First Corinthians 13 and Philippians 2

Today was my second time participating in Project Ezra. The suggested reading doesn't get posted until later in the weekend, and this weekend I'm really busy getting ready to go to India. Last week I read the bible aloud on Sunday evening, but this Sunday evening I will be on a bus bound for Tokyo. So I chose Friday morning instead, and I chose my chapter from among the Epistles, according to the schedule.

Last time I read the Japanese so haltingly and with such difficulty that I decided I had better practice a little ahead of time. So on Thursday night, I initially chose Philippians chapter 2. I read through it verse by verse, alternating with English first, then I read it once straight through, to practice.

My morning was a bit unusual. At 6:30, I woke up to the neighborhood kids doing "rajio taisoh" in my parking lot, and part of me wondered whether I should read my chapter there after they had finished. Part of me wanted to, but most of me didn't want to. I got dressed and went outside anyway, just after they had finished. I said Good Morning (Ohaiyo Gozaimasu) to some of the parents who were there watching them, but they looked uneasy for some reason. I walked up to one parent who was remaining and asked him about what the kids were doing. He explained that it was a kind of summer homework assignment, to do this stretching to the radio every morning. Then he told his son, hurry up, let's go, and they went on their way. I suppose they must have realized they had woken me up and felt embarassed. Even so, I was glad to have a tiny chance to connect with the community that I'm hoping to reach with the Gospel.

Then somehow God brought 1 Corinthians 13 to my attention, and I practiced it the same way as I had practiced Philippians the night before. I read my bible in English for a while, then fell asleep again. When I woke up, it was getting late, so I had my breakfast and had a time of prayer. All morning I was fighting an inner battle, tempted to stay home, wondering if maybe I would go on Saturday night instead, but eventually I prayed to prepare and departed. I rode my bicycle to the same park, and as before, I walked the perimeter singing "Revelation Song" and then stood under the tree to read. There wasn't anyone in sight.

I began reading 1 Corinthians. Partway through, I noticed out of the corner of my eye some people from a house nearby getting into their car to go somewhere. As they drove past where I was standing, they said "Hello Betsy!" It was one of my elementary students and her mother. I said hello, they drove on, and I continued reading. When I finished the chapter, there was no one around, and I proceeded to read Philippians 2.

Shortly into the reading of Philippians, I saw someone come into the park with a dog and walk around behind the tree where I was standing. I got a little nervous, I stumbled over some words, but I kept going. When I finished and looked behind the tree, there was an older lady lingering there with her dog. I greeted her and offered her one of my little cards, but she refused it. I asked her if she knew Jesus and she said no, and wandered off in to the park. I noticed then that she had an odd gait, possibly from some kind of disfigurement. I waited a moment, I silently prayed for her, and then I got on my bicycle and rode home.

In some ways, these events seem rather insignificant, but considering the huge mountain that is before me, I see it as necessary and significant progress. Reading Japanese is difficult for me in any context. Reading the bible in Japanese in public, even if there is no one there to hear me, once seemed impossible, yet God has enabled me to do it. Even if God chooses to only move in small increments, little by little doing the impossible more and more, I am so thankful for the privilege of being part of it. I can see that there is a lot God needs to change in me before He will begin to do the impossible in others. I must confess that I'm rather afraid of searching out a well-populated area where many people could hear me, at this point. But, I love God, and I love the Japanese people, and I want to be part of bringing God's word to them. As the Corinthians passage says, (paraphrasing) no matter what I do, if I don't have love, I haven't done anything important or good.

I won't be able to read in Japan for the next few weekends, because of my trip to India. If possible, though, I want to post updates about my trip as often as I can.

To God be the Glory!