SECOND

THOUGHTS

This book, just published in January, 1967, is a collection of twelve essays which have
have been published from time to time elsewhere over a number of years.
They contain my
second thoughts on men and missions, especially as they relate to Japan, plus some obser
vations on the training ot men for this work. They have been written to stimulate young
men and women to choose to be missionaries, present missionaries to become better ones
and sending churches to more fully understand both the nature and the need of the task

they are supporting. The chapter titles are: (1) Called of God; (2) Christians in Japan;
(3) Recruits for Japan; (4) Rural Evangelism - a Must.' (5) Rural Work: Its Status and
Future; (6) Three Things to Look For; (7) Establishing the Church Abroad: Then and Now;
(8) Training Nationals in Their Homeland; (9)Training Nationals in the United States;
(10) A Bible College Education; (11) Pioneers; (12) Missions - The Business of Every
Christian. Price: $2.00.Sent postpaid. See other side of the page. Detach and mail.

A monthly report by the Mark G. Maxey family to the friends

January

Linkletter
No.

1967

165

of the Kyushu Christian Mission Kanoya, Kogoshima, Japan

Dear Christian friends,
Charles M. Schulz, the famed creator of Peanuts has given us permission to re
produce this strip which appeared in one of. our newspapers here last fall.
T"
PEANUTS

THIS IS

RIDICULOUS!

I'VE HIT FIVE HOME KWe AND

PITCHED A NO-Hrr 6AM. AHO,

UE'REBtrilNDTORIV-SeVeNTO flVHi

I THOUGHT I COULD HELP VDUR

lKATMU5T6eAN(Ce"miNe

TEAM,CHUCK, BUT We H0PELE55!

^70 BE ABLE TO 00.

I'M 60(N6 BACK tOHERE I CAME FROM!

TC

heardofthirtv-sevem

DNEAftNEP Ri;N5?THi$ 1$ RiOICULOOSi

The girl from across town has offered to come over and manage the team to victory.

She tried to do it all herself and failed. "This is ridiculous.'", she wails. The situation is
hopeless. She can do better back where she came from. But Peanuts can not go back. This is his

team and he is loyal to

it. He looks after her wistfully. "That must be a nice thing to be

able to do..",he says, half in envy and half in regret.

In terms of numbers, at least, there has not been a Christian victory in Asia. The
missionary from across the water has come over to see if he could help the cause along. He work
ed mightily, sometimes trying to do it all himself, thus slighting both the helping hand of
God and the essential co-labors of the Christian ministers and leaders of Japan. All did not

go as well as he had hoped. He tortured body and soul but the spiritual victory he sought seemed
to elude him.
One by one he watched other missionaries, for reasons they deemed good and proper,
go back where they came from. As he waved a forlorn good-bye, he hoped God would forgive him

for thinking, "That must be a nice thing to be able to do..."

Could the missionary mentioned above be me?

Perhaps.

I have often

thought the results of my labors were ridiculously small and my situation hopeless - but here
I am, still at it.
In fact, Pauline and I and our good friends, Ted and Betty Wentz, Lutheran

missionaries at the far

end of the prefecture, are the only two couples (and the only two men)

working in Kagoshima at the moment - to the best of my knowledge.

Add 4 single women and you

have the entire missionary force for almost 4 million souls. Many missionaries have gone. Almost
none have come to replace them,

and the task still remains to be done.

"Ridiculous?" Of course*
and not in our own puny efforts.

"Hopeless?" Never.'

Not as long as our faith is in God

Not as long as we can view the situation as but a moment of\

time in the eternal providence of God.

1966 has passed into history.

We watched it go with regret.

We wanted to do much

more with it than we did. Now we are in the midst of another year. In the 12 year cycle of the
Zodiac which is favored in the East, this is the year of the Sheep. Or in Christian thinking,

it could be the year of "the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." We hope so.
In fact, we began the year preaching on this very theme.

We hope that God will give us the

will and the wisdom to continue preaching in this vein throughout the year and for many years
to

come.

But we must back up a bit. A highlight of November was the annual preaching con
vention (Tane Make Kai) at Osaka Bible Seminary. I escorted Tom and Barbara Poston to the meet

ing, with some sightseeing in Hiroshima along the way, and was moderator for two afternoon
panel discussions.

The Professor of English at Kagoshima University was disabled for several months
by a car accident in October. The University asked if XWouldn't help out in the emergency.
Since then I have been teaching compositionosnd conversation four hours a week every Thursday
afternoon.

It has been a lot of extra work

but has proved fascinating.

I have used

both the

classroom work and the theme assignments to present the Christian viewpoint of life. I have
good reason to believe it has proved a refreshing contrast to the materialistic and Marxist

viewpoints commonly accepted by both teachers and students in universities here.

TO:

'GO YE' BOOKS, 147

AVENUE COTA

SAN CLEMENTE, CALIFORNIA 92672

Please send me

copy(s) of Mark Maxey's

book, Second Thoughts, at $2.00 per copy.

Check (cash or money order) is enclosed

FROM:

for

Family birthdays gang up on us at this time of year. Hope in October, Faith and
Paula in November, Greg in December ana Walter in January. Walter became a man of 21. Greg's
Dig present for his 15th birthday was a shaver, a pretty good sign of approaching manhood for
him. He is already an inch taller than I so no telling where he will go from here.
December was chock-a-block with wonderful experiences. The delight of our children

as they watched the mailman bring packages from home. The wonderful smells in the kitchen as
Pauline made cakes and cookies to share with the preachers' families,

the sick,

the shut ins.

Sharing gifts with the old peoples' home and the children at the orphanage (thanks to East
Orange, N.J.) . Happy fellowship at fully a dozen Christmas meetings, programs and parties.
The voices of the carolers in our front yard, very late Christmas eve and the happy hour as

they filled our front room for Pauline's refreshments. Time fails to tell of more.
Out in San Clemente, Calif, John Baker and the Christian Young People's class
thought up the idea of raising a fund to help Pauline and I go to the Holy Land as a 25th
anniversary present. Late Christmas day a big bundle of the letters you had written us in
response to their call was delivered at our front door. We had to daub our eyes a little bit
as we read them.
We didn't know we had so many friends.
be worthy of them. Thank you one and all.

We will be leaving for furlough in mid-June.

It is an awesome challenge to try to

The Lord willing we will go by way

of Europe and then drive to the Holy Land by way of Greece. We plan to arrive in the U.S. the
last part of August. If possible we want to visit ail our supporting churches within the first
six months. If you have special dates or occasions in mind, let us know. We want to give first
priority to those who have been our faithful partners over the years.

Last summer, Helen Schmidt of North Vernon, Indiana (where Pauline "and "l^lninistered just after we were married)
dreamed up the idea of having a rummage sale in her front
yard to buy tape recorders for our chidren away at school so we could keep in touch more easily,
Many, many friends there pitched it to make the project a success. The goal was reached and
more. "Use the rest as you wish," Helen said.
We "wished" to spend the year end with my sis
ter Isabel Dittemore, and her daugher and husband, Alan and Janet Bemo, in Taipei, Taiwan,

Monday morning, December 26, we were on our way. 350 miles by ship to Okinawa and

350 miles by air to Taipei made possible our "Far East" family reunion on Tuesday night.
had

We

9 memorable days of sampling the unusual sights, sounds and tastes of this fascinating

country.

December 29 we put on our Sunday best and had a grand anniversary dinner at the

"Grand Hotel" of Taipei.

Meanwhile, Isabel helped me read the final proof on the book, "Second

Thoughts" and put it into the hands of the printer. We hope it will make some contribution to
missionary thought and discussion.

Thanks Isabel, Janet and Alan not only for incomparable hospitality but for the
opportunities of Christian fellowship and teaching we had there. This last is what really makes
a journey complete and satisfying. In Okinawa, too, we enjoyed generous hospitality and fellow
ship from Harlan and Emeline Woodruff, Claire and Donna Boulton and the military families of
the First Christian church there. As our stay was only overnight, we were sorry that life's
pleasures have to be so short.

As we began our preaching schedule again on the second Sunday of January, Tai Kawa-

bata, high school senior at Tarumiu made his confession and was baptized. Thus the year is off

to a good start and we expect many good things from it. May it be the s^ne with you,
IN HIS SERVICE,
Non-profit Organization

LINKLETTER

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KYUSHU CHRISTIAN MISSION

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537

A monthly report by the Alflr^ G. Maxey family to the friends

Linkletter

April,

No.167

1967

of the Kyushu Christian fMssion

Kanoya, Kagoshima, Japan

Dear Christian friends,

Spring has "sprung" very reluctantly this year. I have predicted its advent often
but ray prophecies have all been rained out. But the yard is full of flowers and blossoms in
spite of the squals. Only wish you could stop by to enjoy it as so many others have.

Life in any occupation consists of a certain number of duties repeated day by day
until they become the fabric of life. Sometimes the monotony of it convinces us that no pro
gress is being made.
In spite of what you may have read or heard, missionary life is like
that, too. The dramatics are few; the crowning victories exceptional.
Every once in awhile, however, an event occurs which ties a long period of time
into a meaningful vhole. Such an event was the graduation at Osaka Bible Seminary at the end
of March. Six outstanding graduates represented years of their own lives and of the teachers
and administration of the school. It was an impressive service and a rewarding one for all
who share in the work of the Seminary.

Okiharu Doyaraa was one of the graduates. He is a native of Awaji, a long, narrow
island jutting from Kobe south to the island of Shikoku. Graduation was followed by a wedding
ceremony. Immediately, he and his wife, Megumi, came to Kagoshiraa to begin both their married
life and their ministry in this area.

Many people have shared their Christian faith and knowledge with Bro. Doyaraa. "Others
have labored and we have entered into their labors." But especially we are thankful for the
willingness of the Doyamas to choose this faraway place for their Christian service. They will
serve the church in Kagoshima and go by ferry every Sunday afternoon to preach at Tarumizu.

Both places are badly in need of leadership. As I told Bro. Doyama, "Since you are beginning
at the bottom, there is no place to go but up."
Besides attending graduation at the seminary, "we were also present for the Coun
cillor meeting, and the whole family came along for our annual physical examinations at Japan
Baptist Hospital. Nothing unusual except for fair wear and tear. Faith sprouted a new pair of

of glasses. I appreciated Dr. Satterwhite's closing comment on my report, "increase daily ex

ercise and rejoice in Him."

Will do.

We had extra grounds for rejoicing just now when Paul

ine made a special trip back to the hospital for examination of possible malignancy. None was
found so it was more than a happy time when she returned home again.
We enjoyed having Faith and Greg home for a week of spring vacation. Also Karen
Benson, Rotary exchange student from Bainbridge, N.Y. She became like a daughter to us in a
very short time. While they were here, I had my first bilingual wedding. Ronald Escherich, one
of the four-man team presently in Kanoya taking pictures of the satellite Pageos, married Miss
Keiko Kanda. Since she understands no English and he no Japanese, I conducted the ceremony in

FAITH

FAITH'S

SCHOOL

OKIHARA & MEGUMI DOYAMA

Second Thought s*Seconld Thoughts ^Second -Thbughts^ecbndi The{Ught^*Sec6nd Thought s*Second Thoughts

^^^^^Maxey?. It .will; .qhange

Have you ordered

some of your thinki%^ abojt^

nnnv from:< 'p tHR ^
$2.001 HATper copy

copy npy>.^Postpaid.
_ it now/
92672. po

Ufini^iQ

Second Thoughts*Secoiid '^hg[igK-^^^^

Thbughtg*S^ond "tHo^

Thoughts*Second Thoughts

both languages. Lovg, of course, has a language all its own and we are glad to report that the

newlyveds ^re .well on the way to "living happily ever after."

'
!
An interesting interlude for Pauline and I waS a visit to Faith's school for a
couple of days so the dorm parents and teacher could attend a conference. Pauline took care of
the. meals and I taught " readin' and writin' and Arithmetic" . The students were well-behaved

so.^na "hickory, sticl^"

needed. As a matter of fact it was a very refreshing experience for -

me.
It . is a .one room school with 1^4~s^udents in 8 grades and-^one-very ,good teacher. Miss Agnes
Dueck. Faith and her friend, Debby, make up the 6th grade. Each grade is called in turn to the
front table to recite. Our thanks to the General Conference Mennonites for making this school
possible and for Faith's schooling the past two years.

Each. Sunday in our schedule is different but the third Sunday of the month is the

longest day. I leave at 8 a.m. for a hard hours drive over the hills to Sueyoshi; At Sueyoshi
English Bible class is from 9 to 10, preaching from 10 to 11.15, and Training for Service class
from 11.15 to noon. After tea and cakes together, I drive to Makinohara and eat the sandwiches

Pauline has fixed for me at a point which gives a view of Mt. Sakurajima and the whole north
end-bf the bay. It is always a thrilling sight and I am tempted to linger too long.
Twenty miles more down the hill and along the bay brings me to Kajiki where. Bro.
Daikusono is minister. An eager, interested group of students await me for the English Bible

^blass from 1 to 2. They stay for the regular worship service at 2.15. The service this Sunday

was sin especially happy one because they began using the newly refurbished church building
again foir the first time since a tj^hoon made a shambles of it two years ago.
..Again, tea time follows and I leave at 4.30 for Kushikino. One hour of driving
along the beautiful coastal road and then one hour north. This is tension driving all the
-way. The traffic bumper to bumper at this hour on Sunday. The road is paved but narrow, no

shoulders, but lined with open cement culverts on each side. No margin for error exists and
there is no escape when the large trucks want to bully their way through. It is a relief to
arrive at Kushikino about six and relax in the community bath with Bro. Tanijiri. Most of the
men there look at me quizzically but one or two will usually venture to ask me who I am.
Mrs. Tanijiri makes a special effort to have a good meal which I enjpy with their
family. Evening service is due to begin at.7.30 but usually begins at 8 ("Kagoshima time").

After preaching I visit with the people while they browse through the books and magazines I
always carry with me.After Mrs. Tanijiri fills my thermos with coffee,I head for home.It is
about 100 miles and if all goes well I will pull in the driveway about 12.30 a.m., 17 hours,
350 kilometers, 3 sermons, two English Bible classes and one other class after I departed. I
get up ever so slowly on Monday morning. One of the first things I do is to call the garage
man and ask him to come adjust the brakes and weld the fenders back on.

Now we are in the midst of bringing another chapter of our lives in Japan to a close

and of anticipating furlough. The nights are getting shorter and the days are going faster.
Think of us when you pray.
IN HIS SERVICE,
LINKLETTER

Monthly Publication of
KWSHU CHRISTIAN MISSION

Box 49, North Vernon,

Indiana 47265

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. _

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A monthly report by the h\ark G. Maxey family to the friends

of the Kyushu Christian lAission Kanoya, Kagoshima, Japan

Litikletter
No.168

Dear Christian friends,

Three mountains waited to be climbed as we began the month of May;

1) the Conventions, 2) the wedding and 3) the furlough.

The 18th annual convention of churches of Christ in Japan and the
14th annual convention of missionaries of the church of Christ serving in Japan were
held on Mt. Sakurajima, Kagoshima prefecture. May 16-21, 1967. Kagoshima has been a
favored spot for these meetings - four here in the last thirteen years. We like to

think it is because the scenery is the finest; the fellowship just a little bit bet
and that the brethren find a spiritual, if not geographical, center in this

ter;

part of Japan,

The planning and preparation of the conventions rest on the Christ-

JUST MARRIED

ians in the area in which it is held. The Japanese ministers worked hard for a full

year and were rewarded by the frequently heard comment, "This was the best convention I ever attended." Pauline and I
were hosts for the missionary convention but the task was made easy by the superb contribution every person gave to.his
part of the program.
The conventions were held end to end with the last day of the Japanese convention being also the
first day of the missionary convention.

Both conventions used the theme, "Christ, the Lord of the World." In the missionary convention, each
speaker was allowed thirty minutes to preach the sermon he'd best like to give - keeping the convention theme in mind.
This made for some mighty good and very pointed preaching. There was no time to waste words.
A unique feature was the inclusion of Christian leaders from adjacent countries: B.L. McElroy and Diego
Romulo from the Philippines; S.M. Chang and John Hill from Korea; Harlan Woodruff, Claire Boulton, Kintoku Chinen
and Seiken Nashiro from Okinawa. Four military families added to the variety of the fellowship and made both conventions
an outstanding Christian experience for everyone who attended.
There were 75 for the missionary convention, 150 for the Japanese convention. The latter included a large
delegation of Christians from the leper colony - the first time these Christians had been welcomed. These gatherings
marked a growing maturity of all Christians living and working in Japan plus a recognition of their mutual interdepen
dence in carrying out the Great Commission here.
There was nothing dull about any of the sessions and no absentees.

People were hungry for fellowship and good preaching and they partook to the full.
The Hill family and Mary Harding, now concluding a year in the Far East and teaching in Korea, arrived
After they phoned, I was able to hire a small fishing boat and brought them

Dy train too late to get the last ferry.

saiely across the bay - though they smelled somewhat "fishy" on arrival.

'

The convention ended Sunday on a "wet" note. Too much rain. Most of the convention came to Kanoya but
Pauline had to serve her supper inside to 50 people instead of outside on the lawn. There was little room to move about
but enough room to eat and enough food to satisfy.. That night the convention came to a grand conclusion at the Kanoya
church where Bro. Romulo preached in English, Bro. Yoshii translated and a Japanese mother confessed her faith in Christ
We had conferred with Paula by long distance phone and mutually agreed that a wedding in Japan in the
place where she had been reared would be more possible and more meaningful now than a fall wedding in the U.S. Once

agreed upon, we all had just a month to prepare. Paula was able to take

her examinations early at Cincinnati Bible

Seminary. Family and friends helped her get on her way to Japan May 27. She got home Monday night, May 29. Her fiance'

Kiyoto Yanagimoto arrived June 1.

My sister, Mrs. Isabel Dittemore, came from Taiwan. Gregory and Faith came back

Mr.

and Mrs. Mark Gregory Maxey

have

the honour

to

announce

the marriage of their daughter

Paula

OF CHWTIANS

ol^

Mr. Kiyoto Yanagimoto

on Saturday, the third of June

one thousand nine hundred and sixty seven

Kanoya, Kagoshima, Japan

John Hill B. McElroy H. Woodruff

S.M. Chang D. Romulo S. lijima

SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE - MISSIONARY CONVENTION

from school early and by Saturday June third, all things were ready.
When the city took a wide strip of land around our property^ the Japanese garden had to be rebuilt.
Now a year later the lawn and garden were truly beautiful. This was the setting for the wedding. A hundred
friends and Christians were our guests. Hideo Yoshii was best man; Faith the bridesmaid, Hope the flower girl,
Gregory the usher, Mrs. Dittemore and Mrs. Yoshii the organists, Ryoko Seguchi and Lydia Kishi the soloists,
and myself, the proud Father, conducted the service. A beautiful bride, a handsome groom and a radiant Mother
completed the picture. The weather was favorable and the wedding a very wonderful event for us all. Most Jap
anese felt that a truly signifigant event had taken place not only between Kiyoto and Paula but between Christ
ians of two nationalities. Kiyoto and Paula will accompany us to Yokohama as we begin our furlough and then
make their home in Tokyo and their church home, the Minato Church of Chri.st. You may want to remember the
address: MR. AND MRS. KIYOTO YANAGIMOTO, 164 HIGASHI TAMAGAWA CHO, SETAGAYA KU, TCKYO, JAPAN.
During the past month we have visited each church, preached and been the recipients of a farewell

meeting which the Japanese call, "sobetsukai." These meetings are mingled joy and sadness. Joy in realizing
the "tie that binds" and sadness at parting even for a time.The last meetings were on June 4. In the morn
ing at Sueyoshi. After which we all went down to riverside where I baptized Hitoshi Inoue into Christ. A del
icious meal at Bro_ Tanneguch's house was a fitting end to our fellowship there.
That night we had another wonderful meal and fellowship at the Kanoya church. We really felt at
the end of that meeting that the Christians of Kanoya loved us and wanted us to return. Tired but happy is a
trite way of saying how we went to bed that night.
Winding up our affairs, packing boxes to mail, stuffing things in barrels to leave and making the
1001 preparations for the journey home and our life in the U.S. when we get there is a task that can never
be completed. In the end, we will have to walk off and leave some of it undone. On June 9 we board a ship
for Russia. Thence by train, plane and car to and through Europe. We had hoped to get as far as the Holy
Land but that is impossible now. We plan to arrive home at the end of August and plunge into a full schedule.
Our furlough address will be: PO BOX 58128, LOUISVILLE, KY. 40258.

This trip is financially possible because our living link churches have provided travel funds from
Kanoya to Kentucky. By careful planning we can go around the other way at exactly the same cost. We received
$700 for our 25th Anniversary to help us go to the Holy Land. We have been saving for the rest of the cost.
Meanwhile our responsibilities in Japan continue: radio and newspaper evangelism; assistance on
minister's salaries; sharing in the cost of preacher training at Osaka Bible Seminary; literature produc

tion and evangelism through the Christian Center book store and property maitenance and building^, We intend
to be faithful to our commitment to Japan.

We trust you will be the same. IN HIS SERVICE,

Non-Profit Organization

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'

SEVENTEEN

YEARS

OF

SERVICE

TO

JAPAN:

1950 -

1967

A Furlough Report by the Mark Maxeys to Friends of the

KYUSHU CHRISTIAN MISSION KANOYA, KAGOSHIMA, JAPAN

The Haxeys came to Japan to start a pioneering work in 1950 but

to know the whole story you need to begin much earlier than that.

Asa Haxey of Bath County, Kentucky served in the War of 1812

and was a minister for 51 years in the very beginning of the Restoration
movement. His grandson, R. Tibbs Meixey, followed in his steps, preaching

the Book in pioneer places without tear or tavor - also for 51 years.
The children of R. Tibbs and Maude Maxey, including Isabel Dlttemore, veteran missionary to the Far East and Tibbs Maxey, training a
Negro ministry at the College of the Scriptures in Louisville, Kentucky,
have also tried to be pioneers.

Born in Pomeroy, Washington, Hark Uaxey spent his boyhood In

Oregon, Idaho and Ohio. He first studied at the University oi Minnesota
intending to be a doctor.
Under the preaching of George Mark Elliott,
he dedicated himself to preaching the gospel. He graduated from Minne
sota Bible College (1939) and held his first ministries at Madelia and
Truman, Hinnesota.
Pauline Haxey was reared

In Wind Ridge, Pennslyvanla. A life

long desire to be a missionary led
her to Cincinnati Bible Seminary.She
met

her husband

there when he came

for graduate work. They were married

in 1941 and both graduated from the
Seminary in 1943.
They ministered to the
Christian Church at Nortn Vernon,
Indiana from 1941-1944 when Mark be

gan five years of service as an Army

chaplain, including 14 months in
Japan .

Pauline joined her husband

there in 1948 but their stay was cut
short when their oldest daughter,
Paula, contracted polio. It was long
enough,

however,

of service.

to catch a vision

Vision became decision.

KYUSHU

They resigned from the Army in 1949

and sailed for Japan a year later.
They wanted to go to the
island of Kyushu because no one from

KANOYA

KAGOSHIMA AREA MINISTERS

Naganori Tanijiri
Okiharu Doyama
Junko Daikusono
Takeo limure
Tadayoshi Ikeda
Hideo Yoshii
the church of Christ had yet gone there. They wanted to work In a place
where no one was likely to go.
While wondering where that would be, a
letter of invitation came from a group of believers in Kanoya. Chaplain
and Mrs. Paul Cook, now of the Kaimichi Mission, while stationed in Ka

noya, had gathered isolated believers and new converts into a nucleus.
The Maxeys gladly accepted the invitation of this group to come to Kanoya.
Kanoya was remote - 1000 miles south of Tokyo, an arduous jour
ney by train, ferry boat and bus. It was a city of 70,000, the trading
center of an unevangellzed peninsula.
During the war i t was an Impor

tant "kamikaze" air base for the Japanese war effort. Other than that,
few Japanese knew where i t was.

Arriving in Japan, the Maxeys went to Kanoya immediately and

plunged into work head-first. By the end of three months, land had been
found and a mission home built. They have been living there ever since.
At the same time, Takeo limure and Sadahlko Motoyoshi were work
ing with Mr. Maxey as churches were begun in Kanoya, Kushlra, Sueyoshl
and Tarumizu. The large leper colony a few miles from town and the town
orphanage became the first of many preaching points. Sunday schools were
started, teachers trained and teaching materials created by Pauline.

ISABEL DITTEMORE came to Kagoshima in 1952 and established chur

ches in Kagoshima, Kushiklno and Kajlkl. CKIHARU DOYAMA, NAGANORI TANI
JIRI AND JUNKO DAIKUSONO preach for these churcnes now.

PAUL AND KATHLEEN PRATT worked in the Kagoshima City area from
1959 to 1964. They continue to make a vital contribution through radio
broadcasting, correspondence courses and a relationship with Kajlkl
church.

Work was begun on the island of Tanegashima, 50 miles south, in

1951. AL AND ELEANOR HAMMOND joined the Ksoishu work in 1954 later going

to Tanegashima. With TADAYOSRI IKEDA they expanded the Island work and
continue a relationship wi-th it.

The Maxeys, however, are the only Christian church missionary

family now living on the Kyushu field.
New missionaries who will dedi
cate themselves without reservation to this important field are needed.

A Christian Center was built in Kanoya in 1958,

TAKEO IIMUKB

operates the book store there and also preaches at Kushira. The Center

is also used for leadership training, literature evangelism, English

Bible classes and area gatherings.
About twenty young people from Kagoshima Prefecture, ten from
the Kanoya area, have prepared themselves lor Christian leadership at
Osaka Bible Seminary. Their lives have blessed the churches throughout
Japan. HIDEO YOSHII is one of these young people. He returned to Kanoya
as minister and as head of a Christian kindergarten there.
Co-workers
of his ability and dedication encourage the missionary to continue.

The Maxeys have five children: PAULA (Mrs. Kiyoto Yanagimoto)

of Tokyo; WALTER MARK at Cincinnati Bible Seminary; GREGORY in high
school; FAITH in junior high and HOPE, Just beginning school. The child
ren were all taught first at home by their Mother. Later they went away
to school.
Lonliness and separation are part of the price the missionary
family must pay to work In a distant land.
The children are all fluent
In Japanese and active In the church in Japan.

Looking back on three terms of service each punctuated

furlough year in the U.S., a pattern of development can be seen:

by a

FIRST TERM (1950-55): PIONEERING. Getting a foothold, strug

gling with the language, church planting, writing tracts, church build
ings. The Initiative and direction came from the missionary.

MARK AND PAULINE MAXEY

SECOND TERM (1956-62):COMSOLIDATION

Formal language study; relationships
with the Japanese on a firmer foot
ing; each church with its own land

FACTS OF THE FI^LD:

Location: Southern tip-Kyushu
Area Served: Kagoshima Pref.
Population: 3 1/2 Million

and simple building; teaching mat

erials further developed; Christian

Work

1. Direct Evangelism
2. Leadership Training

center built as means of local lead

ership training ; as young ministers

came from seminary

Began: 1950

- Type of Work:

3. Christian

leadership pas

Literature

4. Audio Visual

sed over to them.

5. Cooperative efforts with

the 8 Churches & 5 Ministers.

THIRD TERM (1963-67): COOPERATION

Working with the congregations, all
church buildings were rehabilitated
and

churches relocated.

Ministers

planned their own projects and the

missionary cooperated fully at their

SHIKOKU

request ; truly indigenous churches

became a reality though only one or
two are completely self-supporting
financially; the missionary visited
all churches regularly to express
partnership in preaching of the gos
pel as well as holding numerous clases and meetings in outlying areas.

KYUSH

FOURTH TERM (1968 ff.):

OUTREACH
We hope to find new missionaries

to settle in Kyushu. A Christian Center (estimated cost: $25,000) is

planned for the capital city of Kagoshima to reach university students.
An expanded leadership training program is planned.
High school students
will be contacted in their schools by means of Moody Science films.(Four
are in hand. Others are needed at a cost of $160 each). Christian liter
ature will be emphasized. Partnership in evangelism with present churches
and ministers will be basic.
dream always before us.

Entry into new towns and villages is a

A good beginning has been made. Christian roots have gone down.

Seed planted in former years is now beginning to be harvested. Second gen

eration Christians are appearing in our area. In spite of Japan's peculiar
difficulties, many Japanese continue to seek and to find Christ. But the

real Job remains to be done. 99^% of the Japanese are still not Christian.
Rising costs and the challenge of the unfinished task make additional
friends and supporters welcome. Will you be one?
*********

ADDRESSES TO REMEMBER

FURLOUGH; Mark G. Maxey, PO Box 58128, Louisville, Kentucky 40258

ON THE FIELD: Mr. & Mrs. Mark G. Maxey, Kanoya, Kagoshima, Japan
FORWARDING SECRETARY:
(Your gift is tax deductible)
Kyushu Christian Mission, Box 49, North Vernon, Indiana 47265
SLIDES, DISPLAYS, PUBLICATIONS:(Partial list below of items for sale)
John Miles Baker, PO Box 99, San Clemente, California 92672

$1.00 - LINKLETTER. One year subscription to this highly readable monthly

acount of the lives of the Maxey missionary family in Japan.

$2.00 - SECOND THOUGHTS. A new book by Mark Maxey. Twelve chapters on men
and missions as they relate to Japan. It will change your viewpoint.

$3.00 - MISSIONARY STUDY PACKET. An outstanding collection of teaching

and display material which you can use for many years in DVBS, summer
camps, missionary meetings and fairs and young people's meetings.

A monthly report by the Hark G. Wflxey family to the friends

of the Kyusbu Christian Mission

Linkletter No.

Kanoya, Kogoshima, Japan

September, 1967

169

Dear Christian friends.

At last writing we were preparing to leave for

furlough. I don't suppose any one ever gets complete
ly ready to leave. We didn't either. When train
time came, we left things as they were.

At Kanoya station and Kagoshima airport on June

and again at Yokohama port on June 9 there were

I
I

Tihhs and Bryan Maxey

8
*
bittersweet farewells to family and friends. We hated especially to leave Paula and her husband.
Our time together had been so short.

We had a 2% day voyage on the Russian vessel, M/S Khabarovsk, a spotless vessel with cheer
ful service. Stan and Mabel Buttray, Tokyo missionaries, and son, David, were our traveling

companions as far as Germany.

Landing at Nakhpdka, we took an overnight train to Khabarovsk,

the eastern terminus of the Siberian railway. We did not take the 6 day and 7 night rail trip.
Instead we flew the 5000 kilometers to Moscow in ten hours in Russia's biggest airliner. It
was a very "vibrating" experience.

In Moscow we oam
communists,-^ifinin^hlr^elf. He lies embalmed in an under
ground tomb while endlesg'^i-ines e Russians file past in awed silence. Leningrad, a city filled
with beautiful buildings has the world's greatest art treasure. Pauline observed that the won

derful things we saw in Russia were all from...pre-cgffl^i:^st^^mes.

The long hours of waiting

for tTck"ets and for meals to be served prevented us from" contacting the Christians in Leningrad
but we did leave some Russian New Testaments for them that June Wayne had provided for us.

We had a real sense of freedom as the last Soviet guard, inspector, official and police

man got off the train at the Polish border. Poland is a comrmnist countryj^ toQj but the air

is different. The Si^^_J,n War^saw was a highlight experience-. George Bajensk^^^^ both our
guide and interpreter tor pr^chihg morning and night:" af"Ke church there.,.^--''

Yet another train ridej:_p Berlin - the darkest experience of the trip - as we had ou^^i:::^
brush with the East BerliiTpolice and" saw what-trhe5riraW""'3^e to'that city. Seeing "the wall"
is the most likely thing to inspire a feeling of hate of anything I have seen. Son, Walter,
came from the U.S. and joined us in Cologne, Germany. We offered to pay his way back to the
U.S. if he paid his own way out. He sold his beloved motorcyle and was on his way.
"A friend in need is a friend indeed." Such is Velma Weir,, schoolteacher for the Air Force,

formerly in Tokyo, now in GernTi^ny^i...Sher^e"tr^s and ic'ept-us"<-til'l tje could shift gears and re-pack
our baggage at both ends of our journey:- Pauline and the girls stayed there while I and the
boys went to London to pick up a used camper n an ingenious
beds and kitchen facilities for all, six

house on wheels that had seats,

Walter did the driving, I did the navigating

and Pauline kept us well-fed for the 3000 miles and two months we were in the vehicle.
From Germany we headed for the Middle East via France, southern Germany, Austria, Yugo

slavia, Bulgaria and Turkey. At Istanbul we held a family conference and decided to ^'go for

broke^ and head for J:he Holy. Land. ..Since the Arab countries wouldn't let us drive through,

our camper was hoisted aboard a ship. We had a four day voyage to Haifa with stops at Rhodes
and Cyprus.

. IsraelJ^as an outstanding physicaland spiritual experience. We were able to feel the effermnnH of the Israelis less than a month after the wai^wa^oyer and to share

their joy irrbeing~able to visit the holy places so long denied them. The press of visiting
Jews made a visit to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem or to Abraham's tomb in Hebron a test of
physical endurance. We had 16 full days to go from Dan to Beersheba - and much more. A little

brass, persistence and an American passport helped us go through military roadblocks to visit

the occupied territories: a

of Syria, the Gaza strip, Jerich^ and_Qumran as well as
Nabl^us and Samaria. In_t^e Jerusalem Church of'tlRrist (non-instrument) none of us dozed' while
.Minister, Joseph Shalimi, preached in aTtefriate Hebrew and English on Peter's Pentecost sermon
7,n^t too far~"from where it was originally given. Truly, we left Israel with regret.

Returning by ship, we landed at Izmir, Turkey. This was ancient Smyrna^one of the seven
churches jf Asia to whom the Apostle John gave messages in Revelations. Wej^sited the other
six alsQj Selcuk (Ephesus), Denizili (Laodicea) and also Colossae nearby,Alasehir (Philadelphia)
Salihli (Sardis), Akhisar (Thyatira) and Bergaraa (Pergamum). Of these, the ruins at Ephesus

were the most impressive-In Greec^, we followed the Apostle Paul; Philippi, Thessalpniki,
Verotia (Berea), the market place and Mars Hill ^in Atl^ns and Corinth. We saw many other places

of course,~but the biblical sites gave meaning and direction" to our whoj^^_Jrip_-,Pxpf. Akira Oda
of Osaka Bib'lT Seminary, now studying ir^ the University of Athens, was^our treasured companion
during four days in Athens. Ha^^oo'3 to speak Japanese together and to enjoy the last meal of
rice curry that Pauline fixed just before we parted. My heart ached for his lonliness.

From Patjrgs,, G2:e.ce-we took a ship_ to Brind^sij ^aly. We had supper with the Bari missionaries: Mrs. Coffey, Evelyn Jones and Mr. and Mrs. Phipps; Most of a day in Rome with Mal
colm Coffey and son, Mark. Also Lewi_s Foster and s"bn, Tfenriy,' concluding their own mid-east tour.

Time was growing short. Two days (and most of the nights) of hard driving brought us back again
to .Velma Weir's house in Bitberg. W_left Luxe^ourg on Saturday, spent Sunday in Iceland and

landed in the USA on^Mpnday, August 28. It was in the"nick of time. We had run out of time and
mon^ - and then some.

'

'

'

.-.^r -

Detroit/to pick up the Plymouth car arranged for us at cost by Ed Hoist of

Pierre, S. Dakota. Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Cochran and friends of Clay County, Illinois have pro

vided over half the purchase price. Monday ul^t at Defiance, Ohio with hQJl;her_i_iBryan, and
family. Tuesday - stops at Columbus, Ohio where'^^yce Cheeseman made a tire trade for us;
at Cincinnati Bible Seminary to let Walter off at the dorm and for a light supper with Betty
Foster; coming to rest at North Vemon, Indiana for a good visit with Mary Deiotte, our faithful
forwarding agent. We spent the night with Max Baker and family.
Wednesday, August 30 brought us to Louisville and to our home at 7321 Browns Lane in

Pleasure Rxdge i-ark. We have spent two previous furloughs here. Norma Nichols of Clifton Christ
ian church was waiting for us. The house spick and span and completely furnished thanks to
the generosity and a lot of hard work on the part of the Loyal Friends class. The yard was
trimmed and the kitchen stocked with food by friends at Shively Christian where we are members.
"Thank you" doesn't seem praise enough. Let's try it in Japanese: 'T)qmo Arigato Gozaimasu."

The summer came"-tO :fitting close - ^motion^Ily a^^-^rgast - when the four Maxey brothers and

their f a m i T
i ^ ' g ft it an
an CJhupaff'^ar Mt. Sterling, Kentucky to re-live oTd^
i^T^nTtrilTfTr'n^rls
times and get acquainted with one another aga

Corinth'church is where our father, R. Tibbs

Maxey was baptized, and where he preached his first sermon. After a hymn sing
the hills of the old farm together and had an unforgettable day.
Now the children are

we tramped over

in school, Pauline has her household pretty well in hand and my

travels begin. We hope to see all of our friends and supporters in the coming months. Our phone
number is (502) 935-6603. Our furlough mailing address is: Box 5812^ I^uisvilly, Ky. 40258.
IN HIS SERVICE,
LINKLETTER

Non-Profit Organization

Monthly Publication of
KYUSHU CHRISTIAN MISSION

U.S.POSTAGE

Box 49, North Vemon,

1110S7

Indiana 47265

Permit No.537

Mission Services

RETURN REQUESTED

PAID

Louisville, Kentucky

Box 968

Joliet

Illinois 60434