Dear Friends,
This year (2018) marks the 150th anniversary of the Japanese government’s end (in 1868) of about 250 years of self-imposed isolation and the beginning of Japan’s efforts to become a major international power. The first missionaries of the Christian churches and churches of Christ arrived in Japan fifteen years later to begin mission work.
In 1883, two families, Mr. & Mrs. Charles Garst and Mr. & Mrs. George Smith, began work in Akita Prefecture (on the northwest coast of Japan). One year later, the Garsts had their first convert. The churches they established in Akita and Honjo still exist and are active today.
Since that time, churches of our brotherhood have been established from one end of Japan to the other. The minister of one of those churches near us, Bro. Hideo Yoshii, passed away on July 30th at the age of 84. He was one of the most respected and widely known ministers of our brotherhood in Japan, serving as minister of the Kanoya church for over fifty years. He also established a kindergarten and used it effectively to share the gospel and lead people to Christ.
I had the privilege to be a coworker of Brother Yoshii for almost 40 years. He was a great example and inspiration to me in his preaching, evangelistic zeal, and involvement in the local community. In accordance with his wishes, I conducted his funeral service on August 1st in Kanoya. The hundreds who attended the service gave testimony to the extent of his impact and influence.
Brother Yoshii’s Funeral
A lot has happened since our last newsletter. August 14th, Mary and I flew back to the States at our own expense for some needed rest and recharge time. We spent the first two weeks with our kids and grandkids in Boston and Conway, Massachusetts. It was a joy to share in their daily activities and spend time with our grandkids, who had grown so much since we last saw them. After that, we spent some time with family in the Midwest.
We returned to Japan in mid-September to begin our fall schedule of activities. On October 21st, the Yoshino church held its annual evangelistic meeting with guest speaker, Daiki Kishimoto, president of Osaka Bible Seminary. In spite of inclement weather, about thirty people came to hear Brother Kishimoto share the gospel. One of those in attendance was the mother of one of our church members and seems to be open to the gospel.
Evangelistic Meeting with Bro. Kishimoto
October 29th, I was in Tokyo to speak for the Sunday worship service at the Sannobara Church of Christ. That afternoon I was the guest speaker for the 5th Sunday Rally for our churches in the Tokyo area, which was held at the Sannobara church. My messages were well-received, and I appreciated this opportunity to fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Tokyo.
Tokyo 5th Sunday Rally
November 11th, we drove over to our campground in Tarumizu (about an hour away on the other side of the bay) with members of the Yoshino church to do some much needed cleanup work on the camp building and grounds. After taking care of that, we enjoyed our picnic lunch and ended the day with a little hiking in the area to take in the beautiful fall weather.
Campground Cleanup Group
November 23rd, over 50 members from seven of our churches in Kagoshima Prefecture gathered at the Kanoya church for our 64th Annual Rally. We drove some members from the Yoshino church and Tarumizu church in our van to attend this all-day rally featuring two messages by our guest speaker, Brother Mugino.
November 23rd Prefectural Rally
December 8th, six ladies from the Yoshino church accompanied me to the Kagoshima prison for the Christmas program for the inmates there. The ladies were part of the special music program, which also included a handbell group. The Christmas message this year was brought by Brother Kuboki, one of the other two Christian chaplains, besides myself, working at the Kagoshima prison. Speaking for the Christmas service is done on a rotating basis.
Children’s Christmas Program
December 16th, Saturday afternoon, the Yoshino church held its 10th Children’s Christmas Program. A few days earlier, ladies from the church passed out flyers about the program to kids at the local grade schools. By the time the program started, eighteen children and four mothers had gathered. The kids played games, did handcrafts, watched a Christmas video, and listened to my short Christmas talk. They had a good time and, most importantly, went home with a better understanding of what Christmas is really about.
On December 24th, I preached for Christmas worship services at Kokubu and Yoshino. As always, the Yoshino service was followed by a delicious Japanese-style potluck dinner and a fun fellowship time afterward.
Yoshino Church Christmas Potluck Dinner
December 25th is not a holiday in Japan. If Christmas falls on a weekday, kids go to school as usual; so Mary and I went to our respective colleges for our usual Monday classes. We decided not to cancel our classes so that we could do special Christmas activities to teach the true meaning of Christmas. Mary took Japanese-English New Testaments to her classes and had the students read the story of the first Christmas in English. I gave my students a “pop quiz” about Christmas and used it to explain the significance of the Christmas events. I also took Japanese-English New Testaments to my classes so they could take one home and read about the first Christmas for themselves. All of my students took one.
We enjoyed a delayed Christmas dinner on the 27th at our house, prepared by Mary and my sister Hope. The year ended for us with a New Year’s Eve prayer service at the Yoshino church.
We are very grateful for the way the Lord has blessed us through your prayers and financial support in 2017. Thank you for faithfully upholding our ministry here.
In Him,
Walter & Mary