A special day

Sunday 25th October was a special day in the life of Hiragishi Izumi Church. In fact every year it will be a special day as we mark the church's birthday. Over 110 people (including children) crowded into 'the building below' (the kindergarten facility that sits right underneath our house) to celebrate and dedicate this baby church to the Lord. Vibrant praise, powerful prayers, and a real sense of the Lord's presence with us. People had come from many different churches around Sapporo and indeed further afield. There was a warm and joyous atmosphere which continued later into the fellowship time after the service. We are conscious though that the work has just started - the dedication service was not the goal but the beginning of the life of this fledgling church. What is our mission as a church? Quite simply to make and nurture disciples and to see a community of fruit-bearing believers established in the Hiragishi area. The task is awesome - but we serve an even more awesome God. And we go encouraged by the prayers and fellowship of many who gathered with us last Sunday, whether in person or in spirit.

A hi-tech grave?

Japan is a hi-tech country. You can get almost any gadget. Everywhere you go you see the stamp of technology. Japan is also a land where people take death and the after-life seriously. Funerals are elaborate affairs. There are important rituals to be observed at the grave. But the cost of both a funeral and a plot for the grave is phenomenal. And land is scarce. So how do you bring together the world of hi-tech and the world of the dead? You build a hi-tech 'graveyard' in a purpose-built multi-storey facility where the relatives can go and visit the altar where their loved ones' ashes are buried. You go in, swipe your ID card and the deceased's ashes (previously placed in an urn) are fetched by some automated system and brought to where you are. Photos of the deceased relative flash up on the screen. And people can pay their respects in the comfort of a special room set aside for that purpose. There are even adverts on TV for these facilities. They are becoming increasingly popular as they save space and lots of money. Even death is not immune to the advance of technology.

Don't come to school please

When you live in another country, you experience much which is different. Having our boys in local kindergartens and schools has taught us much. One thing which has happened every year is for the school or kindergarten, or certain classes within it, to be shut for a few days. Why? Because several of the children have flu. Every winter flu does the rounds here. Many people, children included, go to hospital to get an anti-flu injection. Yet still every year schools and classes have to shut down as the flu spreads its way among the children. So it's no surprise that the H1N1 flu has been cruising through schools and kindergartens. Alistair's kindergarten was shut last week. This week several classes in Calum's school (including his) have shut down as the number of children with H1N1 flu reaches the limit for class closure. Homework sheets are given out. The children are told to rest at home, not go to their friends' houses or club activities and avoid places where others are. Not easy for energy-filled boys! Calum even brought home a chart on which we are meant to record his temperature morning and night and indicate whether he's had a runny nose or a cough or whatever and hand that in to the teacher when he goes back next week. Calum is quite glad to have a few days off. Dad is not so filled with glee (Mum is in India and misses it all) !

When two or three are gathered...

We have now had four worship services here in our home. Although we are small in number, each week we have had someone different come along. It's simple and informal but nonetheless meaningful and encouraging as we share in praise, prayer, hearing God's word and fellowship with one another. In time we hope to draw in people we are in contact with but for now we are glad just to have this precious time together on a Sunday afternoon as a small group. The boys play their part too. As we were looking at Psalm 23, David was sharing something with the children about sheep. Calum agreed that sheep are not very clever animals. He then said, 'Dad, you're like a sheep'. 'Why' replies Dad, 'because I'm not very clever?' 'No', says Calum, 'it's just with your grey hair you look like a sheep!' Ah well. It's great that that our services are small enough to be participative - it was good today to have interaction and laughter together as we shared and engaged with God's word. A different dynamic perhaps than a 'normal' worship service (if there is such a thing), but no less valid as we build each other up in our faith.

Service with a smile

They really know how to serve you in Japan. Sadly with the advent of self-service, you don't often now get the experience of having your windows washed, rubbish cleared out, and much bowing and ceremony as you take your car for petrol - unless you pay more for the privilege. But some things are still done well - like getting a hair cut. David goes to a cheap, no-frills place but it's quite an experience. Six or seven guys work there and all shout out 'Welcome' in unison as a customer comes in; another chant tells you which seat to go to; and a loud chant to thank you at the end. You lie back to get a shave from Barber No 1; then Barber No 2 pops up to cut your hair; quickly moving seats, yet another pops up to wash your hair (all part of the service) and gives you a quick shoulder massage at the end; and then Barber No 4 will get on with the drying and making sure every little stray hair is duly trimmed. It's wonderful. We love going there. The five Ferguson men went to the same place (it's a chain of shops) in Otaru and built up a great rapport with the guys who work there. You can talk about all sorts of things - and you usually end up talking to all of them as they take their turns to smarten you up. They love serving you well ... which makes you think, how well do I serve those around me? It's nice to be served but we are really here to serve.

What is normal?

We've been back in Japan six months. Someone asked us recently whether things have settled down into some form of normality? Good question but not an easy one to answer. We left Scotland at the end of March having had a year back. Calum changes to Japanese school again. Alistair goes back to kindergarten. David leaves again immediately for India for spring half-term. We have a new house, live in a new area, begin to make new friends. We go round different churches for some months. Daniel and Matthew return for the summer holidays. They go back. We begin services in our home. Lorna goes to India for autumn half-term. In ten weeks time the older two will come back again, this time not to sun but to snow. And those are just the main events in our life story. What is normal? In many ways our lives go in cycles of abnormality. But within those in a strange kind of way things become 'normal' - until it all changes again! It's certainly not a dull life.

Changing seasons, changing colours

We have now been in our house exactly six months. When we first heard it was opposite a graveyard, we wondered what it would be like. In Japanese this large graveyard is called literally a 'spirit garden'. It is filled with mature trees which are looking quite stunning as they change from green to different shades of red, orange and yellow. With the blue skies and sunny days of late, it's a great place to walk. When we thought of the house, we saw it as great provision as a place to start a new church - spacious inside, parking spaces, neighbours only on one side. It is all of that. But it's also a great place to live with views over the city to one side and at the moment on the other side, nature shown in all its beauty, with the mountains too rising in the background. The change of seasons is precious to the Japanese people and something they feel keenly. And we wonder - how can people look at such beauty and not see the hand of the one who created all things? We're looking forward to the next six months - even if winter is just round the corner!