Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Thoughts before Christmas

Thankful for turkey, the trimmings, and friends
(not necessarily in that order) at Thanksgiving

Hope despite questions
“‘How can this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God’” (Luke 1:34-35).

It is not unusual for us to look around Japan and wonder how—or even if—it is possible for God’s Word to penetrate the unreceptive soil that characterizes Japan. Truthfully, we can’t see that much has changed as far as the impact of the Gospel upon Japan in the nearly 30 years we’ve lived and worked here. Churches are still small; Christians are still only about one percent of the population; there is still an average of only about one church for every 16,000 people, and there aren’t enough pastors to fill the pulpits of even the few churches there are. (Tarumi Church, for example, is still seeking a Japanese pastor 4 ½ years after we left to come to Tokyo.) Things don’t look very different from how they were when we first came to Japan as SAMs (special assignment missionaries) in 1976. Honestly, there are times that we ask God, along with Mary, “How can this be?”

As we enter December, we do so with the assurance that Gabriel gave Mary in reminding us that we have hope because the Holy Spirit is at work, even here. We can look forward to the day when the power of the Most High will overshadow Japan and make the impossible possible—exactly what Gabriel declared in saying, “For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:38). We don’t know how it will happen, and neither did Mary. But she accepted the angel’s words of hope despite her questions. We want to do the same.

December plans
We’re looking forward to going to Kobe from December 22-January 4. During this time, we’ll speak at two Sunday services, the Christmas Eve candle service, and the New Year’s Day worship service at Tarumi Church. It is always our joy to return to Kobe, and we’ve been privileged to do so monthly this year. But it will be extra special for us to be in Kobe with Benjamin, Donald, and Stephanie (not to mention Little Ben in utero) It will be “like old times,” considering that Kobe was our home for 21 years—the place Ben and Stephanie grew up. Of course, it’s not our home anymore, so we’re grateful to SAM Millie Michael for opening her home to all of us. Please pray that all the year-end services will bring glory to God, encouragement to the church people, and provide evangelistic opportunities that will draw new people to Tarumi Church.

We’re also looking forward to December 16 at Hagiyama Church, on the outskirts of Tokyo, where we serve as cooperating pastors. Bernie will have the joy of baptizing two individuals that day, bringing to four the number of people he’s baptized at Hagiyama Church this year. (He also baptized two at Easter at Tarumi Church. Praise the Lord!) We’re excited about all that God is doing in this church through the ministry of Pastor and Mrs. Ogata. We feel so positively about this couple and their ministry—a second “career” for Pastor Ogata who entered the ministry at 55 years old after many years as a physical education teacher at the elementary, high school, and university levels. (Bernie says he wishes he could clone them for Tarumi.) Please pray for the Ogatas who’ve had some discouraging challenges lately. Pray also for the two who will be baptized, that they will continue growing daily in their newfound faith.

Fall staff meeting
We’re thankful for a successful two-day fall staff meeting on November 23-24. We met the first day at Tamagawa Seigakuin for sharing annual fall reports, praying together for individual concerns and needs expressed in the reports, discussing business (only a little), and playing games (much more fun than the business part). On the second day, our staff of 10 was joined by 5 guests for Thanksgiving dinner, complete with turkey and most, if not all, the trimmings. The food was great and the fellowship was even better, if that was possible. We can’t remember the last time we’ve laughed so much and for such a long time as we did on the 24th. Games are so GREAT for team building, and we played some extra fun ones this year. For details, ask us about “Human Twister,” “Artist, Model, and Clay,” “Big Boodie,” and the artist’s version of “The Telephone Game.”

We’re also thankful for our missionary staff. As you pray for us, please also remember our other staff members and their important, but sometimes difficult and discouraging assignments: Rachelle Bargerstock (Tama Sei and Nishi-Kunitachi Church, Tokyo); Mike and Makiko Boyle (Hagiyama Church and its English program, Tokyo); Alina Croall (Seiai Kindergartens and Nishi-Kunitachi Church); Millie Michael (Kansai SAM and Tarumi Church, Kobe); Zonia Mitchell (Saga University and Saga Church, Kyushu); Abby Spear (Tama Sei and Nishi-Kunitachi Church); and Mike Wagner (Tama Sei and Hagiyama Church, Tokyo).

Christmas is coming
Even here in Japan, Christmas has "hit" the stores. You'd almost think you were in the United States with Christmas carols being played, "Christmas products" adorning the shelves, and a slightly Japanese-looking Colonel Sanders in a red Santa suit standing outside a nearby Kentucky Fried Chicken. For comparison, when we first lived in Japan, there were no signs of Christmas anywhere except in churches. But merchants know a good thing when they see it, and Christmas has become big business in Japan, too.

Of course, our prayer is that one day the "Christmas hype" will somehow lead people to the Babe in the manger even as the star, against all odds, led the wisemen. Even though it's still November, we wish you a MEANINGFUL and MERRY CHRISTMAS. God bless you!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Three Women


Our lovely new friends in Hyogo Prefecture

Both of my grandmothers, Daisy Hyman and Leona Johnson, have been gone for some time now. Yet I often remember them and wish I could sit down and chat with them—of course, over chocolate chip cookies that they loved to bake (and I loved to eat). This past week, I felt I had that chance, even though there were no cookies.

While visiting Kobe, we decided to drive an hour and a half into the countryside to our favorite pottery village, Tachikui. En route, we were drawn to a thatched-roof, old-style traditional Japanese home. It always spelled character from afar, though we’d never driven up the narrow road for a closer look. But this time, spontaneity took precedence over schedule. We were greeted by an older woman in customary farmer-style clothing. Her immediate smile lit up her weathered face and assured us that we were welcome. Her husband, also appropriately dressed, underscored the warm reception by inviting us inside to see the architecture of their 260-year-old home and the woodblock prints he enjoys carving in his spare time. Feigning shock that he would show off “that dirty old house,” the farmer’s wife delighted us with cute giggles and conversation about this and that, not all of which we understood. We left with their calls to “come again” ringing in our ears. It was just like I’d been at Grandma’s house.

But at Tachikui, the mood was somber when we asked about our 83-year-old potter friend. We learned he’d passed away only three weeks earlier. When his wife of many years, her back bent low by osteoporosis, came outside to greet us, I immediately embraced her and shared her tears. Both of my grandfathers had died first. Once again, I felt like I’d been with my grandmothers, comforting them in their sadness and loss.

Two days later, I went to the hospital to visit the woman we’ve always called our “Japanese Grandma.” Although her chemotherapy has caused her hair to gray and fall out, her face remains beautiful, accented with warmth, love, and a quick smile. I tried to excuse myself after an hour of chatting, but she had much more to share, so I stayed longer. I hated that deadlines kept me checking my watch, but eventually I had to leave. Grams never wanted me to leave either, but I always had some schedule I had to meet. As the elevator doors closed on the sixth floor, my last glimpse was of Baaba waving. I could see Grams in her face, and that brought a sweet smile to my own.

Since then, however, I’ve been struggling with the bittersweet as I remember these three women. As a Christian missionary, it is my fervent prayer that my Japanese friends and acquaintances will come to believe that Jesus is God’s Son, sent into our world to demonstrate God’s love and to offer forgiveness. How I long to see them open their hearts and accept the gift. But these three women, all in their 80s, are completely bound by Japanese traditions, customs, and religions, whether they believe them or not. In fact, Baaba once told us that belief has absolutely nothing to do it. Rather, she accepted her role and its responsibilities when she married, and she will do what is expected of her until she dies. In moments of reflection, I confess that it seems impossible for any of these women—and, dare I say it, most of Japan—to come to Christ.

Although I don’t understand how it is possible, I take comfort in the angel’s words to Mary who questioned how she could bear God’s Son: “For nothing is impossible with God,” (Luke 1:37). It’s the only thing I have to hold onto.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

At Shibuya Crossing

Some of the three million people
who wade across Shibuya Crossing daily


Over crowded. Jam-packed. Teeming. Swarming. Busy. Congested. Crammed full. Packed out. Suffocating. All of these adjectives and others could be used to describe Tokyo, the city in which we’ve lived since 2003. And did we say it’s heaving with people here?

Whatever the verbal portrait, however, words just can’t convey the experience of being in Japan’s most populated city: 12.5 million at night and14.6 million by day, when commuters from surrounding areas fill the trains beyond capacity to make their way dutifully into the city for work. Largest of the nation’s 47 prefectures in population, Tokyo is its third smallest in geography, accounting for the dubious honor it holds as Japan’s most densely populated location (2,215 people per square mile). But, as we said, words don’t do it justice. You just have to experience it.

Which is what we did on Sunday afternoon when we went to Shibuya, one of the major downtown areas, only a 15-minute train ride from us. Shibuya Station itself was busy enough to make me wonder whether we should have taken out travelers insurance. But exiting the station and coming face-to-face with Shibuya Crossing was even riskier, just a few steps to be sure, but definitely not for the faint-hearted. Three million people—or one-fourth of all of Tokyo—cross the street in all directions at this crisscross intersection made famous in Bill Murray’s 2003 movie, “Lost in Translation.” That’s a swarm of 1,500 people traveling every time the light changes! And there we stood, trying to take a picture in the midst of it all.

Task finally accomplished, I stepped up out of the fray and positioned myself on the edge of a large concrete planter where I could get a good view and comprehend all I was seeing. It was then that I began to see faces. Beforehand, there was only a mass, a sea of humanity that didn’t seem human at all. But from my elevated perch, I began to see—really see—for the first time: the pleasant man who looked up and smiled, prompting me to return his greeting and enjoy his jaunty gray felt hat with the feather stuck in its brim; an elderly couple, she bent by osteoporosis, he gallantly defending her as they navigated the treacherous crossing; the cute little boy with contemplative eyes being piggybacked in a child carrier; the teenager with her shaggy-cut, turquoise-dyed hair, a red and black plaid scarf wrapped around her neck; the surprising young man, his hair arranged in a mohawk of six-inch red, black, and gray spikes, his black jeans so weighted with chains I marveled that he could walk or even keep his pants up.

I recalled Bernie’s comment as we’d eaten lunch a few minutes earlier at Yoshinoya, a Japanese fast-food rice bowl eatery, “How is it possible to reach some of these for Christ?” And I wondered—if Jesus had been standing there instead of me, would he have wept as he did over Jerusalem? Surely.