Fingers on the buzzers please. What takes four judges, ten contestants, and a missionary? Bzzzzzt! It is the annual 9^th grade Soshin Girls’ School (Soshin) Recitation Contest!  The ten contestants memorized five stories with Christian themes. Lee Ann recruited all four judges. This year’s theme was “Christian Fairy Tales.” Lee Ann adapted stories for the girls to memorize in easy English. For example, a contestant recited the first half of  “The Tale of Three Trees,” then the second half by the next contestant. Each girl spoke about 3-5 minutes.

            The Soshin girls did a great job competing. Of course, there were nerves, some tears, and some mistakes. It was amazing how much they improved in just a month. They were chosen by their teachers and given the stories to memorize. One judge said, “I could understand the girls’ English! It was fun to judge the competition!" Afterward, they all enjoyed some of Lee Ann’s homemade brownie cupcakes. Lee Ann encouraged the girls, before and after the contest, that they were all winners. It takes courage and determination to speak a foreign language in front of all your peers (~500 junior high students).

            Lee Ann will coach the winner for the next contest. It is like the state competition for English recitation. If Miss H places in the top five, she could compete at the regional and then the national competition. Winning is desirable, but not the most important goal. We pray that through the competition, Miss H will experience God’s love, grace, and strength. Please pray with us for her salvation. 

Thank you for partnering with us in serving the Japanese youth, like Miss H! Our special thanks go to our eight partners that had their gifts matched! The Matching Gift Opportunity is ongoing between April 15 and June 1, 2015. Gifts to IM from new individual donors (or existing donors that give above their regular pledge) will be matched and doubled until June 1, 2015 or when the Challenge Fund (currently $240,000) is depleted – whichever comes first. Note: churches and church related groups are not included in this opportunity. Click here for details:

http://www.internationalministries.org/drives/27

With Love and Thanks,

Gordon (and Lee Ann) Hwang