The Sweet Dropper

Monday, July 20: Said goodbye to Yamagata. Boarded Shinkansen for a 400 mile journey to Tokyo Station (done in about 2 hours, 45 minutes, including stops!), then switch to train for Nagoya, about 250 miles more. Weather changed from sunny in the mountains to drizzly along the coastal areas. Took subway to end of the line in eastern Nagoya, where MTW missionary Linda Wixon was waiting to pick us up in her car. Linda has been on the MTW Nagoya team since 1998. She is letting us stay in her apartment while we are in Nagoya. She is bunking with fellow team member Darlene Johnson, who lives just a few minutes away. Linda is so appreciative of this visit from members of one of her supporting churches. Returning to this area has caused a flood of memories to rush back into my brain. I served here as a summer worker in 1989. I remember the subway and bus stops and many of the streets, but much has changed. This area has grown significantly in the last 20 years. The Nagakute Church has relocated, its old building now used as a Christian school. Linda and the team work primarily out of the Nisshin Christ Church, which was not in existence when I was last here. We have a number of opportunities ahead to encourage the MTW team and to make Japanese friends as well.

BONUS: Link to a piece by columnist Mark Steyn on some of Japan’s demographic problems.

Sunday night, July 20: The Lord’s Day has been very good: breakfast buffet at hotel (VERY Japanese: nothing says ‘Good morning’ like onion rings, fried sardines, a chilled omelette and beef curryt good) . Taxi took us to Unification church (Sun Yung Moon’s cult) by mistake. They really wanted us to stay, but I told them I would stay if they let me preach Christ to them. They declined. A member drove us to the Presbyterian church. Wonderful people there. I spoke to them about our relationship with Kaz and about our church’s vision and values. We had covered dish dinner afterward, which was great. Members of the church shared their testimony with us. Many of them have come to faith in Christ and been baptized in the last five years. Nelson met some boys close to his age, and they spoke the international language of video games and movies. The boys were sad that Nelson is leaving tomorrow. A young lady in the church, Shio, went to Belhaven College with Danielle Temple and visited FPC Kosciusko a few years back.

Spent the afternoon at Kaz Yaegshi’s home. He is reovering from surgery in late June in which 55% of his stomach was removed. due to cancer. Good, edifying conversation. Nelson is an eager student of Japanese, and he is finding many tutors. Katie gave him a preschooler’s book to help him learn to write a little. Ate supper at Yaegashi home (sloppy joes, salad, fruit, and yogurt). Back at hotel, we walked through a giant grocery store right behind hotel, then came back to relax in the onsen spa on the top floor.