February 2002

Greeting to our friends and supporters. Many of you are enjoying milder weather that what we go through in winter weather here in Tsukuba, but compared with much of Japan, our winter weather isn't all that bad. Snow is predicted for tonight, but we get only occasional snow, with most winter precipitation coming in the form of rain every few days. Typically, though, it is mostly clear with highs in the 40s and lows in the upper 20s.

Work on our Japanese language Web site continues, and hopefully we'll have our own domain name and site up and running by March. It is a lot of work, but I have some volunteers helping. Please do remember this important project in your prayers. Likewise, the big land deal reported in last month's news brief is still an ongoing concern. We probably won't have resolution to that for another couple of months, but your prayers in our behalf are most appreciated.

Another interesting development has been in the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Japan work that Tim does, where he serves on the Board of Directors. Starbucks Coffee contacted MAWJ a month or so ago about becoming affiliated with MAWJ in association with Major League Baseball and particularly with Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners. It would involve outright donations together with an ongoing fund-raising campaign with a certain percentage of the price people would pay with special pre-paid cards going towards Make-A-Wish. Already, MAWJ has received about $250,000 from this effort, and together with the publicity generated, this will be a huge boost to the work of Make-A-Wish in Japan. We have met with Starbucks representatives already and this week, we meet with the director of International Licensing and Sponsorship for MLB. As the baseball season officially begins with two games between the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland A's in Tokyo in late March, we are working towards getting a presence in that. There are a lot of people and organizations involved, each with their own interests, and so it's far from a done deal yet, but hopefully, one of our wish kids will get to "throw" the ceremonial pitch to begin the season. We'll have to see how things develop, but it's kind of exciting to be involved in such an undertaking. Who knows, maybe Tim will even get an autograph from Ichiro!

In Christ,

Tim and Juji Boyle

The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 178