Chasing After Geisha

Day 6 : Saturday, 17 July 2010

by Virnice Ng

 

Hi everyone! Greetings from Osaka! Watashi wa Virnice desu, and I’m here to share about Day 6!

 

Day 6 marked our 2nd day at Osaka and it was my group’s turn to share for prayer and reflections. My group, consisting of Norina, Wendy, Bertram and myself, kicked off the session with a sweet note by giving out chocolates all the way from Tokyo Disney Sea! We wanted to show our appreciation for the care and concern the pastors and “CG” people, or so we say (haha!), have shown us during this POR Japan trip as we are the youngest in the team.

 

 

After an opening prayer by Norina, we had a short worship and I could really feel the presence of God among us. We then divided the peacemakers into two groups and played a game of charades! Although they were surprised, it was really delightful to see everyone participating enthusiastically and enjoying the game!

 

My group wanted to bring across two points through this game. Wendy touched on the first point about perseverance and about how we should be persistent and not give up when faced with difficulties in life, the salvation of our loved ones and in particular, creating a community in Japan. The person acting for his or her team members to guess represents God who does not tell us His will directly. Instead, He reveals it to us, bit by bit, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, keeping us in suspense so that we will want to do more for Him. I added on that given likely problems such as the language barrier and the high percentage of Buddhist/Shinto, we are bound to make mistakes, face rejections and failures, fixing a piece of the puzzle at the wrong place, while trying to create a community here in Japan. But like the team members who kept trying and guessing when their answers were wrong, we too should persevere and wait in prayer for God to show us the next step when faced with these obstacles. Eventually, in God’s timing, when we piece the puzzle together, we will be able to see the bigger and better picture. Bertram went on to share about the second point which encouraged us to not be afraid, but to be strong and courageous to do what God has placed in our heart, even if it seems funny and ridiculous. We should not worry what others may think of us or be afraid that we are wrong. Even if we make mistakes, we learn from them and grow spiritually. So if God calls us to Japan, we should go, go, go!

 

The short devotion opened many of the peacemakers’ hearts as some went on to share about the salvation of their loved ones. While some testified how their loved ones got saved, others asked for prayer to persevere and to one day see their loved ones accept Christ. I was really blessed and I believe that our prayers were definitely not in vain.

 

Following that, we split into two groups and went to different places. While the other group went to Kobe, my group, consisting of 13 peacemakers and led by Pastor Alan, made our way to Kyoto, one of the best preserved cities in Japan.

Other than the long journey and the extremely hot weather, Kyoto, specifically Higashiyama, was a nice place to explore. Along the streets of Higashiyama, we could see many Japanese, both men and women, young and old, families and couples, dressed in their traditional kimonos and it was a beautiful sight. But the heat really made me wonder how they can “tahan” in all that thick clothing!

 

As we walked on, we spotted a Geisha and Norina and I started to chase after her as we wanted to take some photos of her! It was really a funny sight as it reminded me of the “kiasu” Singaporean nature in us. I was also surprised to see the traditional trishaws with young men pulling them and trying to get customers to take a ride.

 

By the time we reached the temples and shrines at the top of the hill, we were all covered with perspiration. Nonetheless, we went to take a look at what the Japanese people do at these temples. I feel that it is important to know what they believe in, find the turning point and let God’s work begin in their lives. At one of the shrines, people were queuing up to throw coins into a well (sorry i’m not that sure what it’s called) before pulling a long rope so as to hit the gong at the top. There were also wells of water which the people believe will purify them when they use it.  As I look at the people, I am reminded that “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few”, but “ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field”. With faith, perseverance and willingness, I believe that we can one day see Japan saved!

 

After cooling ourselves off with some delicious ice-cream, we visited a residential area in Higashiyama and the structure of the houses were interestingly different from that in Tokyo and the area was less built up. We then made our way back to the hotel to meet the other group for dinner. We split into two groups again for dinner and while the other had Yoshinoya, my group had the supposedly finger-licking good KFC but it was quite disappointing. Nevertheless, all of us had a good and full meal, an eventful and purposeful day and I pray that God will continue to open our eyes and see Japan in the way He wants us to!

 

That’s all I have! Stay tune for more updates on the peacemakers and God bless!