With the Satos (and Grandma Sato, center)

It’s been a little over two months since I last returned from Tohoku, the northeastern region of Japan, where the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami hit with such devastating results.  Twice I had the privilege of spending the night in an evacuation center in the town of Minamisanriku, and twice had really neat opportunities to witness to Mr. and Mrs. Sato, a couple who were staying there.  They had lost their home, business, and savings in the tsunami and were wondering how they would ever put their lives back together.

But they were quite hospitable to me and invited me to eat my meals with them, and we had lots of time to share each others’ stories.  They had never met a Christian in their lives before.   What a privilege to be the first!

On my second visit I gave Mrs. Sato a Bible and shared the first few verses of Psalm 46 with her, which had been on my mend and heart ever since the tsunami first hit.  That same day another Christian lady on our team, Yukari, made friends with Mrs. Sato.  Yukari shared a bit of her testimony with the Satos, and we all prayed together that day.

Fast forward two months:  Last night, out of the blue, I got a call from the pastor of Yukari’s church in Tokyo.  He has also visited that same evacuation center and has talked with the Satos on three occasions.  He called to tell me that they mentioned my name many times and that it was obvious our meeting had made a big impact on them.

But the main reason for the call was to let me know that they had made professions of faith and become believers in Christ!

It was so encouraging to know:
- That my meeting them, though relatively brief, was so significant, and that spiritual seed was really sown;
-  That others were faithful to stay in contact, developing deeper trust relationships and cultivating the seed that was sown;
- That God worked through those efforts and brought them to fruition, resulting in new life.

I’ve heard it said that the Tohoku region of Japan is one of the most gospel-resistant places in the country.  I’ve also heard that since the March 11 tsunami, the spiritual climate seems to be changing and that there is a new openness in many places.  By God’s grace may that prove to be true.

May God pour out His Spirit on that devastated region, and may many more, like the Satos, come to saving faith in Christ.  May the gospel bear fruit and grow in Tohoku!