A testimony by Ptr. Motoe Kawakami (2011.4.28)

(The original post by Ptr. Motoe Kawakami: her testimony to her grandfather's confession of faith and his water baptism with his wife)

 On January 10th, 2011, my father had a surprising call from his father (94 years old), who was in Kobe then. Grandfather asked Father to come there immediately because Grandmother (88 years old) collapsed and was unable to stand up. According to him, she was not able to recognize him and asked him who he was.

 Father and Mother flew to Kobe on the same day. They called an ambulance to send her to an emergency hospital, where she stayed for two weeks. Grandfather and Grandmother then came to Sendai on January 24th.

 Father has two sisters in Osaka. It was as a result of their discussion with him regarding what should be done that the old couple came to Sendai, for the sisters said they could not take care of them. Our life started anew as a family of five.

 When they came, I was thinking that they would go back and live together in Kobe again when Grandmother recovered as before. They had the same hope ― she was always asking, “When shall we go back?” We eventually learned, however, that they could not do it soon, for she had been unable to do anything without a caregiver’s assistance since her collapse in Kobe. We were worried if they could live together there as before even if her body recovered.

 As Grandmother was a Buddhist, she was connected with a temple. Even after coming to Sendai, she was talking about it very often. Perhaps, she did not want to be under our care because we were Christians. She wanted her daughters to take care of them. Yet, they had to live with us, Christians.

 The Lord worked in their lives as they spent time with us in Sendai. As we together experienced various things such as scriptural reading in the morning, prayers before meals, Sunday services, visitations for Bible study, singing praise and worship, and listening to others’ testimonies, Grandfather’s heart was changed little by little. Yet, it was apparent that his desire to return to Kobe was coming back to him whenever he remembered his good old days there when he had calls from his old friends and their daughters and heard Grandmother talking about the temple.

 In one month, Grandmother recovered rapidly. She was able to stand up alone and to walk without holding railings. We all five were glad, saying, “God has healed you!” However, the better she got, the stronger their desire to return was. They started making calls to their daughters more frequently.

 There suddenly appeared a great problem. Their daughters in Osaka had already disposed of the house of the old couple in Kobe ― their furniture, electric appliances, ‘tatami’ mats and even family alter (although the daughters are not Christians). Not only the house but also had they cut off their relation to the temple with all necessary paper work completed! The sisters even moved the couple’s resident registration from Kobe to Sendai. Grandfather was very angry to learn that they could not return there any longer. My parents and I were surprised, too, because we did not know that such a thing had been going on. Yet, our surprise quickly turned to thanksgiving, for we had been praying for their salvation for many years. We learned that it was a great opportunity for us to lead them to the Lord!

 Before their coming to Sendai, it was difficult for us to meet them often because our places were very far. But the Lord gave our family such a gift as living together with them, not only for a moment but for a long time ever. However, as Grandmother was diagnosed with an advanced stage of Alzheimer’s, it was difficult for us to live together with her at first. Mother and I got sick, and so did my father (with zoster). Yet, our life was little by little joyful as we saw them being changed.

 It was such time that the great earthquake attacked our area (on March 11th). Grandfather and Grandmother had experienced the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, too, but they said that this one was more frightening. They started talking about the earthquakes as of that day. Furthermore, they started thinking about life and death. In every occasion, all of us told them to believe in Jesus for them to go to heaven. Grandfather finally said to Father, “I will be here in Sendai until the end. I want my funeral to be conducted in a Christian way.” We all rejoiced. We started discussing his water baptism, and both Grandfather and Grandmother were baptized in the Easter service on April 24th.

 All the congregation was in tears, witnessing them saying “Yes!” with a loud voice in the vow. I give thanks to the Lord that, now, I can tell the verse, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved ― you and your household,” to others with great confidence. Because their water baptism just visited us abruptly in such a short period, I find myself as if I were still having a dream. I am now looking forward to the salvation of those aunties’ families in Osaka. I give thanks to the Lord with great expectation because I can pray to Him, who guides everyone to His salvation in a wondrous way.

 I have one more testimony. I heard this from my parents at Grandfather/mother’s baptism. The family alter which Grandfather were treasuring in Kobe was actually for his father (my Great Grandfather). My parents say, however, that, when they were ministering in Sakai, Osaka around 35 years ago, Great Grandfather committed himself to the Lord just before he passed away. I believed that he had been also praying for his son and daughter-in-law. Grandfather and Grandmother were very glad when I told them that he had believed in Jesus and gone to heaven.

 Father, Mother and I feel the Lord very real when we see Grandfather raising his hands and praising Him and Grandmother taking a posture of prayer.

 Father, Mother and I feel the Lord very real when we see Grandfather raising his hands and praising Him and Grandmother taking a posture of prayer.