faithful

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::: over four decades ago, a japanese christian couple in their 20s joined a few other christians and -- with pastor tero kodaira and his family -- started a church in nishinomiya, a city that sits between kobe and osaka...

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...now in their 60s, this active couple remains faithful in the same church, nishinomiya chapel, serving God under the leadership of pastor tero's son, makio...from this small group of ten people, God has used this church to restore many japanese lives, plant two more churches (one of which is ours), and send out missionaries...

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...last night this couple invited us and our friends, minoru and yoko, into their home for an unforgettable meal...

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...highlights included grating wasabi straight from the root to go along with the some of the best sashimi we've had thus far...in fact, the couple drove over three hours to another prefecture (totori) to get the fish and fresh vegetables and fruit... we were honored by their hospitality and generosity...

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...grating wasabi straight from the root was new for tube-users like us...

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...quick grating tip: the degree to which wasabi "clears your sinuses" depends heavily on oxidation...so grating wasabi in a circular pattern increases oxidation, which, in turn, raises the burn factor...grating wasabi in an up-down pattern minimizes oxidation...our host recommended a 1:1 ratio (5 circles, then 5 up-downs)...

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...walking a novice through the sushi-making process...

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...what i learned: (a) don't squish the rice; (b) slapping the fish and rice together with the two-finger "peace" sign requires a trained balance between finesse and power; (c) my wife lies (she said my squishy, deformed looking eel sushi was the evening's best); (d) what seems easy (a well-balanced piece of sushi) is very difficult to do...

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...awkward language moment of the evening: wanting to ask our host if his hands were tired after making so much sushi for us, yoko seized the opportunity to make me feel dumb, so she acted as translator and said to our host, "bobby wants to know if you washed your hands before making our sushi!"...not realizing that yoko was joking, our host's face turned a bit gray...so did mine...then our host realized that my japanese couldn't be that bad!...

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...over green tea and rice bread, this faithful couple shared about joys and challenges of living for christ in japan...i suppose their struggles are shared by all of us, but their unique japanese perspective enabled me to see how the good news of Jesus is really good news to all peoples in the world...to see them share their bible reading notes inspires us...to hear how they pray daily for us and our church moved us deeply...

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