Erik shared a story about their dentist, Dr. Nahoko, who attended a Gospel choir. “One day she asked what the words to ‘Amazing Grace,’ were and we told her, and she said, ‘Now I can finally understand what I am singing.’”

Rhonda sensed a call from God to become a missionary when she was just five-years-old. “I heard about missionaries and I heard about people who didn’t know Jesus and I wanted to tell them about Jesus.”

For Erik, the call came later in life. After becoming a believer at age 20, he transferred to George Fox University in Newberg, where he met Rhonda. He rented a room at the home of a retired missionary named Roy, who put Erik in a room full of missionary biographies. “I just ate it up. And Roy said to me, ‘Why don’t you become a short term missionary.’ So, I spent a semester abroad in Kenya, where I developed a heart to be an overseas missionary.” 

Though Erik and Rhonda had clear callings into missions, the location was not as certain. Then, after separate opportunities to teach English in Japan to pay for school, they both fell in love with Japan.

And, seeing a need was confirmation.

“Less than one percent of people in Japan are Christian,” Erik said.

And, Erik proposed to Rhonda in Tokyo. Their hearts were sealed to be in Japan in Japan.

Rhonda and Erik’s duties in Japan included teaching English and Bible classes, leading children’s events and parenting classes, and hosting outreaches.  

It takes a long time to believe. “We asked one woman, ‘Do you believe in God?’ and she said ‘yes’ and we asked, ‘Do you believe in Christ?’ and she said ‘yes,’ and we asked, ‘Do you believe He died for your sins?’ and she said ‘yes,’ and we asked, ‘Are you ready to become a Christian?’ and she said ‘no.’”

As missionaries, the Boehme family wanted to be part of the culture. Their house is entirely decorated like a Japanese house. They eat Japanese food, except they still like oatmeal from Costco. They got up in the summers at 6:45 morning to join Japanese families for traditional kids calisthenics with their children, Andrew and Katrina. “Many missionaries did not do this, but we wanted to, and it gave us the chance to do kids outreach events at the Community Center.”

They hosted ice cream socials and kids events and a Texas night for adults. They have organized community cleanups. Their children attended regular school.

At their going away party, one of the gentlemen, who had worked at Toyota, said, “I didn’t share my faith with others, but because of you I feel inspired to share my faith.’”

The Boehme family is looking forward to returning to their mission work in Japan after they have raised antiquate support.

“My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire.” Isaiah 55:11 

Boehmes website: www.asianaccess.org

The story was originally published in the Rolling Hills Service Folder in March 2010 and is also found on the Rolling Hills website:http://rhcc-compassion.blogspot.com/2010/03/boehme-familys-mission-in-japan.html

But he did not listen.

Instead, he worked as a carpenter. He opened a furniture mart and he began to sell furniture. Then, a flood washed away all his furniture and he lost everything he had built. That was his wake up call.

Now instead of building furniture, he is building into the lives of others as a barefoot pastor.

“Realizing my disobedience caused these heavy loses I chose to serve Him. God has blessed me since the day I stepped out to do His work. By His guidance, I started a church with the name ‘Mahimayin Sabai.’ It is in the village of Valliyoor in the region of Virudhu Nagar.”

His church now has 58 members and 43 of them have been baptized. K.A. Masila Mani is one of 10 barefoot pastors that Rolling Hills sponsors in partnership with India Gospel League. Barefoot pastors bring the message of Christ to rural India and are in ministry in the tradition of the New Testament preachers, who go out into villages with just sandals and the shirt on their back. They establish relationships and seek opportunities to share the Gospel.

Village people who accept the Lord are encouraged to be open about their faith even though they know they will be persecuted. Only two percent of India is Christian. Over 80 percent is Hindu and 13 percent Muslim. In addition to sponsoring barefoot pastors, Rolling Hills is assisting India Gospel League in helping fund rural development and adopting villages. Helping communities to get clean water. Build housing and community centers.

And churches.

On November 7, 2009, a new church building was erected in Gantura in the region of Surgana. The words etched in stone in front of the church state: This Life Center is the gift of love from the friends at the Rolling Hills Community Church, USA. No city needed. No state needed. Just Rolling Hills Community Church, USA.

Pastor Bhaskar Kashram Powar views the new church building as a symbol of how far God has brought him. “When I think of the initial days of my ministry here, my heart goes back to the hardship I faced to establish His Kingdom. During the initial stages of ministry, the church service was held in a hut. We faced tremendous problems at that time. Now I praise God that He removed the barrier in my ministry by answering our prayers in giving us a good church building.”

Bob Ervin, who is the Local/Global Team Leader at Rolling Hills, shares that he heard stories of believers digging their own graves because they knew they were going to be killed for their faith. And still, they are willing to live for their faith.

Rolling Hills Children’s Pastor Gary Strudler, who will return to India in March to train children’s leaders for Children’s Gospel League, shares: “Because they are believers, store owners won’t sell them groceries, and last year we heard stories of homes being burned.”

Christ followers in India intimately know the words of Jesus found in John 15:20: “If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also.” For more information, visit http://www.iglworld.org/

“And sometimes I will put the ball near Trent and act like he is throwing the ball and he laughs at that. He loves making voices, impersonating movies. During his freshman year of high school we would do a lot of thumb wrestling and he would use his other hand, and I teased him about cheating, and now, even though he does not have control of his hand, he remembers that and I will tease him about cheating at thumb wrestling and he laughs at that. He is pretty spirited, he loves to laugh, it is very contagious,” says Tyler.

Tyler first met Trent in 2003 while Tyler was an instructional assistant at Athey Creek Middle School in a special needs class. Trent was an eighth grader and Tyler had just finished his degree at Multnomah and was also an intern in youth ministries at Rolling Hills. He got to know Trent quite well while assisting in the classroom at Athey.

Trent has a rare terminal diagnosis; he is one of only a handful of cases in the State of Oregon in the past 30 years with that particular condition. He has seizures. He now uses a feeding tube to eat. He cannot dress himself.

“At the time that I started working with Trent, he was walking with the assistance of a walker but by the end of the year he was in his wheelchair full time.”

Tyler attended Trent’s eighth grade graduation. “Trent was never made fun of at school. Everyone grew up with Trent, from kindergarten on. I got to wheel Trent out on the stage when he got his diploma, and he was given a standing ovation. His reputation for being the young man that he was, was very contagious.”

When Trent continued his education at Wilsonville High School, Tyler was asked to help Trent in the family’s West Linn home on a regular basis. His family is also a believing family. “I just really hit it off with Trent, and his Mom and Dad saw that and I think that our mutual faith gave them a peace of mind to invite me into their home.”

Tyler has been arriving at Trent’s house at 7 a.m. most school mornings since 2004 to help Trent prepare for school. Trent was 14 when Tyler started. Trent is now 19 and attending a post-high school special school.

“I feed him breakfast, get him dressed. Over the five years he has become chair ridden with no use of his legs. He has been non verbal the past two years. He now gets fed through the tube. It changes each year. We read books together; we listen to his Odyssey and Veggie Tales tapes. I stay with him ‘til the school bus comes. We listen to music on his I-Pod which was given to him by actor Will Smith during Trent’s Make-a-Wish day. Trent has the joy of the Lord in him and he blesses you without even saying anything.”

He attended Tyler’s marriage to Kate in 2006. “It was here at the church. I did not see him before hand and when it came time to do our vows, Trent heard my voice — it was miked — and he was very excited hearing us do our vows. He responded out loud to the vows, it was audible, and he can’t speak so he communicates by making noises. For him it starts with a big smile and turns into a happy screech, and everyone at the wedding heard it, and they all know about Trent in my life. It made the moment that much more special.”

This summer Trent’s mom and dad needed some time to get away, so Tyler came over on three days to take care of Trent.

“He is loving life in his current situation, that is a testimony, being happy with simple things.”

“I read the scriptures of doing unto the least of these, and I know he has taught me about having a servant’s heart.”

Originally published in Rolling Hills Community Church blog at: http://rhcc-compassion.blogspot.com/2009/08/home-in-trents-world.html

“Ann said to me, ‘I look out my office window and see a blank wall, and I am wondering if we could get a tree.’ So, we just got the tallest ladder and that was the tallest tree we could get,” said Joyce.

And from there they created what feels like a small part of paradise in the northeast Portland Kinship House.

“We put in some smaller trees and some flowers and Jason hung a tire swing from the tree. We added some extra huge flowers. We did the flowers in neon paint. Red, blue, green, yellow. The colors really pop out, it made it more fun, more whimsical. The Kinship House is really a great idea. Their purpose really fueled my inspiration.”

Kinship House is a place that feels like home. It provides a safe haven blending child welfare and mental health services for children and families during various stages of foster care and adoption.

When Joyce was asked to paint a mural, she commissioned her friends Amy Aamodt-Allenbrand and Jason Allenbrand to join her. Joyce had met them on a mission trip to Mississippi two years ago. Though Jason and Amy do not consider themselves artists, they were willing to lend a hand.

“Joyce is definitely the artist, we just came along and tried to see what we could do. Joyce took the lead and she taught us how to make the trees look like trees. She is really good about experiential learning, ‘Just try it,’ she’d say.”

The three of them started the project a year ago painting the mural of trees in the back of the Kinship House, and the project continued this year in the front of the building. Other Rolling Hills members, including Vince Mast and Paul Fruin, have done earlier work at Kinship House.

Painting murals with trees and bright flowers is very different from Joyce’s professional work as a forensic artist with Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, where she does, among other tasks, composite drawings from witness descriptions.

“Mostly I do pictures of bad guys. That is where I make my money,” explained Joyce.

Her father was a police officer. “Dad was a lot of influence on me. Looking at the crime. He would bring it home. It was part of my life growing up. I saw it as interesting. And now to do this professionally, for me to have the position that I have, is God-given. It is part of my testimony. . .I was baptized by my forensic art teacher.”

Joyce enjoys various kinds of art, including quilting and drawing using color pencil. She has created murals for kayaks and children’s rooms. “My art at work is black and white. When I do art other than my work it is full color. I keep the two separated.”

Joyce relishes sharing her love for art — especially murals — with others. She has taught classes in various venues including Oasis in the summer. If you are curious as to who created the murals depicting Bible stories on the hallways for Tree House ministries, look no farther than Joyce. And once again, Jason and Amy were by her side.

“People just love murals. It takes something mundane and makes it whimsical. I think people like color, and instead of just looking at a blank wall, they see color. It is something pleasing to the eye.”

Reflecting on their recent work, Jason and Amy are honored to have had the chance to volunteer with Joyce.

“At the Kinship House, the staff would say, ‘This will bring so much color to the kids, instead of seeing the back of the building; when the children come to this place there will be life and warmth—just a happy place.”

For more information on the Kinship House, visit www.kinshiphouse.org

Oringally written for Rolling Hills Community Church: http://rhcc-compassion.blogspot.com/2009/09/from-mundane-to-whimsical.html