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?

When Pain Brings Comfort

Not every pregnancy ends with a beautiful baby.

For those who mourn, there is Ayumi.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV).

It was her second pregnancy. Although the first one had been difficult, even dangerous, Atsumi Nijuken delivered a healthy baby girl. She and her proud husband named their daughter Tomoka. Three years later, they were again looking forward to having a baby.

But something went wrong. One day, seven months into the pregnancy, Nijuken-san noticed that the baby wasn’t moving. Upon examination, the doctor announced dreaded news. Nothing could be done except to induce labor. Ten days later, she delivered a second daughter—once again, perfectly formed, but dead. During four days in the hospital, the grief she experienced was a taste of hell, and the sight of pregnant women and babies aroused unbelievable feelings of envy, anger, and hatred within her.

It was also a frightening time. “What is happening to me? How can I possibly think such horrible things?” Nijuken-san anguished, knowing she didn’t really didn’t want to hate anybody. She only wanted to return to life as it had been before her baby died.

“Why did my baby have to die?” The question tormented her as much as her emotions. It was a question that had no answer—until later when her inner turmoil led her to a church and eventually to Christ.

“It was through the baby’s death that I was born again. Of course, the death of my baby was very hard. I didn’t want her to die. But through that difficult experience, both prayer and God became real to me,” Nijuken-san testifies.

Today she knows another reason for the pain God allowed—pain that also included a third pregnancy that ended in miscarriage before her prayers were honored and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Recently, God has given her a new vision: comforting other mothers who experience miscarriages, stillbirths, or the deaths of their very young infants. Her plan is 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. Nijuken-san also wants to provide a venue through which grieving mothers can share their anguish and questions. It is her desire to “comfort those in trouble” and “mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15) through forming a group called Ayumi (in English, a walk or stroll). She describes the name as indicative of walking with the hurting in their time of need.

After months of being unable to get a hearing for her plans from hospitals and clinics all over Kobe, Nijuken-san is scheduled to meet the head of a well-known obstetrics hospital on September 7. Please pray that the director may listen with open ears and grant favor to Nijuken-san’s proposal. Pray that Ayumi will be launched soon.

Kid's Place Visits the World in 2007

"Surgery" in an imaginary Haitian medical clinic

No sirens were wailing, but it was an emergency anyway. With the infection spreading, Julian’s only hope was an operation. Preparing the toilet paper bandages and her plastic knife scalpel, the doctor prayed and the operation began on the young patient, one of 200 children who joined the Kid’s Place 2007 World Tour and traveled in Hartung Hall on the Anderson University campus during North American Convention, June 22-27, 2007, in Anderson, Indiana.

On the whirlwind three-day adventure, elementary kids wrote in hieroglyphics and joined in an archaeological dig in Egypt, learned origami paper folding and ate rice with chopsticks in Japan, experienced the challenges of living below the poverty line in the United States, met “real live” missionaries from Africa, fashioned kangaroo-like pouches for prayers and threw boomerangs in Australia, and prayed for persecuted Christians in Egypt, among other activities. At the same time, preschoolers traveled to India in Little Kid’s Place, meeting in the facilities of Park Place Church, adjacent to the university campus.

New this year to the 25-year-old children’s program was a daily full group worship experience in Byrum Hall, the original camp meeting venue of more than 100 years ago. While opening kids’ eyes to the mission field around the world, Kid’s Place is committed to challenging them to answering God’s call today in preparation for the time he may tap them to become pastors and missionaries in the future.

“It’s awesome to see the ways God showed up at Kid’s Place,” declared Michelle Parker of Laurel, Mississippi, program director. “We’re expecting the same thing next year when Kid’s Place travels to China for the Olympics.”

By the way, Julian survived the imaginary operation in a medical clinic in Haiti, another destination on the World Tour. As a result, kids saw how missionaries share God’s love through preaching, teaching, and even medicine.

Curricula of past Kid’s Place programs written and/or edited by Cheryl are available at minimal cost through Church of God Ministries (check the Church of God Web site, call 800-848-2464 and ask for Vivian Atkins, or e-mail Vatkins@chog.org). Easily adaptable for vacation Bible schools, children’s church, or other kids programming, these curricula include missions studies of the 10/40 Window, Japan, Costa Rica, Thailand, the southern cone of South America, Australia/New Zealand, the islands of Micronesia, Hawaii, and the Caribbean/Atlantic region, among others. Additionally, a historical look at the Church of God helped kids celebrate the hundredth camp meeting/convention in 2006 through drama and interviews with church pioneers from bygone days.

Please pray with us for the nurturing of the next generation of missionaries, pastors, and church leaders.

Call to Prayer: International Day

Bernie shares his precious cowboy hat collection with

Tamagawa Seigakuin students on International Day 2006

It’s hard to believe that anyone in Japan could have been as gullible and uninformed as to believe Bernie. He was only joking when he told the Saga high school girl that American men get pregnant and have babies, not their wives. But more astounding than this image was the fact that she believed him—at least momentarily.

Then there was the group of Japanese university students that joined in a summer camp with participants from an American school. Afterwards, the Japanese were asked to write about what they learned from their experiences. Imagine my shock to read the essay of one of my students who wrote, “Americans have two arms and two legs, just like we do!”

Certainly we’ve had many opportunities in our 28 years as missionaries in this country to help educate Japanese about the world outside their borders. But what we most want to share with them are the truths of the Bible, beginning with John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Unfortunately, a common misconception of Japanese is that Christianity is a western religion. “We Japanese,” as they say in typical group talk, “are Buddhist or Shinto.” (Or both, or neither, I might add.) It is always a challenge to discover how to convey the message that God’s love is for the whole world, including Japan, in ways that will stir interest and kindle a desire for a personal relationship with God among people who, although religious, generally have no concept that this is needed or even possible.

On May 16, we hope to change this for Tamagawa Seigakuin third year junior high school students as they participate in the 4th International Day program on campus. Bernie has helped recruit nearly 40 Christian volunteers from more than 20 nations to come and introduce their countries, cultures, and languages, giving the girls opportunities to practice using their English conversation skills. But what will be highlighted uppermost is the international nature of the church—that the truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection is being proclaimed and accepted in countries all around the world. This wonderful day of sharing will begin with a worship service featuring gospel songs in several languages, testimonies, and an evangelistic message.

Please join us in praying for our guests as they prepare for International Day. Pray also that the Holy Spirit will move among the students, touching their hearts to consider their own response to the Gospel message. May it be true that May 16 was “the time of God’s favor” and “the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2) for many at Tamagawa Seigakuin who participate in International Day.

Special Call to Prayer

Ishanti. That’s what her uncle lovingly whispered three times into her right ear as he cradled her in his arms. The baby girl with tiny, perfectly formed features and a full head of jet black hair slept through it all. Just two weeks old, she didn’t know that Ishanti was her name, consecrated by a Hindu priest according to the position of the stars, nine planets, and the moon at the time of her birth. Now, in the presence of the priest, it was bestowed upon her by her uncle, aunt, parents, and grandparents in a solemn ceremony that invoked the multiple gods of Hinduism to bless her precious life.

Without doubt, we felt some dissonance yesterday as we observed this ceremony at the home of some acquaintances. For one thing, we are in Japan and not in India. Here we are accustomed to the trappings of Buddhism—family altars, some elaborate and as large as small closets; statues carved from wood or stone or cast in bronze and gold; prayer bracelets with beads of jade or colored glass; incense, flowers, and fruit offerings; and shaven-headed priests clad in the flowing robes of their trade.

The markers of Japan’s indigenous religion of Shintoism are also evident wherever one goes in this land—wooden archways called torii, often painted orange, that mark the entrances to holy sites, erected on mountaintops, in the water, on the edge of rice paddies or wooded areas, or even on rooftops; piles of small rocks stacked one on top of the other in the forests; gentle-faced stone-carved jizo statues beside the roads to protect travelers along their way; god shelves in homes and businesses; and more.

But this was our first encounter with Hinduism in Japan. Yet it wasn’t just this display of religious devotion in the fourteenth floor apartment with a magnificent night view of Tokyo that confronted us: the chanting; the elephant god statues; the numerous depictions of the eternal seeing eye that identifies Hindu temples; the incense and rice offerings; and the yellow-orange marigold petals used both as gifts to the gods and as blessings on those in attendance.

What challenged us most was wondering if little Ishanti, surrounded by love, could ever possibly come to know the God who is Love? And her mother and father? Looking around that room filled to overflowing with highly educated and financially privileged young men and women representing Indonesia, Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, and Japan, we felt more sadness than anything else. Where will this elite group spend eternity? Is there anything we can possibly do to influence this answer?

To be honest, we confess to feeling somewhat hopeless. Our worlds are so different, even if we do live in Tokyo. And yet, could it be that God himself brought Cheryl into contact with this family in order to be his link into her world? Why indeed would she have invited us, of all people, to attend this important celebration that is so sacred to Hindus? Mordecai’s words to Esther echo in our minds today, “Who knows but that you have come . . . for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).

Oh, God, embolden and equip your servants to do your bidding in this place that your Love may be proclaimed. One day, when we stand before you, may you declare to us, “Well done, good and faithful [servants]! Come and share your master’s happiness” (Matthew 25:21).