That Marvelous Meeting

 Many years ago in Japan, Tony used to minister to a group of young men in what was called a "bed school".  He had about 10 guys who he met with every week.  They were young adults who loved talking to foreigners about so many things, including Christ.  

This “bed school”, as it was called, was built for the sole purpose of housing and caring for people who had been diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy.  A little research will remind you that Muscular Dystrophy is mostly in the male population as well as being genetic and incurable even to this day.   Of course, they were wheelchair bound adults by the time Tony met them, but most of them had come into the facility when they were four or five years old. 

Thankfully, now attitudes are changing in Japan, but in the last generation of so, any physical “abnormality” was not acceptable to society as a whole. To have just about any physical or mental defect meant that you were separated from public life. To see how things are changing for the better, we were encouraged to find that during our time in Japan the question of wheelchair ramps was beginning to be discussed at a government level. Today you find them everywhere. 

In the case of Muscular Dystrophy, there is no mental deficiency, but because of speaking and mobility problems, victims are considered in the same group as those many others who have a hard time fitting into society. As I mentioned before, those who were diagnosed were brought into the bed schools at a very early age. Their biological families would sometimes visit around New Years, even occasionally taking them 'home' for a family event, including their own funerals.

As time progressed, Tony and his guys grew closer. We even had a couple of them to the house (sadly, we too had to discriminate as to who could ride in a car or stay contained in a seat belt).

One particular young man was named Abe (pronounced Ah-beh).  He obviously wanted to follow Christ but had innumerable questions.  I mentioned these guys were smart. Tony had a long conversation with him one day, with Abe promising to look into the Gospel message more closely. 

Soon after that conversation. Abe began to lose the battle with his body.  As with most people in this condition, when the disease reaches the lungs, things go bad very quickly. 

Soon after, one morning, we got the phone call we had been dreading.  Abe had passed in the night. His family would be taking his body the next day to hold a (Buddhist) funeral, attended for the most part by people who had never met him, some in the family who might have never known he existed.  

Tony immediately suggested to his friends that he was happy to lead an ‘inhouse’ memorial service, there at the school, before the body was taken away.  They were excited for the opportunity. 

When he arrived, the gang met him at the door, but they weren't sad at all!  As Tony started in, they all giggled and jockeyed for his attention.  Suddenly they couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Sensei Sensei, you'll never guess what Abe-san’s last words were!!"

Tony certainly couldn't guess so they all answered at once.

“Last night Abe could hardly breathe, but he managed to say two words, "Yubeh, atta!" Tony joined the boys in celebration because what the dying man had said was,   "Last night I met Him!"

It was a joyous service and we've never forgotten that God is the Master of time and place. It’s even changed the way we pray. Rather than asking for the salvation of someone whose heart God has laid on us, we pray simply that he or she has a chance to meet Jesus. We figure He can take it from there.

Can you think back to similar “meetings” in your own experience? Let me know! 

Stay tuned, and next week I want to share a similar situation, much closer to our hearts, that we've just had in the last few months!

Always, Marsha