e'l was glad Nicodemus hadn’t been able to understand either . . . it made me feel better.”
I ’m a student at Pasadena College and have only been in America a year. And I’ve only been a Chris tian for three years. I had never even heard the Christian gospel until five years ago. Our home in Japan was a happy one with my father and mother and five sisters. We survived the war but because of that costly conflict I had a deep hatred for Americans. My first contact with a Christian seemed quite by accident. I was riding a train and met an English lady. In spite of my dislike for the West I did want to ieam more Eng lish so I talked with her. It wasn’t long until she was talking about her faith in Jesus. To me this new faith sounded utterly ridiculous. I was very rude. I teased her openly and told her that we in Japan had 8-million gods. She remained gracious and invited me to dinner the following Sunday. I went and this time she didn’t tell about Christ. She just fed me and then took me to church. It was an American Airforce chap el and the chaplain was Walter J. Osborn. I was amazed to see no images and to hear men praying using ordinary language. I stayed away for three months. Christianity didn’t interest me but I somehow felt a vague dissatisfac tion with our Buddhist and Shinto gods. One night I decided to visit the American chapel again. The lady who had befriended me was no longer there but others were friendly so I agreed to join their Bible study class. I kept going be cause it was a good opportunity to perfect my English. And after each class they served coffee and cookies. I was given a Bible and faithfully carried it to church. One night the group showed a movie comparing Buddhism and Christianity. As I watched the picture I became very angry and afterward I sought out Chaplain Osborn. I was furious. I threw my Bible at him. I said, “Why do you want to criticize Buddhism? As long as we have some god isn’t that good enough?” He didn’t get angry as I expected
astonished to see the change in me. I felt I could no longer worship at our family shrines. My father burned my Bible but I kept on studying the Bible at the chaplain’s office. Then my father said that I must give> up Christianity or no longer be his daughter. He gave me one day to consider. I was very much afraid. It is different in Japan. An unmarried daughter doesn’t leave home if she is respectable. At this point I near ly gave up my new faith. But God kept encouraging me from the Bible. I especially remember the great blessing I received at the time from reading St. John, chapter 14. If He had gone to heaven to prepare a home it would be a good home . . . better than any earthly home. In my deepest need God poured so much love into my heart that I decided nothing could separate me from the love of God in Christ. Not even my father or mother whom I love very much. The next day I left home. I went to work as usual and my office sent me to buy some flowers. At the flower shop I saw a sign for a girl to arrange flowers part time for room and board. This was God’s answer to my plight. In my little room I started a Bible class and that first year 18 found Christ as their Saviour. Chaplain Osborn kept encouraging me and then one day he suggested I go to America for a good college educa tion so that I could better prepare myself to tell others about the Sav iour. It’s a long story how God provided the money for my faré on a little freighter; 'When I landed in California I didn’t have a single penny and because'I am on a stu dent visa I am not allowed to work. But as each need arises God never fails to meet that need for me. My friends tell me my faith is unusual and child-like and refresh ing. I do not kftow. I only know when a problem arises I simply turn to the Bible and see what God has said about it. Then I just trust Him to fulfill His promise. I do not think this is unusual. END.
him to. He talked to me calmly and afterward I became curious to leam more about this power Chris tians had. I started watching Chris tians closely and found they con stantly referred to what the Bible said on a given subject. Since the Bible apparently was the guidebook to the Christian faith I decided to read it. I bought a New Testament in Japanese and started reading St. Matthew. But I didn’t like the long strange names so I stopped. But a Christian encour aged me to start with St. John. I did. But at chapter three I couldn’t understand Christ’s instructions to Nicodemus about being bom again. I was glad that Nicodemus hadn’t been able to understand either. Somehow that made me feel better. Finally I went to Chaplain Os- bom and asked his help. He spent three hours explaining the plan of salvation as outlined in the Bible. I didn’t like the idea of being a sinner. I felt hopeless. The Chap lain asked me to read John 5:24. I read, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” As I read these words aloud I suddenly saw that my part was to believe on Jesus Christ. So right then I accepted Christ as my per sonal Saviour. After this simple step of faith I thought I wouldn’t have trouble anymore. But two months later God showed me there are no Sun day Christians in heaven. I was living thé Christian life only among Christians at church. I hadn’t even told my parents of my conversion. Now I knew I must. After breakfast the next Sunday I confessed to my parents I had ac cepted Christ as my Saviour. My father was not too disturbed because he knew Yasuko. I was always get ting into something and each new whim seldom lasted more than three days. He passed my announcement off as just another three-day affair. But as the weeks went by he was
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The King's Business
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