" ' 1984

sa^a QRrisiian ^Mission, ^nc

(of Jlmeriea)
(Not-for-Profit Corporation)
MISSIONARIES ^saSa iSiBlo Siotninary forwarding agents
George &Ethel Beckman Roger &Beryl Johnson
Jenann Beckman 3320 Westgate Parkway
8-40 Kamizono-cho Rockford, Illinois 6110 3
Nishinomiya 622, Japan 1-815-399-3690
0798-71-7170
May 7, 1984
Dear Christian Friends:
May the grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Every winter is followed by spring, though sometimes spring seems a long time in coming. After a winter
with record breaking long cold spell and snowfall spring is welcome.
Usually the new year begins with a three day holiday in Japan when no work except that which is absolutely
essential is done and the missionaries enjoy a brief rest after the busy month before. However, this year at
our house a group of young missionaries gathered for a concentrated seminar on the study of the Japanese
"Kanji, " character writing, under Mr, LeRoo, a Belgian missionary who has developed a newcourse of study,
Ethel and daughter Ruth prepared the meals for them.
On January 11th, Exie Fultz entered the hospital for a third operation for detached retina of the right eye.
We tried to visit as nearly every day as we could while she was in the hospital, an hour's trip from our house,
and then she stayed with up for two weeks after her release nntil she saw the doctor again, NowL-she-ls-irv-the
hospital again for a fourth operation. Please pray for her.
OnMarch 30th, two events of significance took place at Osaka Bible Seminary, In the forenoon Miss Kaori
Niiro, daughter of two alumni of the Seminary received a three year degree in religious education. In the
afternoon the new Harold W, Cole Student Residence Hall was dedicated for the housing of t^e students and Mr,
&Mrs, Saitoh, dorm parents and deans for the men and women respectively. The rooms are bright and cheer
ful and are adequate for two students in each room.
On Monday, April 1st, the preachers of this area, extending from Nagoya to the northeast and Hiroshima
to the southwest held a joint meeting at the Seminary for mutual encouragement under the planning and arrange
ment of Mr, &Mrs, Saitoh, ministers of the Rokko Church, Thirty preachers and wives attended the meeting.
The new school year began on April 17th with four fine young men joining the student body making the
enrollment for this term six men and two women, Ethel is teaching the new students a general overview of the
Old Testament and finds them eager to study and learn, George is teaching Romans &Corinthians to the second
year students.
From last fall we have had breakfast for Junior high school students the first Monday of each month. We
have had five or six students come each time at 6:30 for a short morning devotional led by Miss Hosokawa
breakfast before they leave for school about 7:20, On the first Monday inApril we invited all those '
who had graduated from the sixth grade to join us and begin coming. Some of them come regularly to Bible
School and church on Sunday, but several are engaged in clubs at school which takes them away on Sunday,
One of these young students. Miss Naoko Oda, was baptized on Easter Sunday, She had indicated she
wanted to become a Christian two years ago, but her parents who know nothing of Christianity were opposed.
Finally after two years of persistence Naoko became determined enough to be able to win their consent,
^1 women attended the semi-annual Women's Luncheon in Kobe this April, Four women from the
Rokko church attended with Ethel, but they all had to hurry back to attend the regular women's meeting of the
church in the afternoon, Mr, Nakagawa, the MC for the Japan PTL Club, was the main speaker for this meeting.
We are planning to leave Japan on August first for about three months inthe States, We hope to see as
many of you as possible while we are there. Thank you for your prayers and other support.
Your Co-workers in Christ,
THE BECKMANS
Jenann says.....
We had a unit on Simon Peter in Sanday School last quarter. This led up to his denial of Jesus, visit to
the empty tomb, jump overboard at Lake Tiberias and answer to Jesus' question, "Do you love me? Feed my
sheep. " On the first of April (the start of a new year for the Sunday School as well) my mother and Kensei
Yokomizo switched classes; she now teaches the fifth and sixth graders and he teaches the third and fourth graders
In preparation for the program on Resurrection Sunday, I assigned Peter's denial and Jesus' crucifixion and re
surrection to his class, Peter and John's visit to the empty tomb to my class of first and second graders, and
Jesus' appearance at Lake Tiberias to my mother's class. Then I drew up a list describing ten possible pictures
for each class and had the elementary school students draw and color pictures for three KamishLbai (picture
show). Then I had a junior high school student (a ninth grader. Miss Oda mentioned above) write the scripts
and on the day of the program three other junior high school students (all seventh graders) read the parts of
narrator, Peter and "everyone else. " The only other junior high school student present read a spoken part to
one song in the program, and the kindergarteners sang a special number, so everyone present had had a part.
I was especially pleased that four mothers and a father came for the program. Not all parents are opposed to
their children learning to follow Jesus. Please pray for us as we teach these young people, and pray that their
hearts might be open for the seeds to take root, grow and bear fruit.
Thank you,
JENANN BECKMAN
h
:1
1984 OBS graduate, MUs Kaori Niiro
Him-y
The four new students from left to rigat
I) Kiyosbl Miyagt, 2) Yosbthtro Henzan,
31 Notoaobu Ikeda, 4) Koichi Tokuda
Mr, Norihiko Saitoh, rGpresenting the stalf,
aod Mies Norlko Nakamoto, representing the
etudeots, cutting the ribbon at the entrance of
the new dormitory.
Miss Naoko Oda, recently baptized