“Hajimemashite. Sean tomoushimasu. Nihon wa utsukushi kuni to omoimasu. Douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.”*

“Hi. My name is Sean. I think Japan is a beautiful Country. Nice to meet you!”

Those were the first Japanese words I said when I came to Japan in July 2017 on one of the monthly EPJM trips. My pronunciation was terrible, the rhythm of my speech interrupted by numerous starts and stops. However, that was how it was like for all of our team members.

Yet in typical Japanese fashion, our audience of elderly Japanese clapped and smiled warmly at us. Some even complimented us with words of encouragement. “Your Japanese is good!”. Hard to believe but still we took it in stride in every place we went as we led the groups in our programs.

Though I didn’t know this before, this goodwill was actually hard earned.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the great Eastern earthquake in Japan. Since the disaster in 2011, EPJM had been sending regular teams to Japan almost every month, first to provide humanitarian aid and to help with the clean-up efforts. Gradually the activities turned to leading the elderly displaced residents of the tsunami disaster areas in craft activities, songs or cooking meals for them. All to give them hope and a reminder that they were not forgotten.

Until 2019, some 8 years after the great eastern earthquake struck, many were living in temporary housing as the government struggled to rehouse them. It was easy to feel forgotten here in this isolated north-eastern corner of the country where people rarely ventured.

So the regular monthly visit by teams of Singaporeans eager to spend time with them was probably a heartwarming and visual reminder: the Lord has not forgotten you!

They welcomed us in spite of the fact that we were Christians. While we could not verbally explain the gospel to them, it was through our simple actions and offering of our time, more than words, that communicated the love of Christ to them.

One particular lady, Oda-san, still stands out in our memory. She had asked us whether we had kids and we had showed her some photos. Later as we were closing the program, she stood up and thanked us. She could not believe that we had left our children in Singapore just to come and spend time with them.

Later that same day, while distributing leaflets to houses, we chanced upon her as she was clearing leaves on the lawn near her residence. Recognising us, she beckoned to us to come and see her place. Hooi Yin, just barely able to understand what she was saying, worked out that some months ago her husband had passed on. Her children lived far away and she didn’t see them often. Photos of them decorated her cramped temporary housing unit. We could not understand what she said to us but she kept going on for a while. Still we were touched that she had invited us into her home and opened her heart to us.

This was all the confirmation I needed that the Lord could use us, even with our limitations, to serve His purposes in Japan.

When our family first moved to Japan, it really felt like I had reverted to an infant-like state. Everything was made so much more difficult because I lacked the words to communicate. As someone who values using my words to establish a connection, this limitation felt both stifling and isolating. I felt useless at times, unable to do anything. Which led me to question again and again, “why was I here?”, “What good can I do?”.

However, I had forgotten that the Lord isn’t limited to only using words to convey His love to others. In fact, He often conveys His plans or purposes through actions, whether directly or through His servants.

Though stripped of my words, I could still offer myself, whether by doing things through my hands or though giving of my time by just being there.

Satan convinced me at times that my presence was unnecessary, more hindrance than help. But the Lord showed me that at times, just showing up matters.

For years I had been attending monthly meetings with the Japanese pastors. Initially I dreaded the experience. It was terribly boring not understanding what was going on. Furthermore, the contents of their discussions felt irrelevant to me and I couldn’t even contribute anything. I felt invisible, unnoticed and contemplated to just simply stop going since I felt inconsequential, like an afterthought. 

However, last year, I noticed a sudden change in the air. Some of the pastors who I had never spoken to suddenly seemed interested about my opinion on matters in the church. Another pastor, knowing that we had plans to return to Singapore one day, cried out to me, ‘Sean, don’t go. We need people like you here more than ever.’ I hadn’t even thought they had noticed me there!

This year, our team intends to hold our first Summer Camp for children. Though Kusatsu Church is small and willing, we are unable to do this alone. When we presented it to the other pastors at the monthly meeting requesting support, they responded positively. The Lord had granted us this major breakthrough in largely because the pastors knew and trusted us.

To the Japanese, consistency and commitment is highly valued: it is a sign that you care.

In this case, just attending monthly meetings where I started off only being able to say a simple greeting could reap a bounty in time. The same can be said about our time at Kusatsu Church where the trust of the church has given us the confidence to do more for the Gospel.

But more than just planning events, my hope is that for all the people we have spent time with here in Japan, one day they will eventually put their trust in Jesus. Really, I hope that my time with them conveys how much Jesus loves them!

All these friendships or contacts started with a simple greeting. But I really hope that they will hear this over time:

“Hi, this is my Lord Jesus. He loves you and wants you to know that. Nice to meet you!”

May we as the church of God, continue to reach out to those who need Him, despite our limited state, so that the Lord Jesus may be known and our God glorified.