Vol 42_3, Winter-Spring 2011-2012

Dear Friends,

At 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2012, millions of Japanese stood silently with bowed heads to remember the thousands of people (over 19,000) who lost their lives in the enormous tsunami which engulfed entire towns and two nuclear plants a year ago. The effects of the disaster will continue to impact Japan for years to come. 

About 90,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes, businesses, and farms because of the triple meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. Prior to the disaster, 54 atomic reactors supplied 30 percent of Japan’s power. Today 52 of them are shut down--mostly for safety checks and maintenance--but due to rising anti-nuclear energy sentiment, it is uncertain when, if ever, these plants will restart.

On the positive side, last year’s disaster has caused many Japanese to refocus on the importance of relationships and family ties. Couples who had been putting off marriage are getting married. A major marriage matching service said the number of new members has increased by more than 30 percent compared with the year before, and it has made more successful matches among its members since the disaster.

Since the earthquake, the three-generation household lifestyle has been regaining popularity, especially in urban areas. The sale of houses for three-generation families has been growing, and some couples are remodeling their homes to accommodate their aging parents. This desire to connect with others can also be seen in the number of visits from personal computers to Facebook Japan. Seven months after the disaster, the number of visits reached 11.3 million--four times greater than the same period a year earlier. 

I believe this renewed interest in connecting with others provides Christians in Japan with a unique opportunity to establish relationships through which the gospel can be shared. I recently had an opportunity to share the gospel with someone I have known for many years. This gentleman, a retired school teacher (whom I will call Mr. N), had been coming to my Sunday night English class at the Yoshino church for many years but had never shown any interest in Christianity. He claimed to be an atheist.

Over a month ago, Mr. N was hospitalized with a serious health problem. When I visited him at the hospital, he was a different man. He was in despair, knowing that he would never fully recover his health and active lifestyle. He was looking for hope, which allowed me to connect with him in a way I had never been able to do before. I was able, with his permission, to pray for him and share the gospel with him in response to his questions about life and death. Please pray for him.

Let me review for you now the highlights of the past few months. December 3rd, we held our annual Christmas program at the Kagoshima prison. The ladies from the Yoshino church assisted with the special music, and I had the privilege of sharing the gospel with the 102 inmates in attendance. 

December 10th, the Yoshino church held its Christmas program for children in the Yoshino area. The members of the church worked hard on the publicity and planning for the program, which was attended by thirty grade school children. It was great to be able to share with them the true meaning of Christmas in a brief talk after a fun game time. Each child was given an animation-style booklet of the life of Christ to take home. 

December 19th, I was able to distribute 63 English-Japanese New Testaments to the students in my three classes at Kagoshima University. I also managed to work in a “Christmas quiz” to share with them the key truths about Christmas. 

I spent the morning of December 23rd going to the homes of those in need of encouragement for a brief visit and to leave some of Mary’s home-baked cookies. That evening, Mary and I went caroling with members of the Yoshino church. On Christmas Eve, Christians gathered at the Yoshino church for our candle service. 

Sunday, December 25th, we had Christmas services at Kokubu & Yoshino. The service at Yoshino was followed by a delicious fellowship meal and a Christmas program in which everyone took part. Christmas was an especially happy one for our family this year because about a week before Christmas we received the good news we had been waiting for. Son Trent, who was in the final year of his tenure track at Amherst College, called to tell us he had been granted tenure. It is a great relief to him and us to know that he will be able to teach at Amherst as a professor in the history department until he retires. 

The new year got off to a pleasant start for us with the unexpected visits of former English Bible class students to our home. January 7th, Mr. & Mrs. Murase stopped by to see us. They had met each other over thirty years ago at our English Bible class at the Kagoshima church when Mr. Murase was a student at Kagoshima University. After they were married, Mrs. Murase accepted Christ, and I baptized her at the Kagoshima church. It was good to see them again after more than thirty years. January 15th, another former EBC member, Mr. Kuroiwa, attended our Sunday service with his youngest daughter, who is a student at Kagoshima University. Mr. Kuroiwa had been a very active member of our EBC during his student days at Kagoshima over thirty years ago and even remembered babysitting Shelley and Trent. We had a great time reminiscing together.

February 20th-21st, I attended the annual meeting of Christian prison chaplains, which was held at Sasebo, near Nagasaki. It was a refreshing time in which we could share experiences and ideas from our prison ministries. March 6th, I took part in our ministers’ meeting at the Kagoshima church to discuss the possibility of hosting the 64th All Japan Christian Convention in Kagoshima in 2013. It will be a large undertaking for us. March 19th-20th, members of the Yoshino church attended the annual Rally for Evangelical Churches in Kagoshima. 

April 4th, I was one of two speakers for a gathering of our ministers and their wives, which was held in Hiroshima. Fifteen churches were represented at this gathering of co-workers primarily from the central part of Japan. It was a real privilege to be able to speak to this fine group and be reenergized spiritually by the fellowship with them.

We thank you all for making our ministry here possible. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. 

In Him,                                                                                                                                     Walter & Mary

For photos, please refer to the Photo Album page.

© Kagoshima Christian Mission  2012