Even to your old age and gray hairs, I will carry you and sustain you.

~ 26/8/2013 ~

"This is the last place that our Heavenly Father has prepared for them. Where they will be taken care of in their last days before being called home to be with the Lord. That's why we named this place 'My Father's Home'." The Coordinator of the nursing home where my aunt is staying, explained to me. What a testimony! Carrying out the mission of God in taking care of the elderly. 

On a similar note, I heard how the residents of a temporary housing in Iwate keep an eye on the well-being of an old lady who was staying alone. They asked her to open the window curtain every morning when she wakes up. This will be a sign to the other residents that she is in good health that day. If the curtain is not opened, they will call on her to check on her status. That's how they keep watch over her without intruding on her privacy.

From the above, I am reminded of God's promise that He will watch over us and sustain us. As we aged and our loved ones are no longer by our side (either by choice or by circumstances), the Lord is always there for us. He promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

God's promise is for everyone. Whether we have accepted Him or not, He continues to send people, both believers and pre-believers, to help us. While waiting for us to accept His gift of love and eternal life, He continues to watch over us and sustain us, to our old age and beyond....

We are valuable to God. Fearfully and wonderfully made, we are greatly loved by Him. Let's not forget that. Let's live that out...everyday....

Isaiah 46: 3~4 - "... you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you. I will sustain you and I will rescue you."

Thank you for "shouting" to me, Lord.

Are we listening?

~ 24/8/2013 ~

It is interesting to hear testimonies from Christian workers in Japan, how God brought each and every one of them to where they are serving now from various parts of Japan and from overseas. God is at work everywhere and inviting us to join Him. I once read in a book that when God reveals His plan for a certain project/place to us, that is His invitation to join Him. Are we too busy to listen?

Many times God speaks to us in His still small voice. His Spirit is gentle. Though He has laid out the best plan for us, He never forces His Will on us. But there are times we are just "not listening". 

I was not listening. And God "had" to use His servant to "shout" across the auditorium to call me to attention. And the Voice that called "Japan! Japan! Someone here in this congregation, God is calling you to go to Japan." is still ringing clearly in my ears and my heart. The Voice that finally penetrated a hardened heart and ears that were tuned to the frequency of this world.

Dear Lord, Thank you for "shouting" to me, for not giving up on me. When there are signs of impaired hearing and heartbeat that is out of rhythm with Yours, Lord, please do not forget to "shout" to me again and again and again....

Isaiah 55:3: "Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live...."
Luke 11:28: "Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey it."

My help comes from the Lord. And He is near......

~17/8/2013~

"I lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." - Psalm 121: 1~2

During my 3-months' stay in Iwate, I was staying at a coastal town surrounded by mountains. Whether I was driving or taking a leisure walk through the town, I always took my time to admire the beauty of those mountains. As I arrived in April (early spring), the mountains were still in a shade of yellowish green with a tint of red here and there. Everyday, the mountains looked different depending on the angle of the sun shining on them. As the spring slowly approached summer, the leaves gradually took a fresher and thicker green shade daily. What a magnificent view!

The view of these mountains always gave me such comfort and encouragement as I was reminded that the Lord is near, really near. I am not alone in this journey and will never be. The Lord is Almighty and I have nothing to fear.

As Psalm 121 continues with Verse 3~8:
"He will not let your foot be moved, He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil, He will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and for evermore."

~ Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! ~

A choice for life or death

~ 16/8/2013 ~

"Let's say you are running for your life knowing that the tsunami is coming from behind. Would you stop and help if you see a stranger in need of your help? Do you have the courage to do so when you know that it's a matter of life and death for your own self as well?" I was asked by a friend. 

To my friend, nobody on this earth is willing to face death to help a total stranger. For those that chose to do so, most probably they did not know exactly how dangerous the situation was. Or they did not have time to think rationally because if they take a second to think of themselves or their family, they would not do so. To him, it is a human instinct to strive for own survival.

I have no honest answer for him as I have no idea how I would react when facing death. I told him I pray if and when I need to face such choices, God will grant me the wisdom, courage and strength to do the right thing. 

But I told him that I know there is one Person that is willing to sacrifice Himself for us all.  The One that is willing to leave His glorious place in Heaven, came down to this earth and went to the Cross to die for our sins and to give us eternal life. Jesus chose to face death to give us life. 

We do not need to come face to face with physical death first before we make a decision for life or death. In fact we should not, as it may be too late by then. We can make a choice for life right now at this moment by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. A choice for abundant life on this earth and eternal life there after. 

And if there comes a day when we need to choose to face physical death in order to help someone, we can know for sure that we have eternal life waiting for us in the arms of our Lord Jesus.

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

Tribute to a dear teacher...till we meet again

~4/7/2013 ~

Today is a sad day. 

The passing of a teacher. One of the very few teachers that really left an impact in my life. Remember his stern look (but with a hint of a grin at the corner of his lips). Remember his bold and decisive writing, always in capital letters. Remember his effective way in teaching us English. Remember his "not-so-good" drawing when he taught us Lukisan (grin). Remember how he crossed with red ink when he corrected our homework (that image still makes me check my writing at least twice before finalising my work). Remember how he still cared about my English, years after he was no longer my English teacher. Remember how he used to call me "Your Majesty" when there were just two of us. Remember how he tolerated my rebellious attitude (yes, I was once a rebellious girl or am I still one?). 

Remember........ Yes, there were many many fond memories of being with you, my dear Sir. My heartfelt thanks to you for making a difference in my life. Have I ever told you you are my favourite teacher? I guess I have not. But I will do so when I see you in heaven. Till then. Rest in peace and love in the arms of our good Lord Jesus. To my dear Sir, Mr Arthur Henry Row.

You guys must be very rich......

~10/6/2013~

I was chatting with this old gentleman at one of the temporary housings. And suddenly, he said this to me, "You guys who came here as volunteers must be very rich. You must have tons of money. That is why you can afford to stop working and come all the way here to help us." He continued, "Even if I want to do the same thing, I cannot afford to do so. No matter how much I would like to serve as a gratitude for all the assistance that I have received so far, I just don't have the money to do it."

I was caught by surprise with such statements. I never for once thought there could be such view on volunteers. This is entirely opposite from my thinking. In my opinion, those that choose volunteering and social works are normally "not that well-to-do" as they would not be receiving too high a pay. What drive them on is their passion for the course of the work and the satisfaction that come from doing the work itself.

But this provides a good opportunity for me to share God's love with him. I told him that I am not rich at all and I came with financial supports from my Christian friends. That the churches back home are concerned about the well-being of the people in these tsunami-hit areas. That every one in the church can play an important role in helping regardless of whether they are rich or not. That those that can go will go, those that can afford to give will give, and those that cannot go or give, they can pray. In fact, all can pray. That we do all these because of God's love. Love that we have received abundantly from God and which we want to share with them. That God loves them too. That our God is big enough to provide all the love and all we need.

I thank God for the opportunity to share this with him. I pray that this will give him some food for thoughts, deeper thoughts that will lead him to seek the GOD that LOVES and PROVIDES for all.

God is at work

Do your best and let God do the rest

~ 6/6/2013 ~

“Recently, our church had a baptism for three men of 60+ years old. One fine day some time ago, they just walked into our church by themselves when we were having our Sunday worship.” A sister of a nearby church told us excitedly.

We were all over-joyed and deeply encouraged to hear this testimony. People walking into a church by themselves here are rare and unheard of, especially men over 60 years old. They normally go to “pachinko” or drinking places, not to church.

Evangelism is difficult here and some of us at times wonder whether we are doing the right thing being here. But God confirm and renew our conviction by showing us how He is at work and in total control here.

Not be taken away from me again....

~ 14/5/2013 ~

"Thanks. Didn't we look good in this photo?", an old lady said excitedly to me when I gave her a photo of us which was taken some time ago. She looked at it appreciatively. Then she started to take out some photos from her handbag to show me. There were photos of her when she was young. Photos of her children when they were young and when they got married. And also photos of her granddaughter now. All the photos are kept in plastic transparent holders and wrapped in plastic bags. 

I was surprised at why she was carrying all these photos in her bag with her all the time. Normally, we keep these at home in photo albums or in our notebook if digital.  Then suddenly it dawned on me. This lady has survived a terrible tsunami that has swept almost everything from her house. Almost all her precious belongings together with the precious memories that came with it were gone in a split of a second. She must have suffered such terrible losses. 

And who knows, another tsunami may strike again. She may need to run for her life again...and this time, she just wants to make sure all things precious to her are with her, that they would not be taken away from her again....

It is a sad joke. Nevertheless they laughed, bravely...

~ 12/5/2013 ~

“Congratulations”. We were congratulating an old lady who had successfully secured to enter an apartment built by the city council for those still staying at temporary housing. 

As they were both elderly and her husband was sick, they were given priority in the ballot. “The apartment will only be ready in two years’ time. We do not know whether we will still be alive when the apartment is ready.” She joked and laughed. She is 78 years old and her husband 80. It is a sad joke.

Appreciating beauty is indeed a blessing from God.

~ 10/5/2013 ~

“I have been unable to look at beautiful things and flowers for the past two years. Only this spring that I have finally managed to bring myself to look at the beautifully bloomed flowers outside.” An elderly lady shared while shedding a tear. 

 “Only recently I have been able to cry, after two long years. This shows that I am ready to start again.” She smiled bravely.

A sad reality....that calls for action

~ 4/5/2013 ~

Pastor was relieved when he heard that not many churches were damaged by tsunami along the coastal line of Iwate Prefecture. Only one church was swept away. 

Later he found out that was only half truth. The truth is there are very few churches here, therefore no reports of churches being damaged. Sadly, there were only 8 small churches along the whole coastal line of Iwate (average attendance of 10~15 each) before the tsunami. 

For a clearer dose of the reality, here are more statistics. In a fishing town at the coast of Iwate, there are currently only 3 Christians among a total population of about 17,000 people. In a town of 30,000 people located 50 minutes' drive away, there is only a small church of less than 20 people, mainly consists of elderly people.

Does this sad reality stir something in your heart?  Is there anything you can do about it? 
Let's rise up and do something now....before it's too late. For it is God's will that none should perish....

I was angry and I refused to look behind...

~ 1/5/2013 ~

“Only 5 years left and we would have our house fully paid for. Then, I saw the water came to the roof and everything was gone before my eyes. I was very angry. I continued to walk to higher ground for safety. I refused to look behind.”

This is the first time that I heard a confession of anger at the time of the tsunami. Most said they were too stunned to react.

Yes, time will come when flowers bloom. But will tears stop....?

~ 28/4/2013 ~

We were singing a song entitled “Flower will bloom” at one tea gathering. This song was specifically composed by NHK to commemorate and to encourage the tsunami survivors. One lady attending the gathering was wiping her tears while bravely trying to sing along. This song reminded her of her daughter who was swept away by the tsunami. 

Later, she held on to my hands and told me that I reminded her of her daughter as well. 

A lost love, swept away in a split of a second

~ 24/4/2013 ~

“I used to like handicrafts, but all have been swept away. After the tsunami, I have forgotten how to craft, all the crafts that I used to love so much. I have lost my interest and love for handicraft as well. Now I only observe when other people are hand-crafting.” She told me with a sad smile on her face.

Through thick and thin, through warmth and cold, we are family.

~ 19/4/2013 ~

“Our family managed to escape safely with our dog from the tsunami. We were staying at the evacuation centre. But dogs were not allowed in and we had to tie it outside. Knowing that our dog will be frozen to death if left alone outside, we took turns to stay outside at night holding the dog in our arms and wrapping ourselves in a blanket to keep warm.”

Is laughter a sign of healing?

~ 18/4/2013 ~

“I held tight to my mother-in-law’s arms. The water was up to her waist, pulling her away. I grabbed her tightly. Luckily, we made it to higher ground. My mother-in-law’s both arms were blue black and swollen after that. At 80+ years, later she forgot about the danger she was in and blamed me for hurting her arms.”

A lady ended her story with a laugh. We laughed together with her. It is good to hear them laughed. At least some have come to a stage where they are able to talk and laugh about those terrible tsunami experiences.

If only they are seeking for everlasting hope...

Is Spring really here?

~17/4/2013 ~

Full cherry blossom has finally arrived in Iwate, about a month later than Tokyo.  Spring is in 
the air.  Atmosphere is not as “cheerful” though.








Many are still staying at temporary housing areas waiting to be relocated to more permanent housing areas. Looks like it is going to be a long wait.

Employment opportunities are still scarce. Small eateries are mushrooming here and there. If only there are more customers, more people coming to these areas…..

Nobody seems to know what the future brings.  

If only they are seeking for everlasting hope…..but sadly, most seem to accept the situation as “fate”…..

But our God is a God of Hope. Is there anything too difficult for Thee? Luke 1: 37

Serving a glass of water

A "key" ministry: “Would you like to have a cup of coffee?” 

~ 15/4/2013 ~

“I have always thought that serving a glass of water is a simple and non-complicated thing. But now I realised it has a much deeper meaning. God has given me a totally new perspective on what this means.” Pastor C commented. 

Pastor C is here in Iwate with a team of 12 volunteers from Hong Kong. He testified after witnessing the ministry of a fellow Hong Kong pastor (Pastor L) in Iwate. Pastor L is a gifted preacher back home in Hong Kong. Pastor C has always expected that God will make full use of Pastor L’s gift in preaching. But this is not so as Pastor L has very few chances to preach as he serves in Iwate. His main ministry is to visit the locals in temporary housing areas, serve them coffee and have casual talks with them. But Pastor L has continued to serve faithfully as he felt such burden for the people here. This is how he connects to the locals.

Pastor C’s testimony is a great encouragement to me as I looked back at what I have been doing for the past 2 weeks. It was exactly that, serving the locals with coffee after coffee. Although I was able to talk to the people after serving them coffee, most of the time, it was quite impossible to bring the conversation to a deeper level. Most of them are not ready to talk on spiritual matters. Many times I asked God is that all we can do here, just serving them a drink and have a casual chat. And God answered my question that morning through Pastor C’s testimony. Serving a glass of water is not as simple as it is and it is a “key” to unlock the door to the “closed” hearts. 

A warm welcome: an act of kindness

May they hear and believe....

~ 3/4/2013 ~

“Where are you heading to?” The lady sitting in front of me asked. I was in a train heading north to Iwate from Tokyo.  I looked up and saw a young lady in her late twenties smiling at me. “I am going to the last stop of this train.” I answered and smiled at her. “So am I.  It is still a long way, about 2 hours away. I will move to another seat so that you can stretch your legs. Please put your legs up on my seat and relax.” She continued. Before I can thank her, she has stood up and walked to the front of the carriage.

I looked towards where she was heading to and expected her to move to a seat which has an empty seat in front of her as well so that she can stretch her legs. To my surprise, that was not so. Then I realised she just changed her seat so that I can stretch my legs. I was caught by surprised and touched. It was such a kind gesture shown towards a total stranger.

Then I remembered what David (a short term worker from UK that I met the day before at Tokyo) has commented, “The Japanese are so kind and Christ-like. It’s so sad that many do not have Christ in their hearts.”

I walked towards the lady and handed her a Christian bookmark with a contact number and address, and invited her to the cafeteria that was set-up for fellowship purposes. There’s a lot of work needs to be done here…

Romans 10:14 -
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

An Amazing God right from the start

He goes before me and clears my path...

~ 2/4/2013 ~

Praise God for His amazing grace. His presence was so great for the past 2 days. I had a moment of anxiety while queuing up at the Immigration counter at Haneda Airport last night. I suddenly remembered that I would need to show my returned air ticket to the Immigration Officer for them to approve my stay in the country. And to my utmost dismay, I realised that I have absent-mindedly checked in my returned air ticket and all my other supporting documents including the visa application documents. 

With a heart that was pumping too fast than it should be, I committed the situation to the Lord. I continued praying while waiting for my turn at the counter. And finally it was my turn. Amazingly the Officer at the counter did not ask for my air ticket even though I saw her asking for it to the lady queued in front of me. She did not even query me much, only asking about the address where I will be staying. After stamping the approval on my passport, she showed me the stamp, smiled and explained to me in English that my visa is approved for 90 days. What an amazing God we serve!

Starting of a new journey

A journey hand in hand with the Lord……

~ 27/3/2013 ~

Departure on 1^st April to Iwate, Japan. The time has finally arrived, the moment that I have been waiting for since I decided to embark on this journey heeding God’s call. It has indeed been a challenging nine months. Challenges abounded but so were God’s blessings and provision. A journey with God has always been enriching and will always be…..



Though the road ahead is unknown and seems daunting, this is what the Lord has promised:
Zechariah 4: 6,7,10 -
“Not by force nor by strength but by My Spirit."
"Nothing, not even a mighty mountain will stand in the way, it will become a level plain”
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin”