March 15, 1974 Minburn* Iowa

Box 173

Adel.IA 50003
Dear Christian Friends^

Japanese music is in the air When we left Japan last June the Toma komai church gave us a set of cassette tapes with Japanese church tnusico Yesterday, I listened to a tape from the preacher. Brother
Kimura. It was recorded the last day of 1973. I returned home only

a couple of days ago after a twomonth absence so this was the first opportunity to hear the tapeo Also there were letters from Japanese
Christians and friendso
yours

Japan is on our minds

We hope it is on

As we think of Japan and our return we think of our needs

We are

returning in August to begin .Sappaxo^^ Since the work is new we are going to need your prayers and material help Most of the needed equipment we have on handso (We will not attempt to buy

the 8mm Japanese-sound Life of Christ films and projector ($2000)

unless someone or church so designateso)

We hope to build before the

year is out,

and limited other

We will build

funds from the sale of the Tomakomai mission houseo

housing and hopefully an adequate church building. Until completion Tnost of your undesignated gifts will go toward this project. Sapporo is a modern city with good substancial huildingSo We want to build
a building compatible to the areao

In light of present day inflation and revaluation of the yen churches are reviewing their missionary commitment. Perhaps you are one who has increased your support or are intending to do so. This is mature
missionary giving.

We will not try to list places Ernest has visited the past two months He -left Iowa January 11th for Texas, and then traveled to Florida. The
incentive to visit Florida was the request from the Virginia Gardens

church of Miami Springs

planned after their building.

The church building in Tomakomaj:~wa"9

From Florida Ernest went to Georgia,

Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio

During spring break of the Cincinnati Bible Seminary Ernest and our son, Charles, who is a freshman at CBS, came to Iowa on Monday, March 11th and they will return to Ohio together Friday where Ernest will

continue his tour by visiting Delaware and Kentucky, and then continue

west to Illinois and Wisconsin Ernest plans to be home for a portion of the week prior to F^enurrection Sunday.

While Ernest is gone the family continues to be busy.

Linda is in

Denver for a six-month training course and Charles is busy with his studies and work in Cincinnati. Allan is a senior and Donald an eighth

by going to Iowa State University, Ames, and the community college at

Boone two days a week.

grader in the Minburn, Iowa, school Neva continues her college work
An article by Neva on "Winter Vacation Bible School in Japan" was re

cently printed in Standard Publishing Company*s Key magazine.

you might like to read it.

Perhaps

We were happy to learn that Charles was on the Deanb list at CBS. We pray he continues the good work. He preached his first sermon during
Christmas vacation. He did a very fine job. preaching during the summer as time permits. He will do some supply

The family will be together for the summer.

enjoyable and memorable summer

On leaving for Japan we will be leavinr

This will certainly be an

behind the three older children.

Did you know that when we return to Japan in August it will be our 20th anniversary of Mission work? We first left for Japan in August, 1954.
We again thank our supporters for the faithful and consistent support
over the past nnd especially during our furlough year
Yours in His service,

^ 0.

HAL

f i s t i

tAl

^ i ^

V|

Ernest D. Faber was born at Minburn, Iowa, in 1926. After graduating from high school in 1944, he served one and a half years in the Army being discharged in 1946. It was during his Army days as an occupational soldier in Japan that he became interested in the Japanese people. In 1948 he ^ent to The Cincinnati Bible Seminary and graduated in
1952.

wliich she taught two years ina nir^ school.

Seminary graduating in 1951.
The Fabers were married in June of 1952.

Neva E. Faber (nee Fate) was born at Clay Center, Nebraska, in 1928, and graduated from high school in 1945. She attended summer school at Hastings College after

In 1947 she went to The Cincinnati Bible

i
Dotted line marks new lot in Sapporo.

They served the Fourth Church of Christ, Cincinnati, Ohio, while Ernest completed a year of graduate study. They went to Japan in ' August of 1954. After one and one half years of language study in Tokyo they went to Obihiro to begin the work there. The work in Tomakomai was begun in 1968. The Fabers were home on furlough in 1960-1961 and 19671968.

Sapporo
During the summer of 1972 land around the
Tomakomai mission house was sold and the

The Fabers have four children: Linda, in nurse's training at Scottsbluff, Nebraska, Charles, in first year of Bible college, Allan, a high school senior, and Donald in junior high.

plot was purchased in Sapporo for a new

work. The Fabers ej^ect to locate there the

fall of 1974 following their return from

/ furlough.

and one of _.Ja^an!s^ ten Ingest cities.

Sapporo, a city of 1,200,000 people, is, as you probably know, the capital city of Hokkaido
FORWARDING
ADDRESS

Hokkaido, until recently, was basically agricultural. But with the modernization of Japan Sapporo has become a commercial and industrial center. All major businesses of Japan have an office there. The new plot lies along a main, paved road through a new residential area. It is four
from the sale of

Sapporo

Obihiro

John Noe Box 173

miles north of the heart of the city. Money the mission house in

AToraakomai ^

Adel,
50003

la.

(515) 993-4195
FURLOUGH ADDRESS

Tomakomai is on hand for a parsonage which

the Fabers will use until a native worker

assumes the leadership. Funds are needed for w a church building which will also include the
mission office.

Ernest & Neva Faber

R. R.

There are some Christians of the Obihiro

work in the city and one of these, Miss Fujii, a Bible college graduate definitely will help
in the teacning program.

Minburn, la.
50167

(515) 677-2468

Tomakomai
The work in Tomakomai was begun in 1968 after the Fabers' second furlough. For three years they held services in a small, rented house. The church building was dedicated in

October of 1971. It was built on land pur

chased in 1966.

Mr. Kimura, a member of the Obihiro church and a graduate of Osaka Bible Seminary, came to work with the Fabers in June of 1970. He was married the following
year.

Mr. and Mrs. Kimura are capable leaders and have been successful in working with
youth and children. There have been four baptisms (2 adults). Three others have made their confessions of faith and await parental

Mph'-m

permission for baptism. Although the young congregation is yet in the infant stage a solid foundation is being laid. In April ox 1973 Mr. Kimura began classes in English, Mathematics and Music. This gives him an opportunity to make new con tacts while performing a community service since there is no other tutoring school in the
new residential area. The nominal fees

Tomakomai's Church building.

and to help with overhead expenses of the

church.

charged for this service are used to sup plement Mr. Kimura's small, mission salary

One room and a bath were added to the church in 1972. The mission house was sold in

furlough. Funds from this sale will be used to enlarge the parsonage in Tomakomai and to build one in Sapporo where the Fabers will locate when they return to the field in August
of 1974.

June of 1973 just before the Fabers left for

Obihiro

? Hokkaido following a survey trip in 1956.

The Fabers opened a work in eastern

Obihiro, the center of a large agricultural area, was chosen. Here in the southern part of

the city in an area called Tetsunan (meaning south of the tracks) the ^bers built a.new home and moyed_in June of 1956. The first evangelistic meeting was held by lijima

of Tokyo, whose hometown is Obihiro. This

meeting was held in the Fabers' living room.

The church continued to meet there until the

church building was .bmlt in 1958. Although there have been over 65 baptisms the past fifteen years it has been difficult to develop leadership since a large percentage of the Christians moved to larger cities. From the church one young man graduated from Osaka Bible Seminary. He is now the preacher in Tomakomai. In September, 1966, the Tetsunan Church v called Mr. Koji Sugiura to be their minister. Mr. Sugiura, a graduate of the Tokyo Bible Seminary, is married and has three children.
His mother also lives with them.

English and Mathematics at the church ')

building. The church supplements his salary. They have reimbursed the mission for the

Mr. Sugiura supports himself by teaching^

purchase price of the land. All regular mission support has been terminated.

Church building in Obihiro.

gt?

91^4

August 22, 197^

Minbum, Iowa
Dear Christian Friends,

Air Lines to Korea for connections to Tokyo and our flight to Chitose, Hokkaido,
We will arrive Chitose the afternoon of the 28th,

flight is a mission group flight at a considerable savings. We will go by Korean

We return to Japan with mixed emotions. We are happy and willing to return to our first lovethe Japanese people. In doing so you are aware that we leave to God's care three of our children. Linda, in her last year of nursing at

The news uppermost on our minds is our return to Japan on August 26th, This

Scottsbluff, Charles as a sophomore and Allan as a freshman at Cincinnati Bible

College,

Ernest's and Neva's speaking committments we have presented the work to 90 chiu:mission emphasis, 7 Bible colleges, and 3 conventions. Word from the church that we continue to support in Tomakomai is very en-

Arecap of our furlough activities might be of Interest to you. Combining

ches, 7 women's meetings, 9 VBS, 6 camps, 9 faith promise and/or church sponsered
couraging and indicates Mr..and Mrs, Kimura are witnessing faithfully in ttot city. church. They had a very successful evangelistic meeting in July with a record

We have had several cassette tapes from the Kimuras, the Sunday School, and the

attendance of 15-20 individuals attending each evening in spite of the transpor tation strike which prevented the evangelist from coming. They began a new camp

program for the area which entails considerable physical labor as well as the res ponsibility for the spiritual leadership. Mr. and Mrs. Kim\^ have been able to
lead several of the Sunday School children into adult worship as they made the

discouragement but labor faithfully and energetically establishing a firm foun

Mr Suzuki of the southside Moiwashita church in Sapporo.

transfer from Junior high. Two of the high school students have been assist^g in regular meetings at a neighborhood high school. The Kimuras have times of
dation bearing much of the financial burden personally. We have debt free land for the new work. Ernest has been in contact with

ting a contractor relative to the mission house and church building. Indications are it will take $60,000 to build both. Of this amount $28,000 from the sale of
the Tomakomai mission house is on hands. We will need $32,000 more before we

He in turn is consul

can build both. We hope to build this fall but can do so only with considerable increase in our present support, A delay of only a few months increases the building costs due to continually rising prices. In order to determine, at least
to a degree, the backing that we can expect as we make this venture we encourage
indicating the amount of increase.

each of you to fill in the form at the end of this letter and return to us. Sup porting churches desiring to increase their support may also use the same form

At the 10,000 feet high Colorado Christian Service Camp on Tarryall Creek Donald was baptized into Christ, We rejoice in this decision of his which unites
our entire family in the Lord,

As we begin o\ir 21st year of mission work we are mindful of our dependence upon you. We have wonderful supporters and thank each and every one of you. Receipts received after May 15th will be sent after we return to Japan, Our
receipts are pre-numbered and the next receipt book is in Japan. Moiwashita Church of Christ, 250 South 35th, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan,
Yours in His service,
The Fabers

Until further notice our Japan address for correspondence will be in care of

MAIL THIS FORM TO

Hokkaido Christian Mission

Pledge for Evangelism in Sapporo

In dependence upon God we (l) pledge to the work in

Sapporo, Japan,

Box 173,

^^10? $20(

$ por_month5_quarter

for

^months/

^years/
Name

indifinitely

Adel, Iowa, 50003

Street

City
Zip

State_

3W

^ livi *t*
Box 173

Novein1)er
report from
THE FABERS

197^

Adel, lA 50003

726, North ^9 East 13 Higashi ku, Sapporo 065 Japan

Three months have passed since we returned tc

Japan to begin our 21st year cf misslonarj- work and

our four+.h year of service.

nature.

The past three Dcnths have been preparatory in

After arrival in Hokkaido we looked for

I'l
^

with the plans for the mission house and church buildjng and employ a contractor The architect is

;
^

through them, was one who built the church's addition'two or 'three years ago,

the -husband of a meml-er of the southside Moiwashita Church of Christ and the contractor, also secured

^ ^

- ' ,,

i , / '-1' == Q

Shortly after the^foundation was poured on Octoold friend from the Sauktcwn Chi:rch of Christ, Mill

Creek, Indiana, had been visiting Korea and Tokyo and suddenly decided to visit us here. A call through our neighbors at 2t30 P.M. informed us he
was somewhat concerr.ed since we are one and one-

half hours from the airport.

Upon aiTival at the

airport Mr. Hostetler was just arriving.

The 3:00
_ -

P.M. time was Tokyo's departure time, The picture at the right shows Mr. Hostetler at the building

gether to put up buildings to conform with our

needs.

Even then cur wishes are not always

6:
' -

followed.

The progress of the building can be seen in the picture taken a few days ago Since then the cross has been installed, the outside walls stuccoed, and

the ins-ide carpentry work almost completed.

We will be able to be in the building early in

December.

Some of the problems that have occurred in building are as follows: door to Donald's room won't fully open into the hallway? mail slot at the front entrance can't be located as origi nally planned; bathroom door set over three inches too far thus not leaving room for the wash
basin to f i t .

A recent report shows that Sapporc If growing. The population increase over the last month

was 16^9 people with an increase

immediate area (cne^ kilomet r^ or^

of A4-9 households.
.

A check of our

Charles would like tc work with

youth in a youth ministry.

Linda

inforrcs us that we will have a

son-in-law in July of next year. She is engaged to Gary Worcester of Hill City, Kansas. Linda is going to be a farmer's wife. Dorald, with us here in Sapporo, is busy with his
schoolwork and scouts.

Just before leaving the United States we had a family picture taken, This has been our custom during past furloughs. Every supporter should have one by now, We will send,
a fJioto to anyone who desires one.

We really dislike to mention money but it seems we have to from time to time.

The

total cost of the two buildings will be $5^,000, By the end of December we hope to pay $38,000 leaving a balance of $16,000. The $38,000 is money received from the sale of Tomakomai's mission house, money received from contributions, and funds we have borrowed
against our personal life insurance.

The contractor has given us a year to pay the balance with payments due in March, June,
September, and December. This cer+-ainly is providential in as much as we wouldn't have

been able to go ahead with building without this aid. At the present tiir.e bank loans are veiy difficult to secure. The interest will be 10^ of the balance after Janua.iy first. This is a very low interest rate for Japan. Needless to say the sooner we receive your
gifts the more we will be able to save.

We expect to begin services in the new building on or befo^ Christmas.

tising, printing, etc. will have to be met.

The date will

depend on when the building is completed, But there will be other expenses before we get the work under way. Cost of such things as chairs, tables, pulpit, heating stoves, adver
We will begin with Sunday School and morning worship. Other services will be added as

the need

arise .

Some English classes will begin in January wit?i the bulk of them begin

ning with the new school year which is April in Japan,

There are Christians here in Sapporo from the chmxh in Obihiro where we forii;erly lived
Some of them will join us in the new work. Your prayers are needed for this new work.

We have heard, from some who have indicated they desire to support us regularly,

This

new support and increase of support is necessary during this time of worldwide inflation and to meet our financial obligations for the coming year.

We thank you for your faithful financial and prayer support.