War and Peace...and a Visit From Natasha

Dear Family,

Recently we visited the International Peace Park in Hiroshima, situated at Ground Zero where the atomic bomb exploded on 6 August 1945.  We pondered the symmetry as in recent years we have stood at Pearl Harbor where a violent act began the Pacific portion of World War II and at Hiroshima where another violent act ended the conflict. Neighboring nations deplore the Japanese propensity to rewrite the history of the last century in their favor. The Japanese portrayal of those events is unique and somewhat self-serving, but the feelings of the people seem to be devoid of bitterness.  One might think that this horrific shared experience of our two peoples would hang over our current relations like a dark cloud, but in our conversations about many topics with our English class students, neither we nor they ever speak of it. To us it is a remarkable thing – the reconciliation of two peoples from enemies to friends in one or two generations with no apparent residue of rancor or malice.

At the Peace Park in Hiroshima

            Beginning last Wednesday we experienced a highlight of our stay here in Japan when our daughter, Natasha, came for a 5-day visit. She had spent a few days with friends in Tokyo and then took the Shinkansen (bullet train) down to Fukuoka. What a joy it was to have her here. We had put in some long hours prior to her arrival to get a little ahead in our work so we could take some time off to spend with her. She helped us in the office one day, then we took a few days to play. 

In Miyajima with Tasha

 We took a ferry to the beautiful island of Miyajima, once a sanctuary accessible only by clergy, but now dotted with temples and shrines and a popular tourist attraction.  Its principal shrine, Itsukushima, is built on stilts and features an off-shore gateway permitting ancient celebrants access to the shrine as a place of worship without setting foot on the sacred soil of the island.

            Another day we toured the spectacular castle at Kumamotto (habitat of bears) just as the beautiful greens of spring had made their appearance.  The castle includes many buildings situated within a large and formidable fortress structure, built in 1601-7.  It was the scene of a great battle in the insurrection of 1877, a civil war featuring among the rebel forces the last samurai warriors.  Repeated attempts to force entry and then lay siege to the fortress failed and eventually the samurai forces were defeated and the rebellion quashed. We marveled at the extent of the fortress and the beauty of the castle buildings, and our little grandson, in true samurai fashion, made a valiant attempt to scale the walls. 

At Kumamoto Castle with Tasha, Dan, Kaoru, Raiden, and Anika

            Natasha has returned to her family in Texas and we are back at work, preparing for the arrival of 17 new missionaries next week. It was a joy to have her here, and we are very grateful for the encouraging support and love of family and friends, not to mention your faith and prayers that sustain us. We send our love and blessings over the kilometers and remain your faithful far-eastern correspondents, 

Mom and Dad