Created for Service

Following our retirement after forty years of missionary service in Japan, my wife and I have been very active in our local church. However, two weeks after my left-knee-replacement surgery in January 2024, I fell and tore the tendons above my right knee. Healing was slow, and I have been in therapy for several months now. Strength is gradually returning, but in the meantime I have mainly been confined to a wheelchair.

Sometimes I have felt discouraged and thought my days of service to God were over. But the Lord Jesus, whose grace created me for works of service, has never given up on me. The Holy Spirit helped me to realize that despite all the difficulties I face, many avenues of service to God are still open to me.

I have been a member of the Upper Room Committee in Japan since 1993 and still translate devotionals written by Japanese Christians. I am able to lead worship services at my church from my wheelchair. And each week I meet with our young Korean pastor to help him with the English pronunciation of his sermons, just as Japanese pastors helped me during my early years in Japan. I am filled with gratitude that despite my limitations, I am still able to serve the God I love, who has created me for that very purpose.