On the Hope of the Nativity

A scene from "The Nativity Story",

starring Keisha Castle-Hughes and Oscar Isaac

The nativity story
“. . . and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7, NIV).

Just in case you’re wondering: no, we’ve not forgotten to look at the calendar lately, and yes, we know that it’s only October! Nevertheless, we had the opportunity earlier this week to attend a preview showing of The Nativity Story, a movie that will be released under the title Maria in general theaters in Japan from early December, just in time for Christmas. We were asked to help promote the movie and also to pray that the hope of the nativity will be preached widely and become the hope of this nation “because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Would you pray with us, please?

Revival in the air?
Dare we imagine such a hope as revival for Japan? Of course, we know that the promises of the Bible are true. But, to be honest, sometimes it’s very difficult to see that God is working here in Japan. With a Christian population of one percent at most, Japan is one of the most resistant fields in the world for Christian evangelization.

Needless to say, it’s thrilling when we see signs of God at work in our midst. As principal at Tamagawa Seigakuin, Bernie got reports from three different Christian summer camps that Tama Sei girls attended, including Tama Sei’s own Bible camp in July (see our August newsletter). A second camp was a Tokyo area Nazarene youth camp, where Bernie was the speaker. The third camp was organized by Tokyo Baptist Church. Between these three camps, more than 30 Tama Sei girls made decisions for Christ and/or to be baptized this summer!

As Bernie was sharing this exciting news with Cheryl, he commented, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if these girls were the start of a revival at Tama Sei and that would spread all over Tokyo?” Indeed! And all over Japan, too! Would you join us in praying for this?

The “no” that opened a door
In September, we asked for prayer for Atsumi Nijuken, seeking to find a hospital willing to accept a program to care for mothers whose pregnancies end in miscarriage, stillborn births, or the deaths of newborn infants. We were disappointed when a leading hospital of obstetrics and gynecology in Kobe turned down her request—the second hospital where there was a good chance for Ayumi, the organization Nijuken-san has founded, to begin its work. Nevertheless, the Tarumi Church woman is excited about the very positive reception that the hospital gave her and the door that has opened despite denying the permission she requested. The new opportunity is for Nijuken-san to provide the tiny doll clothes-size gowns to a lead nurse at the hospital who visits public schools to talk about the value of life. Considering that abortion is the number one method of birth control in Japan, this is a message that very definitely needs to be shared wherever possible. Nijuken-san is confident God has opened a door that she never expected.

Through the contact at the hospital, Nijuken-san also learned of an annual “convention” in Kobe of people and organizations that have various services to offer to parents. Each group is allowed to set up a booth in a convention center where they can explain their services and/or programs. Already Nijuken-san is making plans for a booth at this upcoming convention (after the first of the year). Please pray with us that this will open the right doors for Ayumi and bring this fledgling ministry into contact with women who need to be comforted in their loss.

By the way, while we were disappointed in the no to Nijuken-san’s request, she herself was completely cheery. “God has a little different plan than I had,” she said confidently. “I just have to keep looking for it.” Please pray that God will soon show her his plan.

Other prayer concerns
In our August newsletter, we shared the exciting conversion story of Eriko Tanaka. Unfortunately, recently her brother has become violent towards her. Pray for Tanaka-san’s protection. Her faith remains strong, but is certainly being challenged.

Also, Cheryl is hard at work on the 1998 international testimonies book, Yet I Will Rejoice, and a history book, Into All the World: A Century of Church of God Missions. The latter book, on which she is working with her father, is to be published in late 2008 as part of celebrating the hundredth anniversary of organized missions within the Church of God. It will include a reprinting of Lester Crose’s history, Passport for a Reformation (through 1980), and our additional thirty years since then, in addition to a number of appendices. Among these are 20 one-page biographies. Needless to say, this is a huge project. Please keep both of these books in your prayers.

Thank you so much for your prayers on which we depend!

On the Joys of Technology

Stephanie and baby, 22 weeks and counting

"The Joys of Technology." To be honest, this is one of the least likely of all subjects on which I might ever write. It would be right up there with, “How to Get to the Moon” (although I can pretty well get around Tokyo now), “French Cooking,” or for that matter, any cooking at all (although I once edited a cookbook and taught cooking classes in Fukuoka and Kobe), and, “How to Love Your Dog” (especially after seeing the sweatered and diapered one being carried by its owner in Jiyugaoka today). A much more probable topic for me would be, “I Hate Technology.”

Suffice it to say that I don’t enjoy or understand my computer, although it is indispensable to my work—which is why, and I’m giving your fair warning, I don’t want anyone changing my settings for any reason, thank you very much. I also don’t turn on our television, DVD player, or video. Actually, I’ve never cared that much for television, even the small black and white portable that was in my parents’ kitchen for years and was operated with a simple on/off switch. Truth is, I don’t know how to navigate all the technology today that is second nature to most anyone younger than I am, but as long as I can turn the computer on and get my Microsoft Word program to operate, I don’t really care to learn more.

So why am I thinking about the joys of technology as I sit down to compose this blog? Chalk it up to my devotional time this morning. As I was thanking God for so many blessings in my life, I realized that yesterday the computer and telephone had enabled us to talk with our son in Guam, my father in Indiana, our daughter in China, and Bernie’s mother, sister, nieces, and nephew-in-law in Missouri on the first anniversary of his father’s death. On top of that, e-mail had enabled me to make good progress on a history book that my father and I are writing together, despite being half a world apart in miles.

Talking with God, I admitted with thanksgiving that it is technology that keeps my far-flung family together. After all, the Creator of the universe also fashioned human intelligence and formed those whose inventions enrich my life so much, allowing me to stay in instant communication with those I love nearly twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Among other things, I can “watch” our daughter’s tummy expand as the baby grows in her womb. How different than our early days in Japan when we heard about Bernie’s father’s heart attack in a letter ten days after the fact. (And this was far better than even a generation earlier when our missionary predecessors came by freighter to Japan rather than hopping a plane for an easy, although long, trans-Pacific flight.)

It is astounding to think that our daughter has even called me to discuss a recipe while she was cooking dinner, as though she were in the apartment next door. Now I’m just waiting for the day technology enables me to sample it, too!

When I Was 10

Actually, I think I was 11 here

(between my brother and sister).

The year was 1965. In the news . . .

*Cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov of the Soviet Union becomes the first person to walk in space on March 18.
*Canada adopts the red and white maple leaf design as its national flag.
*Tokyo overtakes New York City as the most populated city in the world.
*President Lyndon Johnson orders a build up of U.S. military presence in South Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000 troops, the U.S. begins regular bombing of cities in North Vietnam, and the first march against the Vietnam War brings out 25,000 protestors in the nation’s capital.
*Watts and Selma become household names in the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr.
*Gateway Arch, the symbol of St. Louis, Missouri, is completed on October 28. (This is for Bernie and his Missouri roots.)
*Winston Churchill dies at 90 years old on January 24 and Shania Twain is born on August 28. (This is also for my country music-loving man.)
*On August 15, the Beatles perform the first major stadium concert in rock and roll history at New York’s Shea Stadium and release their sixth album in early December.

Frankly, I remember few, if any, of these major events. I wasn’t into world events or the Beatles very much—not yet. Vietnam was to become big in my mind and I eventually wore a POW bracelet faithfully, but that wasn’t until I was in junior and senior high school. In 1965, I was only a sixth grader at Elmer Wood Elementary School in Atwater, California. I prided myself on being a good student in a class where the teacher rewarded those of us who were by seating us in the order of our academic standing. I was always number one or two. While I was thrilled, it must have been horrible for those on the other side of the classroom, but I didn’t think about that then.

I think about it now. My now-adult children are both teachers and my husband is a junior and senior high school principal. What I hadn’t taken time to notice—that school just might be a very difficult place for some kids—is something my son, daughter, and husband deal with daily. Ben has a child who cannot control his anger; Stephanie has a very defiant student; and Bernie sees girls regularly in his office for all sorts of things.

And then there’s 10-year-old Shohei—the reason I've been contemplating what it was like when I was his age. Shohei is not an angry, defiant, always-into-trouble kid. On the contrary, he is mild-mannered, on the serious side, and has a cute, shy smile. But Shohei is unhappy and doesn’t want to go to school. (This phenomenon is not unusual at all in Japan where some children linger on the fringes of school for months and years.) Is it bullying? Boredom? Fear? I don’t know, but I’m troubled for Shohei. I met him in May and prayed with him after he told me God is calling him to become a pastor. And I feel compelled to continue praying for him today.

Even if right now circumstances were perfect, it would be as many years as he is old (and more) before Shohei can realize this goal and actually become a pastor. In the meantime, something is wrong. Will you please join me in praying for Shohei?

Lessons from the Mountain

Mt. Fuji, dancing with the clouds

Mt. Fuji. Without doubt, this mountain is one of Japan’s most magnificent and beloved national symbols—and I’ve been on its patio all week long! How grateful I am for this personal writing retreat only a stone’s throw away from this grandeur. Looking out the window, I feel the mountain’s strength because of its close proximity.

Of course, that’s assuming you can see it. Actually, Mt. Fuji has been dancing with the clouds all week except for Monday, when I arrived in Fujiyoshida by a quaint, two-car train and had my ticket punched by a real person instead of an automated ticket wicket—the way it was everywhere when we first lived in Japan thirty years ago. Mostly the clouds have won, thanks to a typhoon that finally arrived late last night.

On my second morning, unable to see anything of the rocky mountain, I contemplated the lessons I could learn from the thick shroud that blocked even a glimpse of it. Here they are: 1) Mt. Fuji is there, even though I don’t see it; 2) It’s close, even when there’s no evidence that it exists; 3) The fog and clouds don’t change the mountain at all; and,4) I will see the mountain again.

This morning, with the typhoon passed, Mt. Fuji began peeking out from here and there under the cloud bank as if gauging whether it was safe to display itself once again. By the afternoon, the sky was a hazy blue, providing a gorgeous picture frame for the distinctively-shaped mountain. Tonight, as I walked at sunset, there was a rosy coloring setting the top of the mountain off from the darkening sky. Tomorrow promises to be an even more beautiful day.

While I could easily spend this final evening reveling in the beauty of the mountain and the hint of fall in the air, especially after a very productive week of writing, I find my thoughts surprisingly turning elsewhere: to my friend whose husband beats her, to another whose home life is threatening, and to a third acquaintance whose husband was just convicted of a crime his wife and family are sure he never committed. It has not been a good week for any of them. There is no rosy hue on the top of a picturesque mountain in their homes this evening. In fact, they are about as low down in the valley as it gets. What can I say to encourage these three women? I’m at a loss for words.

Suddenly I remember the lessons from Mt. Fuji. Eagerly, I call out to my sisters from my heart. Remember! God is present, even though you don’t see him now. God is close to you, even when you find no evidence at all that he exists. The dark valley in which you’ve been thrust unwillingly doesn’t change God in the least. Finally, you will see God again. I promise you. Better yet, the Bible promises you. Hold fast to these truths, beloved, even in the midst of your storms, and take comfort from his words to you, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).

On Answers to Prayer

One of the babies in the Tarumi Mothers and Babies Class

Glory to God
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church in and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21, NIV).

There’s no way that we could ever improve upon Paul’s eloquent expression of praise and glory to God, expressed above. But what we can do is to join him in lifting up our own praises to God for many wonderful answers to prayer in the past month. We thank you as well for joining us in the work in Japan through your faithful prayers. Let us share some recent answers to prayer so that you can praise God along with us.

New SAM arrival
We’re praising God that Millie Michael arrived safely in Japan on August 21. It was a joy to meet her at the airport, along with nine people from Kobe and Osaka who represented the three churches in which she will teach English-Bible classes—the major part of her special assignment missionary responsibilities for the next two years.

Due to the lateness of her SAM appointment, it wasn’t possible to get Millie’s missionary visa prior to her coming to Japan. So she entered on a three-month tourist visa instead. Our plan was to apply for a change of status for her from within the country once she arrived. Little did we know that the Lord was preparing to do “immeasurably more” for all of us. Two days after she arrived, Bernie and Millie went to the Kobe immigration office and walked away shortly with the missionary visa stamped in her passport! What we’d hoped was only that they’d accept the application, assuming that we’d have to reappear at a later date to claim the visa. Never before, in all the visa processing work we’ve been part of, has it gone so smoothly and easily. Isn’t God good!

Because the visa came so quickly, Millie was also able to get her alien registration taken care of that very day. With that in hand, she was certified as completely legal and thus able to open her bank account. All this red tape for getting settled generally takes a lot of time, but Millie had most everything done in a very easy two days. And, the icing on the cake was that she also found a used motor scooter for a great price. The owner came down $50 in his asking price and threw in the cost of licensing and taxes, in addition to putting new tires on the scooter, changing a brake part, and even filling it up with gas! The phrase “immeasurably more” just kept resounding in our heads as we helped get Millie settled in Kobe during our nearly three weeks there last month. Praise the Lord!

Tarumi Church
Thank you for your prayers for us as we served Tarumi Church for three Sundays in August. In addition to preaching, we participated in several church programs. Among these was the monthly Mothers and Babies Class. Five mothers and their babies (ages 10-14 months) attended, learning baby massage and actions songs to sing with their infants. There was also a cake/coffee time in which the women shared personal concerns about being mothers and heard a short devotional message by Cheryl. Even without a pastor, this class meets regularly month after month. In fact, it was started by a lay person AFTER we moved to Tokyo. How good it was to see a tangible example of what we keep reminding Tarumi Church—that God has not forgotten them and is still at work there, giving visions and outreach ideas, and bringing new people into their midst. Nevertheless, we do ask for prayer that God will provide a Japanese pastor soon.

We were thrilled to hear of yet another vision God has given Tarumi Church—that of comforting mothers who experience miscarriages, stillbirths, or the deaths of their very young infants. Atsumi Nijuken has a plan to make doll clothes-size baby gowns in which to dress these little ones for their funerals—something basically unheard of in Japan, where the tiny bodies are only disposed. She also wants to provide a venue through which grieving mothers can share their anguish and questions. Please pray that God will open the door for Nijuken-san into a hospital that would avail itself of the gowns and allow her to promote Ayumi, the support group she is forming. Pray also that the new website will lead many mothers to Ayumi, and ultimately to Christ, as Nijuken-san herself was led to Christ after the tragic death of her seven-month-old baby in utero.

National church convention
Thank you for your prayers for the national church convention, August 3-5. Ann Smith shared such encouraging messages! We believe that God brought her back to Japan last month for specific conversations she had with specific people, in addition to her preaching responsibilities. There was a spirit of joy and enthusiasm at the convention that we’ve not felt for some time, something also noted by many other participants. Praise the Lord for doing “immeasurably more” in that setting, as well as for all he will do in the coming month as you continue to pray faithfully for us and the church in Japan.