I’m sitting here at my favorite bakery called SUN, literally a 3 minute walk from my house and ironically is mostly in the shade nestled between many buildings. Don't every let anyone tell you the Japanese are skinny because they eat... the bread in this country is out of control and amazing. I'm mean look at that picture, chocolate and butter on bread!!
Anyway, I’m supposed to be study my Japanese. I told myself that I could have a pastry if I spent time studying. That’s working out well (insert sarcasm). Actually it's quite dangerous to have a bakery this good, this close to our house. The weather today is a perfect fall day, not too hot but quite crisp and I’d honestly rather do anything than study Japanese. So writing it is, while eating a pastry…that counts as productive, right?
A few weeks ago a met a tiny but mighty, in my book, Japanese lady by the name of Kato san. She told me she’ll be 90 this January using the old way of counting. So in Japan, and some other asian countries, the old way of celebrating birthdays revolves around New Year's Day, At that time, everyone turned a new age at the beginning of the year, together. I suppose it was meant to bring about the fact that individualism wasn’t to be celebrated but rather the group as a whole. So she still sees herself as turning another year older at New Year’s rather than on her real birthday. Actually, I’m not sure when her birthday is and she probably doesn’t remember the exact date. She and her friend will both turn 90 years old in 2024. Kato san is rather healthy for her age, still gets around with a cane, still walks to church although she confessed it takes her longer these days, still lives independently in her one room apartment.
Born just before WWII, she’s experienced a lot of life. She attended a Christian school ran by missionaries who came to Japan during the reconstruction just after the war. At a young age of 12 she choose to believe in Jesus, unheard of in Japan, and was baptized later at 17. She never married, never had children but dedicated her life to working in Japanese kindergartens. 30 years ago through an exchange program she had traveled to Mississippi soaking in all the southern food and hospitality returning home with a bit of english, a new friend, Traci, and a print of downtown Tupelo, MS. She told me the print is too big for her apartment so she had it framed and it now hangs in the coffee shop were she visits daily with her friends. The day we visited the coffee shop wouldn’t let us pay for our coffee. The shop owner said, “we were friends.
So I met this sweet, lady for the first time because Traci happens to be friends with a lady named Teresa who happens to be my friend, who by the way speaks amazing Japanese, and had a gift for Kato from Traci that she brought with her to Japan. So I just tagged along. I know, I know, it's complicated. Are you keeping up with whose momma’s friend’s, sister’s brother knows Kato san??
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| Kato san and I in her local coffee shop with the framed print of Tupelo behind us on the wall. |
But the real story isn’t about Kato per se but her mom. A devout buddhist who also lived well into her 90’s. Uninterested in Jesus was an understatement. However, Kato san found herself taking care of her mother, as her mother began to journey toward eternity. An eternity without a relationship with Christ. But all that changed with a dream. Kato’s mother had a dream one day that she was in a place surrounded by many people and everyone was wearing white. She described it as beautiful, peaceful, perfect. However, within the dream she realized her feet were filthy. Covered in dirt and mud, even the bottom of her dress was brown and dirty. Everyone else clean and pretty but not her, she stood out among the crowd and was embarrassed by her dirtiness. Suddenly the good dream wasn’t such a great dream after all.
The next morning Kato’s mother described the dream to her daughter. Kato san was then able to share with her mother how Christ can make us clean and share about Jesus washing us of our sins. “My mother chose to believe in Jesus and shortly thereafter she passed away.” With tears in her eyes she said to my friend and I, “I’m so happy I get to spend eternity with my mother.”
At this point, we all had tears in our eyes. A dream! He uses so many things to draw people to salvation and I’ve often heard about those having dreams in the Middle East but rarely in Japan. We also know God can use anything, the Holy Spirit can work in miraculous, amazing ways but to hear it first hand. We walked away so encouraged so spurred on to keep working, keep sharing, keeping trying.
I often pray for the Japanese to have dreams and even visions drawing them to salvation in Jesus, but there still had to be someone there to explain His purpose, His way, His love. The dream by itself wasn’t enough, He used His loving daughter to proclaim to her mother. We see this in the Bible as well. There was always someone to help interpret, always someone sent to a person who held the truth the Gospel. Angels, Daniel, Paul, Cornelius…the list could go on and on.
I also pray for Japanese christians to be able to share their faith boldly and take the opportunities just like Kato did. Oh, and she’s still sharing her faith. When her friend got up to go to the restroom she leaned over and said, ‘She’s still buddhist but I keep trying to tell her…”
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