Worldwide family

THIS Christmas, among the Christmas messages, I had an unusual one from Japan:

“Dear Sue,
I got baptized this morning…on Christmas morning!
It's like…a new life is starting!”

My friend and former student Satoko had started her search for spiritual life while she was studying in the Jesus Centre in 2015. She tells her story:

“I found the ESOL class on the website by chance. I learnt a lot of things, not only English but also many things. For example, I see a lot of people from different countries who have different cultures. It is my pleasure to see many people from different countries.

“I joined two classes, on Mondays and Tuesdays. In the Monday classes we learnt about conversation. Sometimes we read the story of Sue’s family. It was very interesting for me. It is a story about when she starts to live in Christian Community and her job. She starts to teach English. I like Sue’s story very much.

“I was invited to church by Sue. The first day I was very nervous, but the atmosphere is very nice. They are friendly. I sometimes go to church and am invited to dinner. They have dinner together. They are a Christian community. I had a really good time, and sometimes I was with my husband there.

“I was impressed that the people who live here share a lot of things. They are not rich but they are always thinking about what they can do for other people. Sometimes it’s humbling, or encouraging to see them demonstrate it, because if they can do it, it is an example.

“It is my pleasure to work there because I am in Sue’s class and she is a very dedicated teacher and I wanted to do something for other people. That is why I started.

“I like to speak with people in the drop-in. They have their stories, very interesting stories. Some of them are from Romania or Bulgaria; I learn a lot from them. I am Japanese, and now that I am going to go back I realise I have too many things. Homeless people have very little things and I learn a lot from them. I realised that I need to have a simpler life. I realised that if I have a simpler life I can get more space for other people. 

“I want to continue to develop my Christian faith but it is not easy to find right church for me.”

After her return to Japan, Satoko found a church, and talked about her new faith with her family. Now she is delighted to be part of God’s worldwide family.