
226 -
Mar
Feb
Jun
Nov
Dec
1978
235
Mar
236
Jun
MESSAGE TO MISSIONARIES
and printing have to be photographed separately and then combined to get good
reproduction. For the first time the Kanoya printer failed me in his usual good
service. He photographed them all together- Trusting him I did not even look at
the negative before sending it off. My inattention ruined a lot of pictures. At
a later time we will run a good one of our new secretary, Carol Couchman and
family.
first
It is still available from GO YE BOOKS, 147 Ave Cota, San Clemente, CA 92672 at
$10.50 postpaid. Hiroshi Inoue, a man I baptized many years ago and now an Engish teacher is putting
SHELLEY-GRANDPA-TRENT-HONDA
"Ttoo4iigh at 33 million yen ($130,000). Our committee looked at it but were forced
;to tell the owner that the price was too high. We did offer him
10 million yen
f($45,000) which he refused. Now, four months later he has accepted. He is anxious
i to move back to the Tokyo area to be near his son. We have accepted and the title
i will be transferred June 30. We will pay 6 million yen (5 million which you have
'i sent and 1 million that the local churches have raised) and borrow 4 million yen
^($18,000) which we will pay back in monthly installments for four years. Remain
ing funds and future funds received will be used on the monthly payments in con
junction with the local churches and for buildings and improvements.
Like it is with everything attempted in Japan, getting this far in the
project has taken longer than we expected. Also it is not cBbig a piece of land
as we had hoped for. It does lie, however, near a large recreation area develop-
ed by the state. Also it is adjacent to a beautiful mountain stream. It has a one-lane paved road running by it,
adequate water, electricity, telephone and a modern building which can be used Immediately for small groups. From
this we can expand slowly and build the facilities we need for larger groups. Meanwhile the immediate cost is
within our means so
God has blessed us with a suitable place. Thank you to all who have shared in this project
in the past and will do so in the future. We will continue to keep you informed.
Our three oldest children, Paula, Walter and Gregory have wedding anniversaries in June. So this month
is always a reminder of their advancing maturity and our ongoing years. We keep in touch by mail but we have the
rare privilege in Japan of getting to see Walter and Mary and grandchildren, Shelley and Trent, almost every Mon
day. Walter and Mary just had their 10th anniversary, a signifigant milestone.
Around town I use my trustylittle Honda motorcyle to beat the traffic and parking problems. Out of town
use my aging Toyota, now in its 9th year. It serves'me well but sometimes I do not serve it so well. Running
late on the way to a monthly Bible study at the home of the Tsuchimochi's in the hills IJ5 hours south of here I
took a curve too fast. The brakes didn't come to the rescue of my bad driving so I slid Into a stone wall. The
wall was the winner. I hitchhiked on to the Tsuchimochi's at the top of the mountain. They came back with their
neighbors and a small truck. Eventually we got the fender pried off the front wheel so I could drive home slowly.
I thought I was going to have to junk It but the insurance company said they would pay for its repair. We found
a similar model in a junkyard and used It for parts. After getting the front torsion bars replaced, the wheel
base alligned and the brakes relined it is running better than before. One more year before its retirement.
Hope has finished her junior year at Christian Academy near Tokyo. Because of the distance we have only
visited her rarely and never seen her in any school activity. Pauline remedied that in May by going up to see her
in theannual school play. She saw it every night for three nights,spent the week-end-with Hope and then returned -to Kanoya to ten us all about it. It was almost as good as being there ourselves, but not quite. We are sending
Hope to the U.S. for one month this'summer at our own expense. She is a Japan girl born and bred. We think this
visit will help ease her transition back into American life after she graduates next year. She also wants to
visit some college campuses to see if she can find a place she would like to study. She will go to Cincinnati,
Ohio first where Faith and Greg and Bev can help her and take her around.
A great event in the spring of every year is the annual, convention of the Churches of Christ in Japan
followed by the missionary convention. This year the 29th convention was held In Okinawa from April 28-May 2.This
was the first time ever in this area. The Okinawa brethren rose to the challenge. They planned carefully and well
for a year and staged the best convention ever held by our people in Japan and with a record attendance . 466 at
tended the Sunday morning service, a victorious gathering. This was also the 30th anniversary of Harlan and Emeline Woodruff's beginning the work of the Okinawa Christian Mission. A fine delegation from their sending churches
in Oregon and Washington came out to be a part of this convention and to honor them. Over 31 years ago, December,
1946, Harlan and I came on the same aircraft from the Philippines to Japan as military chaplains. We both returnto Japan in adjacent areas. So Pauline and I feel a special closeness to Harlan and Emeline and were very happy we
could join in this anniversary gathering In their honor.
We went from Kagoshima to Naha, Okinawa by ship, a 24 hour journey, and back the same way. It was nice
watching the wind and waves, the birds and Islands go by but sleeping and sitting on the floor that long is not so
refreshing. One reason for going this way was that we could take boxes of books from the Christian Center Bookstore
down at no additional cost. Everybody pitched In to help carry the boxes and we had a very successful book table.
The Oklnawans especially were hungry for Christian books and Bibles with the result that we came back a lot lighter
than we went down. It was a lot of hard work but well-worth the effort.
For the opening session of the missionary convention, Harlan asked Pauline to read the scripture and
me to lead n\y 30 minute non-stop song service consisting of the first verses of about 40 favorites of our child
hood days. As Harlan said, "We get a whole year's singing done at one time." I don't think the people from the U.S.
thought that much singing was all that great but I was hoarse with joy myself. Carolyn Barriclow at the piano had
a permanent crimp in all ten fingers for 24 hours afterwards.
Herb Works, Professor of Missions at Northwestern Christian College, was our special speaker. Using
him as the subject matter, I wrote some special verses to be sung to the tune of "Work for the Night is Coming."
After we all got through laughing, we were all relaxed and ready to listen to Herb lead us in some serious thinking
related to the subject, "The Church of Christ in Japan - Its Past, Present and Future." I had the next to the last
message talking about the church's future. After only_119 years of effort I concluded that the nation of Japan might
be saying to us what King Agrippa said to Paul, "In this short time do you think you will make me a Christian?"(Acts
26:28). As God writes In the sands of time, the preaching of the gospel In Japan has just begun. In that sense, the
future of the church in Japan is very bright indeed.
Herb and Marilyn works spent three days with us in Japan as they returned to Oregon. He spoke to our
preacher's meeting, at the leper colony, visited other churches and homes, had a meal with Walter and Mary and saw
all the scenic spots of our area - all the while we kept a running dialogue going about missions as it relates to
Japan. Now we are all fired up for another year. God bless you all. IN HIS SERVICE,
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with the typhoons, crazy with the money and crazy with activities.
The heat has broken 40-50 year records throughout
Japan and likewise the lack of rain. Fourteen typhoons have been
spawned so far this year. When #12 headed our way, I shut the stomi
doors, put away everything outside that might blow and checked our
emergency lights. "How do you know it will hit us?" Hope laughed at
BitIB
say that the U.S. must also reduce imports from Japan.
I believe
that also must happen and it is going to hurt here when it does.
Hope successfully completed her trip to the U.S. and
back well taken care of by family and friends. Special thanks to
Pauline and I had a joint birthday. All the kids sent cards and Paula
phoned from Canada and Faith from Cincinnati. The passage of another
year was not only painless it was pleasant. 1 can't wait till next
year.
dates were August 9-12. We had 82 campers, less than other years, but
the most teachable group we have ever had. These campers studied,
fun. I taught them a new English chorus every day plus new Japanese
songs as well. The camp theme was "The Life of Prayer." I turned that
around for my class of middle school students to say that "All of
life is a prayer offered to God." I prepared a study book on the
Seminary president was also with us and taught a class. The campers
gave him an offering of $163 for the Seminary.
On August 14, the Monday after camp, we made joyous
history of sorts for us by having the first gathering at our new
camp ground. All the ministers were there plus Bro. Clark and Bro.
Saito. Bro. Clark spent the morning outlining his plan to extend the
outreach of the Seminary by extension education.Then we took pictures
planned for the future and rejoiced. Our sign is up, the difficult
paper work completed to register the property in our religious in
corporation in Japan and we will knock out one wall between two large
TEACHING MONTHLY CLASS AT LEPER COLONY
Just to prove that joy and pain are twins , on that same day I
burned out a valve in my car engine, a tire went bad, the shaft on the air
conditioner compressor broke and when I went to get the car from the gar
age a week later the mechanic said, "You also need a new battery." Every
thing is fixed except the air conditioner which will stay broke. I won't
really feel all the pain till the bills come in.
Meanwhile, Martin Clark, contributed the use of his Honda Ac
roof-mounted speakers.
Bro. Saito was the evangelist for the three day meeting at Sue
yoshi and the three day meeting at Tarumizu which followed. At this mom-
ment we can say we had few visible results in Sueyoshi and excellent re
sults in Tarumizu where Bro. Homori also assisted us. Both churches
badly need new Christians and new life. We believe these meetings have
church. These were inserted every day in the various newspapers serving
the communities.
are encouraged. We must wait till another time to tell you of those who
were confronted with-.the gospel and who now face the problems that will
come to them if they obey it. Suffice it to say that the Word, the Spirit
and the Lord are at work in the hearts of people here. Pray for their
profound effect to take place.
Pauline has kept the home fires burning while I have been out
and away. She has enjoyed the company of Evelyn Clark for ten days, hav
ing grandchildren, Shelley and Trent, for a week, singing in the Mother's
Choir which meets in the Kanoya church each Monday and teaching them how
to sing'Wonderful Words of Life" in English; teaching at women's meetings
including two at Sueyoshi. Always the purpose of Pauline's teaching is to
teach the women to know and to use the Bible for their own lives. Her
A high point for me was her speech at the Kanoya Rotary Club
on her life in Kanoya as wife, mother and Christian. She marked out her
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Linkletter NO.#238
Christ\N^
the
November,!978
chuRch s
futuRe
in jamn
Kyushu Missionary Mark Maxey has served with the Church of Christ
in Japan since 1950. The message that follows was given at their Annual
Convention at Naha, Okinawa, on May 2, 1978. Its content is of interest
MARK
Uncertain future
sheer face.
be!
Goals Essential
around.
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