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Here's another story by Susie Rain you need to read. See how God was working, is working, and will continue to work in and through this man.
TOKYO—Excitement and happiness fill the air. Smiles and laughter abound. Tears of joy well up in some eyes.
More than a week after the onset of Japan’s triple disaster, everyone is ready for something to celebrate. The perfect opportunity for a small group of Japanese Christians comes in a double baptism.
When Shinichi Saito bobs up out of the water, everyone breaks out in applause.
No one was sure this day would take place. The baptism was originally scheduled for March 12, but that didn’t happen because of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Saito and his wife did not want to wait any longer so the baptism was rescheduled for the following week.
“It’s the only day I could do it,” Saito explains about the urgency he felt. “If we didn’t do it today, I don’t know if I could be spiritually prepared in my heart for all that my work duties demand in the midst of this disaster.”
Saito is a city councilman and works primarily in the volunteer office and with the physically disabled. The day of the earthquake, it was his job to find ways home for the physically disabled because there were no trains running or transport of any kind. Since the quake, his job has shifted to organizing volunteer efforts.
The councilman points out that God is a “God of timing.” Saito says it was providence that he happened to be rolling his wheelchair through the lobby of city hall a few months ago at the same time that a missionary was prayerwalking the building. Saito stopped to find out what the foreigner needed and from there a friendship blossomed that led to a Bible study, a church start and now two baptisms — all in just a few short months.
Saito feels the timing of everything, including the baptism, has to do with God preparing him for his upcoming duties in this disaster.
“God has put me in a position to help people using resources that most do not have access to,” Saito says. “Now that I am part of the family of God, I have brothers and sisters to call on as volunteers.
“Without even thinking, I can trust the Christian volunteers,” he says, adding that trust and relationships are important in Japanese society. “I can do this because I sense that we are a family. Being a Christian isn’t just a job, we are actually a family, so there’s a level of trust that will help this country rebuild.”
You read yesterday about how the Japanese do not trust people they do not know. Now you see how God put a Christian in charge of the volunteers in Tokyo. This man can call on other Christians to come in and help his country because he knows he can trust them. They are family.
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