In my last blog, I mentioned that I have fibromyalgia. Those of you who understand that condition can imagine that finding ways to keep pain levels in check was one of my main concerns in going to Japan for a year in 2003. In the United States, going to a massage therapist was one of the methods I used, but how to find a therapist in Japan? Learning to depend more and more on the One who knows all things, I prayed, “Lord, if you want me to continue having massage therapy in Japan, guide me to the right person.”

A few days later, I met a blonde, blue-eyed woman on the bike path near our home. Julie was from the Ukraine but spoke some English. When she told me she was a physical trainer, I asked if she knew of anyone who did massage therapy. She said, “I just came from a place where they do something similar. Come, I’ll take you there.” We walked to a small clinic about ten minutes from our house. Julie introduced me to Dr. Shiroto who did acupuncture and acupressure therapy. The fee they charged me was so low (300 Yen after National Insurance’s share–about $3), I was able to have acupressure therapy every week. Dr. Shiroto was so skillful that I had one of the most pain-free years I’ve ever had.

When I went for one of my last visits, Dr. Shiroto told me that he was moving his business to Aomori (a prefecture in northern Japan more than 350 miles from Tokyo) where his father, a medical doctor, lived. He would leave a day or two after my return to the U.S. in 2004! My heart overflowed with gratitude to God that Dr. Shiroto was not leaving until I no longer needed him.

A wonderful postscript to this story came when we went on a prayer trip to northern Japan in 2007. One of the OMS missionaries, Stephen Dupree, contacted Dr. Shiroto and we met him and his wife and son for lunch in Aomori. I had never met his wife so when I said something to her in English, Stephen started to translate. In perfect English, she said, “Oh, you don’t need to translate for me.” Turns out she had lived in the U.S. for some years and taught kindergarten here.

Tomoyo and I became good friends and have kept in close touch through Facebook since our return to the U.S. Her family has had some significant challenges for which we’ve been privileged to pray. She bought my book, Homespun Faith, when it became available on Amazon Japan. I’m still in awe of how God brought us together because of my need for massage therapy.

When we returned to Japan for three years in 2008, I began having problems with my hip that made it almost impossible for me to stand. Finally one of my friends from another mission asked me what I was going to do about this problem. I said, “If I were in the U.S., I’d go to a chiropractor, but I don’t know any chiropractor here.” She said, “I do! He’s a Christian and he has a special missionary rate because National Insurance doesn’t cover chiropractic.” Turns out this chiropractor trained in the U.S. and spoke English! His office was an easy walk from a train line that came from Higashimurayama where we lived, so I was able to go there by myself when necessary.

This chiropractic method combined massage and chiropractic so successfully that I didn’t need massage therapy. (When I returned home in 2011, I began looking for someone who practiced this method and eventually discovered that my son’s chiropractor fit the bill.) Why was I surprised that once again God had provided exactly what I needed? This reminds me of a Veggie Tale’s song: “My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, There’s nothing my God cannot do!”  Fibromyalgia was no match for God!

Do you have any seemingly insurmountable obstacles in your life? Through the incidents I described today and many others, Donn and I are learning that our part is to do what God asks of us. His part is to supply all of our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Have you done your part?       

Thank you, Jesus, for your promise that when we seek FIRST your Kingdom and your righteousness, all these things shall be added to us (Matthew 6:33). Amen.