Where are Bob & Chris in Japan January 23?

Bob & Chris were back in the Kamagasaki section of Osaka, Japan on Friday January 23rd participating in “Night Patrol”. Night patrol is Kibo-no Ie’s weekly practice of moving through the streets, the alley, the covered areas of shops and under bridges to bring aid to the homeless of Kamagasaki. The process happens six days a week. Kibo-no Ie partners with five other faith based Christian groups to tend to the needs of the homeless for survival six of the seven days of the week. Each has a day in the week with only one day not covered. Neither of the traditional religions of Japan participate in this ministry. The Shinto priests are only in evidence at their shrines where people may come to offer petitions buy charms or participate in a rite. Buddhist priests tend to venture out on occasion from temples; but usually the motivation is connected to compensated funerals or follow up rites for the departed. Pastoral care and outreach to the homeless is not within their ministry. Night Patrol began for Bob & Chris at 4:00 pm in the afternoon. This is when the staff, clients and some volunteers make Onegiri to be handed later. Onegiri is a block of rice in the shape of a triangle. It’s shape has Trinitarian implications for Christians; but here it has more to do with packaging than theology. The Onegiri is made by first putting water and salt on one’s hands, filling your hands with some cooked rice, placing some other nutritious item in the center, covering it with more rice and then squeezing the whole package between your hands. Once the package is convincingly compressed it is then tossed in a specific way to bring about a triangular shape. The final properly shaped product is partially covered or wrapped with a piece of Nori or dried seaweed and enclosed in plastic wrap. Bob & Chris made Onegiri with the rest of the group; but did have some difficulty with the tossing and shaping. This may account for them calling the finished product “rice balls” The individual Onegiri is placed in a box and each full box is covered with blankets to maintain the warmth. The Onegiri is later handed out one per person to the homeless on the streets. Each Friday about 120 of these items are distributed For many they are the only food for that day or longer. Either a cup of soup or tea maybe given out to each person as well. The participants in the actual patrol arrive at Kibo-no Ie at 9:00 pm Friday evening. There is a minimum requirement of 20 persons for night patrol. This Friday the total was closer to 25 when the orientation began. Orientation is comprised of a report on the current conditions for the people of Kamagasaki by Pastor Akayama of Kibo-no Ie and a review of the precautions for patrol by Eda san. The risks of the enterprise became very real for Bob & Chris when they saw the last instructions on the paper that was handed out and reviewed. The most telling of these was the last under the heading of “On Returning to Kibo-no Ie” It read. “Be sure to wash you hands and gargle. (to present tuberculosis).”At orientation the group was divided into four teams. Bob & Chris were part of the team led by Pastor Akayama. The groups left Kibo-no Ie for the streets of Kamagasaki by about 10:00 pm. Each group walked a predetermined area. The objectives are to find homeless (that is not hard) and note their numbers and location, to distribute Onegiri and soup or tea as requested, to offer a blanket to those without one, to offer cardboard to those trying to sleep directly on the pavement and to assess and where needed bring some medical attention. The route walked by the team that Bob & Chris were on took until about 12:15 am to complete. They then returned to meet with the other teams in the same room where the orientation was held. Until 1:00 am a process of sharing and reporting took place. When a person is on night patrol the stark realities of Kamagasaki hit almost as hard as the cold and darkness of the night. For Bob & Chris it was another experience in a place concentrated with the “the least of these my brethren.” A thought occurred to Bob among many as the night progressed. “What society has done here and anywhere there are homeless is a collective sin and the ministry of Kibo-no Ie or any ministry that deals with the sin inflicted on them is the beginning of a collective plea for forgiveness. The question that remains is the veracity of a collective repentance.

Keep praying,

Zen Ben