Ancient Paths

 Today I'd like to tell you the tale.  It could go something like the line by Charles Dickens in the Tale of Two Cities' and start off with: "It was the best of times and it was the worst of times."

Yoshioka is a small village a few miles north of Sendai, Japan, where we lived most of our career.  The thing that struck us every time we went out there was the sense of history.  It was over 700 years old, and that was back in the ‘80s. 

We came to know the place because a doctor by the name of Abe Sensei, ran a clinic there. By God’s grace, he became a Christian sometime in the ‘50s, and that changed the course of the land. 

Because of his concern for the town and society, and wanting to share Christ in the community, he started a preschool with a church attached. 

It sailed along with great success for over 40 years.  We got involved when Tony was asked to come play his guitar for the children once or twice a week.  It became a real bright spot in our lives just to see so many kids (over 100, I'm guessing) and their mothers, singing along to the simple children’s songs.  

We began to be invited to homes in the neighbourhood, making friends with the mothers of the preschool.  All of them heard the Gospel, and several came to church.  One lady, Mrs Suzuki, had us to her house.  It was (and probably still is) the original sake-making site that made the town famous ..... 700 years ago.  She was the wife to the whatever number direct descendant of the family.

While she was very interested in Christianity, we picked up that she was probably more of an indentured servant than a wife, and most likely had no authority over her own life. However, her children had been allowed to attend both the preschool and the church. That led eventually to the kids becoming involved in larger Christian schools in Sendai. In every way, Mrs Suzuki 'appreciated' all things Christian.

One day, sitting on the tatami floor and marvelling at the old beams in the spacious living area, I commented, (something to the effect) "Boy, this place must have a lot of history!"  

She jolted in surprise, looked around like she'd never really thought about it, then said, “Well, it was the first building in the town, built around the sake business.” That would have made it over 700 years old, something that an American like me just couldn’t get my head around.  

Years passed.  Yoshioka was full of so many experiences, most lovely, some bittersweet. Then in 1997, we moved to Nagano and said goodbye to the folks at Yoshioka. 

Last year, we had a wonderful opportunity to re-visit the place, along with our son and his family. The old clinic/preschool/church had been torn down and replaced with a couple of houses. 

The “coming of the roads” brought with it the beginning of the end for Yoshioka as it had been. What had once been a charming old village was now a “bed town” for Sendai, with many of the inhabitants commuting into work from there. Gone were the old leaders we had loved. Gone was the preschool, although there was a brand new one not far away, complete with shiny school buses and excited kids. 

Tony may have wiped away a tear or two as he watched someone walking into one of the new houses. He said softly, “I just want to grab that guy and ask him if he has any idea of the history he’s stepping over?” 

I guess it’s not exactly the same, but I can’t help but think of Jeremiah 6:16 as he quotes God, “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”

I know; I sound just like those old guys at the barber shop insisting that the “good old days” are gone forever. There is some truth in that, after all; I believe the years have not been kind to a lot of the good we used to know as a society. And I believe that we are, and will continue to pay the price for that.

But there’s more to the picture! God is still at work and in many ways, if the Lord tarries, THESE are the “good old days” our children will look back on. 

I want to write a blog or two about some AMAZING things that happened out there in Yoshioka, and what they meant to us.   Stay tuned, will you?  

All the best, 

Marsha