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A MONTHtV RePORT BY TH MARK C.

MAXEY FAMILY

IN MEMORIAM
SHIRLEY ANN SMITH

^'i.iwKLerreR.

August 27, 1931 January 17, 1978


*******

TO TH6 FRNOS Of= THE KYUSHU CHRISTIAN MISSION

Survived by children,Joy
and Tim & husband, Cecil

KANOVA. ISqOSHIMATm MfAN - BOX 4,7, NORTH VIRNON. INO. 47265


Dear Christian A'iends,

March, 1978

*******

For 9 years secretary of


the Kyushu Christian
Mission, 1969 - 1977

We must begin with the sad news of the death of Shirley


Smith, our faithful secretary for over nine years. She had five
hours of continuous blood transfusions trying to overcome a hem-

orage but it was a losing battle. She died at 12.01 January 17


leaving her children Joy and Tim, and husband, Cecil, faithful

*******

"Blessed are the dead who

Christian and elder at the North Vemon Christian church. Our

die in the 'Lord."

children in Cincinnati were able to represent us at the funeral.


Her selfless contribution to this mission will not be

forgotten . We are so glad we were able to enjoy the company of


Shirely and Cecil for two visits last fall. And we are grateful
that Shirley was able to help us find a new secretary and help
her get est5tlished in her duties in spite of her own pain.

i)h^ 4- 'I

A picture of our new secretary, Carol Couchman, and


her family will help to introduce them. Larry is a deacon and
Bible school teacher at the North Vernon church. Carol teaches

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.

We have been back in Japan about three months. It was

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

>

r
DECEMBER 21 AT KUSHIRA

is church-centered. And for another the Christian observance con

trasts so favorably with the non-Christian way. We shared in five


church observances and appreciated them all. It is always a joy,

too, to prepare Christmas for the 75 children at Osumi Gakkusha.


This treat is provided every year by the church at East Orange,

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

Trent, joined ug then and with daughter Hope it was an outstand-


ing family day. Special thanks to many of you who made it so.
The New Year, the year of the Jlorse, galloped in on
Sunday. I got up before five to make it in time for the 6 a.m.
sunrise prayer meeting at Sueyoshi. The church was cold but
hearts were warm as we prayed and studied together, sang togeth

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

the next service. It was an outstanding way to begin the year.


It seems like I've spent a lot of the New Year going
to the airport. At an hour and 45 minutes for the one way trip
it makes a long spell at the wheel round trip. I told Pauline
that next time I was going to build our house at the end of the
runway. All kidding aside, it only proves that Kanoya is a place
on the map that people want to come to and we are honored and
blessed by all who come.

Trip one was to send Hope back to school on January

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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have fellowship with the church at Shime,started by Ben Hirotaka.


In his absence Kenneth and Ruth Fowler are giving a year of their
retirement for missionary service. All praise to them. Later they
and Bro. Kawazu came down and spent a night with us bringing
their blessing to us.
Trip three was to welcome Bro. S.M. Qiang and son Mikuk
from Korea for a three days. I kept him busy preaching and we got
a lot of talking done in between before he continued to Hongkong.

Trip foiir was to greet Harvey and Helen Beard of Pacific


Christian College, Fullerton, CA. Helen spoke to a women's meet
ing at the Kanoya church and Harvey spoke five times in Kanoya and
Kagoshima on "God and Man' using Genesis One. He also spoke for
our monthly preacher's meeting on the prophet Habakkuk. They were
with us five days before going to to Korea and eventually to Aus
tralia for sabbatical leave and teaching at Kenmore Christian Col.
Trip five (made by Walter) brought Bro. Fumio Sato of
the Kamiochiai Church of Christ in Tokyo to conduct our 18th annual
winter study course. He used his own slides, charts and artistic
ability to illustrate his lectxires on the Bible and the Holy Land.
He .spoke four times in Kanoya, twice each in Kushikino,Kagoshima,
Sueyoshi, and Tanegashima and once each in Yoshino and Kajiki. He
also spoke for our preacher's meeting in Tarumizu summing up his
own life's experiences as a minister and of his days with us.

FELLOWSHIP WITH

PROF.

HARVEY BEARD

'91

FUMIO SATO LECTURES ON BIBLE

a
& BIBLE

LANDS

From there we travelled up the valley three or four

miles to see a prospective canp site a retired dentist has for


sale. The location is primitive, the building is fine but the price
is out of reason - 32 million yen, (over $130,000) for 1764 sqxiare
meters of land.

Less than an acre I

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

ANNUAL WINTER STUDY COURSE - JAN.1978

During the last three years I have preached slowly and


carefully through Romans and Janies. Now I am starting on Philipians. I expect to take about a year to finish. I have 86 students

enrolled in 9 English Bible classes in Koyama, Sueyoshi and Kanoya.


I am writing a 35 J.esson text book on Acts, one lesson a week emd
teaching it in Japanese in Sueyoshi on Thx^sday night and at the
Christian Center in.English on Friday night. It's a diallenge when
you are writing for students who know neither Jesus,Jew nor Jeru
salem. I continue writing my bi-monthly column, One Man's Opinion,
in Horizon's magazine. At present I am writing an extended series
on "Who Is A Missionary?" I think you woyld find it interesting.
(?4.00 per year. Box 177, Keni)ton, IN 46049)
The local Rotary Cliib asked me to talk on the Yen-Dollar
problem and U.S.-Japein relationships. I confessed incon^etence on
both points and then talked for half an hour anyway. The dollar
continues its dreary decline in value and Japan's huge trade sur
plus with the U.S. is straining the friendship of the past 30
years. How Japan could possibly buy and consume 12 billion dollars
worth of goods from us each year I don't know. And how Japan can
exist as a nation without trading with us I don't know. I do know

that God takes care of His own


I also know that Christ is the
lems but for material problems
claiming His Good News. May it

A
PROSPECTIVE SITE PRICED^^T^'^

so I can be at peace about "things."


answer not only for spiritual prob
as well so I am at peace in pro
be so with you I IN HIS SERVICE,
NEW FOWARD'G SEC'Y,CAROL COUCHMAN & FAMILY

Non-Profit Organization

UNKLETTBR

U. S. POSTAGE

Monthly Publication of

PAID

KYUSHU CHRISTIAN MISSION


Box 417

Louisville, Kentucky

North Vemoo, Indiina 47265


Return Requested

Permit No. 537

DICK BOU.^NE
BOX

177

KEJ.iPTON.

IN

45049

KAOOSHIMA

CHRfSriAN

M1SS10

MISSIONARIES:

FORWARDING SECRHTARItS:

MR. & MRS. WALTER M. MAXEY

MR. & MRS. ROGER L. FAUST

Yoshino Cho 913-18

P.O. Box 574

Kagoshima 892. Japan

Fairborn, Ohio 45324


JAPAN

Published monthly by Kagoshima Christian Mission


Second Class Postage Paid at Fairborn, Ohio 45324

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.

I will need to go back a little to bring in all the major news.

April found us vrork-

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.

The week was a real inspiration, but to me the fellowship was an

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

our fellowship with the church in Ellettsville, Indiana, and the

ladies I had attended the seminar irith.

In recent years in Amer-

ica, many good books have been xmtten and seminars developed on

W .

family life. But little solid help is available to the Japanese


concerning family life, so anything v^e can share is alv/ays appre-

elated. Our women's meeting began at 10:30 a,m. and ended at

M
^

o ^/rT^T^nn-TTn

COMBINE WOI.iK S M_,^TING

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!

"

Shelley and I have been working on a home correspondence kin-

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

loves to attend school, too^ so I usually have two "students" and


takes part in almost everything. Shelley has also started taking
organ lessons at the Japanese kindergarten on the next corner and
joying it very much. The Japanese start teaching music at around

' L

he
^j
group I I . *%
is en[
jJ
four
i '^

years of age, which seems to bear good results. Ue hope Shelley vdll

maintain her interest.


Since last fall, at their invitation, Shelley and I have been driv- '

but^he^ sure ke ps us on our^ t^ He^s ^a ma^t ^

ing-across town one morning a week to a Japanese k'indergarten to teach


the children simple English songs and words to help them become "accus-

tomed" to foreigners.

^
^

If i

j
-1I

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:.

Trent is convinced he isn't doing anything quite as exciting as Shelley,

I think this catches you up on nost of


the news here.

Please know that we renenber

and pray for all of you having a part in the

SHELLEY - ^
TRENT - ^

HELPING THE ROAD CPlS^/I

work here through your interest, prayers, and


support, v7e give thanks often for your faith,
vision and love. Hay the Lord bless you all*
" In liim,

*
m
iti

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A
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0
*
i 9 f - a

I T

I 2 i
sS T
-J

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< -

SECOND CLASS POSTAGE PAID


AT FAIRBORN, OHIO

HOKKAIDO

s 'J A
/ X h.

I^lssion Sei'^rieea

> =' -

*1

I KYUSHU.

SHtKOKU

KAGOSHIMA CHRISTIAN MISSION


MR. & MRS. WALTER M. MAXEY
Yoihiiio Cho 913-18

KiKoshima W2. JapM

tN USA:

Box 574, Fairborn, Ohio 45234

i/alter and r.arv

F. 0. Box 177

"Kj^pton Indiana h6o^

TO

THE FRrfNDS OF THE KVUSHU CHRISTIAN MISSION

KANOVA. KAOOSHIMA 893. JAPAN -

fLINKLETTER NO, 236

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 -

BOX 417. NORTH VERNON. INO. 4726!>

1975
222

1976

226 -

Mar

Feb
Jun

Nov

Dec

1978
235

Mar

236

Jun

MESSAGE TO MISSIONARIES

Dear Christian friends,


Summer is here in all its warmth and beauty. We have
a gardenia tree in full bloom. Hundreds of blossoms fill the air with the fra

grance of God's gifts to us.


Look carefully at the map in the upper left- I've always claimed that
Kanoya is the "center" of Japan. Now with the help of Fumio Sato, minister and
artist in Tokyo, I have invented a map to prove it. The cross rests on the city
of Kanoya on the island of Kyushu. Kyushu is in the center of the map surrounded

by Hokkaido (left), Honshu (right) and Shikoku (bottom). My apologies to all


cartographers.
My apologies for the poor pictures in the last LINKLETTER. Pictures

PROF.HERB WORKS TEACHES US

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.

Getting the LINKLETTER to you is a complicated process. We prepare it


in Japan then airmail the negatives to Dave Cordrey, minister of Shively Chr
istian Church, Louisville, Ky. There Allan Veech makes the plate and runs them
off and Nancy Hawkins, church secretary, mails them out. We pay for the paper
and the postage. The rest is a service of the Shively church and a real service
it is.

Our thanks to them.

KINDERGARTEN BRINGS FLOWERS

While writing a LINKLETTER on furlough in 1973 I didn't have a copy


of the last letter with its proper number before me. So I did not use a number
and have not since that time. This was no problem except that without the num
bers you could not be sure that you had received all the issues. Now with the
help of Pauline's cousin, Helen Pethtel of Cambridge, Ohio, we assembled a com
plete list of numbers as printed at the top of the page. This is No. 236 and we
will keep it going from here.
The first 202 of these letters were condensed, edited and published in
a giant book called WAY DOWN HERE (at the southern tipof Japan). We know it is
a memorable story because we lived it ourselves.

be possible to reprint the story of our

first

We don't believe it will ever

twenty years in Japan again.

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

it into Japanese. He says it will take five years.

SHELLEY-GRANDPA-TRENT-HONDA

In the last LINKLETTER we talked about a prospecfTve campsiteTpriced

"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-

TOYOTA - WOUNDED BUT RUNNING

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,

UNKLETTBR

Monthly Publication of
KYUSHU CHRISTIAN MISSION

U. S. POSTAGE

PAID

Louisville, Kentucky

Box 417

Permit No. 537

North Vernoi^ Indiuu 47265

Return Requested

Non'Pront Organization

r.!icsio:i si:;-.vic2.s,
co::

177

* MONTHLY R6P0BT BV THE MASK G

MAXV fAMaV

/umLexrea/
TO THE FRKMOS OF THC KVUSHU CHRISTIAN MISSION

KANOVA. KAQOSHIMA tt3. lAPAN - BOX 417. NORTH VERNON. IND. 4726b

LINKLETTER NO. 237


SEPTEMBER, 1978*
*29th Year of Publication - 1st Issue,Sept.1949

Dear Christian friends,

It's been a crazy summer - crazy with the heat; crazy

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

me. "I feel it in my bones," I countered. That typhoon turned toward


China, stopped short, headed north to Korea, paused, made a U-turn,
rested, headed south and then turned toward Kyushu landing on the
west coast of Kagoshima a full seven days after my prediction. "So

BitIB

there!" I told Hope.

About the money, I'm sure you've already heard. Col

umnist Stanley Karnow arrived in Tokyo and went to a hotel arranged


by a friend at a special price. It cost him $110 a night and the
morning coffee was extra at $3 a cup. "Some friend," said Karnow.
It now cost 47(t for each issue of the Japan Times which arrives at
our house every morning a day late. Maybe I'll quit reading.
Three churches and one individual have reassured us

of the goodness of God's people by sending special offerings to help


fill the gap. In addition three Japanese families have brought us
generous platters of beef in the last month which at Japan prices is
like a gift of gold coins. One woman made a two hour round trip by
bus for this purpose.

1st TIME TO USE NEW CAMP -

AUGUST 14, 1978

He have been absolutely amazed and both our

bodies and souls fed by this generosity.

The Japanese economists say that the U.S. must whip


inflation and curb oil imports for the dollar to firm up. They never

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

Kenny and Gertrude Hanson in California for their efforts on her be


half. Hope, Mary and Walter prepared a special party on August 7 as

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

LEADING 'singing FOR OUR 27th ANNUAL CAMP

year was not only painless it was pleasant. 1 can't wait till next
year.

Our 27th annual summer camp was held at the Kagoshima


Educational Youth'Center which we have used in previous years. The

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,

played,sang, ate and slept 100%.

I was camp song leader and it was

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

that theme using young Timothy as a model.


Prof. Saito of Osaka Bible Seminary was with us as

chapel speaker and teacher. There were over 30 decisions to follow

FIVE live-wire campers

Christ but these must be followed up in the local churches and in


the homes of the campers to be translated into baptisms. Martin Clark

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

rooms to give us a meeting place for at least 30 people.Then we will begin


to slowly equip the building and develop the grounds. Each of us felt a
real thrill of accomplishment in having reached this far in the camp pro
ject after over a two year wait since we began. We are praising God for
this victory and the part many of you have played in it. Please continue
to share in it, if you will, as we continue the payments and make improve
ments.

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

PAULINE SPEAKING TO ROTARY CLUB

really feel all the pain till the bills come in.
Meanwhile, Martin Clark, contributed the use of his Honda Ac

cord for the Sunday meetings at which he preached, to take me to my regul


ar class at the leper colony where.he sang and I taught and to help me
the first night of the revival meeting at Sueyoshi by hauling the equip

ment up there and driving through the

town advertising the meeting with

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

provided the beginning of both. Preparations began well in advance with


special sign boards, personal invitations to all possible prospects and
8000 tracts printed with map of the church location, invitation to the
meetings, and a return post card on which requests could be made for a

HOPE RETURNS FROM HER TRIP

Bible, Christian literature, a visit in the home or a desire to attend

church. These were inserted every day in the various newspapers serving
the communities.

These request cards are beginning to come in and we

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

SUMMER EVANGELIST fNORIHIKO SAITO

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

preparation is so thorough she has become a Bible scholar. Nowadays when


I have a biblical question, I ask her first and look at the books later.

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

state, Pennsylvania, and my state, Washington, on large map as she began.


For the first time in my memory, not a single member went to sleep during
the meeting. "Best speech I ever heard," one man said. I knew it already.
Pauline send her greetings with mine to each of you. IN HIS SERVICE,

-a-dvertisin:

'.VERY WHICH-WAY

EVELYN & MARTIN CLARK~AUG.

Non-Profit Organization

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A MONTHLY RtfOBT BV THE MARK G. MAXEV FAMILV

/LywKLerrefi/
TO THt FlltCNOS OP TKI KYUSHU CHRtSTUN MISSION

KANOVA, KAOOSNIMA StS. JAMN - SOX 417. NORTH VtRNOH. INO. 47265

Linkletter NO.#238
Christ\N^

the

WISHING each of you

the joy of a CHRIST


MAS with Christ pre
sent and the peace
of a NEW YEAR under
God's love S care,

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

to all JAPAN HAR VEST readers.

It was the final exam before the

lie in the gospel. We can never doubt

novelist, Shusaku Endo, has made

Christmas holidays and the student


wasn't prepared. He checked an item

its power, the unfailing presence of

this theme the center core of exten

God, and His assurance of ultimate

sive writings, the most important of

here and there and at the end of the

victory. But still we tremble because

which is his novel, Chinmoku {Si

we think we can not see that these

lence).^ In this novel he has the


priest, Ferreira, who has already
apostasized, talking to the priest,

paper wrote a note to his professor:


"The Lord knows the answers to

these questions, I don't. Merry


Christmas!" He picked up his exam
as the new semester began and
quickly turned to see what the pro
fessor had to say. He read, "The
Lord gets an A, you get an F. Happy
New Year!"

Uncertain future

I am not being flippant in the


slightest when I say in regard to the
Christian future of Japan that "the
Lord only knows; I do not." The
hopes of 119 years' for a bright
Christian future in Japan have not
been fulfilled. I am not yet ready to
discard my goals but at the same time
the future is not at all clear to me. I

could easily be depressed by the


difficulties and overwhelmed with

problems if I wished. Still I could not


long remain a missionary in Japan
without an optimism that endures
and a faith that overcomes.

Why Quit Now


It hurts me deeply when I see
missionaries with their hopes blighted

in Japan, looking for other places to


serve, mostly involving a return to
their homelands. I wonder wherein
lies the fault. Is it within their own
faith and their own conmiitment? Is

it the fault of the country of Japan,


its culture, its background, the nature

of its people and their way of think


ing? Is it due to the way the mission
ary has proclaimed his message or
the way he has lived it out before the
people? Certainly the fault cannot

promises are being redeemed by us


personally and in our time. My own
conviction is that the promises of
God are being redeemed before our
very eyes, but being blinded by
unfulfilled expectations, "seeing, we
see not."

Regardless of our personal feel


ings, however, the future of the
church in Japan must be perceived
in terms of where it is now.. If the
entire modern day Christian witness
in Japan is now at the ripe old age of
119 years, and if the church in Japan
is now "healthy, wealthy and wise,"
as I think it to be, are we to suppose
that its future will be any different
than its past? Humanly speaking,
radical changes in thinking and life
style seldom occur in senior years. It

is possible but not probable. Both


the possibilities and the probabilities
of the church's future in Japan are
tied, then, ultimately to our faith and
to the faith we pass on to those who
succeed us.

No Room for Negative Thinking


There are those, of course, who

are saying that Christianity has no


future in Japan: that it is impossible
to really disturb Japan with the
message of Christ; that Japan and
the Japanese are just not made that
way in regard to religion; that they
are concerned with other things they
consider more important and that
if the Japanese do receive the Chris
tian message they will change it,
absorb it and probably discard it.
In Japan, the modem Christian

Roderigo, one of his former students


now on trial. Ferriera says lo him,
".. .Our religion does not take root
in this country. This country is a
swamp. In time you will come to see
for yourself. This country is a more
terrible swamp than you can imagine.
Whenever you plant a sapling in this
swamp the roots begin to rot; the
leaves grow yellow and wither. And
we have planted the sapling of
Christianity in this swamp."
Later Endo retells his novel, Chin

moku, in the form of a play called,


"Ogon no Kuni"^ (The Golden Coun
try). This time it is Ferriera who is
hearing the same ideas presented to
him by the inquisitor, Inoue, who
says, "When it comes right down to
it, it wasn't by me that you were
vanquished but by this mudswamp
called Japan. But the swamp, too,
has its good qualities. If you will only
give yourself over to it, you will
eventually grow accustomed to the
comfortable warmth of the swamp.
The doctrine of Christ is like a flame.
Like a flame it sets a man on fire. But

the tepid warmth of Japan will


eventually nurture gentle sleep."
This kind of writing has propelled
Endo into a highly popular novelist
because he has written about Christi

anity not only in a way that many


non-Christians feel about their faith

but also in a way that many Chris


tians in Japan perceive their faith to
be - a sinking cause. My son, Walter

Maxey, has analyzed Endo's "mudswamp" idea at length.'* His con

tried to find other ways to by-pass


the cliff of direct evangelism in Japan
rather than face the terror and possi
ble failure of attempting to go up the

clusion is that it would be wiser to


assume that Endo has written auto-

biographically of his own Christian


pilgnniage rather than of the entire

sheer face.

This is also true of the church in

Christian witness in Japan. For my


own part, I think it would be very
unwise, very unscriptural and very

Japan. Since earliest times it has


tried education and social causes as

evangelistic thrusts. Educationally


and socially they were outstanding

ungodly to think that God has

created in Japan a nation of people


whosehearts are either so pliablethat
they can not retain the Gospel, or

successes; evangelistically they were


not. In one way we who preach in

respect for thehigh ethical principles

just experienced, isproof enoughthat


the Japanese are no such people.'
Any missionary who agrees with

Endo that Japan is a "mudswamp"


for the gospelcan not leavethe Japan

field too soon. On the other h^d,


any missionary-who belicvcs^as I
always have and always will that the

Japanese are fully capable of re


ceiving the gospel, of applying it to
all areas of lifeand of livingthat faith
in a victorious wayany one who
believesthat is equipped not only to

Japanese nation still exists us to


approach it with the Christian mes
sage in the same way today. As a
result of this past and continuing
method of approach, this nation can
enjoy the fruits of the Christian
-message without having to grow the
tree of faith. I am convinced per
sonally that education and social

for which we pray - a future within


society, vrithin tfae church itself and
within the gospel.

Many Positive Signs

Education, however, remains as a

be!

to the faith. Seldom is it so used. We

This is not the place to discuss


specifically the difficulties that face
the church in Japan. They are nu
merous, they are real and they are
not going to go away simply by
talking bravely. I do wish to focus,
however, on one particular problem

mold and enter into the bright future

betterment can never succeed in this

major effort of the local church,


especially at the kindergarten level.
Effectively used, it can be a means of
attracting families to the church and

Goals Essential

can break-out of-its-settled-down

country as an effective way of pro


pagating the faith.

indeed has a great future for the


church in Japan. It will not be easy.
It may not be soon. But it will surely

stay but also to learn that God

Within society there are plus fac


tors of change that open tte possi
bility for an openness to the gospel
that was not there before. Within the

can say that these educational efforts


are etUcal ih content, conformist to

custom, and financially supportive of


the church and its ministry in a way
that destroys the need for sacrificiid
giving. The latter the church must
have if it is ever to launch out

evangelistically. When Christ said,


"where a man's treasure is, there

which I think both underlines and

vrill his heart be also." He was

outlines all the other problems. This


is the tendency to replace primary
goals with secondary ones. It is a
well known psychological fact that
when a person feels he has no hope
of attaining his original purpose, he
will not completely abandon that
PHfipose. Rather he will select another
purpose which compliments the pri
mary one and which, he believes will
make it possible for him to attain
his original-purpose at some time in
the future. In the Japanese idiom
this would be, Isogeba maware - if
you are in a hurry, take the long way

speaking about the church as well.

around.

intellectual message to a Biblical,


loving and personal gospel. We can
change from a "nothing-can-bedone" attitude to a determination
cm win some.

Can this happen to the church in


Japan as it looks to the future? Of

Bible classes each week using texts


based on the Bible' and with each

doing and our doing. That is, the

fnember both owning and using the

willing to follow. We must have an


openness to His will. His wish. His
word. His promise and His Spirit.

Bible. I am alsa engaged in writing


and distributing Christian literature
believing that "the pen is mightier
than-the sword." I love both to-

preach and to teach the Bible and


I am doing so faithfully on week
nights and on Sundays, but some
times I wonder if I can call these

footsteps of Paul in practicing^ "but

consider their own activities. The

they, have not devoted themselves


totdly to the primary task of evan
gelism and church planting in Japan.
I myself am one of those who has

nity with the Good News. Within


the gospel we can turn from an

aries and our pursuit of secondary


waysto achieveprimarygoals?What
about myself?I teach severalEnglish

missionaries and Japanese ministers


have spent a life-time walking in the

one thing I do."(Phil. 3:13) "fiiat is,

church we can move from a waiting


church to a going church, from a
taught churdi to a telling church
and from a church largely serving
itself to a churdi serving its commu

that by any means and all means we

What about ourselves as mission

activities direct or primary evan


gelism. I am sure I am speaking for
many of my contemporaries as they

In my opinion veryfew churches,

and the obstacles of race, culture,

God-given talents and energies on


one thing - the "in season, out of
season" proclamation of the gospel
as our primary task and the subse
quent establishment of the church as
our second. If, and I emphasize the
if, we can recapture that solitary
goal, then the church of the present

of Christianity in Japan. In another


way we are cursed because the

of Japanese Christians that we have

I am as full of ideas, suggestions and


solutions as the next man. But deep

in my own soul I know that there is

these noble efforts have provided

dynamite of the gospelcan not crack


them open. This stirring convention

Japan is theoretically like the bum


blebee. Not only has it never flown,
it will never fly. And if it makes any
honey it is only just enough to
maintain itself, nothing more.

no future for me as a missionary and


no future for the church in Japan
either unless we together focus our

Japan today are blessed because

whoM hearts are so hard that thfe

them for financial income until they


become necessary for our livelihood
in Japan. In other words, the secon
dary goal can become our professions
and the primary goal our sideline.
When that happens, the danger of
losing our calling is very real indeed.
May God help us!
As to the church's future in Japan,

warning needs to be made. It is only


a step from many of our good
activities done to serve the Japanese

course, but it must be the Lord's


Lord must lead and we must be

languageand geography. God's love


enabled by His Holy Spirit and
demonstrated by a living, dying and
resurrected Saviour refuses to be

earthbound. In every age and in

everycomer of the world it has con


founded its prophets of gloom by
facing the opposing winds and soar
ing aloft to victory. I believe the
church in Japan is a "bumblebee"
poised to do the same.
To change the metaphor, if I were
to put words into the mouth of the
nation of^Japan-whidi had to wait
1,500 years the first time' and 1,800

years the second time to hear the


gospel from latter day Pauls, I
would have them say too, as King

Agrippa said to Paul at the end of


his impassioned defense, "In a short
time you think to make me a
Christian?" (Acts 26:28). My own
paraphrase of this would be, "Do
you expectto convert me with sucha
short speech?"
As God writes in the sands of

time, the proclamation of the gospel


in Japan has just begun. "In this
short time, do we think to make

Japan Christian?" That is our hope,


of course, and the hope of those who

are praying for us and sending us


here. But God has other plans.
Rather, "it has pleasedGod through
the folly of what we preach to save
those who believe." (I Cor. 1:21)
And, "To those who are being saved,
it is the power of God"
Let's be about it! With God's

power fully applieil, thefuture ofthe


church in Japan is verybright mdeed.
FOOTNOTES

Tbe fint Protetunt minionaiy to Japan airivtd


at NaguaU. May 2, 1859.

theory of aerodynamics and as may


be readily demonstrated through
wind tunnel experiments, the bum

Un AnalysltofEiub^usaku's iiudmamp Thesis,


WalterM. Maxey, April 1978. UnpuMished thesis,
University of Indiana,Bloominston.

blebee is unable to fly. This is because


the size, weight and shape of his body
in relation to the totd wingspread
make flying impossible. But the

Okinawa, April 28 - May 1, 1978.

bumblebee, being ignorant of th^

ma, August 15,1549. It ended 88 years Uter.

torian to prove that the church in

'29th All Japan Christian Convention, Naba,


The first miMionary effort in Japan began with
the arrival of the Jesuit, Frances Xavier, in Kagoshi-

Scripture quotations from tbe Revised Standard


Version

Reprinted from Japan Harvest


Vol.28. No.3,1978, pp. 19-21

Non'Profit Organization

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nothing at all of the facts of history

'SlUnct, ChaiUs E. Tuttle Co, Tokyo, 1969.


Translated by William JohMton, pp. 236-7.
>Th* GoUmCountry. Oiarto E TuttleCO. Tokyo^
1970. Translated ^ FrancisMatthey. p. 127.

It would not take much of a his

next step which can be to continue

sent His Son to save us, know^

There is a sign in a General Motors


plant that reads: "According to the

scientific truths, goes ahead and flies


anyway - and makes a little honey
every day."

and to attract them to Christ to the

Using the same metaphor, the


Good News that God loved'us and

BOX

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KEMPTOrJ,

I'll

46049

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