From Black To White
Jane's hair was white. Dave's was salt and peppery. "We're packing," she sighed.
"Furlough?" I asked.
"Not just a furlough. This is it! Retirement. We're on our way home for good."
But Jan's smile was still there. Her voice showed excitement. They'd see more of their married children, grandkids and family.
Where did the years go since Jan and Dave ventured to Japan for missionary work? Young, adventuresome, gung-ho! Macarthur called for l0,000 missionaries. Five thousand went. They did.
Jan's and Dave's hair was dark then.
What did they do, really? Well, first they gave themselves to God. But then they literally gave the best of themselves--their youth--to and for Japan. They gave up their familiar culture for a foreign one. They gave up a language, which was second nature to live and work with one of the world's most difficult languages. They gave up the joys of family weddings, graduations, reunions, births, yes and funerals.
They gave up the comfort of being lost in a crowd for sticking out like a sore them and feeling probably like Gulliver and his wife.
They gave up the "old shoe" feeling for, "Hey, look, a funny foreigner."
Eighty combined years of service for Jesus and Japan.
But they'd be the last to say they gave up anything. They made hundreds of wonderful friends. They thrived in a different culture. They felt proud to converse and evangelize in a different language.
And best of all, they planted seed. God's seed. In different ways. All through the years. And they saw fruit for their labor of love. I'm sure they made mistakes. It wasn't all smooth. There were rough spots.
But now they've gone back to their homeland. That welcome doesn't compare with the one that's waiting over There. When President Teddy `Roosevelt returned to America from an African hunting trip, thousands welcomed him as their Head of State. On the same ship was a missionary couple returning. No one was there to meet them. Sensing her husband's disappointment, the wife encouraged, "But we're not Home yet."
Dave and Jan aren't Home yet either.
"Furlough?" I asked.
"Not just a furlough. This is it! Retirement. We're on our way home for good."
But Jan's smile was still there. Her voice showed excitement. They'd see more of their married children, grandkids and family.
Where did the years go since Jan and Dave ventured to Japan for missionary work? Young, adventuresome, gung-ho! Macarthur called for l0,000 missionaries. Five thousand went. They did.
Jan's and Dave's hair was dark then.
What did they do, really? Well, first they gave themselves to God. But then they literally gave the best of themselves--their youth--to and for Japan. They gave up their familiar culture for a foreign one. They gave up a language, which was second nature to live and work with one of the world's most difficult languages. They gave up the joys of family weddings, graduations, reunions, births, yes and funerals.
They gave up the comfort of being lost in a crowd for sticking out like a sore them and feeling probably like Gulliver and his wife.
They gave up the "old shoe" feeling for, "Hey, look, a funny foreigner."
Eighty combined years of service for Jesus and Japan.
But they'd be the last to say they gave up anything. They made hundreds of wonderful friends. They thrived in a different culture. They felt proud to converse and evangelize in a different language.
And best of all, they planted seed. God's seed. In different ways. All through the years. And they saw fruit for their labor of love. I'm sure they made mistakes. It wasn't all smooth. There were rough spots.
But now they've gone back to their homeland. That welcome doesn't compare with the one that's waiting over There. When President Teddy `Roosevelt returned to America from an African hunting trip, thousands welcomed him as their Head of State. On the same ship was a missionary couple returning. No one was there to meet them. Sensing her husband's disappointment, the wife encouraged, "But we're not Home yet."
Dave and Jan aren't Home yet either.
posted by Lila @ 8:45 PM
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