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Good News for the Outcastes of Japan
(From The Unreached Advocate July-September 1999)
Crown of thorns on building          The paint had faded, but the huge crown of thorns on the side of the building was still impressive.  Few visitors to Osaka see this crown - and very few understand it.  We were in a Buraku district - home to the descendants of the Japanese outcastes, the Burakumin.  Feudal Japan had been rigidly divided into castes.  At the bottom were the outcastes - those who did things related to death - leather work, butchering, burial, etc.  Unlike the untouchables of India, Japanese outcastes were officially "freed" in 1871 when the caste system was abolished, but that was not an instant solution.  Like African-Americans in the deep south, the 2-3 million Burakumin are still struggling for true equality in society.  The crown of thorns on the side of the building is the symbol of the Buraku Liberation League - a secular political organization which fights for civil rights.  For them, Jesus' crown of thorns is a symbol of Burakumin suffering.  It is an interesting choice of symbols for a people who have so few Christians among them.  In fact, Japan Church Data (1997) indicates that less than 0.6% of Japanese are Christian - and Burakumin Christians are much rarer still.
         After Urbana 1993 we began praying through Operation World, and in February 1994 the Lord called us to Japan.  While preparing to go, we first learned about the Burakumin through Japan, a 1987 documentary which mentioned their struggles against employment and education discrimination, difficulty marrying outside their group, etc.  The 1993 Operation World said, "There is no Christian mission specifically seeking to reach them."  We also learned that high social barriers, discrimination within the church, and distrust often prevented Japanese churches from reaching out to them.  We focused our prayers and began to plan.  There was much to do - our spacious home in Fredericksburg, VA was sold, Dan retired from 20 years of service as a Marine, Karen left behind her career as a software engineer.
         Then in April 1996, we moved into a 340 sq. ft. apartment in Hiroshima, Japan.  Many changes had come, but the Lord was with us every step of the way.  We made a home in the Buraku, near a Japanese church we work closely with, whose pastor shares our heart for these people.  Never in our lives have we had such satisfaction and joy!  Time flies, with days and weeks full of teaching Bible and English, friendship evangelism, literature distribution, door-to-door ministry, special events at the church, and language study.  Hosting short term evangelistic programs has allowed us to visually portray how the Gospel of Jesus Christ is for all people and all nations - workers of all colors from the U.S., Denmark, Korea, and Panama have participated.  Teaching English at the community center as volunteers helps us to meet felt needs of the community.  What an incredible joy to have a part in bringing people into the Kingdom!
         Recently, there has been a new prayer burden - a seeking for a long-term ministry vision.  What we are doing now is fruitful, but the Lord may be leading us on to new things.  Recently our sending church pastor and a church elder came to visit.  We walked, talked, and prayed through our home area and other Buraku districts - including the one in Osaka where the crown of thorns is painted on the side of a building.  This year we will make only a few changes to our ministry - working with Campus Crusade for their Love Hiroshima outreach, and hosting a short term program in the fall instead of the summer.  But there are hundreds of Buraku communities throughout western Japan, and the needs are many.  Social justice, social acceptance, homeless people in Osaka - everywhere deep emotional wounds.  Above all, these people need Jesus - in most Buraku communities there is no gospel witness at all.  How can we be most effective as ambassadors from Jesus to the people of Japan, especially to those who are counted as least among them?  Please join with us in praying that the light and love of Jesus would come to all of these people.
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