Returning to Say Thanks

 Good morning all,

 

Last week I was talking about something I came across in the 17th chapter of Luke.  Today I’d like to talk about a little ‘hero’ that I may have mentioned in this blog years ago. The story following last week’s passage is what brought her back to my mind.

 

First a little refresher, from Luke 17:11-19,

 

“Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’

When He saw them, he said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed.


One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him — and he was a Samaritan.


Jesus asked, ‘Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’”


 


One day many years ago, a girl came to the door of our Japanese Church.  

“Would it be OK if I came in today?” she asked tentatively, clutching a Japanese Good News Bible.

 

Of course, we invited her in with open arms. After the service, during tea time, I asked her about herself.  From the time I met her until she left, she never let go of her Bible, but held onto it like it was a newborn child.

 

“I am a Foreign Exchange Student at the university nearby.  I don’t know a lot of people, but I was assigned a study carrel that belonged to one of the older students who was planning to be away during the school break.  I looked forward to the quiet space where I could study. But more than that, I was hoping to improve my English as I was finding the lectures especially difficult.  

 

The student had left several books behind on the shelf, and I noticed one in particular called the ‘Good News Bible’.  The English looked simple enough and so, instead of studying, I started reading it to see what I could understand.  I read it all.  I wanted to know about this God who loves me and sent His Son. When the student returned from his holiday, I asked him about it.  He was happy to tell me that it is a true story.  

 

‘A few days later, he found me and gave me this’. She loosened her grip enough to show me the Japanese version of the Good News Bible in her hand.

 

‘Now I have believed in Jesus and I wanted to come today and thank you Christians and especially God for making it possible for me to believe.’

 

Now the amazing part: that day at our worship service, Tony preached from Luke 17: 11-19, about the 10 lepers who were healed and the one (ironically a foreigner) who returned to thank Jesus.

 

Coincidence? I don’t think so.

 

The girl, whose name is Miki, went on to become a baptized church member, a real blessing for all of us for several years before she graduated, married a fellow Christian Japanese and left for new destinations.

 

It’s not always easy to stop and say “Thank you”, especially to strangers. From Luke’s account, only about one out of ten manage it. But in her heroic act of faith, Miki moved from stranger to sister in the Lord. And if by some miracle you come across this blog, Miki, let me say a big THANK YOU for encouraging me all those years ago.

 

As I always say, How GOOD is God!

 

Marsha

 

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