September 2007

Dear Family and Friends,

Our two months back in Thailand have been great. It almost seems surreal that we were away for a whole year. Before things get even more blurred, we wanted to share a few reflections on the incredible year we spent in the States doing interpretation assignment.
 
“What are you going to do for a whole year?” was a really good question that many asked, and to which we could only give a vague response as the year began. We sensed that we were being given a significant period of time to honor our parents and give back to them some of the time they had so graciously forfeited while we have been away. We also wanted to visit with our precious supporting churches and friends, and we needed to study to better equip ourselves to return to the field. But we could not begin to envision the wonderful year that lay ahead. Thanks be to God, that so faithful to His word of promise (Ephesians 6:2), He knew and He led us into blessings beyond our imagination! Here are some of the highlights.

 Thanking God for the precious times with the Hamada family.

Los Alamos, New Mexico, was a wonderful home base for us. We were able to share precious time with Carol’s parents and brother, Mike, and his family, which we will treasure for a lifetime. Lani also had a good sophomore year in high school. Joy, Karin, and Mark were all able to come and join us for our family reunion at Christmas. It was so fun to be together and have a white Christmas again, with enough snow to go skiing. During the year, Mark was able to make a good adjustment to living, working, and starting college on his own, and Joy moved to her first duty station in Korea with the U.S. Army. Three of our four are out of the nest and flying, and we’re going to enjoy Lani as long as we can!

The churches and friendships we were given in Los Alamos were an “added blessing” that greatly refreshed and encouraged us. We were able to travel throughout the States and have quality sharing times with more congregations, presbyteries, and synods than in previous visits. Meeting both new friends and partners in the Lord’s worldwide mission and reconnecting with old ones was encouraging and refreshing. It was great to be able to share a DVD of our work in Thailand that our friend Joe Williams from our PC(USA) Media Services office graciously helped us produce. A number of congregations told us that this was the first time in many years that they had had a PC(USA) missionary visit. We’re so thankful for the opportunity to help make this connection, and to be mutually encouraged!

Dan Stine, a faithful man of God, went “beyond the call of duty” at the Bangkok Institute of Theology last year. His service at BIT allowed us to have this “home assignment” time in the United States. What a blessing he has been to the BIT family. For the next step, God has opened a door for Dan and Liza to teach in the Czech Republic, using their professional training as teachers to minister. We will miss them greatly.

The Rev. Masaya and Mieko Hibino are still actively ministering in their "retirement" years.

This year has been a time of both building new and renewing old relationships. We saw friends we hadn’t seen in 30 years! Leith spent time with his mentor from CCP in Chicago, the Reverend Masaya Hibino, who is now serving as an interim pastor at the Japanese Union Church in Los Angeles during his “retirement” years. We are encouraged by Pastor Mas’ and Mieko’s example—they haven’t “retired” from serving the Lord but joyfully continue to invest in the lives of people. Ratanak and ChhivRong Keo, whom we met and enfolded into our family while they were political refugees in Thailand, have been living in northern California since 2005. It was a joy for Leith to visit them and to hear of God’s faithfulness in their lives in providing a church family who have helped with the Keos transition and adjustment to American life.

Carol enjoyed reaching out to international families in Los Alamos through teaching English and joining in ESL classes taught at the University of New Mexico. She is praying that God would raise up other Christians to continue to live a “visible” presence of Christ to these women.

Would you please pray with us in the midst of a new academic year at BIT?

May the Lord enable us to “hold His people in our hearts.”We are thankful that our faithful God goes before, behind, and with us.

Carol and Leith Fujii

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 119