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Personal Testimony of Tea and Rebecca
Personal Testimony of Takafumi (Tea) Miyashita When I was university student, I received a tract outside a train station. The information seemed interesting, so I wrote to the address requesting its free correspondence study. Upon completion of the one year study, I was urged to attend a nearby church. At that time there were no churches in my town. Ten years later a foreigner and his wife knocked on my door inviting me to church. The following Sunday I went to church, but was unable to fully comprehend the missionary's message. My interest in the Bible and in the church continued. Therefore, I returned the next Sunday and the next for several weeks, even though I still did not fully understand. I noticed the sermons had a similar theme: 1-Everyone is a sinner, 2-We can only be saved through Jesus Christ, and 3-God loves us. It was difficult for me to accept the statement, "Everyone is a sinner." After all, I had paid my taxes every year. I had not done anything wrong or been put in jail. The after about six weeks, the Holy Spirit opened my spiritually blinded eyes. I realized I was a lost sinner. A few days later, the missionary came by to talk with me. That day he was able to lead me to Christ. It is a day I will never forget, April, 1982. Accepting Christ as your personal Saviour is no "April Fool's Joke." With a desire to know more about the Bible, the missionary discipled me one on one. Then I enrolled in a three year Bible School, which offered its studies by correspondence. This enabled me to help the missionary. By studying the Bible, prayer, and working for the Lord, I felt being called to do God's work full time. Personal Testomony of Rebecca At the age of 19, I was saved in a revival meeting. The Lord had been dealing with me for almost a year. I knew I need to accept Christ, but pride stood in the way. Finally, January 22, 1976, I asked Him to forgive me of my sins and come into my heart. The following year while studying in a Bible College, the Lord spoke to me about serving Him in Japan as a missionary. The next 4 years I made preparation for Japan and graduated in January of 1980. The next 2 years were spent for deputation and raising support. I arrived in Japan December, 1981. Living in a foreign country is difficult, especially the first year, because of the communication differences. After coming to Japan, not only was I learning to speak Japanese, I was learning to read and write. It was almost a year and a half before I was able to help in Sunday School. Even then I had to read the stories. Just one lesson took weeks to prepare. With the help of my language teacher and the missionaries, I was able to translate and practice before presenting it to the children. How We Met (as told by Rebecca) After arriving in Japan I was going to Grace Baptist Church. This church is very active in presenting the gospel and witnessing for Christ. However, after the first few months, the doors seemed to be closing for me to attend there. I could not understand why the Lord was leading me to another place. Perhaps I was thinking of convenience and comfort for myself. Following God's leading, I began attending Faith Baptist Church in April, 1982. This meant I would be using 2 train lines to get to church. Including the walk to the station, the train rides, and the walk to church, one way was at least an hour. My first Sunday I was introduced to a young man who just became a Christian. At that time I was barely able to say, "Hello. How do you do?" in Japanese. The following month Mr. Miyashita was baptized and became actively involved in the church. For the next 2 years I traveled to church and was greeted by Mr. Miyashita. Each week he would ask me about school or my studies. When I found out he was single, I was very careful and cautious, because I had no intentions of looking for someone or someone looking for me. March 1984, the missionary couple returned to the States for 9 months. During that time Mr. Miyashita was to be in charge of the church. The Sunday School department fell into my hands. Also, while the missionaries were away, I was to move into their house, with the intentions to find my own place just before they returned to Japan. Well, the Lord had other plans. Mr. Miyashita and I had to get together to discuss the Sunday School material and other church business. From the start I did not like the situation at all. Our testimonies were of an extreme importance before the church and the lost. Therefore, we always met at a public place such as a restaurant, park, or store. One day I noticed the conversation changed to a more casual talk. The he started using English. With a strong Japanese accent, it was difficult to listen to his speaking. It was not long until I heard (in English, so there was no mistake), "Rebecca, I like you." I was in total shock, because I knew he meant more than just being friends. My reply was short and cold, "I'm sorry. We can only be friends." It was not that I was playing hard to get, I did not want to be got at all. The next week I was in much prayer about the situation. What should I do? Should I move and work with another missionary? One afternoon while I was cleaning house for the young people's pizza party, the Lord seemed to give me His answer, "Isaac had found his bride." This was NOT the answer I had expected. There were so many things I did not understand, but by the time I finished cleaning and making the pizza preparations, I had submitted to God's will. "Yes, if he asks me to marry him, I will." Actually, I was hoping the question would never come up. Up until that time our meetings were, in my view point, strictly for business purposes only. Well, after the pizza party he asked me out for dinner. I gave no definite answer, but would reply on Sunday at church. Again, I was hoping to avoid the issue. As I was getting in the car to leave church, I was thinking, "Good, he forgot." But before I could leave, he asked me what time he should come by to get me for dinner. Still avoiding the issue, I was trying to think of an excuse when he said he would be by at 6:00. Sure enough, the night of our "date" he asked me to marry him. I had already told the Lord my answer the week before, but I wanted to make 100% sure. After discussing many things like 1-What language will we speak at home? 2-What about my American citizenship? 3-What about children? How many? What about their schooling? What about their nationality?, etc. I finally suggested we pray about it. That night I committed it all to the Lord. He would have to show me how to love this man. Most people decide to get married because they love each other. This was not how I had dreamed it would be. However, Rebekah in the Bible had never met Isaac when she agreed to be his wife. Well, the next day I gave him my answer. His reply, "I'll never forget the first time I saw you. It was love at first sight. I have prayed for 2 years that God would give me you to be my wife." Then I understood why God led me to Faith Baptist Church. Also, why He gave me peace about marrying this man. It goes to show you, in any situation or circumstance, leave the final decision up to the Lord. He knows best for our lives. I am so glad I let Him choose my husband. |