It was a little crazy as trips go, with several planes we had to run to catch, a couple hours in the back seat of a tiny plane right across from the bathroom that just about did Mary Esther in, and an incredibly obtuse TSA agent in Atlanta, but we survived all the same. But we got to see Anna in Japan two weeks before the trip, Mary Esther's brother in Philadelphia, Andrew & Emily and Daniel in the SF Bay Area, and ME's father in Kansas City. We also got to visit with friends and supporters, and shared in two churches.
Family highlights included getting to share in the final gripping episode of Andrew's job search. If you think the NBA draft system is crazy, you should see how schools get their professors. But we were impressed with the way Andrew and Emily navigated the decision-making process, and in the end, Andrew got a job teaching at UC Irvine. He will be graduating from UC Berkeley in May, and they will move to Irvine (LA area) in July. Pray for them as they start on this new phase in their lives.
Another big highlight was getting to be at two physical therapy sessions with Daniel. Remember how long and often we were praying that Daniel would get accepted for PT? Thank you! Now we are seeing the results. Frankly, some of it was painful to watch. His physical therapist joked that she gets called a physical torturist. But she is very careful, and seeing the look of accomplishment in Daniels eyes as he stood for nearly five minutes in the standing frame made it all worthwhile. He is working hard, enduring a lot, and expressing himself well, even though he has no words, and we are proud of him.
God has been good to Anna as well. She is especially excited to have a job as TA for her favorite teacher--one of those incredibly hard but very good teachers whose classes she has enjoyed. On the not-so-happy side—she just had 4 wisdom teeth taken out, and has run into some complications. Pray that she will have the healing that she needs before the new semester starts up on Monday.
Q&A
Some people are asking why we seem to be in the U.S. so often. By way of answer, here is a letter we sent to supporters in 2004, with an update on our current situation. It’s a little long, and most of you have seen it already, so feel free to skip this part.
August 30, we plan to return to Japan. We’ve made the trip countless times, but this time will be unlike any other. We need your prayer and support as never before.
First of all, this has been a strange year for us. Last fall, we returned to the U.S. for what we thought would be a short time to care for Anna’s health issues so that she could begin college. With a promising new Deaf Bible translator beginning work in January, it seemed like bad timing to be away from Japan, but we had a plan. Mark would travel to Japan to get him started, and then we would return to work with him in early March, after Anna was completely settled into college. When the doctor nixed her second semester start, we had to punt; Mark ended up making five trips to Japan, and between trips worked weeks at a time talking (signing) with our translator by internet web cam from 5:00pm to 2:00 am (Japan office hours).
Our son Daniel’s care was a parallel theme this year. Daniel has NCL, a neurodegenerative disease. Though he is 22 years old, he functions developmentally at about the level of an infant and needs total care, including gastrostomy tube feedings. Getting him into the American system took months of frustrating work dealing with countless beaurocratic entities, but we finally succeeded in getting him into short-stays at a group home for Mark’s trips back to Japan. We thank God for the many incredible people we met along the way in this process. After hours of prayer, counsel, and agonizing as parents, we took the next step—letting him stay in this home. Daniel is thriving in his new environment and is enjoying his new friends there.
Even so, the decision to return to Japan without him was a compromise we weren’t always sure we could make. Yes, we are committed to the worldwide mission, no less now than ever before. But we are also Daniel’s parents. Having cared for him daily for 22 years, the initial separation was a monumental struggle. We knew it was good, but that didn’t make it easy. Our next question: Will we be able to live an ocean away, unable to pick up the phone and ask him how he’s doing? We won’t know for sure until we try. What we can be sure of is that we are committed to sharing with each other, helping each other through it, and keeping you informed of how we’re doing so you can pray.
In talking with leadership in our home church, sending agency, and on the Japan field, we have come up with a carefully thought out plan which, though perhaps unusual, we all agree is best. The plan is to return to Japan, making several trips back to the U.S. this next year to see Daniel and visit our supporting churches, many of whom we haven’t been with for more than four years. Though we had a U.S. address this year, the majority of Mark’s work hours were focused on Japan. (More detail on the rationale for this plan is available if you are interested in it.) We are thankful for the help people gave this past year by donating airline miles, or airline employees making available "buddy passes" for standby travel to help us with travel costs, and this is a method which may help us in the future as well. If, after this next year, we find that this is a valid way of balancing our family, Japan field, and sending church responsibilities, we will consider it as a model to continue until our situation changes.
We are committed to doing all we can to make this work. We are excited about returning to Japan. As a result of intensive work this past year, our new translator looks set to record at least half, and maybe all, of Genesis, by the end of the year. All indicators say that it will be our best translation work ever. We look forward to seeing lives transformed by this foundational part of the gospel story. We’re thrilled as well to be supporting Japanese Deaf Christians as they reach out to the Deaf in a neighboring country.
At the same time, we are sobered as the time draws near to leave for Japan with all three of our children in the U.S. We have done all we can to prepare ahead of time. Anna is much improved, and excited to be starting college life. Daniel is settled into his home. Andrew and Emily are settling into married life. The counseling we have received and friendship structures we have formed in the U.S. this year have given us a strong base to stand on. God has also, with incredible timing, brought together a group at Calvary Los Gatos, our home church, of which Mary Esther has been part, to work on the startup of a disabilities ministry. We have brought Daniel to church with us often throughout the year, familiarizing the church with him and him with the church. Having a church community that is being equipped to receive what Daniel has to give by making sure he’s a part will have a huge impact on our adjustment. The Japan field leadership has been overwhelmingly positive and helpful. The affirmation and guidance from CBI leadership and our home church also reflects a vast depth of caring, understanding, and wisdom. We consider ourselves immensely blessed with supportive community. Though there are no guarantees, we feel as ready as possible to embark on this new chapter in our lives.
Please remember us before the Father in prayer. Though we have prepared as well as possible, we know that this will be a kind of struggle we’ve never encountered before. Thank you for the many years that you have stood with us with both financial and prayer support.
Update: After doing this for three and a half years, we can say it seems to be working. The frequent travel is wearing, but hasn’t been unbearable. We’ve been able to keep costs down by buying tickets well ahead of time, or using “buddy passes” from friends who work in the airline industry. In addition to seeing Daniel 3,4 times a year, we call him once a week, and though he doesn’t usually do much voicing, his caregivers say his face lights up when he hears our voices, and he fusses about going to bed Friday night (our Saturday morning) if he hasn’t heard from us. Andrew sees him most every week, and my sister Hannah lives close by and sees him often. A caregiver takes him to church every Sunday. The special needs class at Calvary that he attends is flourishing, and pastors and friends at church regularly greet him before and after the worship service. An ad hoc group called “Daniel’s Friends” take turns visiting at Aram House once or twice a week and drop us an e-mail about their visit. God has blessed us with a tremendous support team, and we are profoundly grateful.
