This past Saturday, we left with Pastor Junichi Fujino (pastor of Hirakata Christ Church) to Hirakata. He pastors a small Japanese Mennonite Brethren church in Hirakata, Japan. He has been the pastor of this church for over 25 years.
As we were pulling up to a very small parking lot (of 5 spaces) after a 2-hour drive, Pastor Fujino asked us if we saw the church, and we were so confused. What we didn't know was that the church was a small building that was wedged in between other small buildings, and it looked like a house amongst a business and another house. We stayed in a "church building" that was right next to the church. And as Pastor Fujino was showing us how to work the complicated lighting system, he casually mentioned that the building used to be a bar. At the bottom level of the building you could guess that it was a bar, but the 2nd level was made up of 2 small rooms. We slept on some futon mattresses on the floor....all 6 girls in one nice cozy room (team bonding I'll tell you that much). This building had a shower, but it did not have hot water, so we had to go to the public bath every night. Public bath? Are you wondering what that is? Well, it's just what the name says, it's a public bath. In the old days, when there was not any running water, the Japanese people invented this thing called "public baths." Everyone from the surrounding area would come and bathe at the public bath. Japanese people are very cautious about being clean, and going to the public bath is a good time to get clean and have some good chats with people. What happens at a public bath you ask? Well, you pay a fee to get in, then you go to this locker type room, strip your clothes off (all of them) and place them in a locker, then you go rinse off before entering the showers. At the particular bath we went to, we had to take our own shampoo, conditioner, and soap, so you would rinse in a spot with a small scoop and then to sit down at a "station" that was open to all the other stations. One big rule at these public baths is that you get really clean before entering the actual bath or pool part. After you get clean, you walk to which ever pool you want to soak in, with only a small washcloth to cover you. Once you got the soaking part, it was very relaxing. Did we have a hard time doing this? Umm, yeah. As North Americans, we are not comfortable with or in our own bodies. We, especially being girls, are not very comfortable with others seeing our bodies and we had a lot to pray about before hand. One thing that I learned was to realize that when I continually criticize my body and how much I don't like it, I'm saying that to my Creator, my God. There are things that I can work on, but there are things that I can't, and it's those things that I have to realize that my Creator created me in that way for a reason.
On Sunday morning, we attended the Sunday morning service at Hirakata Christ Church. Even though this church is small, God is amazingly evident through their lives, love, services, and fellowship. We experienced God's family to a new level. Even though most of them spoke only a few words in English, and we speak only a few words in Japanese, we spent all day Sunday having fellowship. Of course there was some interpreting from Pastor Fujino and the international students from Kansai Gaidai University that attend Hirakata Christ Church. We sang some songs during the church service and I shared my testimony with them (with interpretation from Pastor Fujino).
On Monday and Tuesday Pastor Fujino gave us a guided tour of Kyoto and Osaka. We went to Kiyomizu Temple, Yasaka shrine, the Golden Pavilion (pictured below), the Osaka castle, and some other Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Our initial reaction to seeing these different places and seeing these amazingly beautiful buildings, was to be in awe of what was in front of us. Millions of people visit these sites every year and have no idea of what actually goes on in these buildings. As we entered some shrines or temples, I could feel a spiritual heaviness. These shrines and temples are so dark, and people go to them looking for light. The picture below the Golden Pavilion temple is a picture of what is done in the Buddhist and Shinto religions. Outside the temples or shrines are really long big ropes that if swung hard enough, they ring a bell. People go to these places with their requests and present them before the gods. As they're approaching the rope, they throw in some money over the railing, then put their hands together and I guess basically present their request before the god or gods, and then when done they swing the rope to ring the bell as a sign of worship. My heart broke when I would see the deep sincerity in the people. They would come presenting their request to a god that they don't even know. They have no idea who the god they're praying to is. As I saw people "coming to the rope," I realized how awesome my God, The God is. We have hope in Him, we have a relationship with Him, and we're important to Him. Please help pray for those people that are searching for a god, and that they may find The God, Yahweh. And that Japan may be overflowing with God-fearing Christians.
This weekend was long, and exhausting, and I thank God for every minute of it. Thank you for your prayers! Blessings upon blessings.
As we were pulling up to a very small parking lot (of 5 spaces) after a 2-hour drive, Pastor Fujino asked us if we saw the church, and we were so confused. What we didn't know was that the church was a small building that was wedged in between other small buildings, and it looked like a house amongst a business and another house. We stayed in a "church building" that was right next to the church. And as Pastor Fujino was showing us how to work the complicated lighting system, he casually mentioned that the building used to be a bar. At the bottom level of the building you could guess that it was a bar, but the 2nd level was made up of 2 small rooms. We slept on some futon mattresses on the floor....all 6 girls in one nice cozy room (team bonding I'll tell you that much). This building had a shower, but it did not have hot water, so we had to go to the public bath every night. Public bath? Are you wondering what that is? Well, it's just what the name says, it's a public bath. In the old days, when there was not any running water, the Japanese people invented this thing called "public baths." Everyone from the surrounding area would come and bathe at the public bath. Japanese people are very cautious about being clean, and going to the public bath is a good time to get clean and have some good chats with people. What happens at a public bath you ask? Well, you pay a fee to get in, then you go to this locker type room, strip your clothes off (all of them) and place them in a locker, then you go rinse off before entering the showers. At the particular bath we went to, we had to take our own shampoo, conditioner, and soap, so you would rinse in a spot with a small scoop and then to sit down at a "station" that was open to all the other stations. One big rule at these public baths is that you get really clean before entering the actual bath or pool part. After you get clean, you walk to which ever pool you want to soak in, with only a small washcloth to cover you. Once you got the soaking part, it was very relaxing. Did we have a hard time doing this? Umm, yeah. As North Americans, we are not comfortable with or in our own bodies. We, especially being girls, are not very comfortable with others seeing our bodies and we had a lot to pray about before hand. One thing that I learned was to realize that when I continually criticize my body and how much I don't like it, I'm saying that to my Creator, my God. There are things that I can work on, but there are things that I can't, and it's those things that I have to realize that my Creator created me in that way for a reason.
On Sunday morning, we attended the Sunday morning service at Hirakata Christ Church. Even though this church is small, God is amazingly evident through their lives, love, services, and fellowship. We experienced God's family to a new level. Even though most of them spoke only a few words in English, and we speak only a few words in Japanese, we spent all day Sunday having fellowship. Of course there was some interpreting from Pastor Fujino and the international students from Kansai Gaidai University that attend Hirakata Christ Church. We sang some songs during the church service and I shared my testimony with them (with interpretation from Pastor Fujino).
On Monday and Tuesday Pastor Fujino gave us a guided tour of Kyoto and Osaka. We went to Kiyomizu Temple, Yasaka shrine, the Golden Pavilion (pictured below), the Osaka castle, and some other Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Our initial reaction to seeing these different places and seeing these amazingly beautiful buildings, was to be in awe of what was in front of us. Millions of people visit these sites every year and have no idea of what actually goes on in these buildings. As we entered some shrines or temples, I could feel a spiritual heaviness. These shrines and temples are so dark, and people go to them looking for light. The picture below the Golden Pavilion temple is a picture of what is done in the Buddhist and Shinto religions. Outside the temples or shrines are really long big ropes that if swung hard enough, they ring a bell. People go to these places with their requests and present them before the gods. As they're approaching the rope, they throw in some money over the railing, then put their hands together and I guess basically present their request before the god or gods, and then when done they swing the rope to ring the bell as a sign of worship. My heart broke when I would see the deep sincerity in the people. They would come presenting their request to a god that they don't even know. They have no idea who the god they're praying to is. As I saw people "coming to the rope," I realized how awesome my God, The God is. We have hope in Him, we have a relationship with Him, and we're important to Him. Please help pray for those people that are searching for a god, and that they may find The God, Yahweh. And that Japan may be overflowing with God-fearing Christians.
This weekend was long, and exhausting, and I thank God for every minute of it. Thank you for your prayers! Blessings upon blessings.
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