Friends and faith

You yourself must have witnessed that when God sends you on a mission, he always prepares everything for you for that task.

In our case, this week, we needed a rental car in a place about two hours from our residence in Japan. Out of the blue, friends who learned about our problem got out of their way and drove to that faraway place to bring our rental car right to our assigned parking area. Voila! Even before we arrived at the place we were to stay in, God gifted us with friends who prepared a rental car for our use!

Arriving from the airport with heavy luggage, we started to wonder whether our luggage would be allowed in a small bus bound for our place. Despite days of continued evening shifts and instead of spending precious time to catch up with much needed sleep, another friend came to our rescue, welcomed us, and brought us to our place!

Experiencing such providential convergences lead us always to burst out in praise and awe that God is truly good, all the time! He always provides for our needs, his grace sufficient each day.

All he wants us to do is to remain in full faith - to trust Him completely, all the time!

He showers us with his love and grace through those he sends our way - our friends and even those who do not like us or those we do not like as well. We just need to discern his presence, his ways, his daily love for us.

To continue with more faith sharing, we went ahead to visit our dear God-sent friends, Mr. and Mrs. Nakamura in Fukuoka, Japan. They are in their 70s but they are as active as ever. Mr. Nakamura, having been a bank manager in Japan, can well afford, with Mrs. Nakamura, to relax and enjoy their pension and savings. However, they are generously offering their time, resources, and concern to train foreigners, especially Filipinos, to learn Japanese language and caregiving skills. They also opened their home for AirBnb, not at all for profit, but so foreign visitors can enjoy Japanese-style accommodations for a price the foreigners can afford!

Doing these services for foreigners take up most of their time. They have to prepare lessons, clean the training area and their home, among others. Although physically challenging, this couple exudes so much peace and joy with their mission to make life in their part of Japan easier and happier for foreigners sent their way.

It is their simple, generous way of continuing their only son’s mission - to help foreigners, especially Asian women, find good work and be paid justly in Japan. Before he could proceed with his dream, however, their son died of a brain tumor in his early 30s. The Nakamura couple grieved for some time but realized that instead of tears, they would rather honor and celebrate their son by pursuing his mission.

The Nakamuras did not have to but they offered to take us in their car to Nagasaki, a place reminding all to always pursue peace and protect our world from war and bombs.

Nagasaki is also a historical place where Christians, both local and foreigner, were tortured and persecuted because of their faith, including our very own San Lorenzo Ruiz whose statue is on the hilly site where the 26 martyrs were crucified in 1597.

The Nakamuras and friends Vincent, Taeko, Obet, and the Takenakas allowed us to experience yet again, the beauty of deep faith and the joy of friendship - so much to thank God for always!