An accidental short-time return to Japan
"Who does great things, and unsearchable, Marvelous things without number. " Job 5 : 9
I had felt a pain on the left-side lower back. Since I used to have an operation on the right-side inguinal hernia, I assumed the pain must have come from inguinal hernia and began planning to have an operation in Japan.
In January I managed to get sufficient medical expenses and let a doctor who was a friend of mine know about my detailed itinerary. The doctor, my friend introduced me a surgeon and gave me a surgery date. At the same time he asked me to see a doctor in U.S. so the diagnosis should be correct.
In February when I went to see a surgeon, I was told I didn’t have inguinal hernia so I needed no surgery. It was good news but, to be honest, I was at a loss after all the arrangements made to travel to Japan.
Around the same time, I got an email from a staffer at TLEA Tokyo Antioch Church, saying that Pastor Yumino who was a pastor of TLEA New York Church was returning to Japan in March. Then later, I got another email, saying there was no pastor who took over Pastor Yumino and asking me if I could be a responsible staffer for TLEA NY Church.
I had dedicated myself to God in the past mission trip to Israel and had been studying at the seminary. However, I didn’t know how to respond! I was stuck.
I told the doctor, my friend that I would see the surgeon he referred to me anyway as I took some days off from work and was ready to return to Japan as planned. So I responded to the offer in the email, saying I was going to attend a service at Tokyo Antioch Church in the beginning of April.
As soon as I arrived in Japan, I went to see the surgeon and got diagnosed. Surely it was my mistake; I avoided a surgery. I finished the first half of my trip with relief, thanks to God’s grace.
My spiritual eyes opened
“ I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” I Corinthians 3:6
Back to my childhood, when my mother was about to get baptized at Lutheran Church in Matue city, she got a permission from my father to get all her three brothers baptized. So I got baptized at the age five with my younger and elder brothers.
But only I was taken to church every Sunday by my mother because I needed to see an ear doctor in Matue every Saturday for the treatment of the middle-ear disease I had suffered since I was a baby. We stayed over in Matue and attended church on Sunday; I remember I hated the time I had been asked to sit still in the church among adult members.
After I moved to the U.S. I regularly saw an ear doctor; telling him I was a Christian, the doctor recommended I go to church in Queens. At first I was a part-time believer but started to attend church gradually.
A Crisis of my life in U.S.
On the 10th year since I got a permanent residence status, I was pressed into the corner: I had no choice but give up on living in U.S. and return to Japan.
However, when I was back in Japan, I ran into something unimaginable. That is, I came across the American CEO whom I used to work for when I was back in my hometown in Shimane-prefecture.
I had lost all hope but this meeting with my former boss took me back to U.S. I experienced the living God who were working in my life for real for the first time. That experience opened my eyes of faith and began to attend church to worship Jesus with thanksgiving. Having being part of a church by attending a service, God truly blesses us in a special way.
A clear guidance to a church: Healing miracle
「Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. “ Isaiah 43:19
I left a church in Queens I had attended for over 17 years after autumn 2003. While I was searching for another church, an advertisement of TLEA (Formerly, TLCCC) New York Church caught my eyes.
I went to attend this church and found only 4 people were there for the first time and the second time, including the pastor and his wife and a lady. I didn’t expect this few members. There were only four again for the third time.
On the fourth time, I earnestly prayed, before going to church, saying, “Lord, I will call today the last time (to go to that church). If you tell me to stay, please bring 10 people to the worship service today.” Amazingly, I counted exactly 10 people, including myself, in the service. I didn’t expect this at all but the Lord answered my prayer and received God’s blessing as I did in the former church; I decided to keep attending the church. After that, the number of attendees was no less than 10 people on most Sundays.
In the meantime, I was captured by Japanese original gospel songs written by the members of this church. I witnessed healing as well.
This witness happened in November 2004, a month before I was to participate in the mission trip to Israel for the first time, which was hosted by TLEA. I visited a Christian lady who had got into a vegetative state after a major surgery for the fourth time. When I visited her for the third time, I thought she would be fine so made this visit final. However, the Sunday morning, a day before the departure to Israel, I saw an incredible dream I wouldn’t forget for the rest of my life. In the dream I met Jesus and had an eye contact with Him. I was so excited when I was awake. I decided to visit the unconscious lady in the ICU again. When I saw her in the hospital, amazingly, she was healed with her eyes wide open and she was aware of me.
Responding to Jesus’ grace
‘I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.” ‘ Psalm 122:1
To return to what I was saying about having returned Japan, I was a little annoyed, not knowing how to respond to the request to support TLEA New York Church. At the same time, I was excited to attend TLEA Tokyo Antioch Church I had wanted to go for a long time.
I ran into Pastor Hashimoto at the train station where Tokyo Antioch Church was located. He was a roommate when I joined the first mission trip to Israel in 2004. It was a reunion after two years and half. He guided me to the church.
In the service, Pastor Akimoto delivered a message from II Corinthians 12: 9, 10. When I was listening to it, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and I got the answer to my prayer.
That is, an idea dawned on me that I should use one of the rooms in my apartment for the service to God. The reason I could continue to live in the U.S. till now was not because I was competent or my English skill was great, but totally opposite! It was the unilateral grace of Jesus who helped me in my weaknesses. Therefore, I realized I should respond to Him who kept me with His unchanging love even after I switched to TLEA Church.
Back in U.S. I was responsible, for the first time, to hold a NY holy meeting, inviting Pastor Paul Akimoto of Tokyo Antioch Church. The following day, Sept. 15, 2008, Lehmans Brothers, the fourth-largest investment bank in U.S. went bankrupt, which had been founded over 150 years ago. Heading toward the times of the Revelation, the world will go through difficult situations. However, rejoice and give thanks in every circumstance. Those who are saved by Christ, given a citizenship of heaven will not be disappointed by trusting in the Lord.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not [c]fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7, 8