Zen Ben or Thomas ?
Monday, March 30, 2009
Where in Japan are Bob & Chris ? March 31
Bob and Chris are not in Japan. They are on the way back to Aiken, South Carolina. They are on the way home to the place where they love to live and to the people Pastor Bob loves to serve at St. Paul Lutheran church. They were humbled and blessed to be missionaries to the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church for this unique assignment from the South Carolina Synod. They are thankful for the guidance and support of so many people. They will always remember the loving guidance of Rev. Jerry and Janice Livingston. They treasured the loving cards and remembrances of those praying for them at St. John’s Charleston. They are thankful for the faithful service of Pastor Mark Cerniglia to St. Paul in Pastor Bob’s absence . Now with a deep love and respect for so many Japanese brothers and sisters they are no longer in Japan but in the air and on the way back to Aiken. While they are flying home I thought you might like some information about me; the one called Zen Ben. I am called Zen Ben because that was the name given to me by a wonderful little girl at St. Paul Aiken. But I have another name according to the historic legends of the Church. You may have noticed that even though I look like a Buddhist monk I don’t look very Japanese. I am pictured as a monk sitting in the beauty of nature; but I look more like someone from the Middle East than from Japan. The husband of one of the women Pastor Bob and Chris got to know in Shimizu, Japan knew my other identity and told his wife who then shared the information. He is a Buddhist who knows of my identity from his studies. There is a tradition based in history and perhaps legend that says I am one of those who followed Jesus and even saw him as the risen Christ. That is why I am not Japanese in appearance. I am one of the disciples who people believe took the Gospel to India and beyond after the resurrection of our Lord. I am the image of Thomas. I am the one you know from Scripture as the disciple who wanted proof, who got his proof from our Lord and took the Truth and shared the Good News of Jesus the Christ. So now you know my historic name, Thomas along with my reporting name, Zen Ben. If you want to see me again you may find me on the bottom of the Japanese scroll that Pastor Bob bought from a print shop in Kyoto in 1970. The scroll hangs in his office in Aiken, South Carolina. That is where you may find him very soon. He will be back in the office on April 6th and in worship on Easter serving a congregation that lives the truth written by one of South Carolina’s first missionaries to Japan. “Show me a congregation which is active in its work for mission, and I will show you a congregation which is blessed in its work at home.”Rev. R. B. Peery AM PhD. Pastor Bob will be back home serving and Chris will be worshipping with brothers and sisters active in their work for mission and blessed at home at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Aiken, South Carolina.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Where in Japan are Bob & Chris ? March 23,24,25
“Heaven and Earth will pass away; but my words will not pass away.” Matt. 24:35. Bob and Chris were in Hirosaki, Japan on March 23-25 and were reminded of these words from Jesus in what they experienced in a brief return to the place where Bob came to know, respect and love Japan, its culture and its people. In 1970 as a student from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio Bob lived for a summer in Hirosaki, Japan in a home stay with the Miyakawa family. He was in Japan as part of the East Asia Studies program as it existed at the time at Wittenberg. Now almost 39 years later Bob was returning with Chris for a day
and a half to see the Miyakawa family. In 1970 he came to know love and respect a family that was one of the leading families of Hirosaki, Japan. For three generations they owned the department store of Hirosaki. The building was three floors and sprawled over enough of an area to make it one of the largest buildings in the city. Near the department store was the Miyakawa home. It was a beautiful traditional Japanese home of corridors and richly painted panels surrounded by Japanese gardens. It was a beautiful home where one could simply ponder the beauty and the mystery of Japan while walking along the ponds and gardens. In the home lived three generations of Miyakawa. The first was Chuzo and his wife. Chuzo was the second generation to run the family business. He saw the store inherited from his father through some of its toughest times in the occupation after World War II. At one point the store was taken over by the Allied Occupation and made the headquarters for the US Army in this part of Japan. In 1970 Chuzo had turned over a thriving business to his oldest son and his wife Kikuyo. Kikuyo was an educated woman, a talented fashion designer. She was a
tremendous asset to the family business. She was also the person given primary responsibility for hosting a college student from the United States; Bob. Kikuyo and her husband had two children. Shigeki was the oldest and was ten. He would one day take over the business from his father. Momoko was their daughter born on March 3rd the festival after which she was named “peach blossom”. Momoko was five in 1970. Bob & Chris came to Hirosaki this year and found a much different Miyakawa family. In 2009 only Momoko and her perfume shop remain as the legacy of Miyakawa in Hirosaki. Many things had passed away. In 1978 the family had a series of setbacks. The final result was the loss of the business and the tearing down of the historic department store. Today in its place is a parking lot. The building only remains as part of a display of models in a local museum of historic buildings of Hirosaki. The Miyakawa home was also lost in the financial aftermath of events. Today it is a fifteen story condominium. In 1985 ground was broken in the parking lot of the old department store for another condominium building. The lot had been retained and the condominium constructed by the Miyakawa family. Two apartments in that building comprised the homes of Kikuyo and her daughter Momoko. By the completion of the condominium in 1986 they were all that remained of the family in Hirosaki. Kikuyo’s husband died of cancer before the building
was completed. Chuzo and his wife had died in the late 1970’s. Momoko’s brother Shigeki and her uncle had moved to Tokyo. The once proud and prosperous family business by 1986 was reduced to a perfume and small dress shop. Kikuyo was still known in the Aomori area and beyond as a fine fashion designer; but in 1996 Kikuyo began having health problems. She spent the next 10 years in and out of the hospital for weeks at a time. Momoko who had taught school after graduating from a local women’s college was now helping run the perfume and dress shop. Then in 2006 her uncle died of cancer and her mother Kikuyo entered the hospital for the last time. As Momoko cared for her dying mother and tried to run the shop she received the unexpected news that her brother had an asthma attack and had died in Tokyo. Leaving her mother’s bedside she returned to Tokyo to take charge of matters and then returned to Hirosaki where her mother, Kikuyo died about one month later. Bob & Chris visited a much different Miyakawa family in 2009 from the one Bob remembered. Today Momoko Miyakawa, a lovely lady; but a lady alone with some of her friends and those who remember her mother, is the Miyakawa family. Today there is no department store, or even fashion design business; but simply a pleasant little perfume store on the first floor of a condominium. It was a stark reminder to Bob and Chris; of the fragile nature of all things in this world. It was a reminder to them of one way to hear Jesus, “Heaven and Earth will pass away; but my words will not pass away.” Matt. 24:35. All things as we know them are temporary except the Word and the words he gave us as the living truth of God’s love.
That is in a sense the very reason that Bob and Chris came to Japan for their short six month stay. It was to share the one Truth that does not go away and to see how that Truth is share by faithful servants in the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church. In a bitter sweet way Bob and Chris had a good visit with the Miyakawa family in Hirosaki; they spent a few days with Momoko Miyakawa and visited the grave site of those Bob remembered who with the family business have long since passed away. Close to the end of their time in Japan they were reminded of the reason they came in the first place; to share the one who said “My words will not pass away.”
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Where in Japan are Bob & Chris? March 21 & 22
Bob and Chris were at their first youth meeting in Japan on March 21 and a children’s worship service on March 22nd. The first event was for all youth in the Sapporo area and met at Shin
Sapporo Lutheran Church. The fun time included extended food preparation for a meal of Okonomiyaki and a desert of crepes and whipped cream as well as a devotion. The group meets once each month with the area Lutheran Pastors. The children’s worship service was the beginning of Sunday activities at Sapporo Lutheran Church. It was bright and
early at 9:00 am. Worship was conducted by two members of the congregation and used a power point for the songs. Pastor Bob was asked to give a sermon to the children based upon the days Gospel of John 3:14-21. He did and as with many of his sermons to children he finished the main message by talking about candy and God. He of course had some candy to give out as a tangible illustration. He even gave instructions on how the eat the candy and dispose of the wrapper. When he asked the children what one should do with a wrapper from candy a little child maybe four years of age said they should take it home to put in the waste can. Pastor Bob was impressed that such a young child had been taught to be a good steward of God’s earth. He agreed and reminded the children to never put wrappers on God’s earth; but always in a waste can. Worship and preaching at Sapporo Lutheran Church for the regular service and a time of fellowship afterwards were fine events that completed the formal schedule for this Sunday.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Where in Japan are Bob & Chris? March 17
Keep praying,
Zen Ben
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Where in Japan are Bob & Chris ? March 12

Monday, March 9, 2009
Where in Japan are Bob & Chris? March 8
Bob and Chris were in both the Tokai and East Districts of the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church on March 8. They day began early as they left the hotel in the morning to attend worship at Nagoya Megumi Lutheran Church. This was the last preaching assignment for Bob in the Tokai District. The service was preceded by Christian Education for young children in the nave. Bob was invited to greet the children and share St. Paul Lutheran Ch in Aiken South Carolina with them. He first showed them Nagoya, Tokyo, Atlanta, and finally Aiken on a map. Then he spoke about St. Paul, Aiken South Carolina and the families of the church he serves.

Friday, March 6, 2009
Where in Japan are Bob & Chris? March 5
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Where are Bob & Chris in Japan? March 3
Bob and Chris were at House of the Way; a facility begun in the ministry of the late Rev. John Bowman and his wife Verneda Bowman. This is a ministry that brings care to mentally disabled adults. It is a great service of the Church to Japan. While at House of the Way Bob & Chris saw a mosaic and heard its story. In a real sense they met Rev. John Bowman in the process. I would like you to know the story.
“This is a picture of the marble mosaic on the wall of the dining room at the House of the Way. It is eight feet tall and thirty feet wide and there are about 50,000 pieces of marble to this work. This is a piece of work that normally would not be in an institution for people who need special care. The cost of such a work would usually be out of reason and would be impossible to have in an institution. Why do we have it at the House of the Way? During the oil shock a young artist, Mr. Yabe was without work. He had been working for a marble company, but when money is scarce building are built without expensive mosaic pictures. Mr. Yabe had made the mosaic picture at the Bullet Train Station in Hiroshima. The Chairman of our Board of Directors, himself an artist, was a friend of Mr. Yabe. He knew that Mr. Yabe needed work and that we at the Institution needed workers. He started working for us and is still working for us.
Some years later when we made plans to build The House of the Way, No. 2, he asked if he could have space to make a mosaic picture. We chose a full wall in the dining room to be used for his picture. The marble company he had worked for donated the marble needed and the work of breaking the marble into small pieces began. I suggested that Mr. Yabe be freed from his other duties so he could spend more time on the mosaic. He refused saying that his first work would be the clients and after work and on holidays he would work on the mosaic. Often late at night he could be found working on the picture. Our chairman of the Board was a Christian and he explained the story of the lost sheep to Mr. Yabe. They both drew pictures and Mr. Yabe’s was chosen. Shortly after the work was finished, I asked Mr. Yabe why the shepherd was not in the picture. His reply was that the workers at
The House of the Way were the shepherds. We are to go out into society and find the hidden handicapped people and bring them out so they can become a part of society. I thought this was a wonderful answer. Over the years we have been able to bring many hidden people out of their homes. Jesus living in also searches for the lost souls to bring them into God’s Kingdom. The way to the house of God is to be found in His Word, the Bible. Matt. 7:7 says,’ Ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find; Knock and the door will be opened.’” Rev. John Bowman.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)