GOODBYE from Haruo Sato

Haruo Sato

I was born in Tokyo Japan in February 19, 1950. So I am almost 68 years old. I was thinking that I should retire in two years when I turn 70 years old. The circumstances in our church, Japanese Gospel Church of Toronto, have been changing rapidly and I have not been able to keep up with them.
When I visited Japan for my ministries last October, I met my mentor pastor in Okinawa who happened to be visiting from Hawaii. He mentioned a new position as a chaplain in the senior’s facility in Hiroshima. Coincidently, my next stop was Hiroshima to visit my wife’s elderly mother who lives about 2 hours away by highway bus.
I visited the facility and I was able to meet the chairperson of the organization who just came back his business trip from Vietnam. He asked me to come to Hiroshima again with my wife; he wanted to test my preaching skill. We visited Hiroshima at the end of January this year, and I was accepted as a chaplain of the organization. We are planning to leave Canada in April or May when we have resolved all matters, like selling our house.
I will miss members of the Japanese Gospel church of Toronto and also other associates of Nikkei society like JSS members.
Japan is our homeland and my wife’s elderly mother lives close to Hiroshima, so my wife will be able to take care of her mother more often.
The biggest motivation for moving is that our Lord God is giving me another opportunity to work for Him in Hiroshima. Hiroshima is the city that suffered the first atomic bomb in human history. I would like to listen to any testimony from elderly people in the facility as well.
In the Old Testament, the grandson of Abraham, Jacob was in a foreign land, he heard a voice of God saying, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you.” (Genesis 31:3, NIV).  I think that God is saying the same words to me.  God is good all the time and He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Thank you and God bless.
In Christ Jesus,
Haruo Sato