When US troops captured the Pacific island of Okinawa towards the end of WWII they found it in a state of moral and social collapse. But as they gradually advanced through the island, they came to the village of Shimbakuku. There they were greeted by two men - one carrying a Bible.
The soldiers entered the village cautiously, but were amazed to find everything neat and tidy, in contrast to the almost total chaos elsewhere. Why? 30 years earlier a missionary had stopped in Shimbakuku on his way to Japan. He didn't stay long and just two people, the old men, had become Christians.
He left a Bible, urging them to shape their lives by it. Following the Bible alone, others became Christians and the whole community was transformed. So the soldiers found no jail, no brothel, no drunkenness - just humble, contented people.
The re-emergence of heavy shepherds
What would you think if you received a letter from your church leaders that read like this? ‘Are church members …