Testimonies of SDJCC Members, May, 1999
Number 10 = Table of Contents =
| Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus | Michiko Dunn |
| The Grace of the Lord | Mitsuyo Honda |
| The Lord's Love | Atsuko Johnson |
| In Search of the Path | Teruyo Nakao |
| The Lord Is with Me | Shizuko Shirley |
| Growing Up at a Christian Home | Sambi Takahashi |
| Letting God Be in Control | Nancy Toma |
Why did I come to this church? I think God planned it this way. Today I would like to share my testimony.
I came to San Diego in 1970 and was very unaware of my surroundings. I didn't know how to drive and everyday was spent doing the same old routine. My husband mainly spent his time overseas. Inside I felt very lonely. It is at this time I met a man from the San Diego Japanese Christian Church, Reverend Fukiage. I asked him to take my daughter Yurika to church because I wanted God to protect her. I hoped that by hearing God's words, she would grow up to be a good person. She started attending Sunday School with Fukiages without me. Then Rev. Fukiage and Mr. and Mrs. Chuman kindly asked me to attend church, but I turned them down. From time to time my daughter asked if we could attend church together. She explained to me that the church had a Japanese speaking department and that I would understand what was being said about God, but I was not ready. The one day I was thinking that since Yurikla was attending Sunday School I would make her happy and decided to attend.
I attended my first service in 1972. I didn't understand the word of God or what was being taught. My heart was not open to God at that time, but He seemed to always be o my mind. All my interest in the outside world was gone and I felt that the answer was in church. I wanted to hear and learn more about God. So I started to go to church with my daughter every Sunday.
"For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son. For whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
I learned much about God's word. I began to realize that there was a difference between people who know God and people who do not know God. People who know God go through life being guided, those who don't go through life blind. Now that I came to know God I could never go back to living my old ways. I wanted to begin a new life and stop my selfish ways.
I grew up during wartime Japan. I was educated in a very strict, Spartan way. My father was very strict and would not allow me to socialize with anybody. I was to go straight to school and back@home only. Because of this way I was not comfortable around other people. I didn't know how to make friends. When I grew up I was always thinking about myself and I never forgave anybody, including myself. There are kinds of people that God looks out for.
Jesus died on the cross for people like me. In 1973, I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart. I confessed to God all my wrongdoings. I became a whole person. When I was baptized the Issei people prayed for me and I became accepted as member of the church as well as God's family. My faith in God became stronger than ever.
After my baptism, I was thinking all was going well but it was not that way. My faith in Him was continually challenged by Satan. I started to have doubts about my religion. I started feeling like skipping church, not reading the Bible, etc. Through all this I learned the true meaning of what it was to love God and to be loved by God. I praised the Lord for helping me through this trying time, for being with me and never leaving me.
Today, I continue to attend church regularly with my three grandchildren. My hope is that they too wll find the true meaning of God's love as I have.
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever." (Psalm 136:1)
I was born as the first daughter of six children of loving parents. Even during World War II, I was well off under my parent's protection. I attended both middle and high schools with a Buddhist background, but I had no interest in religion, so school was simply a fun time to spend with my girl friends. I was given whatever I desired, and I lived a selfish, self-centered, and self-indulgent life. I'm sure there were times that I worried my parents, but in general, I was a good child, and got along well with my three younger brothers and two younger sisters.
I married my husband who was a "Shosha-man", moved into my dream home, and were blessed with our first child, Rie. Afterwards, my husband quit his job and came to the United States for his graduate studies, and a year and a half later, I came to the United States for the first time with Rie to attend his graduation. That was thirty-five years ago. Traveling via Hawaii, we arrived in Phoenix, Arizona. I was so relieved to arrive safely, and so happy to be reunited with my husband, that I left my luggage in the plane, and didn't even realize it. Despite it being February, the air was warm and clean, the skies were blue. There were hardly any tall buildings and the people passing by on the streets were so friendly, that it was one moving experience after another.
Our host family, the Wilsons, were about our age, and were Christians. I remember that they always related to us with love and kindness, and often invited us for dinner and prayed for us. We, who had never been to church before, were invited to their church on Easter Sunday. I asked someone how we should prepare to attend church, and was told to "wear a hat and gloves", so together with Rie, we wore hats and gloves, and attended, knowing nothing about taking offerings, but experienced a feeling of awe and peace. Our landlord's father, Dr. Crouch, was a chaplain at the University. He invited us for Easter dinner, and gave grace before the meal. We spent our first Easter surrounded by Christians. I had never been far apart from my parents before this time, but being sent so far away from home must have truly been a part of God's plan.
After my husband's graduation and employment, we were blessed with our son, Ichibei. At this time we felt God was leading us to attend church on Sundays, so we began to attend the Phoenix Japanese Free Methodist Church. Everyone welcomed us very warmly and the children were also very happy to attend. My husband and Rie were baptized on Easter Sunday thirty years ago and they were happy and thankful to God, but I felt left alone. The Japanese Department was consisted of only twelve members, and most of them were elderly. Every week we would listen to a taped message and sing the same hymns. However, everyone was very gentle and shined with kindness. I thought that I would like to be like them when I grew older. From time to time, Rev. Shigekawa's wife would come from Los Angeles and she would encourage me to be baptized. However, I would turn her down, stating, "I don't understand the Bible very well, so I would like to wait until I know a bit more." Her reply was, "Then you will have to wait for the rest of your life." This made me suddenly realize how arrogant I had been, and how I had been using my desire to know God better as a selfish excuse. I repented of my sins, and was cleansed by the blood of Jesus, and was baptized on December 22, 1969, during the Christmas worship service and became a child of God.
The scripture given to me at that time was Matthew 22:39, "Love your neighbor as yourself." I give thanks that this was the word that God gave to me, who was self-centered and lacking in love. I am an insignificant person who can do nothing but Jesus said in John 15:16: "You did not choose me, but I choose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name." With gratitude for the blessing that God chose me by His love and grace, I took my first step in my life of faith.
From Phoenix to San Diego to Japan, and back to San Diego, my husband's jobs and locations have changed, but God has always provided the best for us. Even during the difficult times in Japan, our children's faith was nurtured and made strong. About four years ago, my husband received a heart surgery. He suffered much before that, and I also went through many painful days, but even in the midst of this, I was mysteriously given God's peace, and even through my tears, praise continually flowed from my mouth. Through God's compassion and grace, we are now enjoying our retirement with better health than before. "It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." (Psalm 119:71)
Rie is now a Christian counselor, and Ichibei is serving God as a pastor. Both of them have been blessed with wonderful Christian spouses, and are building Christian homes.
I am thankful for being given so many wonderful Christian friends. Although a day will come when my physical body will no longer function satisfactorily, I pray that my spiritual being will be strengthened day by day. "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (2 Corinthians 4:16-17)
From this point on, I hope to walk day by day with gratitude to God for His grace.
I was born on December 21, 1969 in Kanagawa Prefecture and I was raised with a lot of family love. In 1993 I met my husband while he was at Atsugi naval station. We got married shortly after. Several years later, he had to relocate to another station and in 1995 we arrived in San Diego. Before I left Japan, I had always thought of America as a rich country and had dreamed of one day coming here. But when I arrived here, we were not rich, we were poor. My husband was always away because of his sea duty status and was only home on the weekend. This situation continued for several years. I was about to go crazy.
One day while shopping at the North Island navy exchange, I met a Japanese lady and she told me about the Japanese Christian Church. I had been to a church in AMA, Japan with my husband. But I was not able to understand the message due to my lack of understanding the English language. The lady I had met told me of the church but I never went and ended up staying home and being more depressed. Then one day the lady had spoke with Toshiko about my situation. Toshiko called and we began to talk. After awhile, she invited me to church with her. I was in need of saving and that is why I said, "Yes" right away. Then I began to attend the Thursday Bible study. I enjoyed being there because we were able to share in the Word and enjoy Japanese cooking which everyone participated in "pot-luck style".
My life was poor, cold, dark and lonely. But after I came to Christ, it was bright, warm, happy and full of love. Then my husband left to go on a month deployment cruise and I was pretty much forced to go to work and I was unable to attend church. Soon after my husband returned home, I became pregnant and my health was not well. So, I still was not able to attend church regularly. Plus, a few months after his return home, his three children from his previous marriage had come to live with us. So everyday all I could do was just survive. I always thought about the church, but all I could do was pray for strength everyday.
In January 1998, God blessed us with a healthy baby boy. At this point I knew things would be different and our life began to get better. We were able to start attending church again and I was once again with the glory of God's love. I began to attend church every week and now I realized that God doesn't just save us from the bad or hard times, but he let us experience life on a scale allowing us to truly see and feel his everlasting love. I believe that if I did not have God in my life I may not have ever seen what we had to offer. I always led my life the way I wanted without any thought of God or his words. Life was hard and so was my world. With all that I have, if I or my family were to become sick or to become rich and famous, it would not be blessing if we did not give the glory to God and thank Him for allowing us to get better from my illness or wealth after being poor in San Diego so long. But if I believe God will grant me a new life, an eternal life in his kingdom, I would like God to save me because I believe in his Son who died upon the cross. I believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And with this belief, I dedicate my life to God.
"Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions."(Ephesians 2:4-5) These words are like my life. I was dead but the love of Jesus brought me back. James 2:5 says, "Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?" Now I would like to be rich with the words of God instead of rich with the treasure of the earth. Jesus died upon the cross to save me from my sins. I had spent many years being bad still he wants me as his child. Words can't express the joy I feel for his love and grace. I would just like to say thank you Lord for dying for my sins. I would like to say thank you to the church members for being so friendly and always saying hello when I come into my church home. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Therefore, I want to have life such as that and to be a good Christian.
My father often mentioned the word "shinken", which means " be serious", when he talked to his children. Since we were small, he used to tell us, "Our lives are always serious matters." He never let us get away even for any trivial matters that I didn't think were important for my life. He taught us to be responsible for what we said and what we did. He even taught us that we could be worse than animals if we couldn't take responsibility for ourselves. He repeatedly told us that there were things that we humans couldn't do even though we wanted to, as well as things we must do even though we didn't want to.
My father was not a Christian, but he always told us Christianlike teachings. His teachings were that we could think and must behave as responsible persons since we humans were different from animals. Because of what he had taught me in the past, I immediately agreed with the Bible teaching about human beings as a God's special creation.
My father was a diligent and sincere person. He was a deep thinker, and he always read books and wrote down things. I greatly respected him, and many people trusted him. However, he sometimes had a lonesome look on his face. I used to wonder why he looked like that. I wanted to find it out somehow, but I couldn't see his thoughts.
My mother was completely opposite of my father. She was raised in a wealthy family, and I thought that she spent excessive amounts of money. She didn't like to read books. But she was very gentle and generous of taking care of people.
Thus my parents were ordinary, good people. These ordinary, good people should have made a good couple with a happy family, but that was not the case for my parents. My father didn't like the way my mother was shallow in thinking and lavish in spending. My mother didn't like the way my father was easily upset. She didn't even like the fact he couldn't drink alcohol at all. (Generally, people of that generation thought that men needed to be able to drink to some degree for social reasons.) I used to always wonder why our family had little love for one another.
Since I was a small child, I had had many questions about our lives and things around me. Those questions were "What are humans?" "Why are we humans born?", "Why do we live?", "Why do we die?", and "What is death?" Although my father gave me somewhat adequate answers to my questions, I knew his answers did not satisfy me. I was greatly thirsty for real answers to my questions, but I felt very helpless knowing that nothing could satisfy my thirst. I was even hopeless being left with unanswered questions.
When I was 19, I got a Christian pamphlet on the street, and this circumstance led me to a Christian church. I saw a light in hymns, testimonies, and sermons that I heard at the church as well as on the church members' smiles that I saw there. I heard at the church, "Believe, and you will be saved." At that time I couldn't accept anything unreasonable and unconvincing to me. Salvation through faith was too simple to convince me. I said to myself, "If the Bible is the truth and I live without the truth, that would be a fatal mistake in my life. But if it is not the truth, that would be worse than a fatal mistake in my life." I decided to keep going to church in order to find out if the Bible wasn't the truth or if I was wrong.
While I was going through such a struggle in seeking the truth, a missionary told me, "Please try to confess your sins, and you will understand the meaning of the cross." As I tried to find out whether or not what he had said was true, I confessed all my sins that I could remember in the past. Since I was very confident of having done things with no fault in my life, it was very hard for me to see myself as a sinner. But the Lord greatly helped me during my confession. This revealed to me clearly that I was a sinner before God. I realized that the Bible was not wrong, but I was.
I was convinced that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins. The hopelessness and helplessness that I had kept in my heart has been gone since then. I have always been filled with joy in the Lord in spite of all the struggles in my life. There have always been hope in my life.
I've found the path here in the Lord that I had searched for so hard before I had come to Him. In the Bible I've found all the answers to my questions. The Lord was very merciful even when I was a hard-headed seeker. I am thankful that by His grace he has given me faith in the Lord and that I was saved by Jesus Christ.
Jesus answered, " I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
I was born the third daughter of eight siblings. My father was from Shizuoka and my mother was from Yushima, Tokyo. My parents' oldest son and daughter at age five, and their fifth daughter at age one died of pneumonia. My younger sister Ayako had surgery because of a brain tumor three times, and died. Mrs. Tamako Lyons has taken Ayako to church. My parents' second son Takatoshi died of an illness in May 1997.
My father was a carpenter and made furniture. He drank a lot. Even though he had his nine children around him, he drank Sake in bed every night. When he did not have Sake, he became violent. Hence, he often went to the liquor store at six o'clock in the morning, and bought two cups of Sake at the back of the store. When he became violent, he grabbed and threw whatever he could. Since he broke the front door or sliding doors between rooms by throwing things at them, we were kicked out of our residence and had to move frequently. Therefore, we were always poor. My mother sewed Kimono Jackets and pants at home for a living. She also went to the forest to gather firewood and cooked supper with the fire at home. She saved money as much as possible for her family. However, when she did not have any money, she wrapped up our only clock, and went to the pawnshop to get money for it. My older siblings left home to go to work after graduating from elementary school. I also left home to work at the consumer electronic store in Nippon-bashi, Tokyo as a babysitter and maid. I had a day-off for New Year's Day and Bon in summer only, and sent half of my salary home.
In the early morning of March 10, 1945, my home butned down because of fire from an air-attack in Tokyo during the war. Until building a small house in Ota-ku, my family had to go through great difficulty after the war. In spite of such hard times, my mother smiled every day. Until dying at age 85, she lived with a positive attitude. I believe that she stood firmly with her faith. When the percussion sound of the Salvation Army began in the evening, she held our hands, sang and listened to the preaching from Bible. When my father was not home, she sang hymns, and told us many times that Jesus is always with us.
I got married to my husband and came to the United States in July 1979, about twenty years ago. Then, I went to adult school to study English, and met Mrs. Shizuyo Andrew of this church. Thus, I visited this church. The first time I was here, the Japanese pastor of this church was Rev. Fukiage, and later Rev. Okawa replaced him. After the church started the senior lunch, Mrs. Hanae Gilmer asked me to help in the kitchen. Therefore, I volunteered there for a year. When Mrs. Gilmer moved, she gave me a Bible. Even now, I keep reading that Bible every day. After a while, I moved, so I did not come to church.
In October of 1993, I had surgery for a rectum tumor. Unfortunately, because my body is allergic to penicillin, the scar from the surgery could not be stitched, and was healed naturally in three months. I had a hard time because I lost my hair and my teeth were weakened from the chemotherapy. During that hard time, the church people prayed for me and visited me. I hoped to come back to church after my recovery. Then, Mrs. Michiko Shiromoto gave me a ride to church, and I started come to church every Sunday.
After I started listening to the preaching in church, and reading the Bible, I found that there is only one God, and he loves us, stays with us, and helps us. Nevertheless, I wondered if God truly stays with me. I thought I did my best in my life, but I had also been jealous of other people, or doubted God. I had never done something good for God or other people. Apart from our holy God, I am dirty and sinful. However, God became a person, and came to the world we live in. Even though Jesus is the Son of God, he did not have earthly wealth, but had the poorest and hardest life to save poor and suffering people in this world. We have various kinds of difficulties in this world because we want to live better or be happier than now. The difficulties come from our selfishness. Nevertheless, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He was the only one who suffered not for himself but for other people. It is more understandable that a man is sacrificed for God, but the truth is God was sacrificed for people.
After finding God's love and Jesus' blessing toward me, I repented of my sins which I did not think of God seriously, and accepted Jesus as my Savior. Since that time, I understood clearly that Jesus is with me as my mother told me so. "Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand," (Isaiah 41:10). I am very thankful that God who supported my mother is with me and supports me, too. Recently, I have restarted studying English in adult school just like the time I came to the United States. Just as Mrs. Andrew encouraged me to visit church, I would like to help somebody meet Jesus. I hope to spend the rest of my life studying the Bible, praying, and being with God.
I was born in Mishima, Shizuoka. Since my grandparents became Christians, I grew up in a Christian home. I am a third generation Christian. Most of my relatives are also Christians. I went to our church's kindergarten on weekdays and church services every Sunday. Going to church, praying there, and listening to the Bible teachings have been a part of my life since I was a baby. I never had bad feelings against them.
I played soccer and basketball with a lot of enthusiasm through my elementary to high school age. Since the games and practices took place on Sundays, I gradually stopped attending church. In Japan, many Sunday School students stop attending church because of sports activities on Sundays. My parents never forced me to go to church, but they were praying for me with patience. I believe that I could come back to church because my parents respected my own choice and prayed for me.
Since I grew up in a Christian home, my faith was an inactive one. But, I found that I should seek faith aggressively through an incident. When I was an elementary student, my mother suddenly said, "I don't feel like going to church this Sunday." It was shock to me because she had been to church every single Sunday. On that Sunday we went to church without her. During Sunday School, I was thinking why she did not like to come to church. In my mind, this question brought another question that was, Why do I come to church? At that time I reached a conclusion. It was that I come to church not because I should, but because I wanted to come and listen to the Word of God.
This incident became a trigger that caused me to seek God and learn the Bible by my own choice. I realized that I was weak and a sinner before the holy God and that Jesus came to this world, died on the cross and was raised from the dead for weak and little ones like me. Before I was aware of this truth, the statement, "Jesus is the Savior," was just like one of the mathematical formulas "One plus one equals two" for me. But I had the confidence that the statement, "Jesus is the Savior" would never become false even though one plus one becomes other than two. Yes, Jesus is my Savior. When I was in seventh grade I confessed my faith at an evangelistic meeting. I was baptized on the twenty-first day of December, 1985.
I think I became a Christian through Christian circumstances and the prayer of my parents. Each person is saved by God through a unique way. God saved me through a Christian home because He knows my weakness. God did the best way to me. Now I am studying here in the United States away from my family, but I feel the prayers and I am thankful for the prayer support in Japan. I came to this church through Mr. Chuman. For me this church is my family. I want to grow in my faith through the fellowship of God's family.
"I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)
Ever since I was a small child I went to church with my family. So I assumed that I was a Christian and was going to heaven. But when I was eleven years old I found out that wasn't true. My pastor shared with me that God loved me so much and wanted to have a relationship with me but that it was impossible because of the sin in my heart. Because of God's great love for me and Jesus Christ's sacrificial death on the cross God could forgive me of my sin. I confessed my sin and received God's forgiveness and invited Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I was so thankful that my pastor shared this with me. I felt like a new person. I had joy in my heart because I knew for sure that I was in the Lord's family and had eternal life.
I didn't grow in my relationship with God right away. I tried to read the Bible but didn't understand a lot of it. No one trained my how to grow spiritually. So I continued living my life my way. I had many ups and downs and I used to doubt that God was in my life. My junior high years were very stressful. I struggled with a poor self-image and was often depressed.
When I was in high school I went to a Christian camp. I met Christians there who had a joy from the Lord that I didn't have. I wanted that kind of relationship with God. I talked to another pastor about that and he shared with me about being filled with the Holy Spirit moment by moment. He told me that I needed to be in fellowship with the Lord daily. I needed to confess my sins daily and ask God to fill my heart with his Spirit and guide me in all the areas of my life. One of the areas that was hard to give up at that time was control over my career choice. I didn't want God to decide for me because I was afraid he was going to make me become a missionary to somewhere I didn't want to go. But I knew that God loved me so much that I could trust him. So I prayed a little fearfully, "Lord, I need you to guide me. Take control of my life. I'll go wherever you send me." God gave me peace in my heart knowing that He was going to take care of me.
In college I got involved in a Christian fellowship group and studied the Bible with other students on campus. I learned how to have a daily prayer time and Bible study. I also learned how to share my faith with others. My faith grew as I trusted God with more areas of my life. The Lord gave me a desire and ability to learn foreign languages so I majored in Linguistics and minored in Spanish. I started taking Japanese classes so that I could communicate better with my grandmother. Through the classes and getting to know Japanese international students, the Lord gave me a burden to reach Japanese people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. After graduating from college I went to Japan and taught English conversation for two years. It was a good experience for me to live in a foreign country and learn a new culture and language. Even though I couldn't speak Japanese very well I was able to have good fellowship with the Christians there because of the common bond we had in Jesus Christ.
When I came back to the U.S. I wanted to be available to serve the Lord through my life. I didn't think I would get married for a long time because I didn't know any Christian man who had the same desire and goals I had. I prayed that the Lord would choose a Christian husband for me who had a similar desire to serve the Lord. One day I got together with an acquaintance, Roy Toma. We discussed our future goals. I told him that I wanted to serve the Lord in Japan or Latin America. He said that he felt the Lord was leading him in the same way. I was shocked to find someone with the same vision. After getting to know each other better we felt that the Lord was leading us together to serve Him as a team. We got married the next year in June of 1987.
The Lord is still working in us and prepare us for His service. We want to be available to go wherever He leads and to serve Him with our whole hearts. God has been showing me that I can trust Him with all the areas of my life. He loves me and knows what is best for me. When I give up control of my life to Him I can rest knowing that He will take care of me. My prayer is that you will know God's great love for you and that you will trust Him to be the Lord of your life. Then you will experience His love, joy, and peace.
"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."(Philippians 1:6)