Finally able to write / 遂に書ける

日本語は下へスクロールお願いします。

I've been waiting for the best time to write this article. I think now is the time as his book will be published in about 10 days (September 2nd), and I'm happy that I can finally write about Tomohiko Sagawa. It's said "Friend in need is a friend indeed", and Tomohiko and his wife Miho are such friends. Even when many people were still skeptic about our vision for Europe, even when my life hit rock bottom, the couple still believed in our calling as missionaries. Please read this till the end.

Tomohiko is currently very well-known in the Japanese agricultural industry. Without lip service, his project has a lot of potential to bless and change the agricultural world not only in Japan but in many parts of the world. Since he's become a famous person whom the media interviews, I'll let Google do its job and introduce his project and visions, etc, and today I'd like to talk about our faith episode with Tomohiko.  

Tomohiko also serves the Lord as the chief accountant of Y&Y Ministry. He's engaged in Jesus' Great Commission. Tomohiko and Miho are Y&Y Ministry core members who have supported us since even before the group was formed. The naming of "Y&Y ministry" was Tomohiko's idea and he supervised our website making and made our ministry pamphlets, etc.

“Accounting and audio/sound-control (besides preaching, worship-leading and pastoral care) require the most spiritual maturity (that is being sensitive to the Spirit guidance) in the church” said one pastor. Wherever a accountant thinks financial investment is needed for a project, etc, he/she boldly invests by faith, but other times they manage the Lord's money and your valuable donations with responsibility and transparency. Not only Sachi and I but every member of Y&Y Ministry is also grateful for such a spiritual accountant, and we have full confidence in Tomohiko's finance management as we do God's mission together. 

I first met Tomohiko at our friends' wedding. Tomohiko and Miho sat next to me at the reception. Since then, Sachi and I have been enjoying the friendship with them for about eight years. (It feels sorry that we've been unable to meet much recently because of busyness, but we hope to do our annual joint birthday party this year again! All four of us, Tomohiko and Miho and Sachi and I were born in December.)

The married couple, who has abundant life experience, is not only active in the front lines of society, but they also take time to understand people's pain and be with them. When I fell to rock bottom both physically and mentally, Tomohiko texted me. He and his wife drove a long way to visit our apartment, listened to me and Sachi and encouraged us. At sunset on the same day, Tomohiko suggested "Let's go for a walk" and he took me outside. As we were walking by the rail track, I let out I couldn't possibly become and serve as a missionary. His exhortation of "Don't give up!" has been in my treasure chest of memory ever since. 

Even when things didn't go as planned and frustration came over, he encouraged me, "Setback is a chance for a better way." Many times Sachi and I hit the wall, God gave us encouragement and comfort through Tomohiko and Miho. 

Also when I make a mistake or go off track, Tomohiko's not afraid of confrontation (which is rare for the Japanese) and he warns and corrects me, so I can also grow as a person. Such a friend is really valuable.

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

Such a friend in God is going to publish a book soon for the first time. The title is "Graduate of Tokyo University Becomes a Farmer's Right Arm. One Hundred How-To of Little Management Improvements". It is a book that focuses on the how-to of 100 selected improvements among 300 improvement examples of a pear farm 🍐. Tomohiko who is called “the right arm of the farm CEO” does everything in the farm except for actual pear-cultivation. His crowd funding successfully raised an amount four times more than the initially aimed figure, and with it he made his 300 management improvements open and available to the public online. His book, which instructs "how-to-improve" of each area, covers everything from management, general affairs, accounting to labor, from communication with staff, production management, products, sales to PR. I haven't read it yet myself, but I'm waiting with anticipation for the ordered book to arrive. I'm sure the book will be useful and a blessing for people not only in the agricultural world but also in any industry. Sachi and I hope that many people will purchase the book and bless and support Tomohiko. Please pray with us for him. And if you know of anyone who can read Japanese, who would be interested in the book, please pass the information.

We sincerely pray that the Lord would use Tomohiko more and more in the Japanese society where over 99% of the population do not know the love of Christ. Through him, may they be interested in Jesus and hopefully come to receive the Savior.  

And, please pray with us that the Lord would use Y&Y Ministry so we can cross borders and bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to people in need. We're thankful for your prayers and support and looking forward to further following Jesus and making Him known together! 

The Sagawa family (Tomohiko, Miho and Masahiko)

佐川ファミリー（友彦、美穂、優彦）

The book is published on September 2.

9月2日に発売されます！

この記事を書けるベストなタイミングをずっと待ってました。あと10日ほどで（9月2日）彼の本が出版される今がその時だと思い、遂に佐川友彦君について書けること嬉しく思っています。Friend in need is a friend indeed（大変な時に寄り添ってくれる友は本当の友）と言いますが、佐川君と奥さんの美穂ちゃんは僕のどん底の時・サチの辛い時でさえ、多くの人がヨーロッパへの宣教に懐疑的だった時でさえ、私たち夫婦の宣教の召しを信じて寄り添ってくれた友人です。どうぞ最後までお読みください。

今、日本の農業界で著名な佐川君。リップサービスではなく、彼の取り組みは日本の農業、ひいては世界の農業を祝福し、大きく変えるポテンシャルを秘めています。取材多数、著名な彼ですので、彼の活躍の紹介はGoogleにお任せすることにして、今日は佐川君との信仰エピソードを記したいと思います。

佐川君はY&Yミニストリーの会計責任者としても、主イエスさまに仕えています。主の大宣教命令に従事してくれています。佐川君と美穂ちゃんは、Y&Yミニストリーコアメンバーで、結成当初から同じ宣教船に乗り、共に活動してくれている神友です。「Y&Yミニストリー」というネーミングの考案も、ウェブサイトの監修も、パンフレット作成も担ってくれたのは佐川君です。

「（メッセージや賛美リードやカウンセリングの他）教会奉仕の中で最も霊性（神さまの導きに敏感）が問われる奉仕は、会計と音響だ」とある牧師先生がおっしゃいましたが、主が導いておられると思うところには信仰によって大胆に投資していく、しかし普段は主からの経済、皆さんからの尊い献金を責任と透明性をもって管理していく。私たちはそのような霊的な会計者とともに主の宣教に携われることを本当に感謝しています。僕ら夫婦も支える会のみんなも佐川君に全幅の信頼を置いて活動しています。

僕と佐川君の出会いは、友人の結婚式。同じ丸テーブルの隣に座ったのが佐川君と美穂ちゃんでした。それから約8年家族ぐるみでの付き合いを楽しんでいます。（最近は多忙であまり会えてないのが残念ですが、今年こそは恒例の合同誕生会をしたいと願ってます！佐川夫妻と僕ら夫婦の４人全員が12月生まれ。） 

人生経験が豊富な佐川夫妻は、社会の第一線で活躍しているだけでなく、人の痛みがわかる人格者。僕が心身ともにボロボロになった時期、真っ先に連絡くれて、長時間運転して夫婦で家まで訪ねてくれ、僕やサチの話しに耳を傾け、勇気付けてくれました。その日の夕方、佐川君の「散歩に行こう」との提案で、２人で線路のそばを歩いている時、「宣教師として仕えるのは無理だ」と弱気になっていた僕に「諦めるな」と鼓舞してくれたことはいつも記憶の宝箱にしまってあります。

なかなか計画通りに事が進まなく落ち込んでた時も、「挫折は人生の左折（ちょっと違う道を通ってるだけ）」と励ましてくれ、壁にぶつかる度に、神さまはこの夫妻を通して励ましや慰めを与えてくださいます。

また、間違ったり失敗した時は、衝突を恐れず、きちんと注意して正してくれる。人としても成長するよう叱ってくれる、そのような友は本当に貴重です。

「鉄は鉄によってとがれ、人はその友によってとがれる。」箴言27:17 

そんな神友がこの度、本を出版することになりました。タイトルは「東大卒、農家の右腕になる。 小さな経営改善ノウハウ100」。クラウドファンディングで440%の支持を集め公開された農家の改善実例300の中から選りすぐりの100のノウハウを凝縮した一冊。経営、総務、会計、労務から、スタッフとのコミュニケーション、生産管理、商品、販売、PRまで網羅したものだそうです。僕もまだ読んでなく、注文した本が届くのを待っているところですが、農業以外の業種でも必ず役に立ち、祝福となる内容だと確信しています。ぜひ皆さんも本書をご購入いただき、佐川君を祝福・応援してくだされば嬉しいです。ぜひ彼のためにお祈りよろしくお願いします🤲！

99%の人がイエスさまの十字架の愛を知らない日本の社会で、佐川君がますます神さまに用いられますように。彼を通して、人々がイエスさまに興味を持ち、願わくは多くの人が救われますように。

そして、皆さんのお祈り、ご支援、応援を心から感謝しています。国境を超えて、イエスさまの愛と希望を知らない人たちに福音を届ける僕たちY&Yミニストリーの働きに、これからも一人でも多くの人に加わっていただき、ご一緒にイエスさまを宣べ伝えることができたら幸いです。