Check out how Kim's students apply a biblical perspective in their essays on human dignity:

• "Selfishness, pride, and the desire for power are the driving forces for one to ignore, insult, hurt, and kill others. That is why Christians have been called to carry out the only thing that can rise above these troubles and give hope to life: love."
• "Within my own life I can see myself disregarding others' importance compared to what I want to accomplish and do. The most clear example for me is when friends ask me for help on homework. Some of the time I find myself thinking that as long as I understand it, it's fine; what a waste of time to teach. In these times I am placing myself and my own convenience over someone else's learning. I am stating that they are not worth my time and effort....In his letter to the Philippians Paul clearly states, 'Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves' (New International Version, Phil. 2.3)."

Please keep praying:

• Ask God to help Michael prepare effectively for CAJ’s accreditation visit (February 27-March 1).
• Ask God to provide staff for next year. CAJ needs secondary teachers for Bible, math, science, and PE.
• Ask God for good health. February is cold and flu season in Japan.

We are grateful for your prayers, friendship, and gifts.

—Michael & Kim

Michael, what are some memorable moments from 2011?
Kim’s memorable moments include experiencing the March 11 earthquake, leading a book discussion on collaboration, seeing Anneke off to college and becoming an empty nester, playing basketball against CAJ’s varsity girls, and seeing her English 10 students apply a biblical perspective in the presentations they gave in December.
 
My memorable moments include seeing Mt. Fuji while jogging, experiencing uncertainty after the damage to the Fukushima nuclear power plant, seeing an entire family get baptized at Easter, facilitating a book discussion on leading groups, having Caitlin and Anneke home for Christmas, and finishing CAJ’s accreditation report.
 
Kim, what has God been teaching you and Michael?
To trust God in stressful times—like after the earthquake and after a senior died in June as a result of a motorcycle accident.
 
Michael, what are your and Kim’s goals for 2012?
Kim’s goals include helping students increase their English language proficiency and helping secondary English and social studies teachers refine curriculum.
 
I want to help CAJ use data. I also want to provide coaching, consulting, and training to help CAJ staff and missionaries serve more effectively.
 
Kim, how are Caitlin and Anneke doing?
They are doing well. Caitlin will graduate from Redeemer in May with majors in sociology and religion. After she graduates, she plans to return to Japan to live with us, while pursuing her studies (graduate work and Japanese language) and doing some internships.
 
Anneke is enjoying her studies at Calvin College, as she prepares to be a secondary English teacher. She is also enjoying being close to Michael’s folks (who live about a 10-minute drive from Calvin).

Thanks for praying:

• Praise God for providing a librarian for next year. Ask God for secondary teachers for Bible, math, science, and PE.
• Ask God to help Michael prepare effectively for CAJ’s accreditation visit (February 27-March 1).
• Ask God for good health. February is cold and flu season in Japan.

What’s happening?

• Jan. 16- 19: Kim’s students finish a grammar unit.
• Jan. 20: Michael facilitates a 2-hour curriculum meeting on technology.
• Jan. 23-27: CAJ has its annual Spiritual Life Emphasis Week.
• Jan. 26: Kim facilitates a teacher discussion on a Christian view of public speaking.

What ministries are parents of my English 10 students involved in?

• A café in Tokyo that hosts concerts and art showings to attract non-Christian Japanese and introduce them to Jesus.
• A seminary that prepares the next generation of pastors for the Church in Japan.
• Continuing outreach to the survivors of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Many are still living in temporary housing in devastated towns where harbors and fields still need to be cleaned up, and where industries are still struggling to recover.
• Churches being planted in Tokyo and throughout Japan.

Without leaving my classroom, I am part of these ministries. How is that possible? My classroom is where I teach the children of the missionaries doing these things and more. And by helping to educate their children, I free up these missionary parents to share the Gospel in Japan.
 
What are those children doing in my classroom? When I asked them to write about what happens in my class, one student responded, “In English…the teacher…is trying to teach us how to interpret clues and hidden meanings in books. We learn how to write descriptive, engaging pieces of writing, and we learn how to discuss and collaborate with other classmates. Most importantly, we learn how to connect what we are learning to God and to life.”
 
It’s a great job, and I love it.
 
Thank you for partnering with us to make a difference in the lives of students at CAJ and in the lives of Japanese who are ministered to by CAJ parents.


Thanks for praying

• Ask God to help CAJ parents minister effectively.
• Praise God for providing the energy staff needed to prepare for the 2012 accreditation visit. On Nov. 15, staff completed several reports.

What’s happening?

• Nov. 24: We celebrate Thanksgiving with our mission at our home.
• Nov. 29: Kim’s students submit essays on a biblical basis for human dignity.
• Nov. 30: CAJ staff develop the school improvement plan.
• Dec. 5: Michael facilitates a curriculum meeting.

—Kim

We serve at Christian Academy in Japan, a school for missionary kids. We strive to empower staff and equip students. My first school improvement meeting (August 19) and Kim’s first English class (August 25) went well.
 
I’m pumped! I’m watching 5 small groups of CAJ staff members analyze survey and standardized test data. I’m watching them study 21st-Century challenges and educational goals, discuss what CAJ is like, and determine how effective our learning outcomes are.
 
One small group reviews a 64-item parent survey, noting that parents are satisfied with CAJ and are concerned about SAT preparation. Another group studies CAJ’s student demographics and sees a decrease in the number of students with parents who both come from North America. The group then compares CAJ’s learning outcomes with twelve 21st-Century educational goals, concluding there’s a good match.
 
Meanwhile, a third group discusses standardized test data and then watches a YouTube video on competencies employers want students to have. The group notes that reading scores are consistent, that vocabulary scores are decreasing, and that there’s a good match between skills employers want and CAJ’s learning outcomes.
 
The other 2 groups summarize what CAJ teachers like about their students, reflect on the challenges CAJ teachers face as they teach students representing 35 countries, and identify challenges CAJ students will face in the future.
 
I pull the 5 small groups back together. We conclude that CAJ’s learning outcomes prepare students to impact the world for Christ in the 21st Century. We also generate key research questions that will be used as we complete our accreditation process, for example, “How is the student demographic shift affecting English language acquisition?”
 
We’re off to a good start! Thanks for praying for us.

• Praise God for helping new CAJ staff members make a good transition to CAJ.
• Ask God to provide the energy and focus staff need to prepare for the 2012 accreditation visit.
• Ask God to help Caitlin and Anneke get off to a good start in college.

 —Michael




Kim’s English 10 students talk in small groups on the first day of class. During the next 2 weeks, Kim’s 49 students (who represent 8 countries) will consider questions like “How do writers reflect the image of God?” and “Why is it important to understand another person’s perspective?”

God is using His people! Ralph, a missionary whose kids graduated from CAJ, was driving relief supplies to a designated relief center. When he arrived, he was told his supplies were not needed. As he left and drove down the road, Ralph asked God what to do with the supplies. God told him to turn left. Ralph turned left and arrived in an area that had been overlooked by relief efforts. People in the neighborhood were glad to see Ralph and asked him how he found them. Ralph told them about God's direction. 

CAJ students are applying a biblical perspective! Thursday afternoon, CAJ's 47 seniors gave 20-minute presentations in which they applied a biblical perspective to issues like teenage alcoholism, child soldiers, human trafficking, deforestation, learning disabilities, and consumerism.

Please keep praying:

• Praise God that Christians (like Ralph) are able to provide effective relief for earthquake/tsunami victims and share the Gospel.
• Ask God to stabilize the nuclear plants.
• Praise God that we're having good family time with Caitlin.
• Ask God to help CAJ finish well. The last day of classes is June 9.

We're grateful for your prayers, gifts, and friendship.

—Michael and Kim

At CAJ, we strive to carry out the Great Commission by evangelizing non-Christian students and by discipling Christian students. So as I read my students’ essays, I was excited to learn that my students are growing. Here’s how 3 of my English 10 students are growing:
 
One of my students committed her life to Jesus during the 2011 Spiritual Life Emphasis Week (SLEW), an annual event where CAJ invites a special speaker to give daily chapel talks. She wrote in her essay that during the 2010 SLEW she had hesitated to become a Christian: “I was probably worried about how people would think of me if I made that commitment to God.”
 
Several weeks after the 2010 SLEW, she remembered a song she’d learned in 3rd grade based on Joshua 1:9, “Be strong and courageous.” It gave her the courage she needed to make a decision for Jesus this year.
 
Another student said his first-semester English project on suffering helped him when thinking about the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami: “Suddenly, the project I had worked on came to mind…. Then all [God’s] answers and promises came to mind. I felt as if the Lord had prepared me for that day, to see the goodness of His will and be strengthened, rather than be shaken by the sight of cars dumped into the ocean like pebbles.”
 
A third student felt the need to actively respond to the physical needs of the disaster survivors. Usually a reserved person, he spent much of the time school was cancelled helping to raise relief money. He wrote in his essay that he was surprised to discover God had given him leadership gifts.


Thanks for praying

• Praise God for working in the lives of Kim’s students.
• Ask God to stabilize the nuclear plants and to help Christians provide effective relief for earthquake/tsunami victims.
• Praise God that Caitlin is back after a good year at college. Ask God for good family time this spring and summer.

 
What’s happening?

• May 16-20: Michael develops an online class for new staff.
• May 16-27: Kim’s students write movie reviews and prepare presentations.
• June 3: Anneke graduates!
• June 13-24: Caitlin helps with summer school at CAJ.

—Kim

Here's what we did:

• Monday, Kim had her students work on their poetry essays.
• Tuesday morning, we had 3 inches of snow on the ground, but we still had school.
• Wednesday, Kim and I facilitated curriculum meetings.
• Thursday, I prepared for my accreditation visit to Kyoto International University Academy.
• And Friday, we watched high school students perform the musical Annie.

Thanks for praying:

1. Praise God for providing secondary teachers for English/social studies and math/science. 
2. Ask God to provide a secondary teacher for the resource room.
3. Ask God to help Kim's students apply a biblical perspective to their favorite lyrics.
4. Ask God for energy for Michael he continues to prepare to visit to Kyoto International University Academy.

Have a good weekend. And thanks for being involved in God's work in Japan.

—Michael
P.S. Want to see what we think of a drink called Sparking Chocolate?

Michael and Kim, what has God been teaching you?
Michael: God’s been teaching me that He can use any situation for our good. For example, I had to be in the US for 6 months (Feb. 11-August 14) to comply with the US/Japan social security agreement. And being in the US involved job disruption and family separation. (Anneke and Kim joined me in late April). Though the situation was not optimal, God used it for our good—we got to see family and supporters, the girls got their wisdom teeth out, and Caitlin got her driver’s license.
 
Kim: To be thankful in all circumstances. I found it hard to be thankful when (due to Michael being in the US) I couldn’t be with him or finish last school year. But God helped me. Instead of being apart from Michael until the end of April, God made it possible for me be with Michael for 2 weeks in March. God also provided a good long-term substitute for my classes. Concentrating on God and His provision helped me be thankful.
 
Kim, what are some highlights from 2010?
Michael enjoyed seeing family and supporters while on home assignment. He also enjoyed helping CAJ implement its school improvement process, publishing four 7-lesson teacher training kits, and helping missionaries refine and implement ministry plans.
 
For me, highlights include seeing my English 10 students improve their thinking and reading skills, facilitating a book discussion for teachers on helping students collaborate effectively, and helping secondary English teachers review and refine course objectives.
 
Michael, what are your goals for 2011?
Kim is focusing on helping CAJ students collaborate effectively and helping CAJ teachers align course objectives and assessments.
 
I’m preparing for CAJ’s 6-year school accreditation visit, helping teachers integrate faith and learning, and helping missionaries set ministry goals.

Thanks for praying:

• Praise God for providing an English/social studies teacher for next year. Ask God for secondary teachers for English/social studies, math/science, and resource room.
• Ask God to help Michael prepare effectively for his March 16-18 accreditation visit to Kyoto International University Academy, a bilingual Christian school.
• Ask God for good health. February is cold and flu season in Japan.

What’s happening?

• Jan. 24- Feb. 18: Kim’s students study poetry.
• Feb. 8: Kim and Michael attend a 2-hour curriculum meeting.
• Feb. 16: Michael works with Bible teachers to refine course objectives.

How many reasons are there for doing missions in Japan? Over 126 million, each one a Japanese who has not yet accepted Jesus. Thanks for being involved in God’s work in Japan.

I’m excited. I'm watching Ria, Christina, Riyako, and Yukiko (4 of my English 10 students) give a presentation. They're using a display (see photo above) to explain how sin affects us. Specifically, they're describing how war (as depicted in Elie Wiesel's Night) results in hatred, a loss of human dignity, and a loss of faith. Presentations like this make teaching worth it!

Thanks for praying:

• Praise God that my English 10 students are applying a biblical perspective to what they study.
• Praise God that we had good family time with Caitlin and that she got back to college safely on January 3.
• Ask God to provide staff for next year. CAJ needs secondary teachers (social studies/English, science/math, resource room).

We're grateful for your prayers, gifts, and friendship.

—Kim

As a leadership developer, I want leaders to grow. And a good sign that leaders are growing is when leaders help others grow. Here are 4 leaders I work with who are helping others grow!

Anda, CAJ’s high school principal, is planning to have each student complete a profile to help him understand the type of learner he is. This information will be shared with high school teachers, who can then adjust instructional strategies to help students who learn better when seeing something, hearing something, or moving around. My role? I arranged the workshop Anda attended on how students learn.
 
Scott, a curriculum coordinator in Thailand, is helping teachers learn about integrating faith and learning. He’s excited that teachers are discussing questions like “How does God’s Word connect to the part of God’s world your students study?” He’s also excited that teachers are seeing “real, natural, thoughtful changes in their classrooms.” My role? The training materials he’s using are ones I developed for CAJ.
 
Joel, our mission’s international director, wants to support leadership development. He knows that good resources can help missionaries develop leaders. And he is planning to discuss a set of leadership development resources at his next International Program Team meeting. My role? I compiled the set of leadership development resources, using contributions from missionaries in our mission.
 
Steve, a house church coordinator, wants to help missionaries more effectively disciple Japanese Christians. He is preparing to share some of his ideas, including “Training is about taking action, not taking notes.” My role? I asked Steve questions to help him identify his ideas and think about how to communicate them.


Thanks for praying

• Praise God that CAJ teachers are applying what they learned in a Nov. 3 workshop on teaching strategies.
• Praise God for providing Judith Alexander with the energy she needs to teach Bible 7 and English 7.
• Ask God to help Anda, Scott, Joel, and Steve to keep growing and to keep helping others grow.

What’s happening?

• Nov. 17: Kim and Michael work with teachers on developing CAJ’s curriculum.
• Nov. 22-24: Kim talks with parents at parent/teacher conferences.
• Dec. 7-10: Michael participates in mission meetings on leadership development.

—Michael

I'm sitting on the grass with my group of 10th graders. We're doing our final debriefing for our Oct. 4-7 unit. (In the unit, the 10th graders learned about  God's world and about collaboration.)

Here's what my students are saying they learned:

• I didn't know God said so much about complaining, and I do it a lot. I want to stop complaining.
• I found out that leadership is easy for me, but being a servant is hard. I want to really work on serving others this year.
• I often have a negative attitude. I want to have a more positive attitude, and I want my friends to help me focus on that.

Thanks for asking God to help my students learn about His world and about collaboration.

—Kim
P.S. Be sure to check out these photos of the Oct. 4-7 unit at Lake Yamanaka, located near Mt. Fuji.

Here’s what happened:

1. Sunday, the youth group Anneke helps lead had its first meeting—went well.
2. Monday, Kim graded her English 10 tests. Her students used a Biblical perspective.
3. Wednesday, I helped a bilingual Christian school pursue its initial accreditation.
4. Thursday, Kim's students used Micah 6:8 to assess the behavior of story characters.
5. Friday, I went jogging before school.

Please pray: Ask God to help Kim/me to provide effective leadership as we work with CAJ Bible/English teachers on curriculum development for 5 hours on Monday.

We're grateful for your prayers, gifts and friendship.

—Michael

Kim, how’s your home assignment going?
We’re having a good time. We’ve shared with supporters in Alaska, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia, and California. And we’ve attended 2 family reunions. You may remember that Michael has to be in the US for 6 months due to a US/Japan agreement on Social Security. Recently Michael received the US government documentation he needs regarding Social Security—so he’s all set to return to Japan in mid-August!

Michael, what school work have Kim and you been doing?
Kim’s been reviewing the secondary English curriculum, doing some professional reading (like An Essential Guide to Public Speaking), and preparing to lead a book discussion in the fall on Productive Group Work. I’ve been developing 4 kits designed to help teachers help students connect God’s world and Word. Each kit has 7 lessons. In each lesson, teachers share how they applied what they learned in the previous lesson, discuss an article, and identify their next action steps.
 
Kim, what will you and Michael be doing next school year at CAJ?
To equip students, I’ll continue teaching English 10. To empower CAJ staff, Michael will train teachers, assist with curriculum development, and coordinate professional development; and I’ll serve as the chair of the English Department.
 
Michael, what’s your vision for Japan?
Through equipping CAJ students and empowering CAJ staff, Kim and I want to impact Japan for Jesus. We want to see CAJ students living out a Christian worldview and to see CAJ staff more fully using their God-given gifts to serve others. Ultimately, we want to see Japanese non-Christians getting saved, Japanese Christians growing, and Japanese churches thriving.


Thanks for praying:

• Praise God for travel safety on 7/5 from MI to CA.
• Ask God for travel safety on 7/23 when Kim, Caitlin, and Anneke fly to Japan, and Michael flies to MI.
• Ask God to help the 11 new CAJ staff make a smooth transition to Japan/CAJ.

What’s happening?

• 8/16-18: New staff orientation at CAJ
• 8/19-20, 23: Staff meetings
• 8/25: First day of classes

Check out our 4-minute video, Impact Japan for Jesus.

Thanks for praying:

• Praise God that we've finished a draft of training materials designed to help teachers use assessment to help students connect God's world and Word.
• Ask God to help CAJ staff and students to finish the school year well. Classes end on June 8, and staff meetings end on June 11.

—Michael & Kim
P.S. Don't forget to watch our 4-minute video.

I’m sitting at my computer. I’m reading my 10th graders’ essays. An American student writes, “The US is not my home because I have barely lived there.”
 
A Japanese student writes, “Growing up in a Japanese society and attending an American school, I was too outspoken for a Japanese but too timid for an American.” And a Korean student writes, “I was an American in school, a Japanese outside of school, and a Korean at home.”
 
How would you feel if you read these essays? My heart goes out to my students. They’re wrestling with who they are and where they belong. How will my American students deal with living in the foreign land of America? How do my Japanese students slip back into using honorific language with their elders at home after being at an American-style school all day?
 
I keep reading, hoping my students will move beyond who they are culturally to whose they are spiritually. And they do! A Korean students writes, “I am the loved one of my God, and therefore I can overcome the cultural problems I face.”
 
An American student writes, “Although I had found my own ways to define myself in a Japanese culture, God was behind all my confidence in being proud of who I was.” And a Japanese student writes, “Knowing that I am precious in the eyes of the Almighty then allows me to serve my neighbors in humility.”

Please keep praying:

• Praise God that Kim’s students are focusing on the security found in belonging to God.
• Praise God for travel safety from MI to OH, TN, GA, IN, IL, and AK.
• Praise God that our family is together again.
• Ask God to help CAJ staff and students to finish the school year well. Classes end on June 8, and staff meetings end on June 11.

Thanks for your prayers, gifts, and friendship.
—Kim

Want to learn more about God’s work in Japan? If so, then check out our 4-minute video!

The Holocaust memoir Night grabs my 10th graders. Maybe because the narrator is their age when he suffers such horrific cruelty. Maybe because it’s real—my students are face to face with the Fall, with how people can degrade one another.

Then they begin to make connections. To the way South Koreans view North Koreans. To the way laughing at another can make them feel better about themselves. To what the Bible teaches about who people are and how we are to treat them. Here are some of their connections:

• “Whether it is in the form of murder, bullying, or stealing, people are being treated with less dignity than they deserve....as Christians, we must honor one another as created in God's image and love both our neighbors and our oppressors.”
• “People always say that they want to make the world a better place, but they think too big or they don’t think at all or say that’s awful and sit and do nothing. But...one specific thing that I can do is to stop criticizing people...and…‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ (Mark 12.31, Matt. 22.39).”

Please continue to pray:

• Praise God that my English 10 students are applying God's truth to their lives.
• Praise God for providing teachers (band, science) for next year.
• Ask God to provide a full staff for next year. CAJ needs teachers (elementary, English, science) and a technology coordinator.

I've had a good first week in the US. Had helpful mission meetings, enjoyed seeing my folks, got to visit with Caitlin (who was at my folks' house during her school vacation), and saw a lot of snow (don't really get much snow in Tokyo).

Meanwhile, Kim graded her English 10 students' poetry tests. On the test Kim was pleased to see her students connecting class and life, for example: "I like to now go and listen to my favorite songs and catch different musical devices besides rhyming." Wednesday-Friday, Kim's students wrote a paper analyzing favorite song lyrics as poetry and giving a biblical perspective of the lyrics.

Please continue to pray:

• Praise God that Michael had a safe trip to the US on Feb. 11 for a 6-month home assignment.
• Ask God to provide teachers (band, math/science, middle school) and a technology coordinator.

Michael, how did you see God working in 2009? Students at Christian Academy in Japan (CAJ) continued applying a biblical perspective. Our mission’s church plants at Higashi Kawaguchi and Hitachinaka became independent churches. And 8 Japanese were baptized at Kurume Bible Fellowship. Thanks for praying.
 
Kim, what did you and Michael do in 2009? At CAJ in English 10, I taught 105 students from 13 countries. During class, my students reflected on questions like “What’s wrong with the world?” and “Who is my neighbor?” I also served as chair of the English Department and chair of a school improvement group that focused on curriculum.
 
Michael coached CAJ staff and missionaries, trained CAJ staff in how to increase personal productivity and in how to teach from a biblical perspective, and helped CAJ and 2 missions with organizational improvement by providing consulting and web-based resources, including 19 tutorials.
 
What has God been teaching you?

• Kim: Thankfulness for His blessings—family, friends, colleagues, students, and so much more.
• Michael: To pray—particularly for family and for the leaders I help.

Please continue to pray:

• Ask God to help us prepare effectively for home assignment.
• Ask God for a full staff for next year. CAJ needs a technology coordinator and teachers (band, elementary, 8th grade, and home ec).

Listen as Michael shares. Or keep reading:

We celebrated New Year's with Caitlin (she's now back in Canada at college). And our first week back to school at CAJ went pretty well—Kim's English 10 students studied grammar, and Michael focused on school improvement. How did your first full week of 2010 go?

We've been working on our home assignment. We're looking forward to being in the US to share about how God is at work in Japan. And we'll be in the US both earlier and longer than we had anticipated. We were planning be in the US in the summer. But we need to comply with the US/Japan social security regulations, so...

1. Michael will be in the US February 11 - August 14.
2. Kim will continue teaching at CAJ, visit me for 2 weeks in March, and then return to Japan to teach through April 23. 
3. On April 24, Kim and Anneke will fly to the US to join Michael. Anneke will finish out her CAJ year through independent study. 
4. And about a week later, Caitlin will finish college and join us. It'll be good to be together as a family.

Please continue to pray:

• Praise God that we already have our tickets to the US and housing for home assignment.
• Praise God for good family time with Caitlin.
• Ask God to provide staff for next year. CAJ needs teachers (band, home ec, elementary, and 8th grade) and a technology coordinator.

We're grateful for your prayers, gifts, and friendship.

Help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. Ask open-ended questions.

We're looking forward to celebrating Christ's birth, having Caitlin back from college, being together as a family, and eating Christmas pudding! Next week, Kim's students will be giving presentations. I'll be learning about a new standardized test that CAJ might give. What are you doing next week?

Please keep praying:

1. Praise God that we continue to have good health.
2. Ask God for good family time with Caitlin.
3. Ask God to draw Japanese non-Christians to Himself through the Christmas-related events CAJ parents are doing.
4. Ask God to provide staff for next year. CAJ needs teachers (band, home ec, elementary) and a technology coordinator.

We're grateful for your prayers, gifts, and friendship.

It’s 8:20 on a Thursday morning, 10 minutes before class begins. Four 10th graders (an Indian, a Japanese, a Korean, and an American) are talking loudly. So loudly that I’m getting distracted from writing my lesson outline on the board. They are discussing (in Japanese) how to say “9:45 a.m.” (in Spanish). There must be a Spanish test today....
 
I love seeing these diverse students working together. It reminds me that God calls us to have right relationships with Him, others, ourselves, and creation.

Such “right” relationships, of course, don’t always happen. For example, my students sometimes fragment into groups based on language (English, Japanese, or Korean). To encourage my students to value and to have “right” relationships, I had them read Cry, the Beloved Country and focus on God’s peace (shalom). Here’s what they learned:

1. “From now on, I will be quick to forgive....”
2. “In Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country there are characters from all walks of life—rich, poor, important, and unknown. However, they each do what is in their power to help restore the brokenness around them, and this is a powerful message for us today.”
3. “Each person’s actions lay a brick in the bridge we’re trying to build, the bridge we call shalom.”
4. “God is the ultimate source of shalom and without Him, nothing can be restored.... Jesus was crucified…to restore shalom, and He is the first Restorer. After He ascended to heaven, who was going to carry on His mission to restore shalom?…Christians.”

Please pray with me that my students will apply what they learned about peace (shalom) to their relationships.

Thanks for praying about last week's 10th grade leadership camp! Students learned about leadership, cooked outdoors, enjoyed hiking near Mt. Fuji, and stayed safe from the typhoon! 

Praise God that several Japanese women were baptized last Saturday. One shared, "From now on I want to learn more about Jesus' teachings, and worship Him, and follow Him."

Praise God that Kim's students are responding to the questions Kim asks. Here's how 1 student responded to a short-answer test question, "What is the Cultural Mandate?": "The Cultural Mandate says, 'Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it.' We are to develop the social world (schools, governments, families, law, etc.) and use what we can from God’s creation to create culture and civilization."

Praise God that Hitachinaka, a church started by our mission, will go independent on Monday, October 12. 

Ask God to help the 10th graders grow as leaders. During their upcoming leadership unit that Michael helped design, the 10th graders will focus on 4 key questions: How can you be an effective servant leader? What do you learn about God through studying His creation? What is wrong with the world? How can you make a difference?

Reflection is powerful. Reflection helps students to understand concepts, plan projects, and apply a Biblical perspective. Reflection helps teachers to develop curriculum, engage students in learning, and apply what they learned during a Biblical perspective workshop.
 
If you worked at a Christian school, how would you provoke reflection? You could give suggestions. Suggestions provoke reflection, provided they fit the situation and the person is willing to receive them. I appreciate suggestions I receive, but I must admit that sometimes the suggestions don’t fit my situation and sometimes I’m not prepared to receive them. How about you?
 
Instead of giving suggestions, what can you do to provoke reflection? Ask questions. Why ask questions? Because questions are more likely to fit the situation. Because students and teachers are more willing to respond to questions than to suggestions. And because responding to questions involves reflection.
 
What questions do we ask CAJ students and staff? In English 10, Kim asks: Who am I? Who is my neighbor? What’s wrong with the world? What’s the significance of words?
 
When we train CAJ staff, we ask: How can you help students to think effectively? How can you help students to read better? How can you help your students to understand creation-fall-redemption-restoration?
 
When I coach CAJ staff, I ask: What does being organized look like? What helps you pay attention to your goals? What do you want to accomplish in the next month? What excites/frustrates you about your strengths?
 
Provoke reflection. Ask 1 person a good question. Today.


Thanks for praying:

1. Praise God that M, a CAJ graduate and Kim’s former student, was baptized on August 23.
2. Praise God that new staff and students have made a good transition to Japan/CAJ.
3. Ask God to help us ask questions that help CAJ students learn and CAJ staff be productive.
4. Ask God to give us the health and energy we need to serve effectively at CAJ.

Christian Academy in Japan is off to a good start this school–thanks for praying.
Kim's 54 English 10 students grappled with how an author's perspective impacts what she writes. Michael helped teachers identify the technology they need to help kids learn. We celebrated the completion of the first week of school by going out to eat.

Caitlin's had a safe flight to Toronto—thanks for praying.
Due to a typhoon on Monday, Caitlin's flight was cancelled. So, she flew on Tuesday. Since then, Caitlin's been getting ready to serve as a resident assistant. She starts classes next Wednesday, is majoring in social work, and brought back some very cool erasers to show her friends. We had good family time with her this summer, already miss her, and are looking forward to seeing her at Christmas.

Please keep praying:

• Praise God for a good start to school at Christian Academy in Japan.
• Praise God that Caitlin had a safe flight to Toronto.
• Ask God that we'd be healthy and have the energy we need to serve.

We enjoyed being together as a family, eating watermelon popsicles, going to the beach, reading a lot of books, and preparing for this school year.

What are we doing this school year?
We’re supporting the spread the Gospel by serving at Christian Academy in Japan, a K-12 school for missionary kids. Kim teaches English 10, serves as English Dept. chair, and trains teachers to help students read more effectively. Michael coordinates school improvement, trains teachers to help students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches, and coaches CAJ staff & missionaries.

How can you pray for us?

1. Praise God for smooth staff transition for CAJ's new staff members.
2. Ask God for a good first day of classes at CAJ. Classes begin on Wed., August 26.
3. Praise God for good family time with Caitlin.
4. Ask God for a safe trip/smooth transition back to college for Caitlin. Caitlin flies to Toronto on Mon., August 31.

What have you been doing this summer? We we've been staying cool by eating ice cream and sampling green, shiso-flavored  Pepsi (slideshow). Kim's been working on lesson plans for English 10, and Michael posted an online tutorial for CAJ teachers on making effective Biblical perspective assignments.

Thanks for praying!

1. Ask God to help Kim effectively revise her English 10 curriculum. She's working to further emphasize creation-fall-redemption.
2. Ask God to help members of a house church network to apply their July 25 training on sharing the Gospel. (Michael helped plan the training.)
3. Ask God to help new CAJ staff and students make a smooth transition to Japan/CAJ.

Help your students connect God's world, God's Word, and their lives.

On Father's Day, Cailtin and Anneke gave Michael 2 pet beetles named Mike and Bob.

• Tuesday, Michael made a 1-minute video entitled "To Close the Gap, Do 4 Things."
• Wednesday, we prepared our milk cartons for recycling.
• And on Saturday, Kim is playing in the 2nd round of the national volleyball tournament for neighborhood teams. There are 9 players on each side.

Please keep praying:

• Praise God that Kim's summer school students got better at writing persuasive essays. Thanks for praying!
• Praise God that Michael was able to help a missionary develop a workshop for a network of house church leaders. The missionary is doing the workshop on Saturday.
• Ask God to help new CAJ staff to make a smooth transition to Japan/CAJ.

Use assessment to help your students value and get proficient at connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches.

Michael, what are you feeling encouraged about?
I’m encouraged that staff members at Christian Academy in Japan are reporting that my coaching helps. A school principal told me that my coaching helped her clarify her thinking, test her ideas, and get the confidence she needed to try new things.
 
And I’m encouraged that teachers are continuing to apply the Biblical perspective training I provided in the fall. They are identifying Biblical principles they want their students to learn, documenting those principles in the curriculum, and helping students learn them.
 
Kim, what are you encouraged about?
My English 10 students wrote essays on who they are spiritually, culturally, and personally. I was encouraged by the results:

• “Being a student at Christian Academy in Japan has transformed me spiritually. Although my family is not Christian, being in a Christian environment has led me to become a Christian.”
•  “I thank God for His allowing me to live overseas; I see it as a blessing. I think it was His plan all along to reduce the shyness in me by thrusting me out into the unknown so many times.”
• “As a human, I am a reflection of God and therefore have value (Gen. 1.27, Matt. 10.31). As a Christian, I am a child of God (Eph. 5.1). These truths are liberating because they mean that I do not need to focus on obtaining value and love—I already have them.”

Michael, what can we pray about?

1. Ask God to help us finish the school year well. Classes end on June 5, and meetings end on June 12.
2. Ask God for good family time. Caitlin is back from college, and we’ll be together until August 31. 

We're doing well:

• Caitlin is home from college.
• Kim's English 10 students (including Anneke) are enjoying Shakespeare.
• No school on Monday & Tuesday (national holidays).

How can you pray?

• Praise God that Kim's students wrote effective essays on who they are spiritually.
• Ask God to provide teachers for next year (secondary science & math, elementary ESL).

Thanks for being involved in God's work in Japan.

What did Kim's students learn during the poetry unit?

• “God values poetry….the Bible is full of poetry...that uses a lot of parallelism.”—Korean student
• “Poetry is an important part of many cultures.”—Japanese student
• “Poetry can evoke unwanted and possibly harmful emotions.”—American student

How are participants in Michael's 2/27 workshop applying what they learned?

• “I am starting to reevaluate the things I am doing to see if they fit with my God-given mission.”
• “Today made me think about how to relate my day-to-day activities with God’s calling.”

Thanks for praying!

• Praise God that Mari will be baptized at a mission post on April 5.
• Praise God that the March 2-3 accreditation visit went well. The visiting team was pleased with CAJ's progress.
• Praise God for providing teachers for next year (Bible, learning resource center). Ask God to provide teachers for next year (secondary science and math; elementary classroom and ESL).

Here's lesson model that uses best practice to point students to God.

As I look out at my class, I see a roomful of kids whom I hope will understand how the Bible connects with every area of life, including the literature they read and the deep human questions the authors talk about. On my last test, I saw this happening.
 
Here are sample student answers to the final question on my English 10 short story test: What else did you learn this unit that you did not have a chance to show on the test?

• “Both Christianity and existentialism believe that people have the desire to find meaning. In Christianity, we find the true meaning in God and find joy, but in existentialism, people find their own meaning and find joy in that process. I thought it was sad that not all the people have hope and that not all people can feel true joy.”
• “I learned from Leo Tolstoy’s ‘How Much Land Does a Man Need?’ that if we are selfish and greedy, it might seem like you’re ‘living the life’ at the moment, but in the end you’ll lose everything (the important things) you have.”
• “I learned a lot about decision-making and finding my place here. We all get left out and feel like an outsider, but I know that I still belong to God.”
• “I learned that just like ‘The Guest’ we all have to make decisions between two things. I learned that I have to pray to God before choosing the decision by myself because without God’s power, we are all weak and cannot make a decision we won’t regret.”

Thanks for praying:

• Praise God that Kim’s English 10 students continue to connect what they study and what the Bible teaches.
• Praise God that we’ve been healthy all through cold/flu season.
• Ask God to help the 24 participants in Michael’s 2/27 workshop use their learning to serve well.
• Ask God for a full staff for next year. CAJ needs teachers (secondary Bible, science, and learning resource center).

Ours went well:

• Mon-Tues: School vacation! We spent time with our mission.
• Wed: Michael worked at CAJ on curriculum and with a mission on strategic planning.
• Thurs: Kim's students studied Hebrew poetry.
• Fri: We had rainy weather.

We're grateful for your prayer support:

• Praise God that Michael's Feb. 18 work with a mission on strategic planning went well.
• Ask God to use Michael's 2/27 productivity workshop at CAJ to help the 27 participants to serve more effectively.
• Ask God to provide teachers CAJ needs for next year (science, learning resource center).

Thanks for being involved in God's work in Japan!

Here's what's going well for us:

• Kim is excited that a student wrote, "Christians know that we will face death at some point, but we should be honored to live such a life God has given us. Life has worth because we are made in the image of God."
• Michael developed 3 sets of questions CAJ teachers can use to deepen their understanding of Christian education (course, subject, and creation-fall-redemption-restoration).

Please keep praying:

• Praise God that we've been healthy all through cold/flu season. Please keep praying.
• Ask God to provide the teachers CAJ needs for next school year (science, learning resource center).
• Praise God that CAJ teachers are applying the 18 hours of Biblical perspective training Michael provided. As a result, CAJ students are better connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches. 

We're grateful for you prayers, financial support, and friendship.

Here's what a student wrote about Kim's English 10 class:

"One class that helps me think like a Christian is English class. We have a lot of group assignments. When we give out ideas people around me give opinions from a Christian prospective. Just from that, I learn something about Christianity. Also, we always pray in English since it's my first period in school."

Thanks for praying!

• Though it's cold/flu season, we've been healthy. Please keep praying.
• Kim's English 10 students did well in grammar.
• Michael’s strategic planning work for CAJ and 2 missions is going well.

Kim, how did you see God working in 2008?
Japanese were baptized, including 7 adults at Kurume Bible Fellowship and Mrs. Tanzawa (Kim’s former English conversation class student). Our mission post at Higashi Kawaguchi continued moving toward independence (scheduled for this spring). And CAJ students continued applying a biblical perspective. Thanks for praying.
 
Michael, what did you and Kim do in 2008?
I provided biblical perspective training for teachers at CAJ, coached over 20 CAJ staff and other missionaries, helped 2 missions with strategic planning, facilitated a network of cell church planters, and published articles in Christian School Teacher and Japan Harvest.
 
Kim helped her English 10 students connect the literature they studied and what the Bible teaches, further developed her curriculum, served as English Department chair, and led a CAJ teacher workshop on reading strategies.
 
What has God been teaching you?
Kim: To trust Him with my kids’ lives—especially Caitlin’s, as she has gone off to college. Caitlin’s just as much in God’s hands when she is far away from me in Canada as she was when she was near me in Japan.
 
Michael: To be patient—at times I want God to work faster, and I’m learning that God’s timing is perfect.

We had a missionary family over for lunch and then spent the afternoon together as a family. It's really great having Caitlin home.

God continues to work in Japan! Praise God...

• That on Dec. 21 at our Hitachinaka mission post, Hiroshi was baptized and Akiko reaffirmed her faith and joined the church.
• That on Dec. 23 at Kurume Bible Fellowship's candlelight service, the real meaning of Christmas was presented to non-Christian Japanese.
• That on Dec. 25, 6 people joined the church of Rev. Ashida, a Japanese pastor whose son is in Kim's English 10 class at CAJ.

Please ask God...

• For travel safety for Caitlin as she flies back to Toronto on January 2.
• To help Kim prepare effectively for her grammar unit (starting Jan. 6) and to help Michael prepare effectively for assisting a mission with strategic planning (Jan. 7).

Do you want to help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches? To value those connections? And to get feedback you can use to modify instruction? If so, give your students a Biblical perspective assessment.

The backdrop is a snowy night at a famous Buddhist temple. There are no shepherds, no wise men, no angels. But there are Santas. Many of them. In fact, the temple is crawling with the little red-clad characters, some of them carrying paper umbrellas.
 
This Japanese advent calendar isn’t like any I’ve ever seen in the U.S. The Santa labeled the 25th seems a little more familiar, flying a sleigh across the sky. But the 25th isn’t the final date. The really big date, the date the whole calendar is leading up to, is January 1—the biggest holiday of the Japanese year.
 
Sure, the stores in Japan play up Christmas. (Anything to move more merchandise.) But it’s still a small celebration. When dad gets home from work, there might be a small Christmas cake (white sponge cake, white frosting, and strawberries on top) and a present for each of the kids. Few Japanese have any idea that Christmas is about God being born as a human baby so He could grow up and die for the world.
 
The good news? Japanese want to find out more about this “Western” holiday. This means that friends and neighbors who usually decline an invitation to church are interested in coming to a candlelight service or a Christmas party. So, missionaries put on Christmas events during which they share the Gospel.
 
We’re grateful to be a part of this Gospel presentation. We’re glad we can:

• Invite friends to our church’s candlelight service.
• Decorate our front windows with the manger scene.
• Answer any questions that come our way.
• Support the massive outreach effort by educating missionary kids and by training/coaching missionaries.

And we’re grateful for your prayers, financial support, and friendship.

We're thankful that...

• God's loves us, has saved us, and gives us opportunities to be involved in His work in Japan.
• You're involved in God's work in Japan. We appreciate your friendship, prayers, & financial support.
• Japanese are becoming Christians.
• Kim's students grappled with shalom. 
• The Nov. 3 workshop I led at CAJ resulted in teachers developing Biblical perspective lessons plans (slideshow). Thanks for praying!
• We're safe/healthy and that Caitlin continues to feel good about being at Redeemer University College.

Thanks for praying—God is answering your prayers!

• Praise God that 3 of the 4 Japanese adults baptized on Sept. 27 have already shared during the Sunday service about God's work in their lives. Last Sunday Mr. Y said, "I really need Jesus...I would like to live every day accountable before God and keep remembering that every day is God's day."
• Praise God that Kim's students continue to connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. On a recent test on Cry, the Beloved Country, one student wrote, "God gives hope to those who have none. Because of the hope, some broken things can become new.”

Read More...

5: # of slideshows & videos I posted online in Sept.

4: # Japanese adults who were baptized on 9/29 at Kurume Bible Fellowship. Before getting baptized, each person shared a testimony. Please pray these 4 Christians will continue to grow in Christ.

3: # of coaching sessions I have next Tuesday with CAJ staff.

2: # of airplanes Kim will take to fly to see Caitlin in Ancaster, Ontario (Oct. 9-15). Please pray for travel safety and a really good visit.

1: # of essays Kim's English 10 students wrote this week. Please pray that Kim's students will continue to connect what they study and what the Bible teaches.

Thanks for being involved in God's work in Japan.

Kim, whose 51 English 10 students come from 12 countries, reflects on her introductory unit and what students are learning.
 
The high school chemistry/geometry teacher from Sri Lanka lights up. She sees me as I walk into the teachers’ workroom in my sari and says, “You look just like a real teacher in my country should!” Then she readjusts a few folds I haven’t done quite right. (I’m wearing a sari in recognition of Rabindranath Tagore, the first Indian Nobel Prize winner, whose short story we’re discussing today in English 10.) Read More...

Classes start at CAJ in 15 minutes!

• Last week, Kim attended teacher meetings, put up bulletin boards, and planned lessons. I led biblical perspective workshops at CAJ and team building activities in Manila at our mission's EurAsia Team meeting.
• Today, Kim will be teaching English 10, and I'll be helping new staff get off to a good start.

Our vision is to equip students to impact the world for Christ and to empower Christian leaders to pursue God’s calling.

Now, imagine. Imagine that…

You’re a Japanese mother. You and your husband became Christians 2 years ago; none of your relatives are Christians. Your daughter Tomoko is 4. You want her to love Jesus. You go to church and Sunday school. You want more Christian influence for Tomoko and for her to think Christianly. You want to send her to a Christian school. We serve at CAJ, which provides a Christian education for over 150 Japanese students. Read More...

Help your students develop a Christ-centered worldview during class by teaching Biblical perspective lessons and giving Biblical perspective assessments.

As teachers, we ask questions. This strategy doesn't always work, as this video shows.

Want to help your students better understand and apply a Biblical perspective? Ask questions!

By targeting Biblical perspective, teachers can help student apply a Biblical perspective to what they study.

CAJ needs teachers, including elementary teachers and secondary teachers (Bible, ESL, science, home economics).

What are 10 reasons to serve at CAJ?

Kim's students are really enjoying their grammar unit.

Yes, you read that statement correctly—Kim's 10th graders really like doing grammar. Might be hard to believe. I mean, we're coming off of Christmas break and grammar wasn't something I particularly liked.

How about you?

I’m in the Japan Alps, supervising CAJ 10th graders during leadership training. I’m sitting in a circle with my group of eleven 10th graders, talking about the experiences of the day. Read More...