November 10, 2003
Greetings from the Land of the Rising Sun!
As mentioned in previous letters, we are involved in a wide variety
of ministries and services. One rather interesting outcome of
our community involvement is that Tim has been asked to serve
on a citizen’s committee appointed by the Urban Development
Corporation, a government/private business hybrid, to advise local
officials on preparations for the opening of the new train line
in two years. The “Tsukuba Express” is to open in
2005 and will connect Tsukuba to downtown Tokyo in 45 minutes.
Even under the best conditions, it’s at least twice that
now, and often three times that by public transportation. So,
we are looking forward to that day.
Last week, the group was given a tour of the new underground
station being constructed (it’s only a short walk from our
house!), along with a bus tour of other related development projects
that are indeed impressive. It was not Tim’s position as
a Christian missionary, of course, that led to this association,
but his serving as head of the Tsukuba International School and
also editor of the local English newspaper put out by and for
the foreign community, The Alien Times. People are, of
course, aware of who we are, and so our involvement in causes
to improve things for everyone in the community opens up a variety
of doors for more direct witness.
We were very encouraged by the discussion that took place in
the group after the tour, as the need for a full-fledged international
school was a major topic of discussion in the meeting following
the initial tour. The suggestion that land and funding to build
a good international school near one of the four stations within
the city limits just might help see it come to fruition. While
much talk and little action has been a common pattern in the past,
we are hopeful that this won’t turn out the same. Please
do remember this request in your prayers, as such a school will
undoubtedly open up new doors for effective ministry for us in
the future.
On a personal note, please do remember Juji in your prayers this
month as she is undergoing her usual set of treatments for Isaacs’
Syndrome. She usually needs to spend about three to four weeks
in the hospital for each set of treatments, usually twice a year.
She should be out by the end of November, in time for the numerous
Christmas events we are involved in. Likewise, continue to pray
for the visa for Vilmar that we mentioned in last month’s
letter, as it still hasn’t come through.
Also, our daughter Jennifer is planning on taking part in a short-term
mission trip to Costa Rica with other students from Biola University,
and she needs both prayer and financial support. If any of you
are interested in supporting her and her team, you can drop her
a note at: chesterstar@yahoo.com.
In Christ,
Tim and Juji Boyle
The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
178 |
