Great Illustrations from Japan

Neil Verwey has for a number of years sent out illustrations from Japan and Japanese culture. Some of you might be interested in receiving these. Just send a note to Neal at jm@japanmission.org
A WISH CAME TRUE

Kota, a boy who had yet to attend his first kindergarten class, was dying of cancer. When Mrs. Yahata, his mother, was told her of son's condition, everything seem to black out.

"I couldn't look at him after I got the news," Mrs. Yahata said. "Every time I saw his face I would start crying." Friends encouraged her to do everything in her power to make her son happy for as long as she would have him with her.

So she contacted the people at Make-a-Wish, first established in the United States in 1980, but now has affiliates in 27 countries and regions outside the United States. The Make-a-Wish staff comes up with a tailor-made plan to actualize each child's dream and they also function in Japan.

Kota Yahata was ready for his journey. Clad in his favorite T-shirt, jeans, socks and shoes, all emblazoned with his favorite character 'Thomas the Tank Engine', the boy from Hiroshima was set to leave on a magic trip to Thomas Land, an amusement park in Japan.

The night before his three-day trip, Kota was so excited he did not fall asleep until 2 a.m.

When Kota and his parents arrived at Thomas Land on Sept. 6, he was the 800th child in the country to have his dream come true through the auspices of Make-A-Wish of Japan that attempts to fulfill the dreams of seriously ill children.

For Michiko, Kota's mother, the trip gave her the courage to look her son in the eye again. Source – Asahi News,.: By S. Yakushiji, 2005-09-24

In a spiritual sense, if I may wish for one thing more than anything else to see, it would be to experience and see the beauty of God!

ONE THING I ASK OF THE LORD,
THIS IS WHAT I SEEK
THAT I MAY GAZE
UPON THE BEAUTY OF THE LORD.
(Psalm 27:4)

What better can I desire than to delight in His incomparable perfections and glory?

Neil Verwey

Japan Mission