Transition times can be full of uncertainty and excitement at the same time. Big changes bring new challenges, as well as fresh opportunities. We are currently experiencing some of that…
I am on my way back to Japan after a quick visit to South Africa. The main purpose was to attend a conference of the International Association for Mission Studies , at UNISA in Pretoria. It was a meaningful event full of new encounters and informative discussions, where I also had the chance to give a presentation. Furthermore, I was also able to meet a few of Mission Japan’s leaders in between, and I preached at the NG Riviera-Jakaranda congregation in Pretoria. An encouraging experience!
But I was also able to stay with my parents (both in their 80s) for a while to support them in their big move to a retirement village in Jeffreys Bay, where more care and a smaller living space became available. We are very grateful and the three days together were precious.
On my way to South Africa, I stayed an extra day to meet a team from Singapore ( pictured above ) and share more about our work. This is a group with whom I did relief work in Kanazawa last year after the earthquake there. Their warm welcome and enthusiasm to be involved in Japan was exceptional.
The other transition we are going through is Annlie, our eldest daughter, moving to university. She is ready for the new, big step on her life’s path. Carina deserves all the credit, along with Annlie, for more than a decade of dedication, sacrifice and perseverance! Grace upon grace. Rather than say anything further now, please read below what Annlie herself wrote about her experiences so far and her expectations of what lies ahead.
Meanwhile, as a family, we are making another transition… to a time of rest. Our annual leave is just around the corner and we are really looking forward to a chance to recharge, reflect and return to Kobe with renewed energy. With the current heat wave in Japan, it may be a little easier said than done, but we are definitely going to give it a go!
Pray with us for the Lord’s care and guidance in:
The challenges/opportunities on the road ahead for our parents, and Annlie.
KRTS students who are busy with relief work in congregations nationwide (Jul – Aug).
Our time of leave, rest, fellowship with fellow missionaries in the Sendai area.
Ministries of De Wets in Tokushima West congregation and wider Shikoku stake. They will join us later for their leave.
Discernment and clarity about the nature of our ministry, together with Mission Japan’s leadership team (management meeting at the end of July).
New theology students who can fill the great need for congregational leaders in the RCJ.
Blessings and good luck with the new quarter that has just arrived in South Africa.
With deep appreciation for everyone who prays, contributes, cares and cares.
Stéphan, Carina and family
Annlie remembers and looks ahead
I was homeschooled in Japan. This already makes me peculiar. I am also often the only foreigner and Christian in my environment. Contrary to what people might presume, these very factors, with the help of my family and community, are what really shaped me into who I am today.
When I was small, I was always acutely aware of how different I was from all the Japanese around me and how I stood out without having to do anything. I often didn’t understand what people were talking and laughing about and I never said anything without being absolutely sure that I wasn’t making a mistake in Japanese. But I have always liked challenging myself. Feeling a great desire to be able to understand and be understood, I often forced myself to go to camps or to interact with people. Because of all the activities, I grew in my ability to make friends with people of all ages, I lost a lot of my fear of performing in front of other people, and I realized that I don’t have to be afraid to make a mistake because everyone already accepted me as a member of God’s family. Much different than my younger, uncertain self, today I would proactively go out to start friendships and readily accept any ministry that I can do.
My family has always been an integral part of my life. I have three younger brothers, and like the barefoot children of Africa whose feet become almost bulletproof on the rough red roads, I became stronger by running around with them. Surprisingly, however, at the same time I also somehow developed a great love for beauty — I painted, made dresses, played the piano, and most especially loved to dance. Being the only other woman in the house and my teacher, my mother and I have a very intimate relationship, and she taught me how to think critically and to always examine every possible angle of a problem. My father, on the other hand, always knew what I was feeling without me saying anything, and he would often remind me to go outside or rest, testifying to the benefits of balance through his own life as well. In the end I have come to realize how powerful a loving, robust family can be. Although it is hard, I can definitely say that I have become more patient through my family, and it is true what Jesus says—if you are faithful with little, you will be given much.
A vital part of my community is our home church in Kobe. Our church is very small and there were times when it was only us at Sunday School. Often, I found the sermons to be beyond my comprehension, the liturgy too stiff and everything moving just too slowly for me. At the time I did not realize how big an impact our sizeable family of six made on the church, but everyone always seemed to love having us there. As I got older, however, I started to become friends with all the older ladies of the church, and I even opened a sewing and knitting club where the ladies would teach me how to make things while they talked about their daily struggles and sipped some tea. Through them I have discovered what a privilege it is to have such wise and supportive older friends, but also what a big difference I can make in their lives as well. I still regularly go to their homes to encourage and perhaps bring a little bit of sunshine into their otherwise lonely lives.
There are few things in life that mould people as much as real-life relationships. In this technologically advanced but lonely world today, I feel the indispensability of flesh and blood relationships all the more strongly. Most importantly, my environment has taught me how to have confidence. It is not from what I have achieved, but from an inward joy that believes that the joy of the Lord is my strength.
My goals for my tertiary studies at Tokyo Christian University (TCU) are to cultivate a thorough understanding of the Bible from a wide array of subjects so that I may be fully equipped to work in ministry, as well as to meet a lot of new people from various countries so that I might develop strong ties between Japan and the rest of the world. Building life-long relationships with people with whom I can serve the Lord and my neighbour is very important for me. The course I am planning to take at TCU is mainly a liberal arts course based on a biblical worldview. Not many people understand what a liberal arts course entails today, and many may view the phrase quite negatively. Ironically, however, a traditional liberal arts course may be getting increasingly more relevant to our technologically driven and AI-powered world today. People who can think critically and discern what is true and what is false are much needed. People who can serve other humans in a holistic way, from a whole range of viewpoints are essential.
I think it is an amazing privilege to study liberal arts with the wide range of topics and future opportunities it presents. Because of my many interests, delving deeper into a variety of subjects would really help me to develop a solid basis first so that I will be able to discern more clearly where I should specialize in the future.
One of my future aspirations is to work with kids, possibly helping orphans or children who have physical or mental problems or problematic issues in their homes. I would also like to be able to use the interests I have in art, music, crafts, dance, plants, and photography to engage children in activities that could help them therapeutically or provide them with a safe space where they know they can be themselves. I am very much interested in the possibility of becoming a teacher where I can freely educate children from a biblical perspective.
