Food ladies
Giving thanks for Japanese Christians who faithfully serve in the background
It was the end of the first week of our mission’s two-week training course on preparing for home assignment.
I walked into the kitchen where three Japanese ladies were helping to prepare food for the following week. Chopping boards were out, piles of vegetables were being prepared, and each lady wore an apron and a head band. They were members of a church a couple of hours away by train that OMF had started some years ago.
I had three small white envelopes in my hand containing money for their travel expenses. They were helping us greatly by making food for the course participants.
Many of you will know that this kind of payment is very normal in Japan—companies contribute to their workers’ travel costs and churches commonly give visiting speakers money for their service as well as for the cost of travel. For OMF to give this money was totally in line with Japanese culture.
The next day the same three small envelopes were put back into my hand. The ladies said they were grateful we had thought of it, but they didn’t need the money; they were just happy to serve.
They said “It’s all OMF’s money, so we don’t need it.”
I thought, What a great Christian attitude. And it reminded me that so often behind our big events, our programs, and our ministries in Japan are many ordinary but extraordinary Japanese Christians who serve us and our Lord faithfully and sacrificially. I invite us all to stop for a moment and give God thanks for the “food ladies” in our lives and ministries.