U G N A Y A N
ni Hannah Venus Galvez
Japan: The Land of the Risen Son
OUR journey as YOU partner with ME
Konnichiwa! A special Japanese greeting from your Filipina missionary to Japan…If asked what keeps me going in a foreign land especially in Tokyo, it’s the day-to-day excitement on what God is doing in this hi-tech, fast-paced and super-expensive society! By God’s amazing grace, I am part of the Filipino Diaspora who can boldly testify that I was “hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. [I] always carry around in [my] body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in [my] body.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10)
Through it all, it is a privilege to be entrusted with a ministry to our countrymen abroad, to the fellow foreigners in a hostile land and, specially, to the local people. Going 13 years ministering around Japan plus 28 months in other countries is a wonderful testimony of God’s faithfulness and personal care to me! I would never exchange the Kingdom-value learning experiences in frontline missions to the past exposure of working at Malacanang Palace nor the many opportunities to have more comfortable lifestyle nor even be a fulltime housewife to a millionaire…It grows sweeter as the days go by in serving our Father God! I do rejoice in the Lord always as I witness His marvelous plan unfolds specifically for my mission field—the land where the Resurrected Christ be declared the Savior and Lord of all!
Intimacy before Activity
When my sending church, Greenhills Christian Fellowship, makes me an account of my long years of overseas mission, I share with them what I have personally known who our God is and how I have made Him known wherever I go. Our church motto guides me in my ministry: To Know Christ and To Make Him Known.
Filipino community leaders in Japan with Philippine Embassy Consuls and ABS-CBN President. (Hannah, 2nd from right)Indeed, it is just so easy to be lost in the fast and complicated motions of life in Japan and be driven to the flow of people, fashion, culture and the majority…Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness comes to mind almost every morning as I wake up and out of my cozy futon (Japanese bed). Honestly, I struggle to go through the daily life principle No Bible, No Breakfast before I take my nutritious pan (bread) or onigiri (rice ball) over a cup of hot ocha (tea). Well, Christianity is a relationship and lifestyle neither a program nor series of steps nor dogmas.
Developing my intimate relationship with our Creator God is a real adventure. Our systematic Bible readings and study in our outreaches in different cities are times of wonderful discovery of His nature, character and attributes. With our solid teaching and foundation based on the Bible, our new Christian family members seek opportunities to creatively share how each one of us personally experienced God who is Love and Just. His amazing love overflows in and through us that makes life easier to face with the growing challenges as gaijin (foreigner) and as provocatively looked down upon as Firipinjin (Filipino).
Out of the Comfort Zone…Mission seems Impossible
I felt like Alice in the Wonderland when I landed at Narita Kuko (airport) on the first day of February in the year of the Lord 1992! The heaviest snowfall was the “talk of the town” on that day, which explained many of us stranded for more than half a day. It really slowly and painfully melted my excitement to see snow. (The Bible says that when I accepted Jesus into my heart, my sins are all forgiven and I will be whiter than snow!) Since 1988, I had been to about 20 countries on board the mission ship of Operation Mobilization but it was just right at the airport on my very first day in Japan when I saw snow for the first time!
Around me were thousands of Nihonjin (Japanese) with almost the same coat design, haircut, movement, etc. I had not been so scared in my life than seeing all the men dressed in black. They all fit the description of the dreaded yakuza (mafia). My Japanese Religious Activities visa application was well-planned and long prayed over since the ban for women to Japan was as hot as the Comfort Women issue and the mysterious death of entertainer Maricris Sioson then. The orientation given to me was NOT to approach anyone wearing boshi (hat). Everybody wears one and they all look the same! What a homogenous nation…described as matchbox-like society.
On my way to my first mission base in Nagano City, popularly known as host to the Winter Olympics 98, my former shipmate on MV Doulos took time to comfort me. We stood for about 3 hours while our express densha (train) passed through lines of snow-capped mountains and traditional uchi (houses). How I wished we took the shinkansen (bullet train) to shorten our agony; but, we have a missionary budget….Our pick-up car broke down and a fallen tree would not allow us to push it. So we walked to my temporary shelter in the middle of thick snow. Imagine me as I shivered while groping through the dark.
Goodness gracious! What I thought to be a comfy rocking bed in a log cottage where I laid was a strong earthquake that I jumped out like a horse to seek for cover. Day 2 then in my nikki (diary): after 6 years, the strongest earthquake hit the city where I am. I researched and found out that earthquake is a common occurrence as there are 22 live volcanoes in Japan compared to only 6 in the Philippines. Our God who is Sovereign could never make a mistake in allowing me to go through all these bouts of life. I thought deeply then. Later I was counseled that I was and still going through fierce spiritual warfare! Bible verses on Ephesians 6:10-20 sound loud and clear.
Key person in the web society
Japanese educators working for an online, open university. Linking with them could open doors for Filipino’s continued education overseas. (Hannah, 1st row on the right)“You see one, you see them all…their faces all look-a-like.” This is a common lament of my contacts--English Sensei (teachers) as they helped me memorize Japanese names of our seito (students) and attendees of our kyokai (church). One day, I asked my 12 students who most of them belong to a non-political organization (NPO), “What’s the best way to introduce Japan?”
Each one made a report with beautiful props what makes Japan unique. Hopefully, I can write a book out of their creative presentations. Kimono (national dress). Ikebana (flower arrangement). Sushi (dish with raw seafood toppings). Sumo (wrestling). Noren (curtain). Koto (musical string instrument). Matsuri (Festival). Hanami (Cherry-blossom viewing). Hanabi (Fireworks). Tea Ceremony. Garden. Godzilla. It is quite a revelation when the class president emphasized to the Acorn English Group that most non-Japanese cannot understand the whole meaning of their culture and tradition. “No one should miss the spirit and psyche behind what the eyes can see in our land.” One mission book states that Japan has about 10 million gods…to have more gods, the better….Jesus can be taken as additional god to them.
I know the God who is Faithful-- the one & only living true God-- will be forever watching my coming in and going out! Though I still sought who can be my mentor, spiritual adviser, accountability group or even academic circle in Japan. Not long enough I was led to an old Japanese man who was a famous English teacher. Well, 40 years of teaching at a prestigious prefectural university can make you a big name. A mere mention of his name was like having a special power which ripples up to Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Once he gave me a city tour and I had a real back pain at the end of the day. I must bow, real whole body bending, as many times as possible as we greeted people who called his name and bow many times again as we bid sayonara (goodbye).
He was and still is known by most if not all Nagano folks so I did not dare went out with him again! Except one. Kitazawa Sensei encouraged me to meet school principals and company owners right in their Japanese houses. My sense of humor started to develop when he evaluated our visits and exclaimed that all the local people like me. How can that be if I never spoke a single word? I cannot even look at their offered green tea and black sweets as they are strange-looking to me? I felt terrible to sit steadily for hours with knees on the tatami mat (flooring made of special grass) beside a heated kotatsu (low table). Well, my silence and smile made a big difference among the loud foreigners and guests in their very conservative village.
Lost and Found
So many interesting stories of personal belongings lost in the train, bus, airport and any public places but surely found again. Honesty in this country could shame we Christians what we claim a blessing but actually somebody else’s property. What a real and beautiful restoration process--serving with clear conscience and pure heart--if we return all that we see in our house, office and church to the rightful owners!
Maps for short and long distance trips are totally different once you hit the roads. The more you ask for directions, the more complicated you seem to go through….Driving daily around Kanto Area in Japan is part of my ministry which balances my time as I spend a lot of hours in front of my treasured Sony laptop computer. (This could seem the material I could not live without…a well-treasured electronic unit, Made in Japan.) Yes, I had been lost many times but taken as special treats to my passengers (mostly, short-term missionaries) as they have more views of Japan—the beautiful hana (flowers), stylish kuruma (cars), big koen (parks), huge depato (department stores), tall apato (apartments), etc.
It is also encouraging to hear testimonies of entertainers, who comprise the bulk of more than 200,000 Filipinos in Japan. They came to seek satisfaction in material wealth; as lost as their okyaku-san (customers), but JESUS found them! Not a cliché but truly God met them where they are. Their new-found faith creates waves of spiritual renewal and revival in their family back home and host country! As they are transformed by the Holy Spirit, they can be potential modern-day missionaries as they share how God can save materially rich but spiritually poor people.
One considered big lost for me this year is the passing away of my beloved father—a Nazarene Bible College graduate who became an overseas tentmaker in the Middle East. Sadly, I was not allowed to leave Japan then. The timing for visa extension and permanent residency application coincided with the stricter Japanese immigration policy. The mistake of our countrymen who cannot abide by the laws of our adopted country seems to fall on me. As part of the national security and anti-terrorism measure, I went through long investigation, interrogation and personal visit of the Immigration Officers right at our mission center!
Let the dead bury their own dead kept ringing in my ears on February 14. My dad cannot ask now who is my Valentine on this date! Well, thank God for webcams and flatrate internet provider that I was able to monitor the nightly wakes and funeral services. “You didn’t actually lost him but I have him back with me for he is actually mine. You can see him again though…” What a struggle to let him go but our God who is our Comfort and Peace keeps His promises.
Dr. and Mrs. Fujita, my Japanese parents and key people in the Japanese society. God has truly blessed me to have them in my life!Few days ago, God blessed me with a Japanese otosan (father) for I can never have a local shujin (husband)! Dr. Fujita, known to be the Japanese father of negotiation as he wrote the first book and has other 20 books on this special course, adopted me as their Firipinjin kodomo (child). His daughter, who is now my adopted shimai (sister), is a smart lady politician as she is one of the few elected woman councilors of a rich city in Metropolitan Tokyo. She was the guest speaker during our 10th church anniversary on November 21. In the presence of many Japanese and Filipinos, she spoke eloquently that in Japan there should no one be called alien or foreigner. All of us in this momentous gathering of Filipino believers in Japan did found someone who can make us at home where we are now. Indeed, this is actually our Father’s land. In our generation, we want to declare it the land of His Risen Son!
Just keep in touch for Japan Mission:
Councilwoman Hiroko Maekawa and Engr. Raymund Estrella, longtime mission sponsor, witnessed our church anniversary celebration. What a beautiful testimony that FCMN is supported by missions-minded Overseas Filipinos Workers (OFWs), spouses of Japanese national & Filipino exchange students!
Hannah Venus GalvezFCMN International Mission Centre3-67-9 OhminamiMusashi-Murayama CityTokyo 208-0013, Japan
Overseas Telefax: +81-42-590-4573
Japan Telefax: 042-590-4573Overseas Cell phone: +81-90-6315-3474
Japan Cell phone: 090-6315-3474E-mail: ugnayan@hotmail.com
"The Christian who knows he is crucified with Christ--Has no ambition & so has nothing to be jealous about.Has no reputation & so has nothing to fight about.
Has no possession, therefore nothing to worry about.Has no rights, therefore he cannot suffer wrong.
He is already dead so no one can kill him."
ni Hannah Venus Galvez
Japan: The Land of the Risen Son
OUR journey as YOU partner with ME
Konnichiwa! A special Japanese greeting from your Filipina missionary to Japan…If asked what keeps me going in a foreign land especially in Tokyo, it’s the day-to-day excitement on what God is doing in this hi-tech, fast-paced and super-expensive society! By God’s amazing grace, I am part of the Filipino Diaspora who can boldly testify that I was “hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. [I] always carry around in [my] body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in [my] body.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10)
Through it all, it is a privilege to be entrusted with a ministry to our countrymen abroad, to the fellow foreigners in a hostile land and, specially, to the local people. Going 13 years ministering around Japan plus 28 months in other countries is a wonderful testimony of God’s faithfulness and personal care to me! I would never exchange the Kingdom-value learning experiences in frontline missions to the past exposure of working at Malacanang Palace nor the many opportunities to have more comfortable lifestyle nor even be a fulltime housewife to a millionaire…It grows sweeter as the days go by in serving our Father God! I do rejoice in the Lord always as I witness His marvelous plan unfolds specifically for my mission field—the land where the Resurrected Christ be declared the Savior and Lord of all!
Intimacy before Activity
When my sending church, Greenhills Christian Fellowship, makes me an account of my long years of overseas mission, I share with them what I have personally known who our God is and how I have made Him known wherever I go. Our church motto guides me in my ministry: To Know Christ and To Make Him Known.
Filipino community leaders in Japan with Philippine Embassy Consuls and ABS-CBN President. (Hannah, 2nd from right)Indeed, it is just so easy to be lost in the fast and complicated motions of life in Japan and be driven to the flow of people, fashion, culture and the majority…Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness comes to mind almost every morning as I wake up and out of my cozy futon (Japanese bed). Honestly, I struggle to go through the daily life principle No Bible, No Breakfast before I take my nutritious pan (bread) or onigiri (rice ball) over a cup of hot ocha (tea). Well, Christianity is a relationship and lifestyle neither a program nor series of steps nor dogmas.
Developing my intimate relationship with our Creator God is a real adventure. Our systematic Bible readings and study in our outreaches in different cities are times of wonderful discovery of His nature, character and attributes. With our solid teaching and foundation based on the Bible, our new Christian family members seek opportunities to creatively share how each one of us personally experienced God who is Love and Just. His amazing love overflows in and through us that makes life easier to face with the growing challenges as gaijin (foreigner) and as provocatively looked down upon as Firipinjin (Filipino).
Out of the Comfort Zone…Mission seems Impossible
I felt like Alice in the Wonderland when I landed at Narita Kuko (airport) on the first day of February in the year of the Lord 1992! The heaviest snowfall was the “talk of the town” on that day, which explained many of us stranded for more than half a day. It really slowly and painfully melted my excitement to see snow. (The Bible says that when I accepted Jesus into my heart, my sins are all forgiven and I will be whiter than snow!) Since 1988, I had been to about 20 countries on board the mission ship of Operation Mobilization but it was just right at the airport on my very first day in Japan when I saw snow for the first time!
Around me were thousands of Nihonjin (Japanese) with almost the same coat design, haircut, movement, etc. I had not been so scared in my life than seeing all the men dressed in black. They all fit the description of the dreaded yakuza (mafia). My Japanese Religious Activities visa application was well-planned and long prayed over since the ban for women to Japan was as hot as the Comfort Women issue and the mysterious death of entertainer Maricris Sioson then. The orientation given to me was NOT to approach anyone wearing boshi (hat). Everybody wears one and they all look the same! What a homogenous nation…described as matchbox-like society.
On my way to my first mission base in Nagano City, popularly known as host to the Winter Olympics 98, my former shipmate on MV Doulos took time to comfort me. We stood for about 3 hours while our express densha (train) passed through lines of snow-capped mountains and traditional uchi (houses). How I wished we took the shinkansen (bullet train) to shorten our agony; but, we have a missionary budget….Our pick-up car broke down and a fallen tree would not allow us to push it. So we walked to my temporary shelter in the middle of thick snow. Imagine me as I shivered while groping through the dark.
Goodness gracious! What I thought to be a comfy rocking bed in a log cottage where I laid was a strong earthquake that I jumped out like a horse to seek for cover. Day 2 then in my nikki (diary): after 6 years, the strongest earthquake hit the city where I am. I researched and found out that earthquake is a common occurrence as there are 22 live volcanoes in Japan compared to only 6 in the Philippines. Our God who is Sovereign could never make a mistake in allowing me to go through all these bouts of life. I thought deeply then. Later I was counseled that I was and still going through fierce spiritual warfare! Bible verses on Ephesians 6:10-20 sound loud and clear.
Key person in the web society
Japanese educators working for an online, open university. Linking with them could open doors for Filipino’s continued education overseas. (Hannah, 1st row on the right)“You see one, you see them all…their faces all look-a-like.” This is a common lament of my contacts--English Sensei (teachers) as they helped me memorize Japanese names of our seito (students) and attendees of our kyokai (church). One day, I asked my 12 students who most of them belong to a non-political organization (NPO), “What’s the best way to introduce Japan?”
Each one made a report with beautiful props what makes Japan unique. Hopefully, I can write a book out of their creative presentations. Kimono (national dress). Ikebana (flower arrangement). Sushi (dish with raw seafood toppings). Sumo (wrestling). Noren (curtain). Koto (musical string instrument). Matsuri (Festival). Hanami (Cherry-blossom viewing). Hanabi (Fireworks). Tea Ceremony. Garden. Godzilla. It is quite a revelation when the class president emphasized to the Acorn English Group that most non-Japanese cannot understand the whole meaning of their culture and tradition. “No one should miss the spirit and psyche behind what the eyes can see in our land.” One mission book states that Japan has about 10 million gods…to have more gods, the better….Jesus can be taken as additional god to them.
I know the God who is Faithful-- the one & only living true God-- will be forever watching my coming in and going out! Though I still sought who can be my mentor, spiritual adviser, accountability group or even academic circle in Japan. Not long enough I was led to an old Japanese man who was a famous English teacher. Well, 40 years of teaching at a prestigious prefectural university can make you a big name. A mere mention of his name was like having a special power which ripples up to Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Once he gave me a city tour and I had a real back pain at the end of the day. I must bow, real whole body bending, as many times as possible as we greeted people who called his name and bow many times again as we bid sayonara (goodbye).
He was and still is known by most if not all Nagano folks so I did not dare went out with him again! Except one. Kitazawa Sensei encouraged me to meet school principals and company owners right in their Japanese houses. My sense of humor started to develop when he evaluated our visits and exclaimed that all the local people like me. How can that be if I never spoke a single word? I cannot even look at their offered green tea and black sweets as they are strange-looking to me? I felt terrible to sit steadily for hours with knees on the tatami mat (flooring made of special grass) beside a heated kotatsu (low table). Well, my silence and smile made a big difference among the loud foreigners and guests in their very conservative village.
Lost and Found
So many interesting stories of personal belongings lost in the train, bus, airport and any public places but surely found again. Honesty in this country could shame we Christians what we claim a blessing but actually somebody else’s property. What a real and beautiful restoration process--serving with clear conscience and pure heart--if we return all that we see in our house, office and church to the rightful owners!
Maps for short and long distance trips are totally different once you hit the roads. The more you ask for directions, the more complicated you seem to go through….Driving daily around Kanto Area in Japan is part of my ministry which balances my time as I spend a lot of hours in front of my treasured Sony laptop computer. (This could seem the material I could not live without…a well-treasured electronic unit, Made in Japan.) Yes, I had been lost many times but taken as special treats to my passengers (mostly, short-term missionaries) as they have more views of Japan—the beautiful hana (flowers), stylish kuruma (cars), big koen (parks), huge depato (department stores), tall apato (apartments), etc.
It is also encouraging to hear testimonies of entertainers, who comprise the bulk of more than 200,000 Filipinos in Japan. They came to seek satisfaction in material wealth; as lost as their okyaku-san (customers), but JESUS found them! Not a cliché but truly God met them where they are. Their new-found faith creates waves of spiritual renewal and revival in their family back home and host country! As they are transformed by the Holy Spirit, they can be potential modern-day missionaries as they share how God can save materially rich but spiritually poor people.
One considered big lost for me this year is the passing away of my beloved father—a Nazarene Bible College graduate who became an overseas tentmaker in the Middle East. Sadly, I was not allowed to leave Japan then. The timing for visa extension and permanent residency application coincided with the stricter Japanese immigration policy. The mistake of our countrymen who cannot abide by the laws of our adopted country seems to fall on me. As part of the national security and anti-terrorism measure, I went through long investigation, interrogation and personal visit of the Immigration Officers right at our mission center!
Let the dead bury their own dead kept ringing in my ears on February 14. My dad cannot ask now who is my Valentine on this date! Well, thank God for webcams and flatrate internet provider that I was able to monitor the nightly wakes and funeral services. “You didn’t actually lost him but I have him back with me for he is actually mine. You can see him again though…” What a struggle to let him go but our God who is our Comfort and Peace keeps His promises.
Dr. and Mrs. Fujita, my Japanese parents and key people in the Japanese society. God has truly blessed me to have them in my life!Few days ago, God blessed me with a Japanese otosan (father) for I can never have a local shujin (husband)! Dr. Fujita, known to be the Japanese father of negotiation as he wrote the first book and has other 20 books on this special course, adopted me as their Firipinjin kodomo (child). His daughter, who is now my adopted shimai (sister), is a smart lady politician as she is one of the few elected woman councilors of a rich city in Metropolitan Tokyo. She was the guest speaker during our 10th church anniversary on November 21. In the presence of many Japanese and Filipinos, she spoke eloquently that in Japan there should no one be called alien or foreigner. All of us in this momentous gathering of Filipino believers in Japan did found someone who can make us at home where we are now. Indeed, this is actually our Father’s land. In our generation, we want to declare it the land of His Risen Son!
Just keep in touch for Japan Mission:
Councilwoman Hiroko Maekawa and Engr. Raymund Estrella, longtime mission sponsor, witnessed our church anniversary celebration. What a beautiful testimony that FCMN is supported by missions-minded Overseas Filipinos Workers (OFWs), spouses of Japanese national & Filipino exchange students!
Hannah Venus GalvezFCMN International Mission Centre3-67-9 OhminamiMusashi-Murayama CityTokyo 208-0013, Japan
Overseas Telefax: +81-42-590-4573
Japan Telefax: 042-590-4573Overseas Cell phone: +81-90-6315-3474
Japan Cell phone: 090-6315-3474E-mail: ugnayan@hotmail.com
"The Christian who knows he is crucified with Christ--Has no ambition & so has nothing to be jealous about.Has no reputation & so has nothing to fight about.
Has no possession, therefore nothing to worry about.Has no rights, therefore he cannot suffer wrong.
He is already dead so no one can kill him."
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