Yabuki Breeze Blog

First off, can it really be Christmas time again? It seems like we just put away the decorations from last year, and now it is time to get them out once more. This Christmas, we are planning a cross-country trek to Northern and Southern California. We are looking forward to enjoying the mountains, seeing lots of family members, and sharing about our work with international students at one of our supporting churches.

This has been an awesome year and we are grateful we have been able to continue serving international students through ISI. Even during these tough economic times, many of our supporters have remained faithful, and God has met all of our needs.

It has been a busy year with our kids. All of our them participated in a sport this year. J-12 played winter basketball, and then C-5 played spring soccer. This past fall, T-8 played kid-pitch baseball. All three kids are signed up to play basketball this winter, so that should be an experience! In addition, they all participated in the Christmas musical at our church this year.

We hope that you saw God’s handprint in your life during 2008. Isn’t it amazing how one tiny baby coming into the world changed everything?  That’s because He brought hope into the dark hopelessness of those times. Although our world seems crazy and unpredictable, may you look forward with hope to 2009 because God is in control as He always has been.

With love, Roy and Lisa

Tags: 2008, EndofYear, review

One of our dear student friends, Ken finally said yes. We were looking high and low for someone to watch our house while we take a 18 day 4000 mile road trip to California to visit friends, family, supporters, churches,  see some world class sights with our kids, etc. the next couple of weeks. For those of your who want to pray for us on this trip, we made a special “drop.io” blog site (at http://drop.io/YabukiCalTrip.  You can subscribe to an e-mail/RSS/podcast/etc. there.) where it is easy to journal our trip with pictures, notes, & audio files, etc.. On the right of this Yabukibreeze blog we have a box with the RSS update notices from that trip log. Also, here is the schedule so you can plan for our days… Please pray for safety, patience, a good holiday, good experiences, growing love for our family, good re-connections with friends and family, etc. Sadly, we won’t be able to visit all of you all given the tight schedule because of the transit times, family times during the holidays and all, but we are excited about seeing some of you all!

Tags: California, holiday, Prayer, travel

Last Monday seemed like a bleak day. We were gathered for our monthly ISI DFW Staff meeting. Usually a good thing. But on this particular Monday, several things were weighing heavily over us. Little did we know that God was going to use this to grow our faith…

Our colleague Derrah, spend the last couple of weeks struggling with a medical situation with his mother Polly. This normally vigorous nonagenarian recently fell on a outing with her Sunday school class and then later again at the ER. This was very uncharacteristic of her. The result was a couple of hematomas in her head. Then they found out that the reason she fell was that she had a couple of silent heart attacks in weeks previous and a part of her heart and lungs were failing. Fearing a stroke because of the hematomas the doctors did not want to do surgery but her body had other ideas. She began to suffer from dizziness and disorientation. They couldn’t figure out what was going on. Bounced from the internist to the neurosurgeon to the cardiologist, it was looking bad and she was getting progressively worse. Some said seizures, others, pressure from the hematomas. About the only things they “could” do was surgery to relieve the pressure. Surgery seemed out of the question… She would not likely survive it. But, by last Monday, she was determined to have surgery to relieve the pressure. Whether it was successful or not, it would be a win for her… to be with the Lord or to “hopefully” get her functions back. So on Monday, we were praying for Derrah to have courage and wisdom to do the hard but right things in the spirit of her wishes.

At the same time, our colleague, Ministry rep, Pat Bradley had struggled through some things too. Earlier in the week she had heard from her doctors that they would not treat a condition that caused her constant pain because there was nothing left that they could do. She felt the need for prayer from elders. One of the other staff shared both of these needs with me and we decided to devote much of our meeting to praying for her and Derrah’s situation.

Be began by praying for Derrah, and then we prayed over and for Pat at our meeting. It was very intense. In addition, we have had our network of prayer warriors on both of these prayer needs for several weeks now. It was clear God was there. His presence was palpable and it was exciting. But at the end of the meeting, Pat got a call and we found out that her also nonagenarian father had a stroke. Oh man… we let her go and prayed over lunch for her. On Thursday, both situations came to a climax and we just happened to have our staff Christmas party. Neither families were there. While we had fun a the parties, we were all aware of the life or death situations going on in the lives of two of our compatriots… We prayed then too…

Then… we began to see God work… at the end of the party, we got a text message from Derrah saying Polly made it through surgery… Then we started hearing reports that she was progressing quickly. Pat shared with Derrah that since the prayer, her pain was much reduced. Wow… what was going on? God answering prayers the way we asked… in His will? Pat’s dad, while still very bad, was walking and stuff… she was able to be his advocate… By this Monday, the storm clouds, while still present, seem to have dissipated much in energy. Things are better… and God not only answered ours but your all’s prayers!!! Below is an e-mail sent by Derrah…

Dear Friends and Family,

God continues to answer prayer in unbelievable ways concerning my 90-year old mom (Polly Jackson). Tonight she came home with us—discharged from ICU to HOME! Five days ago a surgeon drilled two nickel-sized holes into her skull to relieve pressure to two large subdural hematomas. For the five days before that she could not speak three words together, remember anything, walk, or use her right hand… and more than one MD was ready to write her off at that point as incurable with brain damage and to send her to a nursing home to die! The hospital social worker met with me to arrange it. But God has other ideas…

Despite not having walked for 10 days, today she got out of bed at the Physical Therapist’s request and walked the equivalent of one city block unaided except by her walker. She took care of her own toilet needs, needed no more nursing care on her two head incisions, and was stable on all her meds and vital signs… so they let her come home! One nurse in ICU told us that instead of four DAYS, most folks who had what she had spent four WEEKS in ICU.

The hospital was full and there was no bed for her on regular nursing floors. Since she no longer needed ICU, and I asked the MDs what prevented her from coming home. They shrugged their shoulders, and I said, *Let’s make it happen.* And they did! So at 6:00 p.m. this evening, we drove mom home… by God’s love and grace… and in answer to your faithful prayers! The unbelievable happened. Her neurosurgeon was amazed!

How can we say THANKS sufficiently to you for your prayers and TLC? Simply give us the privilege of praying like that for YOU and your needs!

Below is a pic of mom taken tonight. Pam gave mom a pink cap a friend had given Pam recently to cover mom’s shaved head and keep it warm. Mom said, *I always wanted to be able to wear a ballcap!* [One of the reasons she made it to 90 may be that kind of positive attitude in the face of adversity!]

Derrah (for Pam and Mom too!)

Tags: Illness, Praise, Prayer

One of the hardest part of being a part of the lives of international students and ministry partners is that they have to eventually go home or at least move on. We have had so many examples where we invest heavily in a student or ministry partner and right after that training, or shortly after graduation, they have to go home. In many ways, this is what we are all about and we have a great sense if accomplishment as these special students and ministry partners leave, but it is not easy. Sometimes, our heartache is such that we almost feel like we don’t want to go through that trauma again and we have to fight to “get back on the horse” and start a new relationship with a new student or ministry partner.

This semester was no exception. Joy a pre-med student from Korea, is a good example. From the beginning she was involved in the lives of international students as a leader and friend. She came with a passion for God and ministry and she leaves as a strong Christian leader who will make a difference in Korea when she goes home (the gratifying part) for Med school but also as a leader in her church, bringing our prayer and small group model back with her.

On the ministry partner side, Matt, our intern and my friend at TCU is another example. After building our TCU ministry to get to critical mass in just one year, he is off with his family this month to minister long term overseas, taking many of the things learned in “planting” our TCU ministry to plan chruches in place where he is going.

There are countless others in the last 18 years that we have done what we do. They are all over the world doing wonderful things for God. We miss them all and it is hard not insulating ourselves from the next group. Just a few days ago, our ministry mentors, sent pictures students and their families we helped minister to nearly 20 years ago and our our heart still jumps a beat when we see them and their families… and yet we have learned to move on… It is really hard yet gratifying especially seeing what many of them become.

Tags: alumni, graduating students, leaving, Ministry

Two days, Friday & Saturday, two Christmas parties (more pictures) hosted at two different homes for  international students two from different campuses having two totally different experiences. Still… there was one purpose and one common result, the students had a great time, feeling loved and appreciated for a day they will never forget.

On Friday, the large neoeclectic home of our friends, Greg & Angela Speed, founder and owner of Speedsoft (www.speedsoft.com), an internet hosting provider, was full of international students and friends from UTA as we celebrated Christmas together. Feasting on classic Christmas pizza, pasta and sheet cake, students enjoyed hearing Greg’s testimony & sang Christmas carols together in the Speed’s warm living room decked out in Christmas garb. Afterward, students from three different parts of the world, from Africa, the Mesopotamia, and Asia, shared the Christmas story through song, candles and storytelling capped off with departing student, Joy sharing about the signficance of the gospel and how people can choose to follow Christ. People left with much joy in their hearts, lots of pictures and a warm feeling about Christmas.

On Saturday, we and several TCU students, visited the farm of Dave and Debbie, long time friends of our TCU ministry partners, Bennie & Patti for a time of outside fun and fellowship to celebrate Christmas. Shown true Texas hospitality by  members of Bennie & Patti’s church, the students, from China, Japan & Korea enjoyed a sumptious lunch of sandwiches, cookies, etc. One of the more popular part of the trip was that all the students had the opportunity to drive a “tractor” around the property. Afterwards, we were able to feel the warmth of a huge bonfire that would make the Texas A&M bonfire proud next to the family pond as we rosted s’mores that many students were tasting for the first time. Interns Matt & Allison, who are leaving to live overseas this week, were able to say good bye to our students friends in a good and proper way. T-8 and C-5 got to enjoy some of the leisure life on hammocks and students wandered all over the former ranch-housing development. All students went home with goody bags and smile on their face as they were reminded of the many of our “ministry partners” who love and care for them.

Tags: Christmas, Christmas Party