Bible Lessons from a Mink and Sharing Strawberries with Neighbors

Hi Everyone

How are you doing? I hope God protects all of you from coronavirus.

Thankfully, here on Tsushima Island so far, we have no patients who got the virus. However, the city education board closed all schools, including ours, after an emergency declaration was issued on our island.

The good thing is that we still have many things to do, even in this terrible situation. Our agricultural project has been growing by God's grace. Now, day by day here on Tsushima Island, it is getting hotter and hotter, so the fruits are growing fast. We have been busy thinning peaches and pears as well as harvesting strawberries during the week.

We were very excited to harvest the strawberries, which we had planted last winter, but we had a severe problem last week. A wild mink got on our farm during the middle of the night and started eating our strawberries, which are just ready to be harvested.

I was very disappointed that this happened every night, so I asked a local farmer, who is very experienced in catching wild animals, how to protect our farm. He kindly taught us how to set a trap and let us use his trap. I was very thankful for his kindness.

But I began to wonder what I should do after I caught the mink, so I asked him again what I should do. He told me to bring the trap to him, and he would kill the mink for me by putting the trap with the mink in the water. I was a little shocked by what he said, but later I got to know that most people do the same thing on Tsushima Island to protect their farm.

Early the next morning, after I set the trap, I found a mink in the trap, and he was very aggressive and tried to bite my hands when I picked up the trap to take it to the farmer. Carefully, I carried the trap and went to his farm. On the way to his place, my daughters came with me and asked me what is going to happen to the little wild animal. I answered them that the old farmer is going to kill him. They immediately begged me not to kill him, but if I let him go, I knew he would come back and eat all of our strawberries. So, I told them I am sorry I cannot do that and kept going to his farm.

My daughters never gave up on trying to save him. They blocked my way and again begged me not to kill him. Reluctantly I changed my mind in response to their persistent wishes. We took him 5 miles away in the mountain from our farm and let him go there.

My car smelled terrible on the way to the mountain because of the mink and his waste. However, my daughters were so happy for him that the awful smell in the car didn't bother them. Thankfully, after we let him go, no wild animals came on our farm except for birds so far. Now I pray every day that God will protect our farm by keeping his angels there all night.

In many ways, we are also like that mink. We are focused on just the temporary things of life like looking for food, clothing, and shelter but not seeking God first. We damage the crops of the Gardener and lead a life of sin. We can cause a lot of pain to others also. Our lives were out of harmony with the Gardener, and our sins sentenced us to death. Yet, Jesus has interceded for us and will save us from death if we turn our lives over to Him.

My daughters pleaded for the life of an aggressive wild mink that they never knew. They blocked my path and would not move until the mink had a second chance. How much more does Christ plead for you and me? He pleads for us to turn to Him so we can have life and have it more abundantly. God places these lessons in the natural world to teach more about Him each day.

Showing Christ's Love to the Elderly

On Tsushima Island, some people have already lost their jobs because of the coronavirus, so some of them do not have enough money to buy food. The fruit here on the island is costly since most of the fruit is transported by ferry from the main island of Japan. So, we decided to sell the strawberries at less than half the price of other farmers at the market. For elderly neighbors who cannot walk to the market, we give as many fruits as possible.

Our goal is to keep running our ministry to share the love of Jesus to the people of the island as much as we can through the agricultural project. Even though we cannot make enough money to sustain our ministry only by selling the fruits, I trust our Lord. He provides for all of our needs and guides us step by step to make our ministry possible until his return. So please keep praying for us.

This is my favorite bible verse because sometimes I am afraid to keep working as a volunteer missionary with my family, but when I read God's promise that he is always with me to help. I have strength in my heart.

Isaiah 41:10 NKJV

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

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