Hello, dear friends in Japan

staying in Japan for almost 40 years, including
the trying period of World War II. For thisreason, there was a kind of Scandinavian
atmosphere in our home. Besides, Denmark is,
like Finland, is a nation with the Lutheran
Church as its state religion. In comparison withmy grandmother, therefore, who came all theway to Japan, once for all, via the Trans-Siberian
Railway, spending several weeks in the cabin ofthe train, it is far easier to live overseas
nowadays, thanks to the development oftransportation and communication.

Eimi Watanabe(O-okayamaChurch)(continued from the last issue)

My loved ones, i.e. my parents, my uncle, myaunt; they have all gone, and my only brotheralso lives overseas, which means of course, I
have no place in Japan to stay in. For me, “myhome” is always O-okayama Lutheran Church.
Fortunately, I am still a member of this church,
despite my long absence. Once or twice inseveral years, I have a God-given occasion tovisit “O-okayama on my mind.” I recall, withmuch gratitude, the pastors and the members ofthe church, who supported my parents in theirold age. I know that every year the members ofthe church go to the Tama Graveyard, at the timeof All Saints’ Day, to offer a worship right infront of the churchyard. I am really grateful thatthey also go to the place in the yard, singing
hymns of my parent’s liking, where mygrandmother and my parents sleep in eternal
bliss. And most of all, I would like to tell you
this, my friends; it is the happiest moment forme to say “Hello” to my old friends andacquaintances, as I open the door to the church,when God allows me to take part in thefellowship of my mother church. They accept
and welcome me, as if nothing had happened in
between, and say with a warm smile ‘hello’, asif I were right there with them yesterday. To
name just a few, Ms. Etsuko Seno, Ms. Shigeko
Takeuchi. . . . who were baptized and confirmedwith me at the same occasion . . . are always
glad to start chatting with me, as if nothing has
happened for the last 50 years. Eating “Ramen”
and chatting with them is the happiest moment
during my short stay or stopover in Japan.

The reason for this dilemma is the fact that any
development project includes, almost always,options and contradictions. In the case of theproject for Kenya I pointed out in the last issue,
for example, there was a conflict between theaim of the project to protect forests, which are
precious natural resources for the society at large,
and the rights of the aboriginal people who have
lived there from generation to generation. And
behind the case of the power plant project was a
hard decision-making between the right tosecure the energy for the development ofindustries and the improvement of citizens’ life,
and the necessity for protecting nature andstopping further worsening of the global
warming. If over-abundant sustainable energy
were available, of course, much of this dilemma
would be solved. But until then, should we opt
for the postponement of developing industries
and improving our life? Once getting involved
in development projects, you always face such
dilemmas and nerve-racking decisions. At thetime of concluding a final report of a project, I
have experienced sleepless nights often times.
I am scheduled to step down from my duties atthe World Bank’s Inspection Panel at the end of
this coming October. I am happy to go back toDenmark, where my husband lives. I have nohesitance in living in the northern part of Europe,
because my grandmother, Siiri Watanabe, was a
Finnish woman, and came over to Japan, in theTaishou era, with her husband, Tadao Watanabe,
who had finished his theological studies inFinland and was ordained as a Lutheran pastor.
My grandmother continued to teach music,

11

Obituary

larger are needed. They are in short supply andthe makers now buy materials.

+ Rev. Ichijuro Shirahige
Oct. 5, 2014 (at 99)
Pastor Shirahige served at Kobe-Higashi,
Shimonoseki, Nagoya, Hakata, and Hoya
Churches.

Woven Sandals >SizeM (23-24cm): 1800yen
Size L (25-2cm): 2000yen+ Rev. Kiyoshi Shirakawa
Jan. 17, 2015 (at 81)
Pastor Shirakawa served at Choshi, Yokoshiba,Matsumoto, Nagano, Sendai, Hikari, Hakozaki,
St. Peter’s, Karatsu, and Ogi Churches.

< Hanging Dolls

Their life-long dedication to church isremembered with gratitude. Please accept oursincere condolences. May the Lord comfort
their bereaved families.

Set of 1 Row: 2000yen
Set of 3 Rows: 3500yen(postage collected ondelivery)

NCC World Day of Prayer
Prior to the GM in June, orders should be sent
to: Setsuko Ishida (JELCW)

On Friday, March 6, women across the globe
met in churches to remember and pray for theBahamas.
The World Day of Prayer wasinitiated in 1887 by a group of American women
to pray for the immigrants and the suppressed.
Since then, the first Friday of March is set aside
to pray together under a common theme and tospread Christ’s love.
Have you ever thought about whichcountry has the first dawn, and where time gaps
exist? That is where the prayer is given first.
Prayers then continue in another country andthen another. This way, a chain of prayers goesaround the world! The World Day of Prayer iswhen our prayers link the world together.

Email: ishida.setsuko@blue.plala.or.jp
Fax: 043-275-8402
When you order, please write your Church name,your name, address, zip code, phone number,
item, unit, and preferred date of arrival. Grouporders through the church are welcome. Note:
Hanging doll’s shipping charges are to becovered by the purchaser and payment should bemade using Japan Post transfer.

PSPlease Support the Disaster-hit Areas

Thank you for your support for the past threeyears. Without it, we could not have continued
issuing newsletters to you. Let me say again,“Thank you.” I was once told that issuing
newsletters is an important job because it links
the JELCW members together. The word isalways in my mind. (F)We have a request concerning the woven sandals.
When you order them, please place an order ofthree pairs or more at a time. The shippingcharges, which are now covered by the makers
following the price hike, become too great aburden to cover if a single order is for less than
three pairs. Thank you for your understanding.
As to the material, Men’s T-shirts of size L or12