One year on: Japan
02/06/2009 3:24 pm
It is a year to the day that we stepped off the plane. We expected that we would have a year of challenge and change and we haven’t been disappointed!
We are grateful that our Heavenly Father is unchanging in his love, grace and provision; this, often in the shape of our supporters’ prayers and love, has got us through.
‘I am weak and sinful, but God is faithful’
At our Orientation Course we were reminded that as much as we are called by God to share the good news in Japan, God is also intent upon shaping us towards Christ-likeness of character and increasing our faith through this calling.
How true that has been. A key spiritual lesson is: ‘We are weak and sinful’. We knew this before, but losing our linguistic ability and our cultural understanding has hammered it home.
It stripped away the veneer of respectability that hid our ‘unreformed selves’ in UK culture. This might sound depressing, but the second part of this lesson is ‘God is faithful’. This transforms everything! God doesn’t give up on us because of weakness, but uses it to change us and to draw us to him.
Here are just some of the ways we’ve been learning the lesson…
Friends
We came to Japan, as many others have, desperate (and praying) to have Japanese friends and avoid getting caught up solely in the missionary community.
When Kesia could speak only a few words of Japanese and her head was still reeling from moving to Japan, she was taken to visit a mothers and toddlers group. They were in the room less than 10 minutes, but in that time a woman approached Kesia saying she wanted to befriend her.
Kesia’s ability to talk to her was very limited (she had not even started language lessons), but from this meeting we developed a friendship with the Sawae family and they have looked after us in many ways. We were weak, God was faithful.
Language study
If ever you want to feel humble, learn another language! At our lowest moments we have wept over our inability to say even the simplest things. It is tiring to function with less than 25 per cent of our usual linguistic ability.
But God has used that to teach us too. For instance, when we’ve needed things translating, people have been there to do it. This has been especially true at church where, just as the British missionary who usually attends the church went home for a year, a Japanese missionary family who had been working in Papua New Guinea returned.
This meant that when we arrived at the church there was someone who knew what we were experiencing (and spoke excellent English!) who could help us.
Culture
There are so many things about Japanese culture that are different from UK culture. While the UK perspective is generally ‘I am an individual first and foremost’, the Japanese tends to be ‘I am a member of a group first and foremost’.
This affects everything: how you communicate, dress, raise your children, conduct your marriage, do business, church and more. Of course, the way these things are done in Japan does vary, but the differences are significant nonetheless.
One of the hardest things for us was adjusting to the idea that there is always a right way to do something – and a wrong way!
When we were moving to Japan I contacted some UK shipping companies. They each told me to pack my boxes and give them a call about a week before I wanted to ship things and they would give me a quote.
In the interim, I heard of a Japanese firm also shipping to Japan and when I’d packed my boxes I called them as well. The conversation went something like this...
(RF = Japanese removal firm.)
Chris: ‘I’m moving to Japan next month and I’d like to get a quote for sending my belongings please.’ (Discussion follows on whether
it’s a full move of a house or just some household items – the latter!)
RF: ‘I see, so when can we send one of agents to your house?’
Chris: ‘Well, I’m hoping to send my things in the next fortnight.’
RF: ‘The next fortnight? That’s rather quick.’ (Discussion about when an agent could come – they couldn’t for at least three weeks)
Chris: ‘Given it’s just a few boxes that I’m sending, do you need to send an agent?’
RF: ‘But how will you know how many boxes you’ll need if we don’t?’
Chris: ‘Well, I can tell you, I’ve got 14 and they’re already packed.’
RF: ‘Excuse me?’ (Surprised, unbelieving tone)
Chris: ‘I’ve got 14 boxes already packed and ready to be collected.’
RF: ‘But you haven’t had our shipping guide telling you how to pack them, have you?’
Chris: ‘No. I’ve packed it very carefully though, double-wrapped everything, padded it, written down all the contents...’
RF: ‘Yes, but usually people use our boxes and pack them using our shipping guide. It really would be best if we sent an agent…’
And so the conversation continued, until I realised that the (Japanese) woman I was speaking to was politely telling me (ie not directly
telling me this at all, but expecting me to work it out) that I couldn’t use their service because I’d done it wrong.
Missionaries?
So what about the reason why we’re here – telling people about Jesus?
Most of our new friends have received a tract or CD at some point, even if we can’t explain things. We trust and pray that how we live will also demonstrate our faith.
Again, God provided. One Sunday at church, we went with the Sunday school to the local park to appreciate the beauty of creation. Caleb, Jonathan and Chris were happily watching some ants when they were surrounded by a group of primary-school-age boys.
They started to chat to us about where we were from, what we were doing, and how intelligent Caleb (four) and Jonathan (two) must be to speak English (!).
As we left to go back to church, two of the boys tagged along, to see what it was like. They didn’t stay for the whole thing, but they did talk to some Sunday school teachers. We hoped we would meet them again and invite them to Sunday school.
No regrets
Some of this might sound like we regret being here and are longing to come home. Far from it! We’ve also had times of great fun and joy. And we’re increasingly convinced of the calling we have to serve God here.
The need for people to serve and partner with the Japanese Church is immense. Very few people in Japan have a chance to hear the good news of Jesus and we are privileged to be his ambassadors.
Besides, we expected to face challenges. As Tom Wright points out in Hebrews for Everyone (SPCK, 2003), ‘If Jesus’ earthly ministry was accomplished with loud cries, tears, labour, hard work and sacrifice alongside seeing the kingdom of God breaking through and great joy, why should it be any different for any of us – wherever we are serving him?’
Chris and Kesia Pain
OMF Japan
Back
