After driving two hours, it was a relief to stretch our legs and take a couple of photos! The valley was as green and luxurious as I had remembered from last fall. This time, Mari, John and I went to M san’s farm. M san is Mari’s uncle. Last December, we had picked haukusai (napa cabbage) at his farm. Now, we were invited back to plant seeds. John is an avid gardener/missionary friend who loves to learn about farming. He jumped at the opportunity to meet M san and see his farm.

After a little instruction, John was able to use the rototiller to prepare the field for planting. M san showed us how to plant the seeds and selected 3 rows for us to plant. After about 2 hours of seed-planting teamwork, we were done. M san had also offered to let us plant in his field. So, we planted a row of the garlic I had brought. We were tired, but had the seeds and cloves in the ground by ~12 Noon.

Before planting, we chatted with M san. He is having difficulty with his remaining kidney. He had trouble with cancer 20+ years ago and had one kidney removed. Fortunately, he’s been cancer free since then. Now, at age 85, his kidney function is declining. So, we asked if we could pray for him and he agreed! Afterward, he felt better. He had graduated from a Christian university, KGU, and knows something about Christ. We also prayed for him after we finished our planting. Then we said our farewells. We will see him again in December.

Would you please pray for our friend, M san? I am praying for both healing and salvation! We hope we’ll have a chance to share the good news of Christ, the great Healer, when we see him again for harvest. I was invited by Mari to help, once again, with harvest and delivery of M san’s vegetables to Tohoku survivors.

We want to express our thanks to the many people that have responded and pledged toward our financial support. October is the month for the collection of the World Mission Offering. Would you consider a donation or pledge to support IM missionaries? Please know that your part in the body of Christ is extremely valuable. Please donate through your local American Baptist church or click the link below:

World Mission Offering

Click the link above for free resources.

May the Lord continue to richly bless you!

With Thanks and much Love,

Gordon (and Lee Ann) Hwang

P.S. If you receive this journal as an email, click on the link in the title to see the pictures!