Miracles in Our Life All the Time

Many things happened to Dan-san and Hiroko’s life last 30 days.

First of all, Dan-san’s car was hit from the back. Hiroko was in the car. We heard a loud noise “doo doon” and while we were looking at where the accident had occurred. Now, our car was hit and pushed forward and “doon” the noise we heard. Dan-san was trying not hitting the front car, but Dan-san’s car hit the expensive car, BMW. The car’s driver came out right away and checked his car. He didn’t find any scratches, so he said “Bye” and left.

This is Dan-san’s car with dents and damaged.

The car that was hit first had so many problems. The driver of the car said he had a chest pain and could not breathe, striking his chest to the steering wheel. Hiroko called 911 for him and us. While Hiroko was talking with 911 operator Ambulance car was passing by and stopped for us. Isn’t it good for us? The Ambulance driver took care of many things for us. It was one of the very cold day, with shivering Dan-san was trying to take the information from the driver who had hit two and BMW.

The policeman came from the 911. The policeman questioned the driver who had hit us. He didn’t have the regular driver’s license, but had a temporary driver’s license paper. Even the police didn’t know what that is. Of course he didn’t have insurance, but he presented his company’s insurance. We all wanted to know why he hit the front cars which were stopped for the stop light. Police didn’t ask him about that. We were guessing and talking among us that the driver might have been talking on cell phone, reading or sending TXT, or day dreaming.

Dan-san’s car was drivable and got the police report paper, so we could go to shopping, after spending for one hour.

However, Dan-san had little trouble with the Insurance Company presented by the man who had hit cars. Dan-san’s insurance agent suggested to him to take his claim to the Insurance Company for his future purpose. Dan-san called the Insurance Company right away and got the claim case number. He was told to wait for their phone call. No phone call for a week, so Dan-san called again, and then he found out his case agent was changed. Now he talked with the new agent again. One week later phone call came and said that a damage Evaluator would be sent in couple days after the Sunday evening. .

A car repair shop is located next door to our church. Even though on Saturday, one of the repairman was working. Dan-san saw him and asked him to estimate the damages on Dan-san’s car. The repairman’s evaluation of the damage was about $1,500, because the damages were not only on fender but also inside the trunk. The repairman noticed the damage without opening the trunk. Now, Dan-san was comfortable to see the Evaluator from the Insurance Company. The Sunday evening the Evaluator came and just took couple of the photos.

Waiting for the letter from the Insurance Company, finally the letter came on Saturday which is the day before we were planning to go to Las Vegas. Dan-san took the letter to the repairman right away, and the repairman called his friend who is working for the Insurance Company as an evaluator. In the beginning the evaluator said he could come on Monday, but the evaluator came while Dan-san was talking with the repairman. The evaluator said that this damage would be $1,800, and called the Insurance Company to negotiate for Dan-san car’s damages. The Insurance Company accepted his evaluation.

WOW! We could go to Las Vegas with clear mind!

Can you see the God’s hand working on this incident many places?

We gave thanks to the Lord God with joyful and peaceful heart.

Thanks! Arigato!

Holy Week - Junan-shu, Christian Thoughts

It was very important week from April 1 to April 7 in 2012 that Jesus’ final suffering week. During this “Holy Week” in English, many churches have held the Worship Service every day. In Japanese the week is called the “Junan-shu” which means Suffering Week.

This week is started on Palm Sunday and ended on Easter Sunday. In the Palm Sunday Jesus went into Jerusalem because the final suffering happened to him during the Passover celebration, but the Israelites in Jerusalem thought Jesus could be the king of Israel and would be fighting with Roman who was oppressing Israel in those days. People were so excited to see their king coming to Jerusalem that welcome Him with waving palm leaves.

Palm leaves and cross made with Palm leaves

During the week of suffering, Jesus taught the people in the temple, cleansed the temple, had dinner with His followers and at this dinner table washed their feet to teach them humbleness and held Communion with them to remember Him, and went to the Gethsemane garden to pray. At the garden Jesus was arrested. Now the final day of the Good Friday came.

The Lent is concluded on the day before the Good Friday.

Devon Church Lent Pulpit

Lent has been starting on the Ash Wednesday* and continuing for 40 days. Many Christians fast and give up things, for concentrating their thought on Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross.

Devon Church Good Friday Pulpit

The black pulpit displays the death of Jesus. Jesus only appease God’s wrath for people’s sin by His death. Jesus gave His life for saving us and frees us. Our good works, how much we do good works, it could never save us from our sin.

Ephesians 2:8-9 said, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”





The Easter is here!

Devon Church Easter Pulpit









Puppet show was presented on the day of 2012 Easter.
Story about puppet show is:
“Jesus died on the cross. His followers and especially disciples didn’t know what to do and scared of the Roman soldiers, so they hid. Mary Magdalene came to the hiding place and said Jesus was not in the tomb. Angels said that Jesus came alive, resurrected from the dead. After that His disciples and followers met Jesus and were given the instruction from Jesus, that He told them to spread this good news to the end of the world.”

Since then the Good News has been spreading all over the world for over 2,000 years.

Those who accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord believe this salvation comes by the grace of God and faith. More than ever Christians are waiting for the second coming the Lord Jesus Christ.

At the Devon Church the Combine Easter Worship Service was held with Japanese Section, Children Church and English Section. After the Worship Service the congregation enjoyed with our annual Pot Luck Luncheon, and spent and talked to many people and had a very joyful, peaceful, and wonderful time.

Give thanks to our Lord for letting us have this wonderful time on the Easter Sunday.

Many foods served at Easter Luncheon. Hiroko was busy eating so forgot to take photos of food.
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*The information of Ash Wednesday is taken from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter. It can occur as early as February 4 or as late as March 10.

According to the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke; Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry, during which he endured temptation by Satan. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of this 40-day liturgical period of prayer and fasting.

Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. The ashes used are typically gathered after the palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday are burned.