Ney's Letter
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE RYUKYUS
Naha Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands
May 9, 1963
Dear Friend,
Not long ago, I visited with Kimiko and Roy Oshiro. Roy had invited me to give my testimony at the church under his supervision. He also invited my wife and I to Sunday evening dinner before church. As we arrived, I clearly remember backing my car in between the close-crowded buildings of this Oriental city. Then as we went into the house, Roy joked.
"Which side do you want, the men's or the women's. The men go this way through this door. The women go that way through that door."
I looked at him in puzzlement. My wife didn't relish the idea of leaving her escort in a strange city.
Roy laughed. "This used to be an old bath house. Let's take the left door."
As we stooped through the door, Roy commented, "This is where the church meets."
"No benches? Only tatami mats?" I asked gazing at the straw mats.
"Yes," he said, "If we put benches in the room, it wouldn't be big enough to hold all the people."
I thereupon pointed out that one of my young Okinawan friends didn't like sitting on tatami mats. He pointed out that at school Okinawans sit in chairs, on buses they sit on chairs, and in many Okinawan homes chairs are now used.
"We have no alternative," Roy said. "There's not enough room. In fact, when visitors come, we have to sleep them out here in the church."
By the end of that discussion, we were through the church and into the cramped living quarters. At Roy's invitation we pulled up chairs to the table. I noticed that two of the chairs were Army quartermaster issue and two were obviously local. After the flurry of introducing and seating three vivacious little children, Roy started the usual (or unusual) dining table conversation.
"We sleep over there," Roy said, pointing across my shoulder.
"No beds?" I queried.
"No room," Roy answered. "There's not enough room for five beds in there."
I surveyed the approximately 9 by 12 room, and couldn't help but agree.
"Besides, if we had beds in there, we wouldn't have room for the children to play on wet days," Kimiko added. "Every evening, I have to pull out the mattresses out and make up beds. Sometimes it's very hard when I come home tired in the evening after a day of evangelizing in the country."
Just about that time, I caught sight of welts and scars one of their children's arms.
Noticing my curiosity, Roy said, "Some of them are insect bites from a year ago, some quite recent. She's very sensitive to them."
"The tatami mats are infested with fleas," Kimiko added. "It's impossible to get them out."
"Can't you do anything about them?"
"We put insecticide on the children every night, but it wears off towards morning. Western type beds are the only answer."
"How does this building hold up in typhoons?" I asked.
"So far so good," Roy answered, "but the termites have got into it. See that window; it opens only six inches. The building is sagging. The window over there doesn't open at all. We're going to have to move out before the termites make the building fall on top of us."
When one of the children interrupted for dinner for that inevitable trip to the bathroom, I asked if they had a flush toilet.
"No," was the answer, "just a local benjo."
Later on, when coffee making time came around, Kimiko walked over to the single faucet, turned it on, but not a drop of water came out.
"Oh, oh, no water," she said.
"I guess I'll have to go out and turn the other catchment tank on," Roy added.
I thought to myself how unnecessary this was. The American government has installed an integrated water system for Okinawa but these Americans cannot hook into it because of a shortage of funds. Then I thought of the Scriptures, "And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it..." (I Cor. 12:26) And I suffered all through the night. Here were some wonderful Christian people, obviously doing a good job, but they were doing it under unnecessarily difficult conditions because Christians such as myself were not fulfilling our obligation to them. That's why I've written this letter now.
In Christ Jesus,
James W. Ney
English Consultant
Naha Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands
May 9, 1963
Dear Friend,
Not long ago, I visited with Kimiko and Roy Oshiro. Roy had invited me to give my testimony at the church under his supervision. He also invited my wife and I to Sunday evening dinner before church. As we arrived, I clearly remember backing my car in between the close-crowded buildings of this Oriental city. Then as we went into the house, Roy joked.
"Which side do you want, the men's or the women's. The men go this way through this door. The women go that way through that door."
I looked at him in puzzlement. My wife didn't relish the idea of leaving her escort in a strange city.
Roy laughed. "This used to be an old bath house. Let's take the left door."
As we stooped through the door, Roy commented, "This is where the church meets."
"No benches? Only tatami mats?" I asked gazing at the straw mats.
"Yes," he said, "If we put benches in the room, it wouldn't be big enough to hold all the people."
I thereupon pointed out that one of my young Okinawan friends didn't like sitting on tatami mats. He pointed out that at school Okinawans sit in chairs, on buses they sit on chairs, and in many Okinawan homes chairs are now used.
"We have no alternative," Roy said. "There's not enough room. In fact, when visitors come, we have to sleep them out here in the church."
By the end of that discussion, we were through the church and into the cramped living quarters. At Roy's invitation we pulled up chairs to the table. I noticed that two of the chairs were Army quartermaster issue and two were obviously local. After the flurry of introducing and seating three vivacious little children, Roy started the usual (or unusual) dining table conversation.
"We sleep over there," Roy said, pointing across my shoulder.
"No beds?" I queried.
"No room," Roy answered. "There's not enough room for five beds in there."
I surveyed the approximately 9 by 12 room, and couldn't help but agree.
"Besides, if we had beds in there, we wouldn't have room for the children to play on wet days," Kimiko added. "Every evening, I have to pull out the mattresses out and make up beds. Sometimes it's very hard when I come home tired in the evening after a day of evangelizing in the country."
Just about that time, I caught sight of welts and scars one of their children's arms.
Noticing my curiosity, Roy said, "Some of them are insect bites from a year ago, some quite recent. She's very sensitive to them."
"The tatami mats are infested with fleas," Kimiko added. "It's impossible to get them out."
"Can't you do anything about them?"
"We put insecticide on the children every night, but it wears off towards morning. Western type beds are the only answer."
"How does this building hold up in typhoons?" I asked.
"So far so good," Roy answered, "but the termites have got into it. See that window; it opens only six inches. The building is sagging. The window over there doesn't open at all. We're going to have to move out before the termites make the building fall on top of us."
When one of the children interrupted for dinner for that inevitable trip to the bathroom, I asked if they had a flush toilet.
"No," was the answer, "just a local benjo."
Later on, when coffee making time came around, Kimiko walked over to the single faucet, turned it on, but not a drop of water came out.
"Oh, oh, no water," she said.
"I guess I'll have to go out and turn the other catchment tank on," Roy added.
I thought to myself how unnecessary this was. The American government has installed an integrated water system for Okinawa but these Americans cannot hook into it because of a shortage of funds. Then I thought of the Scriptures, "And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it..." (I Cor. 12:26) And I suffered all through the night. Here were some wonderful Christian people, obviously doing a good job, but they were doing it under unnecessarily difficult conditions because Christians such as myself were not fulfilling our obligation to them. That's why I've written this letter now.
In Christ Jesus,
James W. Ney
English Consultant
Labels: documents, Family on the Field
posted by Life in Koriyama @ 8:11 PM
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