IT WAS JUST A LAYMAN'S LETTER

Robert Neyman and his wife had visited our home in Tonokura then written to his church in the U.S. about the visit. The letter got circulated to other churches, and I guess you could say in today's YouTube terminology, it "went viral"...well, I exaggerate...maybe it "went bacterial"?

At any rate, it resulted in funds being sent enabling our family to move. (We later found out that wooden house was probably unfit for human habitation, torn down the day after we left.)

I found this letter and was going to post excerpts from it--the whole thing is two-pages--then decided to post the entire thing.  Readers can choose themselves which portions they want to keep for their own memories. (I found Daddy's photos and attached them.)

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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 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 our 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 that 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 daughters, 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 foot 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.” Every evening, I have to pull 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 on their second daughter (June’s) arm. 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 girls every night, but it wears off by morning. Western type beds are the only answer.”

Dropping that, the conversation shifted to the weather.

“How does the 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 6 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 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 single 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 when 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

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I think Dec. that year Daddy unloaded a truckload of Christmas presents from Stateside churches, and soon we found ourselves moving to a place called North Bayview Ojana, into a house made of concrete (we didn't have to play by plucking off the wings of termites infesting the woodwork anymore). And we had beds, running water, toilets that flushed, air conditioning! Our move was so fast, our bed frames hadn't arrived that first night. We slept on mattresses on the floor and watched the beautiful design the kerosene stove cast on our new house's CEMENT wall thanking God for such unexpected blessing.

Ojana kitchen, dining area