From the Land Down Under to the Rising Sun

Mary:

The story Milton describes about the interesting set of events that took place in getting our first car probably dates mid- 1962. He mentions the work with youth camps highlighted the need for a car. In the very first camp he borrowed another missionary’s truck after quickly renewing his license. The next summer camp was held in 1960, at a new location, Lake Biwa which was even further away. While it would make sense to have a car for the second camp, I can’t imagine that he would have bought a car only to leave it parked for a full year while we were in Australia for all of 1961 (described in previous blog post). Looking carefully at the photo below I see on the left a truck so someone must have helped out.

Milton:

I learned another lesson about the law of coincidences when it came time to buy a car. Obviously, if we were to move into this youth work with the accompanying camps, we needed to have a car.

That need hung on a few problems. The first was money. We decided to take that one in stride. If the Lord approved of this, He would let our bank balance rise to a certain figure. It did; so, we were ready to proceed.

The second problem was a parking space. Without a parking space either rented or owned, you couldn’t get a permit to buy a vehicle.  Our house sat back away from the traffic and was only accessed by walking or bicycle through narrow streets.

Milton: I had one hope: children from an orphanage came to our home each Thursday for a Bible Club.

When the main road through our town was widened it cut some of the orphanage ground so that they owned a little triangle by the highway that could only be used for a parking lot. I applied for space but was told that the space was booked out. Japan was moving into the automobile age fast.

Milton: The final problem was to find a good car at my price. I asked the local branch of the Toyota car company to look for a good secondhand car that was cheap. But I got no answer for several weeks.

One morning I was praying about the car and our needs. I told the Lord I had tried to get land and I had tried to get a good reliable car but was making no headway on either problem. I couldn’t think of anywhere else to look for a parking space. Then I made up my mind and prayed:

“Lord, I believe You have given the ‘go-ahead’ about this car, but I am not getting anywhere. I quit. I won’t look anymore. It’s up to You.”

I went into the city on business feeling free from worry and happy. When I arrived home, June told me the orphanage had called and wanted me to phone them back. I did.

“A space is vacant. One man hasn’t paid the rent for a long time, so we have asked him to go. Do you want it?”

“Yes. I’ll be right over with the money.”

Within an hour “coincidentally”, the Toyota dealer called and said they had a very nice used car there. I thought to myself, “Well what do you know, if they had called two hours ago, I would have refused because I wouldn’t have had a parking space.”

My next problem was to find an expert to look at the car for me. I recalled a little repair shop down the road from our house. I reasoned that he wouldn’t want me to buy this car if he had a chance to sell me another one, and so would be critical. Also, if he helped me out, he would figure that I would probably use his garage for repairs. It seemed a good idea to ask him for help.

I went down to the shop and talked to the mechanic. He was very happy about the idea. He asked me what work I did. I said, “Missionary”.

He laughed and said, “that’s an interesting coincidence. My boss at headquarters is a Christian. Let’s call him and he can go with you.”

The Christian owner and the mechanic and I drove over to the Toyota dealer. We got out of the car and the owner of the repair shop proceeded over to the office. He came out chatting and laughing with a man. When they came over to us my new Christian friend laughed, “What an amazing coincidence, this man and I were buddies in grade school. We haven’t seen each other since. He is the manager and just took off ¥10,000 for old times’ sake.”

The mechanic checked the vehicle and I drove home in the station wagon that ran for me without a whimper or splutter; icy winter or blazing summer for six years.  In one day of “coincidences”, I had rented precious land, found a good car, met a Christian garage owner, and got a discount, all after I said I would “quit worrying.” Then to top it all, a church in the United States heard we had bought a car and took up an offering and sent us enough money to cover the price of the vehicle. 

Mary:

Dad used to later tell a funny story to me as an adult about how he got around town before the car on a “motor-scooter” I don’t know the make and model, but I can vaguely picture it in my mind sort of the style of a Vespa but I am sure a Japanese make. I was about kindergarten age and as the story goes, I used to sit on the back behind him while he scooted around town on errands. Here’s hoping my arms were firmly around him! One day he came to a stoplight and the driver of a car stopped next to him alerted him that his child sitting behind him was asleep! My head must have been leaning on his back and that kept me on the bike! That was probably my last ride-along.

Lake Biwa – the summer camp spot

If you ever had a family vacation spot that you went to for several summers in a row and have a nostalgic feeling towards it – Lake Biwa was one of those places for me.  Not only was it a lake with swimming but behind that were hills with forests and ferns for hiking.

As a child, it felt very far from home but when I checked with google maps it is only about 80 miles (130 Km) from where we lived in Kobe. I am thinking expressways have been built making that trip much faster today also.  Dad would put some sort of bedding in the back of the station wagon and at least one of us kids would roll around back there with our dog and of course, no seatbelts.  

This campsite was probably more accessible by public transportation than the previous one. If memory serves me correctly, campers took a train from Kobe to Omihachiman and then a local bus to the camp.  I am not sure of the history of that spot but what sticks in my mind is the Quonset hut with the curve roofs and the pump for water. I know these pictures won’t mean much to most but for me and my siblings, Lake Biwa was a fun time with so much nostalgia associated. It’s just a window into life as missionary kids in the 1960’s.