Thursday, February 5, 2009
Day 83- Be used in unusual ways?
I never dreamed I'd marry a Chinese woman or serve in a Chinese Church, but I'm glad God gave me both opportunities. The first time I was at Cumberland, Pastor Lawrence took me on a home visitation. We sat and listened to this old woman as she told us stories from her walk with God. Just about every story the Japanese were the villain: they invaded her country, forced her to flee to the country, stole all their possessions, strafed her boat as she tried to escape. I kept sinking deeper and deeper into the sofa. I started to worry that she would ask me for my name. I planned on telling her I was "Joe Wong" But that Thanksgiving I was the presider at the annual CCU worship service. The worship leader was Japanese American, she will be our retreat speaker this year, and the usher was Japanese American as well. So I felt better about being a JA.
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hahaha mark.....I am really happy that you are Japanese. Well, I don't really care what racial background you have. You are Mark and that is what matters most. Most people at church are Chinese, it is really cool to say "hey, we are not all Chinese" because we are not. XD
ReplyDeleteYour story about the old woman reminds me a lot of my grandma. She told me about her and her family fleeing from Burma to go to China to hide from the Japanese. She was very little then, so she doesn't remember much. As she was telling me her story, I got pretty angry at all the events she told me. Like how far they had to walk and how they had to climb up high mountains. I can't imagine walking that long of a distance or experiencing that kind of fear. I also think she said something about the Japanese killing her father either on the mountains or by bombing a factory that he owned and which he happened to be in. I got mad of course.....even though it is most likely that I would not even have met my great grandfather.....I just got mad how they stole my grandma's father away from his family. He didn't just die....he was killed.
Ok anyways........umm i asked my grandma how she feels about Japanese people today. She said that the past is the past. The today's Japanese does not have anything to do with the Japanese solider/government back then. Well, she did not say those exact words, but that is how I interpret it. The people in the past are not the people in the present. Ok maybe there are exceptions. We shouldn't blame individuals for what their country has done. Plus, we are to be blamed too. We also bombed innocent civilians in Japan...
OOOO there is a really good movie about two siblings during WWII in Japan. It is called the "grave of the fireflies." Watch the animation version, it is sooo good. Seriously, it made me cry. The person who directed it works in the same studio as Hayao Miyazaki, the director of "spirited away." XD critics compares this film to Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List and says, "it is the most profoundly human animated film I've ever seen." and Schindler's list is an awesome movie, but a little bit too graphic at times. They are both good movies. Thank you Mark Tsujimoto for sharing your story.
Very wise comments and thanks for the kind words. It's weird, I'm born here but one's racial heritage is still a part of me. I will definitely check out Grave of the fireflies, it sounds very interesting. I have never been able to make it all the way through Schindler's List, it upsets me too much.
ReplyDeleteHow you think and express youself and resolve these ethical dilemmas we find ourselves caught in, is very encouraging for me. With those values and attitudes you've expressed in this blog are wise and mature beyond your years. They give me a lot of hope about the future.