Final Opportunities
Well, it’s 6:00 AM here and as sometimes happens on the day you leave for a big trip, I can’t sleep. This is actually okay as the extra 2 hours gives me a chance to tell you about two important conversations we had here as we were saying goodbye to our friends. Before I mention the conversations, I should tell you about the restaurants.
These are two of my favorite restaurants (behind the sushi buffet, of course) here in Ube and they simply don’t exist in the US. The reason is that both restaurants have the customer cook their own food. While this is a lot of fun, my assumption is that they have never been launched in the US because in the US allowing anyone to do anything that could harm themselves (e.g. burns, food poisoning) is lawsuit city. [for the sake of actually finishing this post, I’ll resist getting on the soapbox]
The first is called Karubi Taisho (lit. “general of ribs”) and is one of the many cuisines that the Japanese have co-opted from China and Korea. In the center of the table is a large grill where diners cook their food throughout the meal. Although many different meat and vegetables are common, the pièce de résistance is beef rib meat cut into strips and marinated in a special Korean sauce.
The second restaurant is called Dotonbori, named after a famous commercial district in Osaka. They specialize in okonomiyaki, which is cabbage and batter and anything else you want (okonomi literally means “preference”) all mixed together and fried on a griddle. While these are usually prepared in front of you by the restaurant staff, Dotonbori gives you all the ingredients in a big bowl and allows you to cook it yourself. Those of you who know my wife’s love of all things garlic, won’t be surprised that she ordered one called ninniku bakudan or “garlic bomb”.
...and yes, those are whole cloves of raw garlic to be grilled in the pancake.
So, back to the people… The Tamuras and the Hiraishis are two great couples we have been privileged to become friends with during our time here. Although old enough to be our parents, both couples are generous, energetic, and fun to be around. As we have thought more about church planting strategies in the past year, one of the philosophies that I have been very drawn to is the idea of targeting key people in a community. While it can often take time for these relationships to develop; when people like this do come to Christ, they have a large network of friends and acquaintances with whom they can share. Both of these couples fit that bill. The husbands both own multiple small businesses here in Ube and both wives are very active in the community.
The Tamuras
and the Hiraishis
During our time with the Tamuras, we had a chance to talk more about what a relationship with Jesus looks like. They know a lot of the Christian message because of participating in the gospel choir, but have never to take that plunge personally. After our dinner with the Hiraishis, we had a chance to give them a copy of the Living Bible in Japanese. Mr. Hiraishi has a copy of the traditionally used Bible, but told us (as many others have) that the language is hard to understand. We are hoping that the conversational style of the Living Bible will appeal to him.
It was sad to talk with both these couples, knowing that our opportunities to connect with them from this point on will be limited. Unfortunately, both couples – in addition to the normal cultural barriers – have interacted with a Christian here who has given them the impression that Christianity is all about rules, obligations, and mental acknowledgement of very foreign-sounding concepts, rather than a vibrant and personal relationship with Jesus. One bright spot for us is that they have also had very positive contact with Mrs. Koikawa, one of the women that attends the church here and we are hoping that she will be able to continue to influence them as their relationships continue.
It is sad to know that we will be leaving here without having seen these important couples come to Christ, but at the same time with the expectant hope that our departure is not the end of their contact with the Gospel.
Please pray for both of these couples on their spiritual journey. Pray that God will have used us as yet another watering in their lives which will eventually produce fruit.
Pray also for safety as we travel over the next three days.
** UPDATE – Thanks for your prayers. Despite some messy weather, we and all our luggage have arrived safely in ME, where we will spend the next two weeks visiting supporters and spending Christmas with Theresa’s family. **