Hopeless Hope

          Lying in the bed, he was painfully aware that this sterile hospital setting was going to be the last place he knew in life.  Already his strength had failed to the point of helplessness and the path leading to recovery was blocked by time and humanity.  Yet, no complaint would be made, for how can it be made without the power of speech.  Feeble, frail and alone would be these last days.  Waiting and wondering which tiresome breath would be the last.

          A wife, children and the life they made had long since been abandoned.  Had it been 10 or 13 years since the last time he laid eyes on them?  Truthfully, does the precise year matter when so much time has passed?  The hurt and anger comes more quickly to mind than any of the moments of joy and happiness they had shared.  Had the years been kind to them?  Young daughters now women, what had they become? 

          Despite the sounds of medical machines, the room feels silent.  There are no familiar voices to offer comfort.  At least at birth there was a mother’s love to comfort the cries and others waiting share the joyous day.  But these last days and hours would be spent alone without comfort and love.  Silent.  Alone.

          Seemingly accidentally, the silence is sheepishly broken.  But, he is too weak to lift his head and give his eyes a chance to know the meaning of the noise.  It feels as though someone is standing by the door just gazing at him.  Then suddenly, the soft touch of a caring hand is felt accompanied by a gentle voice once familiar to his weak ears. 

          He can feel the warmth of love in her voice as she offers greeting and words of encouragement.  It feels like a dream, but her voice and her touch are reassuring him that it is real and she has come to be with him.  She speaks of love and compassion towards him while gently stroking his hand.  No, it must be either a dream or the cruelty of death for surely he had resigned himself to his lonely fate. 

           She is there.  Her words now carry the message of love and forgiveness and sympathy.  Words unexpected, are sharing of a hope thought unrecoverable.  Her words, her touch, her message all show the marks of a deep change.  No hint of bitterness or self serving pleas, but an overwhelming sense of compassion towards him.

          Why now?  So many years had passed in silence and regret.  What is the source of this overflow of compassion?  She speaks of the love of Jesus and how she has come to grasp the true joy of salvation and forgiveness.  Her heart has been changed and this change compels her to be here with him now.  Oh, to have strength enough to open his eyes and gaze once again upon her face.

          Love, hope and joy are falling from her lips upon his frail ears penetrating to the very depth of his soul.  Her words, her touch, her actions all demonstrate a love that is real and true.  A love and change she says can be received by faith.  Believe that Jesus has paid the debt and receive His gift of true life. 

          “Papa, do you understand?  Do you understand that I am here because I have come to know the love of Jesus?  His love has conquered our past.  His love has set us free.  Papa, do you understand?”

          Yes.  Yes he does, but how can he make it known?  His speech has failed and his hands are too frail to offer a gesture.   Again she tenderly asks, “Papa, do you understand?”  Suddenly, their eyes meet!  Eyes wide and bright filled at once with wonder and joy.  “Papa, do you understand?”  His eyes open wider still to express the change which has now taken place within. 

          As the moments pass, it is clear that they both now experience the same love and joy that comes through forgiveness and hope.  She stays by his side until he drifts off to sleep.  With a heart of joy, he now rests in peace.

Remember Me.

“For such a time as this” is a statement that is often said without significance, but sometimes it really matters. As you may know, about 200 workers are diligently trying to bring about an end to the crisis at the nuclear reactor plants in Fukushima, Japan. One of the control center leaders is a brother in Christ named Naoyoshi Sato! Imagine that in all of Japan it is estimated that fewer than 2% are Christians and Mr. Sato is responsible during this major crisis. He is leading a group of people who are willingly sacrificing their very lives for their people, and the world. Could there be a more perfect picture of what our Lord Jesus Christ has already done for the people of Japan?


Beyond Mr. Sato’s leadership, 5 other members of his church are also working to fix the urgent problems at the nuclear plants. They are all husbands and family men who have left home with the expectation to never return.

Please remember all of them by name in your prayers:

Mr. Sato who is leading the repair and containment efforts.
Mr. Shibuya who is working inside Fukushima #1
Mr. Nakamura who is working inside Fukushima #1
Mr. Kita who is working inside Fukushima #2
Mr. Yazuo who has said farewell to his family and is headed for one of these plants.
Mr. Nishimura who will be sent to Fukushima #2 on Monday.

~Pray that God would grant them skill to control and cool the reactors.
~Pray that God would grant them safety and recovery from the effects of radiation.
~Pray that God would be glorified by their lives during these days.

Jeremiah 33:9 "Then this city will bring me fame, joy, praise and honor. All of the nations on earth will hear about the good things I do for this city. They will see the great success and peace I give it. Then they will be filled with wonder. And they will tremble with fear."

Thanks Victor for asking such a good question in the comments to the last blog some may want to read below. Although you leave open for wide interpretation what you mean by “each and every act of kindness and compassion” and “in tandem with the proclamation of the Gospel,” let me share my own basic philosophy on Bread & Gospel. Perhaps the best way to start is by examining the life of Christ and His disciples and then contextualizing their method for today’s troubles.



To begin with, Jesus never gave anything without giving glory to the source of the gift. We can see this by examining how many people received from Jesus and went away praising God. Then we should compare this to Christ’s righteous indignation when only one of the ten who had been healed returned. Jesus always gave glory to the true source of the Gift.


How about them disciples? Were not Peter and John imprisoned for healing in the name of Jesus? And when they had been released, they prayed for boldness to continue to declare the name of Jesus as the source of all things. It was the name of Jesus attached to all of their works that lead to imprisonments, persecutions and for many disciples, death.


To be honest, I believe that you always proclaim a name with each and every act of compassion and kindness whether you realize it or not. The question is whose name do we proclaim as the source of the action? Do we receive glory or do we direct it to God? Will people remember me or the power of God working through me? So why should I shrink back from ascribing the glory to Him whom it belong?


To put that into our daily lives, I think it is again best to follow the examples of Scripture and pray for boldness and understanding in light of Peter’s admonishment to give the reason for our hope “with gentleness and respect.”


Can’t wait to have a longer and deeper discussion with you Victor soon enough. I am praying often for Jim F.

Don’t waste your breath!

As God has drawn the world's gaze upon His precious people of Japan, I beseech the Church to fervently wage battle on your knees against the forces of darkness in this present age. Over 120 million Japanese have no faith in their Creator. For the last 12 years, 30K people have committed suicide each year as a result of their hopeless state of existence. Your prayers for safety and recovery are worthless unless they address the true state of desperation.

Yes, this earthquake is a terrible tragedy that will have a deep and lasting global impact. Many tonight will sleep in the streets, or school gymnasiums. Many will worry and wonder about loved ones and dear friends. But, as we can learn from the Kobe quake of 1995, Japanese are a resilient people. With or without your prayers, the streets and homes will be rebuilt and life will return to normal. It is sad if that is all you will pray for.

But I tell you to pray for their very souls! Pray that from the deep groaning of the Earth the greatness and splendor of He who created all things will clearly be perceived and His name known.  Pray that the Kingdom of God will come to those who are lost and alone and hopeless in their despair.  Pray that wicked men will see their sinfulness and frailty in the hands of He who shakes the foundations of the world. Pray that the mercy of God will shine upon those who are living dead and the truth of the Gospel will produce life and righteousness. Pray for unity among the brothers and sisters to proclaim the Lord’s death and victory as they share cups of water and cans of bread. Pray that we will not be tempted to use this tragedy as a way to feel content about this present day.  Pray that His will be done.

Be Mine!

Valentine’s Day, perhaps the most popular of the “Hallmark Holidays,” is approaching.  In America, there are maybe a couple of aisles of treats for Valentine’s Day, like chocolates, cards, balloons, etc.  Here in Japan, it’s more than obvious that it’s just around the corner.  At a recent visit to the mall I saw the signs for St. Valentine’s Day everywhere. 

I went with a friend for a Starbucks run on a weekday afternoon and we found ourselves in the midst of a large crowd of women. Pink, red, and white balloons were tied to the ceiling, pink crepe paper was hanging all around, and the scent of chocolate was wafting through the air.  Right smack-dab in the middle of the mall was a St. Valentine’s Day section, filled, and I mean filled, with all the chocolates imaginable. 

 

Now, I am not talking about Hershey bars or even truffles, but I’m talkin’ chocolates that are so beautiful, it would be almost a crime to eat.  There are chocolates decorated with little cherry blossom trees on them, chocolates with birds, and even chocolates in the shapes of many popular cartoon characters.  I have never seen a chocolate selection quite like this.  

 The packages the chocolates come in are so artistic, that I wanted to buy them even without any chocolate inside.  The Japanese really know how to wrap gifts!  Some also include little charms as well.  The chocolates are all displayed open, in glass cases, so you can see what you are buying.  It is so much fun to walk around and check out each of the chocolates.  They were all so cute!  

 As you can see, Valentine’s Day here is a big deal, but it’s actually reversed compared to America.  Here, the women buy the chocolates for the guys, instead of the other way around.  In March there is another holiday called White Day and that’s when the guys buy chocolates for the girls.

So, I found myself among so many women milling around these chocolates, trying to find the best one’s for that special someone.  I was told that it’s popular for girls buy or bake chocolates for their girlfriends too.  The practice of giving “tomo choco” (friendship chocolate) has been highlighted as a new trend. A recent survey said that women spend an average of ¥438 on a chocolate gift for a friend, ¥952 to confess a crush on someone, and around ¥1,781 on a gift for a boyfriend.

I must confess one of the best parts about shopping for sweets in Japan is the free samples. Oh yeah, I totally sampled some, and they were delicious!!

Rwanda Reflections

Interview with victim and offenders

Genocide is not something that we think about very often, but for the people of Rwanda every day is filled with reminders of the genocide. The JIFH study tour to Rwanda in November made a deep impact in my life. We visited the REACH program which is supported by JIFH and let me share a few things that we learned.


Our host for the tour was Mr. Kazu Sasaki who has been working with REACH for about five years. REACH is a restorative justice NGO focused on rebuilding lives and communities broken by the genocide. REACH works in many ways to help Rwandans to heal including sports projects, building projects and counseling projects.

The Rwandan genocide took place over 100 days from April 6, 1994 which was the end of my first year of high school. At that time I did not learn very much about what really happened. During our tour we learned that no one really knows the exact number of people who were killed, but the most agreed estimate is 800,000 men, women and children died. But, every Rwandan was affected by what happened.

Descending into the Tombs

We saw with our own eyes the devastation and destruction from the genocide. We heard with our own ears the terrible stories of what happened before and during the genocide. There were two questions each of the tour members wanted to know. How could this happen? What are you doing to prevent this in the future?

What could cause such a systematic and planned execution of so many people? The answer is hatred and ignorance. Prior to the colonization of Rwanda, there was only on people group that lived in harmony. The division of people into Tutsi and Hutu was made by the Belgian colonist to help govern and control the Rwandans. However, it caused a deep hatred to develop where peace and harmony existed before.

For many decades the radicals in these groups preached a message of hate and fear over the radio and in private gatherings. At that time many Rwandans did not have a good education and could not learn for themselves the truth. Little by little people began to believe this message and feared the people in the other group.

When the genocide began, many were forced to join in the killings because they were threatened with death if they did not join. The offenders we interviewed said at the time of the genocide they were following the path of darkness and wickedness. They confessed that they did not have a heart of love. They acted out of hate and fear did not want to live like this in the future.



Traditional Rwandan Home



The REACH program realizes that true healing will only come through forgiveness and repentance. The Bible teaches that God wants us to experience forgiveness for our sins and to forgive others. The building projects give offenders a chance to show they are truly sorry for their participation in the genocide. It gives people a chance to work together towards building a hope for the future. Over 25 homes have been built for widows, orphans and families by men who took part in the genocide.

It was wonderful to visit with the people who received these homes. It was truly amazing to see the men who built these homes working together with the victims. This is the answer to the question of how to prevent genocide in the future. Building communities on love and forgiveness is the only hope for Rwanda. In reality it is the only hope for the future of all the countries of the world. Imagine if Koreans could experience this love and forgiveness. Imagine if Jews and Arabs could experience love and forgiveness.



Rwanda is experiencing this true love and forgiveness. The people we met claim that by following what the Bible teaches about forgiveness and love they are experiencing true joy for the first time. We saw this with our own eyes in many small banana villages. People are working together after decades of hate and fear.



What about you? What would your life be life if you experienced love and forgiveness? The Bible says that God wants you to experience His forgiveness, but you must ask to receive it. The Bible says that God sent His son Jesus to pay for your sins so that you might have life and forgiveness. I invite you to ask God to forgive your sins and begin building a relationship with God.



Two Survivors and the Offender who built their home.









Merry Christmas!!!

As Christmas is rapidly approaching and 2010 is coming to an end, we wanted to take time to wish all of our family and friends a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! 

Love,
Dan, Amy, and Nehemiah