A Lifetime in Kochi

I will remember Kochi as the place where God allowed me to experience many of life’s major milestones – married life, baby, death of a parent, and this coming March, graduation. I came here in autumn of 2006 to pursue my PhD at Kochi University, but by God’s sovereignty, more things unfolded, and three years, in a way, became a lifetime of experience. Looking back, I could not be more glad and grateful for this place.

It was in Kochi where I experienced the wonder and pains of childbirth. And the efficient care of the Nankoku city health center and my Japanese doctor, and the utmost kindness of a Japanese friend helped us greatly. My son who is now two years old will soon probably find it weird to be writing Nankoku city as his birthplace, yet it will forever remind us of God’s goodness and grace while we were here in Kochi. After all, Kochi is a sister province of Benguet province in the Philippines where I was born and raised.

I remember the kindness and prayers of the Japanese brethren at Kochi Yorokobi Kristo Kyoukai in Asakura. They painstakingly stuck and prayed with me when I got married, when I was pregnant, when I gave birth, while I was doing my research, and writing my dissertation, when I heard the news of my father’s death, when I was having my oral presentation and final examinations all in a span of more than three years. Their faith in Christ, and love encouraged me a lot.

So as I prepare to return to my beloved country, the resilient pearl in the orient, I will remember with joy and thanksgiving the wonders and lessons of this lifetime in Kochi. I thank God for his all-time grace and intelligent design. I thank the Japanese government for granting me a scholarship. I thank my professors at Kochi University who supervised my research. I thank the Japanese volunteers for foreign students at Kochi city and Nankoku city for their many help. And I thank the people in Kochi for maintaining such a laid-back but efficient place that was my home for more than three years.

(This is an account of my stay in Kochi which I wrote for the Kochi-Benguet Newsletter produced by the Kochi International Association [KIA]. I should add that I did not know about this Benguet-Kochi sisterhood relationship when I went there to study. -che)

Testimony of God's Goodness and Grace

Good morning. Thank you very much for this chance to testify before you about how I came to know the true gospel of Christ, and about His amazing grace while I was here in Kochi. My conversion story is not as dramatic as Marlon’s. In my case, it was a gradual process. When I was a child, I attended Sunday school. Sunday after Sunday, I just went with my parents to church. One day in my final year in elementary, after the Pastor’s message, I understood that I am a sinner and that I need Christ to come into my heart.

Later in high school, although I continued going to church and participating in youth activities, it soon just became a routine, and I started to wonder about the real purpose of life. Was life just about going to school and church, getting a job, earning some money, getting married, bearing kids, and then sending them to school, and the cycle will repeat itself again and on and on. In college, while joining a campus Bible study, God made me realize that life is not just the cycle that I thought it was. He made me understand from the Word of God the purpose of my existence, which is well summarized in the Westminster Confession of Faith this way: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever”. God made me understand that real satisfaction in life is not found in being an honor student in school, not in having friends, not in graduating and having a good job, not even in marrying and having successful children. But that real satisfaction, real joy, comes only from understanding His grace through faith.

I really thank God that He allowed me to understand this truth. This truth helped me a lot to rise up whenever I failed Him and whenever I had difficulties since I started working. It is also because of His grace and mercy that I was able to accept His will that I serve him as Marlon’s partner. At that time, I struggled a lot because I feel so unworthy and sinful. I was and am still afraid. But God continues to remind me of His love, that He died for me, has forgiven all my sins and paid all the penalty, and that He is in control.

Here in Japan, I also saw God’s tremendous grace in my life. When I found out I was pregnant and my adviser did not agree that Marlon will come, I struggled. It is natural and understandable that he should be angry, because I came here to study, yet I also knew that a child is a gift from God. By His grace, I did not have many complications in my pregnancy, my adviser accepted my condition, God allowed Marlon to come here, He provided me Inoue-san to help me even if it was painstakingly time-consuming for her. He also provided me this church, Hoshizawa sensei and Naoko sensei, all of you who all have been very kind to me, to us, to Khane, prayed for us, loved us.

Of course, there were difficult and discouraging times. There were times when I wanted to quit my studies and just go back home. When news of my father’s death came, again I struggled. He wanted to see me finish, and encouraged me to do my best and graduate. But why didn’t he wait for me to graduate? In all these, God, through Marlon, would remind me of His sovereignty. That Christ who was without sin suffered a lot more to save me is an encouragement assuring me that Christ is more than able to sympathize with me.

Brethren, I thank and praise God for His grace through His son Jesus Christ. He put faith in my heart, and He is sovereign and in control even when I cannot exercise strong faith or when circumstances are difficult to understand. I believe that God has allowed all these experiences to prepare me and my family for our life ahead in whatever ministry He has called us to do. For this, please continue praying for us. I thank and praise God for all of you. And from my heart, I thank you all very much for your prayers, for your encouragement, for just being my brothers and sisters in Christ, indeed. I sure have many stories to tell Khane about God’s goodness and grace, and about you all. God bless you.

(This is a testimony of God's grace in my life, the Nihongo version I read on March 21, 2010 at the Kochi Yorokobi Kristo Kyoukai. I thank Inoue-san who edited, actually rewrote my struggling Nihongo version. -che)