Postscript

My sister moved to South Korea in February.  Knowing that we would be in Asia for our work-related meetings in May, we planned our trip so that we could visit her before coming home.

We spent about a week in Seoul touring the area and visiting with Ashley.  It was the week of Seoul’s lantern festival, so the whole city was covered with colorful paper lanterns.

We stayed in Ashley’s apartment and helped her get it more set up.  We made pancakes in her tiny kitchenette almost every day we were there and enjoyed them around her small table. She bought an air mattress that we put out on the floor every night.  It was tight fit for all of us, but we had fun.

We also  saw the English school where she works and met some of her colleagues and students.  It was a great week, and it was exciting to see Ashley thriving in a new country.

God can be honored through the arts of our cultures.  One place that is evident is in our music.  I was really touched when I heard this woman share a Christian song that she had written in a traditional Japanese music style.

In many countries ethnomusicologists, sometimes called arts consultants, work with communities to analyze and develop their local arts.  Christian workers may come alongside the Church and help them to adapt local arts for Christian worship.  Local arts used in worship help communities to worship God in ways that don’t feel foreign.

Learn more about ethnoarts.

On Sunday I visited the Tokyo Deaf Church.  Pastor Minamida is one of the other Deaf pastors in Japan involved in the Japanese Sign Language Video Bible translation.   Pastor Minamida’s love of scriptures came through even before he began to preach.  In his opening prayer he said, “Pray that we will understand the Word deeply, today.”

He also encouraged the congregation to review the new scripture DVDs that were coming out.

“Looking at the Bible is important,” he said.  ”Do you have a copy of [the] Colossians [DVD]? It’s easy to understand, and a great way to share about Jesus with your non-Christian friends.”

During the church service Pastor Minamida would show a portion of scripture using the JSL Bible DVDs, and then explain the passage to the congregation.  His sermon was from Ecclesiastes 3.  What was interesting on the video was that it had three different signers.  I learned that having multiple signers is one way that poetry is communicated in sign languages — fascinating!

I enjoyed watching signed singing during the service. You may wonder how exactly that works.  In Deaf churches congregational songs are signed together in unison by following a person up front who is leading.  Sometimes a drumbeat helps everyone stay in tuned together.  Other times everyone stays synchronized just by watching.

It’s beautiful to watch, and a common element of most Deaf church services.

This is Miya.  She was showing us the sign for “Christian.” Behind her are some photos of the church congregation taken during the last ten years.

Miya is the pastor of a Deaf church in Toyooka, and she’s been involved in the Japanese Sign Language Bible translation program as an advisor.  The JSL Bible translation is being worked on by an organization called ViBi.  Bit by bit, more and more scripture are being made available to the Deaf community in Japan via DVD.

Miya is an amazing resource because she is fluent in several sign languages (including both Japanese and American Sign) as well as spoken and written Japanese and English.  She uses her gifts in languages not only in her consulting for the sign Bible, but also to teach hearing people in Japan how to sign in Japanese Sign.

Even though Miya is gifted in many languages, she still is glad to have more and more of the Bible available in Japanese Sign Language.

She shares, “It is my own language! It was the first language I learned.  I can understand it clearly. When I was little we didn’t have a JSL bible, but my dad was such a good story teller in JSL.  He told me all of the Bible stories.   Now I want the JSL Bible for others.”

We also met Shunko, one of the women from Miya’s congregation. She has been a believer for the last 20 years. She came to know Jesus after attending a Deaf church with a friend.   Shunko shared with us that even though she can read Japanese a little bit, seeing the Bible in JSL is better.

“It is hard to understand Japanese words so I check things on the [JSL Bible] DVDs to see what it really means,” says Shunko.  ”Otherwise I have to ask someone, like my pastor. “

I think I’ve found a new favorite food — Japanese Pancakes.

Called Okonomiyaki, these savory pancakes have vegetables, meat and noodles in them which are all held together by the pancake batter.

I’m not sure I would have ever thought about combining those ingredients together, but after trying these, I highly recommend it.