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Advent 2000
Greetings to all of you in the season of Advent 2000:
Thank you for all of your prayerful support during this year.
As I remain busily involved in many activities everyday, I appreciate
the assurance that together we are trying to focus on God’s
work.
Kwassui College, where I teach English in Nagasaki, has just
celebrated Founder’s Day with the completion of a video production
of the life of our founder, Miss Elizabeth Russell, who was sent
to Japan in 1879 by the Methodists in America to educate Japanese
women. Currently there is only a Japanese version of the video,
although an English version is also being planned. In addition,
a new sister-college relationship was established between Kwassui
and Ohio Wesleyan University, with the agreement being signed
at this time. There have been historical connections before, but
not in recent years.
Speaking of history, this year Nagasaki has been celebrating
the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first Dutch ship to
Japan, although contact with the West began before that. From
the mid-sixteenth century, Nagasaki was Japan’s principal
connection with the West, beginning with the Portuguese and St.
Francis Xavier. Nagasaki quickly became the main port for Portuguese
trade ships, and some Japanese were converted to Christianity.
In 1587, the Jesuit missionaries were expelled and persecution
began. Many thousands of Christians were killed, and in February
1597 twenty-six believers, both European and Japanese, were crucified
in Nagasaki—there is an important memorial to these people
today. In 1614, Christianity was completely banned, though believers
continued to practice in secret until the ban was lifted at the
end of the nineteenth century. Though the Catholic Portuguese
were banned from trade, the Protestant Dutch were allowed to continue
and held a small enclave on an island near Nagasaki. In 1720,
Dutch books were permitted to enter Japan, and as a result Nagasaki
became an important scientific and artistic center. At this time,
all Westerners here were known as Hollanders, and so the slope
leading up to Kwassui College is called the Hollander Slope.
When the city was reopened to Western trade in 1859, it quickly
became a major economic force, particularly for shipbuilding.
Nearby is a Roman Catholic church dating from 1865 that has been
declared a "national treasure." The largest church in
the East was completed in 1914 in Urakami, which was a suburb
of Nagasaki at that time, and was destroyed, with believers worshiping
inside, in the atomic bombing of 1945.
When we think about the troubled history of Nagasaki and the
sufferings of God’s people here, it reminds us that even
at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem there was
suffering of innocent victims and a lack of political peace. As
we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace we are still called
to act for peace in our own situations as God’s Spirit leads
us.
However, even in churches there often seems to be more of a spirit
of conservative entrenchment than of reconciliation, particularly
in more conservative parts of the country. This includes Nagasaki.
There are people in Japan who are searching for meaning and who
would be open to the gospel, but there is frequently not much
evidence of the Kyodan (church) reaching out to them. There will,
however, be an ecumenical Christmas celebration this year on December
17, before Elena Maria sings a concert of Christian music the
next evening.
From small seeds of faith that are being planted, often without
much awareness, God’s church will continue to grow to God’s
praise and glory, if modern Christians are faithful as those in
the past have been. Christians often seem to be most active in
the field of education in most parts of Japan; this is an area
in which mission partners from the United States and elsewhere
are much valued, and can make a real contribution. Nevertheless,
your prayers are of course requested for churches and institutions
for social work as well.
We give thanks for signs of the moving of God’s Spirit in
people’s lives in Nagasaki. There is a small voluntary Bible
class at Kwassui College on Friday mornings with three students,
none of whom are Christians but all of whom have independently
asked to be taught more about Christianity. Since the class is
conducted in English they also have a chance to practice their
language skills, but each has her own reasons for wanting to understand
Christian beliefs. Their questions offer fascinating insights
into how people brought up with an entirely different set of basic
assumptions about life are confronted by the assumptions underlying
Christianity. The Kwassui dormitory Bible study group also meets
quite regularly, although at a more basic level of communication,
and I have one faithful student in Nagasaki church Bible class.
I ask for your prayers that these people may come to a point of
faith.
Looking ahead, in the summer of 2001 I expect to be in the United
States on interpretation assignment again, from mid-July to late
September. Besides being in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where my mother
is, I hope to spend some time in Michigan (near Traverse City),
where my sister’s family lives, and possibly in southern
California, where my brother’s family is. I do not yet have
specific plans for this period, and I would be happy to hear from
any of you who would like for me to share something about Japan
with your church or group at some point next summer.
With prayers that you may enjoy all the blessings of the Christmas
season as you follow Jesus Christ into the new year,
In God’s service,
Barbara Easton
The 2000 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 173
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