Newsletter, Volume 42 No 2
Summer-Fall 2011

Dear Friends,

Today we are seeing demographics in Japan that have never been seen anywhere before. Twenty-three percent of Japan’s population is 65 or over, and by 2050, nearly 40% will be. This reality is overwhelming the pension system, as well as negatively impacting the economy.

This aging of Japanese society is reflected in the attention given to death in weekly and monthly magazines. A recent article stated in the subtitle that it would teach the reader “how not to be afraid of death.” In this article, a 75-year-old doctor said death is an unknown, so why fear it. His conclusion was that “only dying will solve the mystery of death.”

While some seniors are trying to face death with a positive attitude, many are living in solitude and despair. Sadly, an increasing number are taking their own lives. Every year, over 30,000 people commit suicide in Japan. Last year, 37.8% of those suicides were by people over 60. In 60% of these cases, a key underlying factor was a sense of isolation and a feeling that “nobody cares about me.”

Another sign of seniors’ despair is the ten-fold increase in shoplifting by them over the past 20 years. Michael Hoffman, the writer of the article from which the above information is taken (“Creating a Future for Japan’s Aging Society,” The Japan Times, Nov. 13, 2011), sums it up very well: “Japan must start creating a future for its elderly if it is to have a future itself.”

 WEB_3870RonBrown
September Evangelistic Meeting

A message of hope, which can be found in Jesus Christ, is what is needed in Japan today. Over a two-month period, we have made a concentrated effort to share this message of hope with as many people as possible through two evangelistic outreach meetings. The first meeting was held on Sunday afternoon, September 18th, at the Yoshino church, with evangelist Akira Takimoto and Ron Brown (a Christian professional saxophonist). Over three thousand flyers were distributed to get the word out, and God answered our prayers with a church so full there was standing room only (over 60 people).

WEB_3927MuginoEvang
October Evangelistic Meeting

The second meeting was held on Saturday evening, October 29th with speaker, Tatsuichi Mugino, minister of an evangelical church in Kagoshima prefecture. Through his personal testimony, Brother Mugino spoke about a living God who cares about us and is involved in our lives. Although the attendance for this meeting was not as large as the one in September (about 25), there were at least five non-Christians present that night. Please be praying that the living Word of God planted in the hearts of those who attended these meetings will fill them with hope and bring them to faith in Christ.

 WEB_P1000129Conven
All-Japan Church of Christ Convention Symposium

Let us share with you some of our other activities for the past several months. August 2-4, Mary and I, along with six members of the Yoshino church, traveled north by train to attend the 62nd All Japan Christian Convention, held in Yunogo in Okayama prefecture this year. Under the leadership of Seimin Sugiyama and Keith Summers, the local churches hosted a great convention. The ladies of the Yoshino church had a part on the program, and I served as one of the panelists for a symposium on “The Church--Its Past, Present, and Future.” It was also great to enjoy some fellowship with the missionaries who were in attendance and talk over strategies for the future.

WEB_P1000191SSPicnic
Sunday School Picnic Bible Lesson

August 10th, the Yoshino church held its summer outing for the Sunday School children at our campground in Tarumizu-- at the foot of Mt. Takakuma. The kids had fun hiking and then swimming in the stream to cool off. After lunch, I shared a short Bible message with them before we all headed back home.

 YokohamaArrivalScan21
Arriving at Yokohama--8/26/71

August marked the 40th anniversary of our arrival in Japan as missionaries. We arrived at Yokohama August 26, 1971, by ship--after an 11-day voyage from San Francisco. We are very thankful to God for all the years He has given us here.

September 15th, I drove to Miyazaki to attend a Christian prison chaplain meeting hosted by fellow missionaries, Al and Rhonda Juve. Seven chaplains from four different prisons spent the morning sharing ideas and experiences related to the prison ministry. It was a good time of mutual encouragement and fellowship.

October 14th, I spoke at the interdenominational prayer breakfast, held at the Christian Center in Kagoshima City. November 3rd, I was in Osaka to attend the annual Conference on Evangelism at Osaka Bible Seminary and the trustee meeting which followed. While there, I had a chance to visit with Keishi Yoshimura (a young man from Yoshino now attending OBS). He is keeping very busy with a part-time job and a full load of classes. Please keep him in your prayers.

November 13th, I was the guest speaker for the Sunday service at the Onga Church of Christ (located in the northern part of Kyushu). This church was begun by the minister, Hideto Yoshii (a childhood friend of mine), and his wife in their living room 31 years ago. It was an honor for me to speak for their 31st anniversary worship service in the church building they had built over twenty years ago.

WEB_P1000009SatsuguT
58th Annual Prefectural Rally

November 23rd, Christians from our churches in Kagoshima prefecture gathered in a rented hall in Kagoshima City for our 58th annual church rally. Our guest speaker was Motonobu Ikeda (a Kagoshima native), who is the minister of a church in the Osaka area and also teaches at Osaka Bible Seminary. Brother Ikeda spoke to us twice on the theme, “Suffering and Faith.” Over 60 people from eight different churches attended this all-day rally. Brother Ikeda’s messages were very challenging and inspiring, not only because they were firmly grounded in Scripture, but also because he spoke out of his personal experience with a major earthquake that hit the Osaka/Kobe area 16 years ago. (Over 6400 lives were lost in this earthquake.)

WEB_3984Maxeys
Walter & Mary, Winter 2011--With our greetings and thanks

We want to close with a heartfelt word of thanks to all of you who have supported our ministry here during this past year. We deeply appreciate your prayers and financial support. We pray that you will have a meaningful Christmas and a challenging, but rewarding, new year in the Lord’s work.

In Him,
Walter & Mary