Category: Update

Our latest updates

Furlough: A Summer Homecoming

Post author By Nathaniel Reutter
Post date 9 Sep ’18
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Every two years our family embarks on an exciting, unique adventure. This adventure takes us across the world to visit people and places near and dear to our hearts. These places — especially these people — mean so much to us — they’re the very reason we can live in Japan and share God’s love here. This adventure is called furlough, and it’s a chance for our family of 6 to check in and catch up with our loved ones.

While furlough may seem long to some, and to others it seems like a vacation, it is much more than all of that. For in the short amount of six weeks, the kids catch up with 2 years of Grandpa/Grandma time, we speak at a different church each weekend, we travel all over the country to make important visits, we update our legal and banking matters, we raise more support and all while dealing with jet lag. Yes, furlough is far from normal — and the change of pace that is very refreshing at first becomes an impulse propelling us back towards Japan for the next phase of life. In our newest video, you get a sense of the beauty, excitement, business and adventure that is furlough in our next video. Enjoy!

We now come back to a very exciting time here in Japan for us as our church is opening a new coffee shop — a place for the community to come, enjoy the BEST coffee around and connect with people full of God’s love. In fact, upon arriving here in Japan, I (Nate) went off to serve in a weekend retreat our church hosts called “Encounter with God.” It was such a powerful time and so many of the people who participated felt God’s presence and love like never before. We are more excited than ever to be a part of God’s move here in Japan!

Encounter with God Japan — Wow! What a weekend!

Now we are looking forward to this next week and weekend when we will have the grand opening of our brand new coffee shop. This coffee shop will be open during the week and serve the best speciality coffees as well as have an all-you-can-drink special blend coffee — a first (as far as we know) for Japan! Then on Sundays we will hold our church services in the coffee shop itself. It certainly serves two amazing purposes! If you live anywhere nearby or here visiting, please stop by!

LIJ Episode Lives Update

Roses, Kids and Cafes and What Ties Them Together

Post author By Nathaniel Reutter
Post date 26 May ’18
No Comments on Roses, Kids and Cafes and What Ties Them Together

What do roses, our blonde American kids and cafes have in common? See if you can figure it out in episode 5 of Life in Japan, as we secure our new cafe/church location. To celebrate, we visit the famous Rose Garden in Ikuta with our family. That’s right, all these things are related, and they’re all right here in Noborito. Hope I didn’t give anything away now…

Lives Update

A “Sharp” Start to 2011

The Hrubik family all together!

Judging by the start of 2011, it should be an exciting, fruitful year! The girls are quite busy people, walking around, climbing on anything and everything, blabbing away and even helping mom and dad with the housecleaning. They are more and more fun every day as they interact with us and each other. The word “no” is being taught, much to their dismay (but for their own good). Being parents of twins is not just a full-time job — it’s two full-time jobs. Fortunately over the holidays we had Ruth’s family in town to celebrate Christmas with us! We were so, so very busy last year that this year we are paring back a bit in order to balance our new life-responsibilities well!

Robbery Prompts New Security Measures

Among some of the more interesting happenings as of recently has been the theft of several things from our property. Just before Christmas, robbers started entering our yard when we were not home — jumping over the tall walls. Unfortunately, we had lots of the girls clothes stolen, their bedding, our clothes and many other things left on the drying line. Just two weeks ago they opened up our outdoor chest freezer and took everything in it — tupperware and all! Even the brooms and fabric softener went. We had to do something, so we installed a security-camera system to deter the thieves. But they just kept coming in, even entering while we were at home. When we saw them trying to break into our house (via the video footage), we knew something more had to be done. We got some quotes and installed some concertina wire around the walls. The stuff is nasty, and hopefully will deter the crooks. Hence the “sharp” start to the year.

A few fingers were pricked during the installation of this fence.

But no security measure is perfect, nor could it be. Our treasure isn’t here on this earth anyway. Thank goodness our treasure is in a place where thieves can never steal it. Is yours? Sometimes you don’t know the answer to that until something is stolen. What would your attitude be then? In the end, we’ve been praying for the good of our “enemies” by praying for their repentance and salvation. But we must also be wise in this world and do our part to protect our family and the things God has given us to use for His Work, hence the fence.

2011 — The Year of Discipleship

Looking back on 2010, we were able to complete a vast majority of our goals. The CD was launched successfully, we had a successful (but quick) furlough in the States, our ministry and family grew (physically, not in numbers). But some of these things happened at the expense of other goals: cell group and discipleship growth. For 2011, we realized we needed to make these things a bigger priority, because they’re a priority to God. 2011 is the year of discipleship and multiplication (cell group growth). We are focusing on investing in our future leaders and disciples, to raise them up to take over the groups we’re going to multiply this year.

Our vision is to multiply our group early this year, supervizing the new groups as we train in two different couples in each group to lead. Then in October, we multiply both of those groups again, installing 4 couples as leaders. Please pray with us to see that happen! To invest in leaders, it takes time, but the harvest in great!

Praise and Prayer Requests

Praises

Our continual safety in Brazil
Generous year-end gifts
A great 2010, with an even better 2011 coming

Requests

The raising up of new leaders
Wisdom in balancing all of our responsibilities in the mission, church, family and ministry
Continued increase in support

We thank each and everyone of you from the bottom of our heart for your generous support of our family and Project AmaZon. We look forward to seeing all that God has for us in 2011! Enjoy these pictures and don’t forget to click them to see them larger!

Update

6 Months, 2 Babies

I arrived home in Brazil to this beautiful woman! Ruth is 6 months along, and she and the babies are doing well. We just had an ultrasound done yesterday and found that one baby is 1 kg and the other 750 g. This is well within the normal range but means that there is a 2 week difference in the due date of the babies. We’re praying that the smaller one catches up with the bigger one. In just the last week (since the last ultrasound) the smaller one made progress, so praise God! Doctor’s orders are for Ruth to eat well and rest much. Wow! Not bad 🙂 Our doctor here is great and meets with Ruth almost once a week to keep a close watch on those precious babies.

I had a wonderful trip to the States, visiting family and friends, running across the States like a madman! A few of the highlights included:

3 family reunions (dad’s side, mom’s side & immediate) in 2 weeks
Going to the Henry Ford Museum
Visiting a couple churches, pastors and missions teams
Staying in 6 different homes 6 days in a row!
Seeing a car go through a building (not on purpose either)
Golfing the worst and best golf game of my life
Enjoying hot tubs everywhere I went
Seeing how much things have (and in some cases have not) changed in 3 years

I got a chance to see many of you and thank God for allowing me to pack in so much in such a short time.

Good thing I handled my own travel arrangements - these guys aren't the safest

Speaking of packing, I was able to bring down lots and lots of baby goodies as well as lots of the food cravings Ruth had. Using nearly every pound I had, I got everything down and nothing broke or spilled. Now that’s packing! I passed one of the important tests of missionhood.

Now that I’m back, I’m being put to work on an exciting new project with Project AmaZon. It’s our largest communication effort and I’m excited to dive in, but it means lots and lots of work. Work I need to do before the twins come! So off to work I go. Thanks for your prayers and support, they are making a huge difference here in the Amazon.

Update

A Desert in the Amazon

At the end of July, we had a team from New Life Christian Church in Morton IL visit us. Our purpose for this trip: construct a new church building in Canp – a key city a good distance from Santarém. It was also the first time I had a good friend from college visit me down here in Brazil, Jason Duke!

As always, you can click any of these pictures to enter slideshow mode and see them larger. Use your arrow keys to navigate.

From the top deck of the line boat, Joaquim and Dad overlook Santarém

We left Santarém via line boat, or the public transportation of the Amazon Basin. It’s like taking a very slow bus on the water. Make sure to bring your own hammock, so you have somewhere to relax! It’s around a six hour ride down river to Monte Alegre (or “Joyful Hill”). We went right over the wedding of the waters where the blue Tapajós and brown Amazon rivers meet.

The chocolate brown Amazon meets the Carribean cool Tapajós

It was a beautiful trip to see the Amazon, with a number of rainbows appearing and a spectacular sunset over the Amazon River. We arrived in Monte Alegre at nightfall, and the city looked angelic as the sun had already set behind it.

Down below people hang their hammocks for a long, lazy ride

A blazing sunset lights up the Amazon jungle

Appearing angelic, the city of Monte Alegre basks in a glorious sunset

Read more about this exciting trip! Clip Page 2 below!