Wheel Chair Users Ride Horses

Nana's House, based in Tokyo, Japan, holds horse-riding gatherings for children and disabled people.

To help a disabled person get on a horse, group members have been lifting him or her onto the saddle while standing on empty beer crates. But disabled people are prone to lose their balance and fall, and the heavy lifting also strains the backs of their able-bodied helpers.

Nana's House developed a mounting ramp two years ago, but they stopped using it because it took five or six hours to assemble. So they built a new ramp that fits onto the bed of a mini truck so wheelchair users can enjoy the sport more easily and safely.

As the ramp on the truck bed is at saddle level, group members can move a disabled person from the wheelchair to a horse safely.

Horse riding not only improves disabled people's physical strength, but also has the therapeutic benefit associated with touching animals.

Source: Yomiuri Newspaper, 2007-09-24

It is very good for disabled people to enjoy a better quality of life through horse-riding, but there is something still better!

Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses:

but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

All the Japanese need to know that there is a true God who can meet their needs in every way whether they are in good health or challenges from day to day living.

Earthquakes and Misc.

Our island is Hokkaido. Where the red dot is on south-eastern part of island, Kushiro, is where the earthquake was. We live on the northern point area on the western coast to the right of where that white island 'dot' is. From Teshio to Kushiro is about an 8 hour drive.
That area can have quite a few small earthquakes but our areas has only had a 4 or so type once in the last 10 years. We are very thankful for that. Thank you for your prayers for our safety from day to day.

Replacing the outside wall and the lower block foundation of office area.

lower block work that had to be built back up again...

interesting and challenging work when the wall is already made above it.

Outside wall and block work done on this end.

We have mentioned that Ken has been helping the Minks in Shibetsu two days a week with their renovations on their mission building. Below are several pictures of the current stages of the outside work. Inside work continues to go forth as well even as they live in the building. Mostly they are concentrating on outside work at the moment while the weather is good. The left hand side of the building where the open walls are will be the main office. The metal stairs to the right of that are the main entry, right now, to the 'church' area of the building on the 2nd floor. The Minks live on the 3rd floor and access there through the new entry way to the far right of the van in this picture. You can just see a little of the top of the door area. Once inside there are stairs to the 2nd and 3rd floors. Eventually the outside rail stairs will be taken out all together.