by Laura Parker, missionary Hirosaki Gakuin Seiai Junior and Senior High School
Greetings from Aomori, Japan! It has now been almost four years since I started serving at Hirosaki Gakuin Seiai Junior and Senior High School, a school affiliated with Hirosaki Gakuin University, a private Christian school. My time here has had its ups and downs, but it continues to be a great joy to serve in Hirosaki and to share the gospel with Japanese youth.
I first felt God calling me to Japan when I was in high school. I grew up in the State of Maryland in the eastern United States. I knew nothing about Japanese language and culture, but I had always been curious about the different customs and values of other countries. US high schools require students to study one foreign language, and I thought it would be fun to study Japanese because it is the language that is most different from English. Looking back on it now, I know that this was no coincidence. I believe that this was the first of many events in my life that God used to direct me to Japan. While I thought I would only study Japanese for a semester, God had other plans for me. The more time passed, the more and more I fell in love with the Japanese language and culture. My studies continued and became more serious when I attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan. During this time I became involved in ministry to Japanese students on campus and to Japanese people living in Holland. There were times when I pursued other interests, but in the end I always felt God bringing me back to Japan.
After graduation, I felt sure that I loved Japan and that Japan would always have a special place in my heart. I considered coming to Japan as an English teacher because I had also studied English in undergraduate school. However, I wanted to be more involved in sharing the gospel than a full-time teaching job would allow. I made inquires about openings to work as a missionary at a Japanese high school and learned that a position was available at Hirosaki Gakuin Seiai High School. I felt that this was an ideal opportunity for me to use my English language skills while being involved in ministry to Japanese youth. I felt certain that Hirosaki was where God was calling me to be.
Hirosaki Gakuin Seiai Junior and Senior High School, where I now serve, is a Christian school founded by missionaries in 1886. Although there are few Christian teachers, the school continues to hold daily chapel services, have Bible classes, and celebrate events on the Christian calendar. At the chapel services, students sing hymns, hear a short sermon, and pray together. This is the first exposure most of the students have to a worship service or to the Bible. Not many students are Christians, but the school gives students the opportunity to hear the Gospel message for the first time and to learn about who God is. Many students keep their Bibles after they graduate and graduate with a positive, nostalgic view of Christianity. I pray that seeds are being planted every day at these services, and that if not now, some day in the future students will come to know Jesus as their savior.
My main responsibility at the school is to teach in the English department. Teaching English classes provides me with an excellent way to get to know individual students and to build relationships with them. When talking to students in the classroom, I can learn about their interests and beliefs, which helps me to understand Japanese culture better and how best to share the Gospel with Japanese people. For many students, I am the first foreign Christian they have had a conversation with, and every day I try to find small ways to share God’s love with students, whether that be through giving them positive feedback on an assignment, praying with them, or just listening to what they want to tell me. I know that I am flawed in many ways, but I pray that students can see God’s love shining through me in these daily interactions with them. I pray that God will use the words I say to touch their hearts and to show them how much He loves them.
In addition to classes, I also assist with the school’s religion department. I help with a variety of tasks, but my main responsibility is to conduct an English chapel service once a month. At these services, I lead the students in an English hymn, deliver a short message in English with Japanese translation, and pray for the school and students. It is my greatest joy each month to tell students about how God is working in my life and about what Jesus has done for them on the cross. Students and teachers have told me that my talks help them relate to the Bible and are easy for them to understand, for which I am so thankful!
Another great joy I have is to teach some girls in a weekly Bible study. Each week a small group of girls comes to chat, sing hymns and praise songs, and read Bible passages together in Japanese and English. This has been a great environment to get to know students, to pray with them, and to look at the Bible more closely with them. Recently, two of these girls have even attended church with me.
Serving in a foreign country has been difficult at times, but I am so grateful to God for bringing me to Hirosaki. I am very thankful for this amazing opportunity that God has given me to share His love and to tell the young people in Japan about Jesus. Please continue to keep the teachers and students of Seiai High School in your prayers. Pray that although it becomes more and more difficult to do so, the Gospel message would still be preached. Please pray that God would work powerfully through the school to reach students and their families.
弘前にて 神様に仕えて
キリストにある兄弟姉妹の皆様へ、
日本の青森県からご挨拶を申し上げます。現在私は、
神様が私を日本に招いて下さることを初めて感じたのは、私が、
大学卒業後、日本が大好きになっていることと、
私が、仕えている弘前学院聖愛中学高等学校は1886年にアメリ
学校における私の職務の主なものは、
通常の授業の他に、私は、
いま一つの喜びは、
異国の地で神様に仕えることは、
祝福を祈りつつ
ローラ パーカー
Ms. Kawai Michi (1877-1953) often said, “The true principal of Keisen Jogakuen is our loving God.” This principle lives on to this day in the educational programs of Keisen Jogakuen Junior and Senior High School and of Keisen Jogakuen University and Graduate School. Keisen Jogakuen is not a mission school that was established by receiving support from an overseas mission organization. It is a Christian school that was founded, based on faith, by Kawai, a Japanese Christian.
In the words of Rev. Isshiki Yoshiko, “Throughout her life, Kawai Michi made church a priority and devoted herself to fervent prayer and to the school’s students, teachers and staff, along with the families of students and friends all over the world. She loved those people. She was an educator who could lead women to have independence, autonomy, and self-realization as a person who stands before God.” A special counselor at Keisen Jogakuen, Isshiki was educated by and lived with Kawai, just like a family member.
Kawai Michi was born in Mie Prefecture to the family of a Shinto priest at Ise Shrine, the most famous shrine in Japan. As a result of reformation that occurred during the Meiji Restoration, however, her father lost his job and moved to Hokkaido while she was still very young. She met Sarah Smith, a missionary in Hakodate, followed her to Sapporo, and studied at Smith Girls’ School, which later became Hokusei Jogakko. It can be said that the guidance provided by Nitobe Inazo and Smith in Sapporo gave Kawai direction for her life. Through a recommendation by Tsuda Umeko, Kawai received scholarship funds and, at the age of 21, traveled with Nitobe Inazo and his wife to the United States. In the autumn of 1904, Kawai graduated from Bryn Mawr College, returned to Japan, and became a teacher at Joshi Eigaku Juku, the school founded by Tsuda Umeko that now became Tsuda University. At the same time, Kawai also became a founding member of the Japan YWCA. When she became the first Japanese person to serve as its national secretary, she was 35 years old. During her 14 years as the national secretary, she traveled not only within Japan but also to Western and Asian countries, attending conferences, investigations, and lectures. She was also extremely busy gathering support for relief efforts after the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 as well as holding training sessions and nation-wide conventions.
When Kawai retired from the Japan YWCA and felt called to school education, Watanabe Yuri (later Isshiki Yuri), Morikubo Hisa, and other former students of Kawai at Joshi Eigaku Juku supported her through prayer and by raising money. This group, named “Little Flock Of Disciples,” sustained Kawai and eventually led to the work of Keisen Fellowship, which still exists today.
In 1929 Kawai founded Keisen Jogakuen with nine students. A friend from YWCA days, Florence Wells, along with friends from her Hokkaido days, Suemitsu Isao and Hongo Shin, served together with her as teachers. The following is a passage from her autobiography, My Lantern, which was published in 1939. The Japanese language version came later, in 1968.
“My school—what kind should it be? Besides giving girls a practical religious education along with their regular curriculum, is there not some way, I wondered, of making international study a practical element in their education? Might not I, through my pupils, make a contribution to the cause of international friendship? Wars will never cease until women interest themselves in world affairs. Then, begin with the young—with girls! From mere curiosity they can be led into appreciation of foreign people and things. If Christianity first teaches us self-respect, it next teaches us respect for others, regardless of race or rank; for all human beings are God’s children.” (My Lantern)
My Lantern (1939) and Sliding Doors (1950), both written in English by Kawai, were widely read in the West. Proceeds from the sale of the books were used as educational funds for Keisen Jogakuen. Bertha Lambert, Esther Nuendorffer and others who were friends of Kawai when she was at Bryn Mawr University, Kawai herself, Bonner Fellers (an a college friend of Isshiki Yuri), John Mott, and Elizabeth Vining joined together to organize the “Michi Kawai Christian Fellowship,” which continued to support Keisen Jogakuen even after her death. Uemura Masahisa, the pastor of Fujimicho Church to which she belonged, and Kagawa Toyohiko who relied on her for the education of his children, continued in fellowship with Kawai throughout her entire life. Isshiki Yuri’s husband, Isshiki Toraji, strongly supported Kawai by serving as Keisen Jogakuen’s chairman of the board. Within Japan, and in other countries all over the world, she had very many friendships that crossed Christian denominational lines!
Kawai attended a worldwide Christian conference held in Madras in 1931. She also visited the US in 1941 as a member of a peace group delegation. Even during World War II, she prayed for peace as she prayed for her friends around the world. She worshiped every morning at Keisen Jogakuen and continued to teach the English language. From the founding of Keisen Jogakuen, horticulture had always been an important subject, but the official authorization granted in March 1945 to establish Keisen Jogakuen as an agricultural school for girls marked the real starting point of horticulture as a part of junior college education. To this day, in Keisen Jogakuen Junior High School and High School and in Keisen Jogakuen University, the subject of horticulture is a required course of study.
In 1946, Kawai became a member of the National Educational Reformation Committee and worked for the passage of the Basic Education Act. In 1950, she was asked to write the English language prayers for the World Day of Prayer of that year. As a representative of the Japan Junior College Association, she went to the US in 1951 and, after finishing her duties, traveled around every part of the US, giving lectures and raising money for the establishment of International Christian University in Japan.
In February 1953, after being hospitalized for five months, Kawai Michi passed away at 75 years of age. Isshiki Yuri and Isshiki Yoshiko were at her bedside. Many people connected with Keisen Jogakuen filled the hospital both inside and outside. As they were praying, she went to be with the Lord. Even now, more than 60 years after Kawai’s death, many graduates still refer to her as “my teacher.” They say things like, “She taught me to be a person who can say ‘Yes’, ‘No’, ‘Thank you’, and ‘I’m sorry.'”
There is a school where the ideas of the founder have been inherited and are still alive in today’s education. That school is Keisen Jogakuen. (Tr. KT)
—Matsui Hiroko, member Keisen Jogakuen Archive
恵泉女学園 創立者河井道
「恵泉女学園の真の校長は愛の神さまです」と言い続けた河井(か
「河井道は生涯、教会を大切にし、学生・生徒、教師・職員、
恵泉女学園は海外の宣教団体の支援を受けて設立されたミッション
伊勢神宮の神職の家に生まれた河井道は、
河井道が日本YWCAを辞し、学校教育 に使命を見出した時、渡辺(わたなべ)百合(ゆり)（後の一色(
1929年9名の生徒で恵泉女学園は開校した。YWCA時代の友
河井道が著した自叙伝（My Lantern 1939,日本語版『わたしのランターン』1968）
「わたしの学校！
それはどういう種類であるべきだろう。
河井道の英文著書My Lantern （1939） とSliding Doors（1950）は欧米で広く読まれ、その 売り上げは学園の教育資金として活用された。Bertha Lambertや Esther Nuendorffer等ブ リンマー大学時代の友人たちは、河井道、一色百合の知人であるB
マドラスにおける基督教 世界会議（1931）に出席し、平和使節団（1941） メンバーとして訪米した河井道は、戦時中も、平和を祈り、
1946年河井道は教育刷新委員会委員となり、
1953年2月、5ヶ月の入院生活ののち、75歳で召天。
河井道没後60年以上を経た今も、河井道を「私の先生」
創立者の理念が今なお教 育の中に継承されている学校、それが恵泉女学園である。
恵泉女学園史料室運営委員 松井弘子
Naito Tomeyuki was born in Yokosuka (Kanagawa Prefecture) in 1929. After attending a naval academy, he went on to study philosophy at Gakushuin University. Following graduation from Tokyo Union Theological Seminary in 1958, he became the pastor at Kochi Church (Kochi) then at Zentsuji Church (Kagawa), Banzancho Church (Okayama), Kanazawa Church (Ishikawa), Nogatamachi Church (Tokyo), and Takaido Church (Tokyo). He was general secretary of the Kyodan from 2007 until 2012. During that time, he also served as acting pastor at various churches. He passed away at age 87 on June 30, 2017.
A DAUGHTER’S MEMORIES
by Tsunakawa Megumi, Rev. Naito’s oldest daughter Member, Kyodokita Church, Tokyo
As a small child, I really loved my father because he was so sweet. He was always busy in his study, so having meals together with him was a special time. Before eating, we would all recite together the “scripture of the month” that he had selected. I remember such scriptures as “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for that is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thess. 5:16-18) After all these years, I still remember such scriptures, which have now become a spiritual support for us.
My father didn’t drink or smoke; he didn’t even drive a car. The only TV channel he watched was NHK, the national public television station.* I remember him playing “ping-pong baseball” with my brother in the yard sometimes, but that’s about the only special amusement I remember as a child. My father’s interest was his work; ministry was his life.
In their later years, my parents and I lived in the same apartment building, although on different floors. I helped care for my mother, who was beginning to experience dementia, and through this I had more opportunity for time with my father. He and I shared this pain and distress together and experienced the added bond of comrades who were sharing a common mission.
Several years ago my father was diagnosed with cancer, but the cancer was not aggressive, so tranquil days continued. During that time, he began writing for Shinto no Tomo (Believers’ Friend), and I believe that was a great joy for him. Because he wrote of his own sickness and my mother’s care, many readers responded. There was a response from someone whom he had baptized many years earlier, and some people visited him from far away. I believe this was a saving grace for him in the midst of his battle with cancer.
About two weeks before my father died, he began to receive medical care at home. He would ask the doctors and nurses for their names and try to remember them. His pastoral care began with remembering people’s names, and I felt that he continued that care to the very last.
A CHURCH MEMBER’S MEMORIES
by Yachie Junko, member Kanazawa Church, Ishikawa Prefecture
Just a few weeks before his death, Rev. Naito said to me in a telephone conversation, “Ms. Junko, pray for me.” After saying that, he hung up, and those were his last words to me.
Rev. Naito came to serve at Kanazawa Church when he was 41 years old. My husband was drawn to the church, and when he was a university freshman he was baptized. Our wedding followed, and then the infant baptism of our two children. Our family was nurtured in the fellowship of the church and the counsel of Rev. Naito.
Right after coming to our church, Rev. Naito spoke of the importance of laity training and planned a seminar for laity. The first seminar was entitled “Principles of a Life of Faith.” With his husky voice and smiling face, he spoke to us individually and often wrote cards and letters, urging us to attend worship and various meetings of the church. He visited church members so often that his wife Michiko commented that he would wear out a pair of shoes in just a few months. In comforting us, in his sermons, and in his prayers, we would often hear, “It is written in the Bible,” followed by appropriate scripture.
However, there were times before his sermons when we could glimpse his own distress. “Lord, you know that in my prayers I have fervently asked you to speak through me.” That is the image of him that really stays with me. Rev. Naito was known for his memory and ability to remember names. But added to this God-given talent was his love for each individual, concern for each family, and constant prayer that made it all possible.
What I learned from Rev. Naito was to trust the Lord from my heart, to never give up, to persevere, and to pray fervently. As one who showed great concern for the future of the church, this is the message that he leaves for all of us. In spite of his own weaknesses, he continued to pray and serve as a messenger of the Gospel. I can hear Rev. Naito, with his voice raised saying, “Let us pray!” (Tr. JS)
—From Shinto no Tomo (Believers’ Friend), October 2017 issue Summarized by KNL Editor Kawakami Yoshiko
*NHK, Nippon Hoso Kyokai (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), is Japan’s only public broadcasting corporation. As a public broadcaster, it is funded by fees received from TV viewers,
“内 藤留幸牧師を天に送る 内藤留幸
929年神奈川県横須賀市にて誕生。海軍兵学校を経て、
綱 川めぐみ つなか わ めぐみ 内藤留 幸氏長女、東京・経堂北教会員
小さいころ、私は優しい 父が大好きでした。一日中書斎で仕事をして いる人でしたので、
父は酒もたばこもやら ないし、車の運転もしない、テレビだってＮＨＫを少しだけ。
両親は晩年、私と同じマ ンションの違う階に住むことになりました。
数年前父はがんである ことがわかりましたが、がんはおとなしく、
亡くなる２週間 ほど前、訪問診療・看護のサービスを受けることになりました。
谷内江潤子やち え じゅんこ 石川・金沢教会員
天に召される数週間 前、「潤子さん、私のために祈ってね」。
内藤留幸先生が41歳で金沢にいらしたころ、
先生は着任後すぐ、信 徒の訓練が大切だと、信徒セミナーを計画されました。第１回は「
しかし、時には説教を前にした先生の苦悩を垣間見 ることがありました。「主よ、お語りくださいって、
by Kato Makoto, executive secretary
I participated in the general assemblies of the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK) and the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK), Sept.18-21. The annual meetings of the two churches are held at the same time each year, and most guests from overseas begin by participating in PCK’s assembly and then, with the accompaniment of PCK staff, move to the PROK location and participate in its assembly. This year, the PCK General Assembly was held in Yangiae Chapel at Onnuri Church in Seoul. Yangiae Chapel is the church’s secondary chapel but can hold up to 6,000 people. Considering the size of Japanese churches, we could not help but shake our heads in amazement. The theme of the assembly was “Holy Church: To the World Again,” and during the opening worship, I used earphones for the first time in order to hear the English translation.
After spending one night there, we traveled 400 km to Gyeongju to participate in the PROK General Assembly. We traveled by express train, and I was surprised that no one checked our tickets. The assembly was held at Hyundai Hotel, and the theme was “500 Years of Reformation: Renewing and Empowering the Church in the World of God.” As the PROK had elected a new executive secretary the previous year, there was also a change of staff, including the secretarial staff. This caused some slight confusion in carrying out the assembly, and thus it may require time to reaffirm mission cooperation with overseas churches. In the assembly’s handbook, the Kyodan representative was the first overseas guest introduced and the second guest to bring greetings to the assembly, following an overseas guest from Africa.
We did not participate in the discussion at the PCK General Assembly, but according to another overseas guest who did, a resolution was passed that recognized children baptized as infants as eligible to receive communion. I thought this was quite a significant resolution for a Presbyterian church in Asia. (Tr. RW)
加藤 誠
2017年9月18日（月）から21日（木）までPCK・PRO
PCKの議事には参加できなかったが、
The Christian Conference of Asia’s 4th Asia Mission Conference was held Oct. 12-16, 2017 in Yangon, Myanmar. Initially, 400 people were expected to attend, but when the number increased to 600, the venue was quickly changed from Baptist Center to Franc Auditorium. The meeting was last held 23 years ago in Seoul. This time it was convened through the cooperation of the Myanmar Baptist Convention and the Myanmar Council of Churches. The theme of this year’s gathering was “Journeying Together: Prophetic Witness to the Truth and Light in Asia,” based on the Gospel of John 8:12 and 18:37. In his opening address, CCA General Secretary Dr. Mathews George Chunakara warned, “We are facing a number of pertinent challenges and questions… There are competitive forces out there which may undermine the credibility of Christian mission.” He noted that in some countries, missionary evangelism has brought on increasing persecution. However, the church in Asia stands secure in its sense of calling, and it is necessary to commit to mission and to witness to Almighty God.
On the afternoon of the second day, a panel discussion was held on the theme “Witness to the Truth and Light: Religious Perspectives.” The panelists were Shin Pannajota, a lecturer at International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University in Myanmar, where 88% of the population is Buddhist; Swami Navanama Janana Thapaswi, director of Santhigiri Ashram, Kerala, India, representing Hinduism; and Prof. Siti Musdah Mulia of the Council of Indonesian Ulema, representing Islam. The ensuing discussion examined truth and light from a number of angles. Of particular interest was Prof. Mulia’s powerful discussion of the need for different religions to join hands to work for peace and justice.
Each day of the conference the participants were divided into 20 groups for discussion of the Bible study. In my group, global warming and other environmental pollution problems were discussed in the beginning. We came to the conclusion that we should start with small things we can do in our everyday lives to reduce our carbon footprint, but for some reason there was a strong call for Japan to reduce its radioactive waste. During the second day’s discussion, a pastor from Myanmar talked about the fact that in the past, the Christian population of Myanmar reached 5% as a result of the work of a large number of foreign missionaries, but at some point foreign missionaries withdrew completely from the country. At that time, the Myanmar churches had only God to rely on, and as a result, Christians presently make up 8% of the population.
On Sunday, we were recommended to attend a local Baptist church and give the message. In my case, I was able to deliver the sermon at Wuna Kyezudaw Baptist Church, located about an hour’s drive away. The church sanctuary was about the size of an elementary school classroom, but it was filled with around 70 people, both children and adults, who participated enthusiastically in the service.
At 3:00 in the afternoon, we participated in a 60th anniversary service with more than 6,000 people, mainly from the Myanmar churches. Among those giving 60th anniversary messages was WCC General Secretary Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit. From Japan, Rev. Kawakami Naoya, executive director of Tohoku Help, was given time to speak on the theme of “Fukushima”; and on short notice, Rev. Heo Bae Kki of the Korean Christian Church in Japan was asked to lead the communion service during the closing worship. However, due to the time of our return flight to Japan, we were unfortunately unable to stay until the end of the conference. (Tr. DB)
—Kato Makoto, executive secretary
Christian Conference of Asia主催 Asia Mission Conference & Diamond Jubilee Celebrationに参加して 加藤 誠
第4回アジア宣教会議が2017年10月12日～16日、 ミャンマー、ヤンゴンで開催されました。当初は400人が参加予
二日目の午後には「真理と光の証：他宗教からの視点」“
参加者は20のグループに分かれてバイブルスタディーのディスカ
日曜日は地元のバプテスト教会に出席することとメッセージを取り 次ぐことが勧められた。私は車で一時間ほどの距離にあるThe Wuna Kyezudaw Baptist Churchで 説教する機会が与えられた。
午後３時からはミャンマーバプテスト教会の方々を中心に6000
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