How do I choose to value my earthly life?

September 4, 2016 is just a few days away.  It's hard to imagine but, on that date, 28 years ago, we trudged through airports with three exhausted kids, piles of luggage and carryons, to arrive at our dream destination--Japan!!  Murray and I were married in December of 1980, already feeling the call of God to take the gospel to the Japanese people.  Eight years later we were finally on our way.

The first few months in Japan were rough.  We battled pneumonia, asthma, broken washing machines, culture shock, language study, rain, rain, and more rain, mildew, constant dampness, clothes that wouldn't dry--the list goes on and on.

It was during one of my heart to hearts with God toward the end of our first six months that God spoke to me very clearly about our call to Japan and the Japanese people.  He did it through the following verse in His word, in the book of Acts, spoken by Paul during some of his hardships,

"But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus--the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God!" Acts 20:24 NLT

しかし、わたしが自分の行程と、主イエスから受けた務めを全うして、神の恵みの福音を厳かに証しするためには、¹自分の²命を尊いとは思いません。使徒 20:24

We are currently in the United States on Home Assignment.  It has been GOOD.  We have been blessed over and over by dear ones here who have loved on us in so many ways.  We will be here three more months until the end of November.  During the next few months we are hoping to complete visits to all of our supporting churches and also see many of our faithful partners who share  in our ministry through their faithful prayers and financial support.  While here, we are grateful to be able to share the Gospel with some whom God is bringing across our path. (Ask us about the Chinese restaurant in SE Kansas.)  We also look forward with eagerness to our return to Japan to continue the ministry to which God has called us--sharing the Good News about God's wonderful grace with the Japanese people.  So, what is the value of my earthly life?  Nothing, if I cannot be sharing the Good News with others wherever I am and whenever God gives me the opportunity.

Along with us being able to GO to Japan and tell others about Jesus, one of our deepest prayer requests is that God would use us to encourage others to answer His call and become missionaries to Japan!  God has been answering this prayer in some really awesome ways, and I'm excited to be able to tell you more about that in our next blog post!

 Here we are in Nashville with the best ever tour guide, Clint Fields (who also just happened to be our host along with his sweet wife, Amy, during our time there.)