Today we volunteer at the Hallelujah Gospel Choir concert. It is a concert with bona fide gospel singers and choirs from churches all over Japan. In the train station I stand with Thomas, another CRASH volunteer wearing our orange CRASH t-shirts as we pass out flyers for the concert. I am holding a giant version of the promo flyer and shouting in Japanese, “Free charity concert tonight! Please come!” at passersby like those people on Japanese street corners passing out pocket tissues with ads printed on them. It’s a little embarrassing, but hey, I probably won’t run into anyone I know here! It seems that a fair number of people who take our flyers are already going to the concert, which starts in 45 min from when we are passing the flyers out, but a 60 something man takes a flyer and peers at it. “Free? Really? But I’m not Christian, is that ok?” he asks in Japanese. “It’s fine!!” I respond, "Please come!"
Thomas is Caucasian, and in Japan foreigners are objects of curiosity. His foreignness draws attention and people take the flyers he distributes, but he doesn’t speak Japanese so he can’t answer their questions. I look Asian, which doesn't attract people, but I can answer their questions in Japanese. It always amazes me how God uses each of our individual attributes and talents, and by working together we can do that much more to advance His kingdom.
Church choirs have come from all over Japan, and there are performers from Fukushima (who had been forced to evacuate due to radiation) and from Sendai (whose homes were destroyed in the earthquake). One woman speaks with a quavering voice about how they had lost everything, but in the midst of it all what they remember the most is how blessed they were by the outpouring of help. Disaster victims speak about how although they were in a dark place, God has been so good to them and the concert is a celebration of His goodness.
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