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8/8/2019 The Nineveh Chronicles Fall 2010
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-nineveh-chronicles-fall-2010 1/4
[1]
Our Family Has Grown
We weren’t able to bring our
parakeet, Pico, with us but we
have found a new friend - a
black Lab mix puppy. We named
her Tori - Japanese for “Bird”.
THE NINEVEH CHRONICLES
Fall 2010
In pursuit of being
and bringing the
Light of Jesus to
the unreached of
the world
IT’S BEEN A WHILE...Since our last newsletter a lot has happened...
Hmmm. Where to begin? Well I guess I
should start by apologizing for not keeping in
touch. I also thank you for your patience and
care for us. If you are receiving this newsletter it
means that you care (or at some point cared!)
about us and what God is doing in our lives.
That means a lot to us, especially in light of the
experiences of the last months.
We know your lives are just as busy as
ours , and reading a multipage newsletter isprobably not something you have time set aside
to do so here are two options: Print it out and
read it at your leisure (perhaps put a copy in the
bathroom?)...or...check out the the following
bullet points:
• John was commissioned into the United
States Navy as a Chaplain in December 09
• We now live in Okinawa, Japan
• Sarah has a job working at the Naval
Hospital as a Physician Assistant in the
Family Practice Clinic
• John is the Deputy Director of CREDO
Okinawa, a retreat ministry.
• John and Sarah also have been give the
opportunity to lead a service on Friday nightsfor young Marines.
• We have found a great church
• Scuba diving
• Plans for our future
8/8/2019 The Nineveh Chronicles Fall 2010
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[2]
Same Direction. New Route.
For the last 9 years we had been living and
ministering in the Pico Union Neighborhood of
inner city Los Angeles. Our time spent with our
family at the First Evangelical Free Church of
Los Angeles will always be a treasured and life
shaping season.
We have always felt a desire to follow the
command of Christ to make disciples, with a
special focus on the unreached and underserved. As a result of our time in Los Angeles
we know that the inner city is the perfect place
for strategic discipleship. As we have continued
to think and pray about where God would have
us spend our lives, the city of Jakarta, Indonesia
has continued to pop up on our radar. So as of
now we are still “moving” in that direction.
However, we knew that there were still
things that needed to happen before we placed
our roots down somewhere. Some of these
things were tangible milestones like paying off
our school loans, getting more work and
ministry experience, and possibly having
children. Other things, although just as
important, were not as measurable: growth and
maturity in Christ, leadership skills, and
adjusting to change.
So as we explored and prayed, an option
that kept presenting itself was for John to serve
a three year tour with the Navy as a Chaplain.
We, somewhat hesitantly, pursued this and the
doors kept opening. Before we knew it, John
had completed his application, passed his
medical and background checks, flown to
Washington D.C. for an interview, and was
commissioned into the Navy. The whirlwind continued into 2010: Officer
Development School in Newport Rhode Island
(Jan-Feb), Chaplaincy School in Columbia, SC
(Feb-March), and finally arriving in Okinawa,
Japan April 12.
John was assigned the Deputy Director of
CREDO Okinawa. CREDO stands for Chaplains
Religious Enrichment Development Order and is
a Navy/Marine Corps-wide retreat program. So
far this is a challenging environment to both
work in and share the Gospel in...but that is
exactly what we were wanting.
God also provided the opportunity to lead a
weekly service on Friday nights for young
Marines, a ministry which Sarah and John love.
In addition God has continued to bless andconfirm this new direction in unexpected ways.
For example, Sarah had a great paying job
waiting for her at the Navy hospital which will
enable us to pay off our school loans within the
year. Also, Brad and Meghan Swenson, close
friends, arrived in Okinawa soon after we arrived
- another confirmation from God that we belong
here for now.
NAVY LIFE
Ministry in the Military
Top: John in his Navy
uniform preaching to his
class at the Naval
Chaplaincy School
Middle: John and his Dad
(Bob) at John’s Graduation
from Chaplaincy School.
Dad may have more ribbons,
but John is more handsome!
Bottom: John in his
Marine Corps uniform.
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[3]
Thoughts from Sarah
Moving to Okinawa has been an exciting and challenging transition
for me. I am incredibly blessed that I have been able to continue working
as a Physician Assistant (PA) on island here. This job is even more proof
that this is where God wants us to be at this time. Over 50% of the
spouses of military members are unemployed while living here due to the
limited amount of on-base jobs and the inability to work off base (due to
language barriers and employment laws). I actually got in touch with a PA
here before even moving who informed me of an open position at a Family
Practice clinic and also put in a good word for me to the “higher ups” at
the hospital. By the time we arrived I already had a contract waiting for
me! The job is very similar to my previous job, but all in English instead of
Spanish. Though this aspect is easier, the “small town” feel of the island
and the rampant rate of depression especially among the young wives
and moms here makes it still a very challenging position. I can hardly go
anywhere now without seeing some of my patients. This definitely has
good and bad sides to it, but mostly I see it as a way to be even more
open about my faith with patients since they can also interact with me
outside of clinic. As I mentioned one great challenge here is ministering to
young moms and wives who have never been away from home and are
now in a foreign country, far away from friends and family, with their
husbands deployed in Afghanistan or other places and suffering from
depression and loneliness. Many patients seem to make appointments
just to be able to talk to someone. Please pray as we try to find the best
way to reach out to these families as 10 minute medical appointments
aren’t always the easiest way!
One exciting part of my job here is in getting to do a large amount of
prenatal visits and women’s health. This is something I was very interested
in and was just starting to do at my previous job. I have even learned how
to use the ultrasound machines and there is nothing more exciting then
showing parents their baby’s heartbeat at only 8 weeks gestation! I get
quite a bit of practice too as there are an average 100 baby deliveries per
month at our hospital.
On top of all the challenges and opportunities at work there is the
excitements and difficulties of adjusting to being a military spouse
stationed overseas. Military life is so different from how I grew up and the
life I am used to, not in a bad way, just very different! It’s not only a
different culture, but the military has their own language too. Living in a
military community has that “small town feel” as I described above and
does provide a very safe atmosphere. People feel connected because we
are all here for the same purpose. Because there is a sense of “morality” i t
can be easy for everyone to feel like they don’t really need to know Christ.
Pray that we can learn to share what true Christianity really looks like.
God has stretched us in so many ways here and we have grown in
our trust of Him as a result. We look forward to see how He uses us!
Island Life
Okinawa is a beautiful
and fascinating place.
More historically
associated with China
than Japan; years of
Chinese, Japanese, and
American control have
produced a uniqueculture. Add that to a
tropical climate and it
makes Okinawa a
fascinating place to
live. Come visit!
OUR NEW HOME:
OKINAWA
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[4]
Future Plans
So here we are, in the Navy, living in Japan.
If even a year ago you would have told us that
this is where we would be, we probably would
have laughed at you. We take this lesson in the
futility of man-made plans to heart when
thinking about the future. We don’t trust in our
plans, we trust in God. But that doesn’t mean
that we don’t have a plan.
As we mentioned on p.2,we are still moving
towards the mission field of Jakarta, Indonesia.
We feel Jakarta is a strategic location for living
out the Gospel, as it is the capital city of the
world’s largest Muslim country and is a place of
much spiritual and physical need. If and/or
when we end up in Indonesia is in God’s hands.
Prayer Requests
If you believe God hears and moves in
response to the prayers of His children, we
would appreciate it if you would bring thefollowing requests to the throne of our Father
and King (if you don’t believe that God answers
prayer then we will pray for you!):
• That the goal of knowing Christ will stay
our priority in spite of new and confusing
situations and environments
• That we would be faithful to seek and
take the opportunities God give us to share
His Love and Truth
• That we would be able to be good
stewards of the experiences we will have
here.
• For more clarity and confirmation in
God’s plan for future ministry
• For wisdom and good health as we
begin to pursue starting a family and/or the
adoption process
Stay in Touch!
Here are some ways to stay in touch in
between newsletters:
• we are both on Facebook (this is the
easiest way to stay in touch!)
• Skype us!
• Sarah’s Okinawa blog:
Rope in the Ocean
• John’s Chaplain Blog:
The Cross and Anchor
• John’s personal blog:
Nevertheless
Diving in Okinawa
The waters around Okinawa
are some of the world’s
best for SCUBA diving.
Every time we descend we
are amazed at the varietyand beauty of God’s
creativity. In addition
to diving for fun, we also
hope to get our SCUBA
instructor certifications
here, something that may
prove useful in the
future.
SCUBA