Joel & Kelly Kaylor

    The most exciting, life changing, memorable and wonderful event happened in the month of June.  Elisa and Joshua were water baptized!  We write this at the beginning of the newsletter to show how proud we are of Elisa and Joshua! Joshua started a count down two weeks before the baptism.  He was so excited!  Elisa had many questions during the weeks leading up to the baptismal.  The presence of the Lord was so strong.  It was a great time of celebration for us as a family.  Twelve others were baptized and each had their own incredible story.  A grandfather, daughter and granddaughter were baptized together as the daughter’s unsaved husband and son watched from right beside the baptismal tank.  What made the baptism even more special was Joel being able to baptize Elisa and Joshua himself and do it on Father’s Day.  It was the best Father’s Day present he could ever receive!  

UNDOKAI

Sports Day!  Calling all 1,450 students and their parents!!  A variety of races, choreographed dances and eating lunch together was all part of the fun.  The Sports Day started at 8:30 and finished at 2:30pm.  Everything was organized down to the minute. The school is split into two teams; the red team and the white team.  Last year the white team won but this year the red team won which was the team Joshua and Elisa were on.  While each grade waited for their turn to compete or perform, 6^th grade cheerleaders ran around the field and keep spirits high.  They also had 2 boys beating two huge bass drums as the students chanted along!  It was very intense! Elisa’s 4^th grade dance was definitely the best (although I am biased).  They performed a dance to the music of “We will rock you!”  Not really a fan of the music but the dance was great!  I would hate to try and work with 280 students at one time.  Joshua competed in the 50 m dash and came in first in his heat.  They have the older students with numbered jerseys on, wait at the finish line to take the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place students to have their names recorded.  They must do it quickly because before Joshua’s group even crosses the finish line the next group of students has already started towards the finish line.  That’s the only way you can give all 1,450 students a chance to compete!  Elisa’s Dance- She is the blonde one:)

Joshua is on the far left just about to cross the finish line–First Place!

Each family brought their own lunch and spread out blankets on the field to enjoy lunch together.  Joel particularly enjoyed this time as he was able to sample other people’s food.  We went home tired and with sunburns but with great memories!  

CULTURE NOTES

I found butter!  For those of you who read our last newsletter, I looked high and low for butter all last month but with no success. It is finally available in stores again. Yeah!  Corn on the cob for dinner!  However, each cob of corn can cost from $1-2 so we only have it on special occasions. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me (Kelly) to find a Japanese tutor.  I researched online and talked to various people but most private tutors were very expensive or I would have to travel a long way by train.  Finally Joel found free Japanese lessons provided by the city we live in.  There were a variety of lessons for different levels and most of them were only a few train stations away.  I now go every Friday for 2 1/2 hours of Japanese study.  I also drag along my sister in law, Shelley, for moral support.  The students are from China, Thailand, England and

America.  It is very interesting to meet them and hear their stories of why they are living in

Japan.  So far the classes have been great and I have learned a lot.  Now I just need to put it to practice.  I am so grateful to the members of

Hope Church for taking the time to listen to my broken Japanese.  Church is a great place to practice!  MINISTRY / OSAKA On the ministry front of things I (Joel) am quite busy staying focused on four main areas that I feel God has asked us to do this year: 1. Preparing for the Osaka church plant, 2. Teaching Hope Church Interns, 3. Serving and learning in Hope Church, 4. A daily podcast for the business community (I will share more in detail in future newsletters when the podcast actually starts, but a great door of opportunity to the business community has been presented to me).   In the midst to all of the daily tasks that result from the current responsibilities we are seeking God and preparing for our Osaka church plant. As we continue to EARNESTLY SEEK GOD about Osaka, there are several practical things that we are doing in preparation. One way is to periodically visit Osaka. There is NOTHING like praying for Osaka in

Osaka. I have made several trips and God has spoken to me very specifically each time. My next trip is at the end of July for four days. I will be researching some strategic areas for us to live and possibly start the church. I will also be meeting with a couple that will be joining us for the church plant. Each trip builds on the previous trip and we are very excited what God will say and provide. My life experience is this: Specific and necessary provision (finances, personnel, circumstances, more open doors, confirming words, etc) always follows the steps of faith that we take towards direction that God wants us to go. What does God have for you and what kind of steps are you taking towards it? 

FROM WHERE WE STAND ELISA-Hi! I had a great month! I got baptized and our friends came over from Kawasaki which is about an hour by train. Their names are Yujonn and Jun and their mom and dad. They had dinner at our house and after we ate we played Wii. The games that we played were “Mario Cart” and “Mario Sonic Olympics” (by the way, all the games were given to us). It was fun.  When I got baptized I didn’t feel anything but it was cool. When Joshua caught the beetle and the lizard he would put it in front of my face and I would freak out. It was scary.   JOSHUA-Hi! Did you know that I have a kuagata (Japanese beetle)?  I found the beetle right in front of my house.  I also caught a lizard but my mom made me let it go.  I also had a crawdad but the crawdad died.  I found the crawdad on my way home from school in a ditch beside the road.  I got baptized last Sunday and the baptism was so fun and when I went under the water I had to close my eyes.  When I closed my eyes I could see Jesus!!  It was so cool!   

THANK YOU FOR PARTNERING WITH US! We are completely relying upon financial support from individuals and churches to partner with our vision of raising and releasing leaders that will build and strengthen churches in Japan. Living in

Japan is NOT cheap, but we have experienced God provide in amazing ways. If you have been supporting us we are so grateful as we wouldn’t be able to do what we are doing without you. If you have not supported us financially, would you prayerfully consider partnering with us? Imagine being a part of reaching

Japan?  To Contribute Financially (all financial contribution is tax deductible through

City

Bible

Church)

1.Secure Online Giving at www.CityBibleChurch.org – click on “Online Giving”2. By check payable to:

City

Bible

Church 9200

NE Fremont

Portland, OR

97220 Note in the memo line: Joel & Kelly Kaylor-Japan 

We have finally had some warm, sunny weather here in Japan.  So, I am using the weather as an excuse for this late newsletter.  It has been unseasonally cold and rainy these past couple weeks. I know that the hot muggy rainy season followed by the very hot muggy summer is just around the corner so we are not complaining!

 ALWAYS LEARNING

  

School in Japan is full of opportunities to learn.  Learning to take your shoes off and find your shoebox when you enter school, eating lunch with chopsticks, learning to bow and be polite, learning how to do Japanese calligraphy and play the pianika (part piano, part harmonica).  The first couple of weeks were very hard for Joshua, as his Japanese was very limited, but we have seen such a huge improvement in both Elisa and Joshua’s ability to communicate in Japanese.  Now the challenge is to keep working on their English skills as well! Elisa and Joshua have both been enjoying the school lunches.  Everyday they come home and will usually tell us what they had to eat and could Mom please make it for them sometimeJ  They also enjoy serving the lunch.  Each class eats in their own classroom at their desks.  They bring a cloth handkerchief to spread out on their desk as well as chopsticks and a cloth napkin. The students take turns serving the main dish (usually some kind of fish), rice, fruit and milk.  Elisa loves dressing up in the apron and hat when it is her turn to serve. I would love to one day see how the school kitchen staff make and distribute hot lunches 1550 people everyday! 

LADIES BIBLE STUDY

The kid’s school has an international student PTA for those mothers who are returning from overseas or for international mothers like myself.  Joel and I attended the first meeting in April.  The leader of the group, who happens to be from the same area of Japan as Joel, expressed a great interest in doing a Bible study.  She professes no faith in any religion and states that all religions are good which is a common belief in

Japan.  However, she had attended a Bible study in Australia and wanted to do the same here in

Japan.  God opened a door!  We had our first Bible study last week with 6 ladies attending, none of them Christians.  We shared about prayer and how Jesus hears and answers prayer.  The ladies had some great questions at the end.  “I don’t have a religion, but will God still hear my prayer?”  “Do you pray in your heart or verbalize your prayer?” “What kind of (physical) posture do I need to have to pray?” We are hoping to develop relationships with these ladies between now and the next meeting.  I (Kelly) will also be teaching English classes to the entire PTA starting in July.  This is another great opportunity to build relationships and show God’s love.  I am looking forward to the challenge!

OSAKA PLANS             We are moving forward with our plans for

Osaka. Joel visited Osaka again this month to learn more about the city, walk and pray in the streets of Osaka and connect with key pastors in

Osaka. It was a very profitable trip. We are now specifically praying and strategizing about several key elements of our church plant including the specific location to start the church, core team and various ministry and outreach methods. We will be sharing more information about the church plant in the near future, but if you are interested or have any questions please contact us. FROM WHERE WE STAND 

This is Elisa here. Well about a few days ago, actually yesterday, Mom, Joshua, and my friend and I went to the Hope Kids picnic. Basically the whole church was there. The picnic was at a really nice park called Anderusen kouen(Andersen park). It was so fun. I had lots and lots of fun with my friends and family. They had a whole bunch of YOGA balls and put a net over them and it became a trampoline. The balls were in all sorts of sizes. They also had a wadding pool but it was kind of deep. I didn’t bring an extra pair of clothes so I got all wet. They also had a BIG BIG roller slide. They also have a forest filled with a lot of obstacle courses. That was really fun. I had so much fun at that park. The only bad thing about going to the park is that it takes 1hour by car. Today I’m really tired because of yesterday. My muscles are also really sore. This month we also went to a baseball game. The teams were The Tokyo Giants and the Hanshin (Osaka)Tigers. We were voting for the Hanshin tigers, but the

Osaka tigers lost. I had a great month! 

Joshua-Hi! I went to Tokyo Dome.  The Tokyo Giants and the Hanshin Tigers were playing.  My Dad, Elisa and I were voting for the Tigers because they are from Osaka and that is where we are going to move.  I looked around me and everybody was drinking beer!  It was very strange.  We got hit bats that we could hit together and yell “Gombatte!!” when they get a hit and a home run.  I went to yakiniku and I ate beef and cow tongue.  I really liked the cow tongue!  After that we ate ice cream.  Then we went home.  

CULTURE NOTES             

No butter in Japan!  Seriously!  A couple of weeks ago I went to 4 different stores and couldn’t find any butter.  I finally went to a store that still had no butter but had a sign instead.  I took a picture of the sign and emailed it to Joel so he could read it.  Apparently, there is a certain imported product that is currently unavailable so the diary companies are unable to make butter.  It sounds crazy when we can still get milk, yogurt and the like but cannot find butter.  Yesterday, I went to the convienince store and they had one package of butter which I promptly bought.  Since we don’t really use margarine, finding the butter was such a relief for me!  Oh, the little things that make us happy.

SUPPORTING THE KAYLORSWe are completely relying upon financial support from individuals and churches that are partnering with our vision of raising and releasing leaders that will build and strengthen churches in

Japan. Living in

Japan is NOT cheap, but we have experienced God provide in amazing ways. If you have been supporting us we are so grateful as we wouldn’t be able to do what we are doing without you. If you have not supported us financially, would you prayerfully consider partnering with us? Imagine being a part of reaching

Japan?  

To Contribute Financially(all financial contribution is tax deductible through

City

Bible

Church)

1.Secure Online Giving at A)www.CityBibleChurch.org – click on “Online Giving”B)

2.By check payable to:

City

Bible

Church9200

NE Fremont

Portland, OR

97220Note in the memo line: Joel & Kelly Kaylor-Japan 

I have been thinking and praying about our church plant in Osaka regarding all of the “When, Who, Where, How”s. This is where faith comes in. You know God has spoken to you and you know you have the passion and desire to do it, but you also have the uncertainties of the How’s, When’s and Who’s. This was the back drop of my conversations with God this week: A mixture of complete confidence in God, excitement regarding the great journey ahead and the uncertainty of how everything will work out.

That being said God spoke to me this week through the following scriptures! God is always so faithful to reassure us and lead us according to His plan.

Revelation 10:7 “God’s mysterious plan will be fulfilled. It will happen just as He announced it to His servants the prophets”

• God is already at work building His church! He is building the team, preparing the way, providing for everything that we need.

Revelation 17:14-18

• The Lamb will defeat them because He is Lord over all lords and King over all kings and His people are the called and chosen ones. –He will fight for us and we are the chosen ones. I didn’t plan this ordeal and asked God to join us. The Osaka church is His plan and He chose us to join Him!
• God has a “plan that will carry out His purposes”
• The Word of God will be fulfilled

Psalms 146:6

• He is the one who made heaven & earth, the sea, & everything in them. He is the one who keeps every promise forever.

What has God promised you? Let’s face it, we all have uncertainties about the future and a lot of us, if we allow ourselves, are worried sick about the future. This is especially the case when you know your past failures and see the present circumstance and compare that to what God has promised and planned for you. Let’s get over our selves. Doubt is sin. Worry is sin. Especially when it relates to what God has said. Repent and ask for forgive and dive into what God has for you!!! That is the foundation for living a victorious life that fulfills what God has for you!!!

Joshua found a small beetle out on the road a few weeks ago. He was so excited about it, but the one he found was very weak and eventually died after a few days. Ever since then he has been beetle crazy. There are several kinds of Japanese beetles and they all come out in the summer. They are usually only found in the woods, but they also sell them at pet stores. We took Joshua shopping, but all of the stores we went to were quite expensive ($10 each) for Joshua’s limited budget. However, we found one for just a few dollars! You would not believe Joshua’s excitement and how proud he was of this beetle. Joshua chose the Kabuto Beetle. “Kabuto” means “helmet” in Japanese and it looks like the samura helmets (or maybe the samurai’s designed their helmets after this beetle???)

The picture here is the beetle on Joshua’s hand. He is wearing gloves because the beetle’s feet are quite sharp, but it will only be a matter of time before he will handle the beetle bare handed. It has been fun for me to relive my childhood memories of all of the beetles that I had as a child. What a great father-son bonding experience:) 

YES! Elisa and Joshua were baptized last Sunday. A professional photographer took some photos and he just gave them to us. We didn’t get decent photos with our cameras so we were waiting for the ones he took.  Elisa and Joshua both made their own decision to obey Jesus and be baptized!! It was a very special time with God’s powerful presense! We were all in tears as you can imagine:)

CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE PHOTOS

Ok, I am very late in posting this blog, but better late than never. The last two weeks have been very hectic for me with several theology lessons to prepare for, preparation for a week’s worth of interpreting at the Wagner Leadership Institute Japan and actually interpretting all week (7 hours a day plus a 2 hour round trip train commute during rush hour). It is now Saturday and all of that is behind me and I feel like I have a bit of a breather. This is a post about Father’s Day and what happened last Sunday: 

BANGS

An interesting title for Father’s Day right? My Father’s Day began with a bang; literally. The kids thought it would be a great idea to wake me up with party crackers (firecracker’s used at parties that shoots out confetti with a loud noise). They snuck into my bedroom and simultaneously set them off while shouting, “Happy Father’s Day”. Actually, Joshua said “Happy Birthday” at first! This all took place at the unreasonable hour of 6am. I thought one of the privileges to be enjoyed during Father’s Day was sleep and plenty of it??!! The fun didn’t end at 6am. It was only just beginning. Father’s Day breakfast was finished and the kids were outside playing.

BEETLES 

All of a sudden, Joshua rushes into the house yelling, “I’ve found one! I’ve found one!” Yet another Father’s Day benefit to enjoy; your son catching his first Japanese beetle. They are usually quite difficult to find as they bury themselves in the ground. This lucky fella was out in the middle of the street. We immediately found him a home in a plastic container where he now resides. He is joined currently by a five strip lizard and until a few days ago; a crawdad (recently deceased). Wherever there is a bug or reptile to be found, Joshua will find it.

BAPTISMS 

Next stop-Hope Church. Of course, all the fathers present were honored with a gift and recognition for being such great fathers. Pastor Shelley had several of the kids come up to the front and share what they like best about their dad. Joshua was chosen to go up front. He hummed and hawed a little bit before saying, “My dad is really funny and is great at tickle!” Now I have much to live up to! After the service I had the great honor to baptize both of my children. This was the best Father’s Day present I could ever receive. The presence of God was so strong when we were in the water. Both of the kids were really moved as they reaffirmed their faith in Jesus. Elisa was crying and Joshua said that when he was underneath the water, he saw Jesus!

Father’s Day-A day of bangs, beetles and baptisms. I will always remember this day!