Japanese Culture Series 25: Daijosai

Recently in Japan a new emperor succeeded the throne after the previous one abdicated. (Read about it here. ) To the Japanese, as well as other countries throughout the world, the royal family is an important part of their heritage. A lengthy process is involved for a heir to become the actual emperor of Japan which culminates after a series of ceremonies into the final event called 'Daijosai'. In this lengthy ceremony, which lasts for a whole night, the new emperor performs rituals, prayers, and offerings to the sun god. A simple description can be found here and a more complex explanation can be found here.

The emperor basically becomes the spiritual leader of the country by communing with the sun god. In one document he is said to be given a god spirit complete with special abilities. In the past before World War 2 the Japanese believed that their emperor was a god, although today the belief is marked with controversy. Whether or not the people believe him to be a god, the fact remains that the event is a highly spiritual Shinto ceremony in which the emperor is being given some kind of spirit along with authority over the country. In plain speech, the spiritual leader of this country is being led by the spirit of this world. In Japan each of the provinces contain many temples and shrines through which continual offerings and requests are made to various deities. Generally, most children are continually dedicated throughout their childhood to various deities in order to gain health and prosperity. It is then no wonder as to why this nation remains firm in its opposition to salvation through Christ. Please pray for this nation's half of a percent Christian population and those here seeking truth in this modern day Pergamos!

10 Year Anniversary in Japan

On top of  Mt. Fuji

Normally my husband is the writer of this blog, however he asked me if I would do a special post to commemorate my 10 year anniversary as a missionary in Japan. Much thanks to all those who have helped me make it! When I first came over as a single lady I went to language school while assisting churches for the first 5 years. This post is about some of the things I learned, but mainly I wish to write this to benefit people who are considering service as a missionary or in some other ministry capacity. Amazingly the points I wanted to write about came to me in alliterated form so...

DEAR FUTURE MISSIONARY, This is for you...

CALLING

• Confirmation: I always advise new missionaries not only to ask God for a clear calling and confirmation for going into ministry, but also for choosing a certain field. Because tough times on the field are inevitable, knowing that you are called from God will help give real determination for your mission. I also strongly advise asking God to give a special confirmation verse that confirms His leading in your life.
• Christ: Make sure your calling is from Christ and not just your own sense of adventure,
obligation, pride, emotion, or some other thing that you think is calling you to the field. Only Christ provides the power and long term incentive for keeping to your calling!
• Count the Cost: Just as the passage in Luke 14 speaks of counting the cost before you begin
something, you must also do this with your life on the mission field before you go. Be aware that you are going to miss out on special family gatherings, weddings, funerals, friendships, and seeing family growing up. Sure, there will be short furloughs, but you can't go back home for everything. You have to be okay with this.

FAITH

While walking by faith is essential for any successful Christian life, there are 10 areas of faith that I believe are particularly important to have as you start your ministry journey and to develop as you serve.
• Field: This goes back to the confirmation point as mentioned before. Having faith that the field you are going to or working on is correct is important. Can your field change? Sure it can. But make sure it is a step of faith and not based on feelings that you are in the right place.
• Finances: If you can learn to trust God early with your finances the better off you will be for the
field. My best advice is DO NOT take out loans or go into debt for anything. Trust God to provide
for your needs and be patient for Him to do so. This may sound crazy by today's thinking, but that's
exactly what I did for all 4 years of college when neither I nor my parents could afford it. I was on
my knees every weekend begging God to provide for my next bill and He used it to teach me to trust
Him. Miraculously, He provided everything with no debt involved! That was just the preparation I needed for the field.
• Family: You must trust God to take care of the family you are leaving, and the one you are taking
with you. Pray for their protection , needs, etc. I was single when I first came to Japan, so I
had to have faith God would send me a man also called to serve God in Japan, and He did!
• Future: We have no idea what our future on the field will look like, or how long He will allow us
to be here. Many times missionaries can get discouraged because when their "future" arrives it
looks much different than they had envisioned it. But we shouldn't be discouraged—only trust God
and keep serving Him!
• Friendships: Faith in friendships can be applied here in a couple of different ways. First it is
important to have faith that God is bringing friendships into your life for His purposes. There are
people He wants you to witness to as well as minister to that need you—and ultimately need Him. Also, you must use faith and seek God as to who you are to be partners to minister with. Do not just
assume you will fit with someone because it seems right. It is important to really seek God on these matters.
• Fights: Yes, there will be fights on the field! Fights with Satanic forces, fights with those who
you are trying to minister to, and yes, fights or disagreements with co-ministers. The
number one reason missionaries leave the field is over disagreements with co-workers. During these
times it is important to seek God and make sure you are clear in your own conscience, gracious
and forgiving towards the other party, and in the end that you put your faith in God to keep going
even when things are looking down.
• Feelings: We must realize we cannot rely on our feelings as a missionary. There will be good
times and bad times. It's important to keep our eyes on God during both times and seek Him for constant leading and direction rather than what we are feeling like doing. Be not weary in well doing!
• Failures: There will be times when we fail. Our ministry isn't going to be perfect, but we must trust that God can still work in failures and have faith that He doesn't give up on us when we mess up!
• Fruit: We must have faith that God brings the fruit! Some places like those in many Latin
American countries have fields that are ripe for harvest with many getting saved rather quickly. Others like Japan need a lot of watering or weeding before even one little plant sprouts up. Either way the fruit is from God in His timing. This doesn't negate our need for laboring for souls, nor does it mean we should be proud, thinking Salvation of a soul is all our doing. We labor, then trust
God for the increase.
 Fitness: One of the most common ways a missionary is tested on the field is through health concerns. Be it yourself, family back home, or your children—and believe me, nothing tests a missionary like having a child with health concerns on the field. Medical practices will be different and often the language is too. But again, each one must be given to the Lord as they come up—and often repeatedly. The other aspect of faith in fitness is taking care of our body as the Bible says to prevent health issues. Not being gluttonous, getting exercise, and taking care of our body as it is the temple of God. Even so there WILL be things that arise—accidents, sudden sickness, dental issues etc., but we must look at these things as a way to grow our trust and love for the Lord.

FLEXIBILITY

I could have put this point and the next under the Faith bullets and kept up with the alliteration, but I felt they were important enough to deserve their own sections. My college missions teacher used to say, “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be easily bent out of shape.” This is a great point for missionaries to remember because there are many different kinds of demands on the field, and often when ministry opportunities arise it will be in an unexpected way. One veteran missionary told me to learn every skill I possibly could before coming to the field because God would use them all. I've found this to be true. Also, having enough time management skills in one's life to be able to minister to someone when the opportunity arises is a challenge for the busy missionary, but something to strive for!

FAITHFULNESS

One of the key characteristics of a successful missionary is faithfulness. Faithfulness is most often found in the private life where no one but God sees. Faithfulness in reading your Bible, faithfulness in prayer, faithfulness in witnessing, and since I became a wife I have added family and home duties to things to be faithful in. As I am naturally a more sporadic-type person, this has been an area that I've had to do some growing in—and I still have plenty of growing room! I must say I'm thankful for my husband's example in this way as he is a faithful, steady man if I ever met one! Even though I have been on the field 10 years now, there is still much for me to learn, from my husband who has been here less time than I, from others, and from God. Which brings me to one of my most important tips for missionaries: Never stop learning, but be faithful to always allow God to use your experiences, relationships, failures, and especially His Word and the Holy spirit to keep teaching you no matter how long you serve Him!

Japanese Cultural Series 24: Oyakōkō

In your mind, what is the most important thing in your life? In Western individualistic culture we are typically free to answer that question in any number of ways. However for many Asian group cultures that are based in Confucianism often the family takes precedent over everything else. This focus is known in Japan as oyakōkō, (filial piety) or the virtue of respect for parents, elders, and ancestors. A child is essentially obligated to obey their parents in all matters including who to marry, what career to get, and how to live life. This obligation often exists as long as parents are alive. Even after death many Asian cultures extend this obligation into the next life through ancestor worship and the consulting of their spirits. Even today a great majority of Japanese are expected to obey their parents in all matters. However, some modern trends are moving more toward loosening these obligations as long as no shame is not brought to the family. Why do many Asian cultures still strictly adhere to these principles? It appears that strict adherence to traditions, strong desire to avoid shame, strong desire for favor in the sight of others, and elevation of adhering to the past are among factors that these cultures hold in the highest regard. Some of the benefits of oyakōkō include high respect levels in society in daily interactions, low crime rates, preservation of traditions, and care for the elderly. To the western mind where our world is increasingly lacking any decency this kind of respect sounds refreshing, but it often comes at a cost.

What if a child does not want to be a doctor when they grow up? What if they do not want to follow their parent in continuing an ancient tradition, custom, or trade? What if someone wants to follow Jesus Christ instead of worshiping their ancestors? To the Japanese mind the individual is not important and must give up their personal desires for the sake of the group. This is learned from a very early age beginning in pre-school. This form of harmony for the sake of pleasing others comes at the cost of the individual's choice. For a Japanese Christian immersed in this world is it more important to be obedient to one's parents (Colossians 3:20) or forsake family for Christ? (Matthew 19:29) These are some of the dilemmas that people in Japan often face. So, a commitment to follow Christ or to get baptized often takes a long time as many factors are carefully considered. To go against the societal structure in this way is viewed as the worst of sins by society. So when a person does become a Christian they truly know what it is like to follow the words of Jesus in Luke 9:23-25:

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

In Western culture the closest example would be that of the Jehovah's Witnesses. If one within their ranks decides to become a Christian they will be disowned by their entire family, therefore the cost to them is greater. Please pray for the Japanese people and Japanese Christians!

Japan: Land of Contrasts

Recently, a visitor to Japan asked me why it is that Japanese people frequent temples and shrines, yet claim that they do not have any religious beliefs. In the west we consider this to be contradictory or hypocritical, however to Japanese people this is normal. In the Japanese way of thinking going to a temple is not necessarily a matter of belief or unbelief, but more of a sense of honoring the past, honoring ancient traditions, and being respectful to ancestors as well as Japan itself. Imagine a typical American atheist coming into a church and having his children partake in Sunday school out of respect for America's culture, traditions, and history while at the same time refusing to believe in God! Imagine if he asked the pastor to pray for him, while not believing in God at all! This is just one of many examples of how Japanese people live.

To the Japanese person it is important to focus on, uphold, and show respect for the past. Traditionally, to them the past is held in reverence and should be considered most important when considering future decision making. So, even though the average modern Japanese person does not claim to have any religious beliefs, they will take their child to a religious dedication ceremony because that is what the culture and tradition demands. They will perform prayers and ceremonies (or pay others to) for their dead ancestors at grave sites because that is what culture and tradition demands, not because that is what they actually believe in. In this way Japan is a land of contrasts. In the west we often boldly believe that we should move into the future with little if any regard for the past. This occurs to such an extent that increasingly few people know about history or care to know about history. Of course, there should be a balance.

In Japan this balance is increasingly difficult to find as there is a rapid push for globalization, a large number of Japanese people who have traveled and lived abroad, and a new generation that desires to leave behind the heavy burdens of the past. So, as long as these concepts remain in a flux, Japan remains a land of contradictions. Japanese people increasingly have to decide whether they will modernize while abandoning the past versus trying to modernize while preserving the past. I personally believe that a major part of the spiritual powers controlling Japanese thinking come from the power exerted over the Japanese people from the worship of the past. Any visitor will recognize that Japanese people go to great extends to preserve the past. Japanese people take great pride in their past. (As opposed to recent American thinking which takes pride in hating its past.)

Concerning the ministry here it would appear important to show respect for the past within reason while balancing a healthy outlook on the future with God's help. Once a person becomes a born-again believer in Christ there is a definite pattern to personal growth with having all things become new and moving in a future direction toward becoming more holy like God. This is in stark contrast to focusing on the past to the point of being the most important thing to revere. A real challenge is finding the balance between past, present, and future with God as our emphasis. Our American churches are currently dealing with this as well. Completely focusing on the past or completely rejecting the past are both negative extremes with their own consequences. Part of our faith is a healthy focus on the past while moving into the future knowing the hope that God is in control with a future plan for humanity.

Japan Culture Series 23: Danjyo Kankei

It is quite obvious from any outside observer that the Japanese way of life is quite different from that of anywhere else on earth. One of the areas in which this difference has been seen is in male-female relationships, otherwise known as Danjyo Kankei. Some research will yield that Japan was originally said to be a female dominated society, which later transitioned to a male dominated society when Confucianism was introduced through Chinese influences. This influence has existed up until after World War 2 in which the concept of equal rights as well as later feminism were introduced into Japan. However, despite these influences Japan still appears to be a more conservative male oriented society in general.

Japanese people typically do not date until later after high school years due to high educational pressures, and if they even marry will not typically do so until their early 30s. A culmination of cultural norms concerning communication, societal expectations (education, work), and familial pressures seem to make the whole process awkward. In recent times due to a lowering population, changed ideas about sexuality, as well as more women entering the work force, it appears that fewer people are getting married at all. It does not help that a group of men have been labeled as 'herbivore men' for not having any desire for any kind of relationship at all. For those who are interested in relationships often group dating, various dating services, or omiai are considered ways to initiate relationships.

When Japanese do get married the typical scenario is for the man to work many long hours while the woman essentially stays behind to raise children in an almost single-parent style setup. It is expected for the man work long hours, stay out late after work to maintain harmony with his co-workers, and come back very late (past 10pm) at night each day. Often times the woman takes care of the house, children, financial, and spiritual aspects of the home. She can also be expected to be somewhat subservient to her new mother and father-in-law. For these reasons relationships in Japan are often strained, which has led to lowered expectations, affairs, and more room-mate like conditions. Relationships here rarely express affection and often seem to be taken for granted. Perhaps we can now understand one of the reasons as to why the population may be decreasing!

What does this mean for ministry purposes? It seems that perhaps with such a low emphasis on relationships that some serious desires for meaning of life as well as reason for relationships ought to be explored in detail. In a materialistic society less emphasis seems to be placed on children or human value in general, while more seems to be placed on the self-fulfilling desires. The Bible gives the solution to the problems Japan is facing in providing a guideline for living, reason to exist, and blessings from God Himself to those willing to follow Him. We should pray for the salvation of the Japanese people as well as direction and purpose!

2018: Year in Review

Well, it is that time again! How quickly the time flies! This April 2019 will mark our two year anniversary here! Looking back on the year it is apparent that we have gone through a lot of changes as we adopt to a new lifestyle in Japan. The theme for 2018 seems to follow closely with the following passage:

“...For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” - Luke 12:48 KJV

The overall theme of the passage concerns a parable of Jesus talking of how various workers spent their time in service of their master. Living here as a missionary full time now for close to two years has made me understand the gravity the teachings of this parable. In light of the pressures to learn a complex language, the burden of seeing a great mass of lost souls, and the great resources invested into my family to do this work, I can with integrity say that our family has put forth an 'honest work for an honest wage' from our master. A year of work fruitful for the Lord has been far more enjoyable than other years of my life spent on my own foolish pursuits! The following information is for the purpose of understanding the situation here in Japan, so you can pray for it better!

Concerning the gospel tract ministry, in this last year, according to my records, a very conservative estimate of over 70,000 Japanese gospel tracts have been put out around the Tokyo area. Mostly we have been concentrating on apartment complexes as this is where most Japanese people live. Although it is legal to do this, it can seem like a risky venture at times. I have experienced some great protections from God to get into apartment complexes as well as having the exact number of tracts needed to completely cover an apartment complex without prior knowledge of an area on multiple occasions. I have also experienced a lot of hostility and even being yelled at a few times! 'Tracting' can be accomplished by taking about 30 to 45 minutes each day to put out about 250 to 500 tracts on my way to language school early each morning. Many thanks and support need to go to Chick Tracts and Fellowship Tract League for shipping these tracts free of charge. If you want to support a ministry that actually gets good gospel tracts to missionaries around the world for free, please support them! By teaming up with our Japanese friend, we have completed translating two of the Chick tracts relevant to Japan into Japanese. We really can't know what the full results of the tract distribution are, as it is by faith, but my statistics of website views indicate that about 1% to 5% of the tracts put out on any given week will yield a website view. This has also been a year that I have also purposefully focused on reaching English speakers, Vietnamese, Koreans, and Chinese through the use of gospel tracts and websites. Please pray for all these people to become born-again believers and connected to good Bible-believing churches and believers! 70,000 is nothing compared to the 38 million that live here in Tokyo. Please pray for more workers for the harvest!

Last January 2018 I was in the middle of a winter session of language school and have been continuing to consistently study ever since. I have gone from having a hard time understanding what was being said to me at all to being able to understand about 30% as well as a great majority of basic communication. Learning a language full-time has taken its toll on us as a family as I am often away studying. However, it is better to put the time in now early on with young children than to struggle later. I have easily put in over 1000 hours of language study this year in addition to the 500 hours from last year. I am in the intermediate level of understanding as of the writing of this blog post. According to some statistics it takes roughly 2200 classroom hours to learn Japanese! Please pray for me as well as my family during this time!

Part of a missionary life is being a host to many people. Over the last year we have had many people come visit us from the USA and elsewhere. However, most of our personal ministry also involves having Japanese people over to our house for meals, bible study, and fellowship in general. This includes our teachers, neighbors, classmates, and those we've met through church ministries. Even though the Japanese culture does not allow for an 'open-house policy' we have maintained our American sentiments by allowing our house to be open to visitors. We have also met with people in public places to discuss spiritual matters in the hope of leading to a Bible study. Much of my wife's ministry has been in meeting with people in public or having them over to the house. Generally we try to focus most of our energy and prayers intently on three main people each to keep matters simple. After reading Master Plan of Evangelism a few years ago we thought it wise to follow Jesus' model in spending most time with three closest disciples. In reality it is easier to focus energy on less people.

Over the last year we have been able to get to know people at the church very well. It has been nice to build relationships and gain insight into how a Japanese church operates. As I learn how to speak more it will be good to have this relationship when it comes time to do a new church. Some of the men have become eager to help me learn Japanese as well as knowing about how to help with a new church. The last time this church did a church plant was in 1990, and that church became self-supporting in 2004. My wife has been involved in helping to teach Sunday school as well as doing art projects for the church when needed. We also were asked to be the speakers for the Sunday School mission conference this last year and my wife will be in charge of directing it this year. In relation to the church we have traveled to a few other areas to encourage, as well as to speak and teach in a summer camp. We hope to be able to travel more to see this country in the future when necessary and to put out gospel tracts along the way!

I have spent a lot of time talking about 'doing tasks', but I also want to share about 'being'. We have been concentrating on doing daily devotionals whether that be reading/praying together daily or listening to devotionals done by others. This has also been a year of learning about God a lot as I have been able to read a lot on my 45 minute train trips in and out of Tokyo for school as well as watch sermons on the off time. The longer we are here we realize that there is a lot to receive in this humbling process of learning a new culture. We have been able to spend some time together as a family, which has been nice. Please pray for us to be strong as a family as we are finishing up year two. On average missionaries quit japan after about two years!

This year has been a good one and we thank first and foremost the Lord Jesus Christ followed by our supporters who have generously allowed us to be here to represent the Lord. We look forward to the next year as well as a new baby to be due in late June! We want to publicly thank everyone for their prayers, support, and encouragement! God Bless!