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Captions of pictures in letter, from top to bottom:

Lea and Louise studying

Philip and Dale in school

Lynne and Lorraine

Lynne and friends at the well

 

 

China Inland Mission -- Overseas Missionary Fellowship

35-1 Aza Kubo Minato Machi

Hachinohe Shi, Aomori Ken

Japan

 

December, 1959

Dear Friends,

Greetings to you all from Japan. We are back once more in the land where you sit on the floor, sip green tea, bow your guests in and out on your knees, shop with your baby on your back, eat with chopsticks and study by reading up and down the columns of difficult Japanese characters. Yes, in short, we are back home.

"Oh," you say, "are you really reading that weird looking writing?" "Yes, and understanding it too," although we hope to understand it even more as we spend some of each day at the task of getting the language. "And you really understand what those people say when you go shopping and when guests call at your home?" "Yes we do and it is good to be able to fellowship with them all."

We like the sound of the clacking geta (Japanese clogs) as they go by our door. We like the smell of Japanese miso soup and the taste of their shoyu (soya sauce). We like the bright colored clothes of the crowds and the close-cropped little black headds of the children, but most of all we like to look out of our door on the multitudes to whom Christ has sent us, knowing that we are here because He has willed it so. Don't let our sojourn in this beautiful land be in vain. Pray with us for the harvest of many souls for Christ, and for a real reaching out to the lost all around us.

Our two boys Philip and Dale are in our mission boarding school at Sendai. We see them only at holiday time and we needn't tell you how much we miss them or what a gap it has left in our home. And yet we do it willingly for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake Who, "though He were rich, yet for our sakes He became poor." He left His heavenly home once, to come to an earthly abode, and how lonely it must have been in heaven without Him. That is the other side of the Christmas story isn't it? "Joy on earth, peace and good-will to all men" -- but at what a cost to the heavenly Father Who gave His only begotten Son. As our family is reunited at this Christmas time, and as yours gather around the tree or the Christmas table, let us not forget to thank the One Who gave His all for us.

We have two little sisters, Lynne 3 1/2 and Lorraine 20 months at home. Lynne loves her Japanese friends and is off with them as soon as breakfast is over. Mother has to go out and check often to find out where she is and what she is doing. She is often among those who are hanging up fish or washing clothes at the well, and she enters into all their fun. We find that she opens many doors for us and next year Lorraine will be out playing with her. Right now Lorraine spends much of her time in the house getting into things that she should be out of. She even says "no, no, no" to herself as she trudges around from room to room peeking into this and poking into that. They and our two boys at school are a continual source of joy to us and we are indeed thankful to the Heavernly Father for entrusting these little lives to us. Pray with us for them to learn early of the Lord Jesus Christ and of all that He can mean to them even in these tender years.

Some days on our mission station are hectic and when night comes we are glad of a place to lay weary heads. Other days are much quieter with few callers and little interruption. But whatever the day brings forth we are glad that it has all been done for the sake of the Lord. We are encouraged by new believers and by growth in faith of older Christians. It is good to see new faces in the meetings and eagerness on the part of the believers to reach others through our various evangelistic efforts. Mr. Matsura, a chicken farmer, has recently believed and is going on with much joy. Mrs. Fukuda also has confessed Christ and has a joyful testimony. We are grateful to all of you who have an interest in our work, and especially to those of you who have asked to receive our smaller prayer letter and who pray faithfully for the needs of the work and for us. God has been working through your prayers and we want to see much more fruit in 1960. Please continue to labor with us through this coming year.

We wish you all much true joy at this Season and a New Year when you too will see God at work all around you.

Joyfully, in the service of the King,

Lea and Louise Little,

Philip, Dale, Lynne and Lorraine