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Dear partners in the Gospel,Our Life in Osaka
Together with Natan’el and Setsuli, I left Australia in November last year to allow the children to start going to a local Japanese primary school as soon as possible. Nathan came with us for only a week to help find a place for us to live. We could stay at my mother’s unit for no longer than two weeks.
We hoped to live near Osaka Presbyterian Church. God provided a place for us near the church (10 minutes walk) and the school (3 minutes walk) without spending a lot of money up front. (Renting in Japan usually requires substantial up-front payments.)
While Nathan was in Japan for the week, I organised a mobile telephone, opened a bank account and registered my family with the local ward office where we were planning to live. It was a big hassle even for me who am Japanese because I was away from Japan for the last twenty years. Many years ago, I had removed my name from my local ward office and closed my bank accounts. I was not earning money in Japan so it was difficult to prove that I could pay for things. The procedure that all residents must go through took a lot of time. After Nathan left Japan the children and I moved in to our unit (for which we cannot thank God enough) with my uncle's help. Many small household goods were given to us for free from my mother’s work.
Osaka Presbyterian Church, to whom we have been sent, welcomed us very warmly. We enjoy their warm fellowship. It is a small flock of over ten of God’s people. Half of them are old and there is only one child. Only one mother and her child live near church. We live near them, too. Now I attend the weekly prayer meeting with her and the minister on Wednesday morning. Sometimes I encourage them to have lunch together afterwards. |
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Why ‘Go Osaka’?
This newsletter has been named ‘Go Osaka!’ Why is that?
In Japanese, the short-form word for Australia sounds like our English word ‘go’. Japanese are as fond of a good pun as many Aussies so we decided to create a bilingual pun!
There is, however, a deeper meaning. Our ministry in Japan depends on building partnership between our Aussie supporters and the Osaka Christian Church. It is, therefore, an ‘Australia–Osaka’ partnership (which is the meaning of the Japanese writing in our masthead.) |
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School life
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Natan’el and Setsuli started going to the nearest local Japanese school in November. They began experiencing a different life in Japan. They made many friends at the school and tried hard to adjust to busy Japanese student life with walking to school by foot, carrying all their textbooks and notebooks, helping to serve cooked lunch on site, cleaning their classrooms, doing homework everyday. Natan’el has a harder time with the language than Setsuli does but he puts his hand up to answer in his classes. Setsuli had a harder time with Music class than Natan’el because the way of reading is different from Australia. She has now overcome that problem. The school asked me to help our children with their Japanese in their classes. I assist with four classes on each of four mornings per week. As I do that I have met many teachers and students and have become a familiar presence. Natan’el and Setsuli received free language support classes for two classes a week from Osaka City Council. Natan’el has finished with the classes and received a certificate. Setsuli might start receiving the classes again in the next term.
It was a very very cold winter and Natan’el said that he would never whinge about Brisbane’s winter ever again. |
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Church Life
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 We help with the church’s children’s outreach ministry. December had a Christmas theme, from January 'till March were Australian-themed, May was making sweets and July was a craft theme. My nephews and niece and several of our children’s classmates came along. About ten children came along each month and heard God’s word. Included among these are two non-Christian girls who attend regularly and also attend Sunday School most weeks. It was very good that I got to know some students at the school. In March, we had a special helper, one of our supporters, from Queensland. She stayed with us for two weeks while she was visiting the Osaka area.
The church held two Sunday services with the aim of inviting non Christians to join. In November one minister was speaking about a Japanese Christian lady who was the main character of a popular historical television drama. More than ten people from the community (including my mother and two aunts) came along. In February, my cousin and her daughter came along.
 The school year finished in March. Nathan was officially sent to Japan and we were united to work for Osaka Presbyterian Church at last. On the following morning, Nathan and I attended the Western Presbytery meeting to which our church belongs. It was a long way by car — four hours each way. We greeted the ministers and elders announcing that we were finally sent to work in Japan full-time and were warmly received.
The new school year started in April. Nathan was enrolled in a language college and started studying Japanese from April. Nathan did very well in the first term. He is not taking classes next term because we will return to Australia for partnership development from the end of July until the middle of August. He will go back to his school in October. Natan’el and Setsuli went up to Grade 4 and 6. Three of us are studying!
We have an American theological student who is under our church’s supervision for the next year and a half to work together with our church. After we return from Australia, we will start new outreaching ministries with him and the congregation.
Yours in Christ Jesus,
Tomoko Stewart, Osaka. |
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For your prayers
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Thanksgiving- For the Lord’s providential care — we were able to find a place to live in the right school district within one week of arriving in Japan.
- All the students in our house have passed their first term.
- Many children came along to the children’s outreach ministry events.
- Two non-Christian girls regularly attend Sunday School and the Crayon ministry.
Petition - that we will have full support so that Nathan does not have to work as a business consultant to support us
- that we may build deep and effective gospel partnerships
- that we will remain patient and trusting on his provision and timing
- that we will not neglect daily prayer
- that the Lord will forgive our sins and cause us to depend on him
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PDF available for printing
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Go Osaka! is available for download in printer-friendly portable document format from our website. If you would like to print copies for distribution please download and print the PDF.
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