January 2010 Archives

Contents

◆Letter from Cambodia・・・・Mr. Masaya TAKAHASHI

◆Letter from East Timor・・・Ms. Kuniko SATO

◆Charity Concert・・・・・・・Management

◆Information ・・・・・・・・ Management

By Ms.Kuniko Sato (Hirabari Church, Nagoya Diocese)

AFMET has been operating health educational project since 1999 in Los Palos. Its 10th Anniversary ceremony was held in the center.

<AFMET's 10th anniversary>
The 10th Anniversary ceremony was held at AFMET Referral Center on 8th November, 2009. AFMET has been supported by many people and this decade is very meaningful. I am glad for having got involved in the 10th anniversary and learned its history.
In East Timor, however, it was not easy to prepare for anything and money cannot solve all the problems. We have lots of unforeseen events here.
I have some experiences of ceremonies related community health workers, but so far always ended up with fatigue and disappointment. It is because the village people feel and act so differently from us. They try to make money at every occasion.
We were the organizer of the ceremony and had to arrange everything such as tent make, food, Mass, etc. We had to ask many people for help. We wondered how we could express our gratitude for the 10th anniversary. Japan ambassador and his wife Mr. and Mrs. Kitahara, Lautem Prefectural governor and staff from District Health Service would attend the ceremony.
We asked who the ceremony is for and who we express our gratitude to. One day is not enough to tell what and who AFMET is for and who has brought it up.

By Mr. Masaya Takahashi (Yonezawa Church, Niigata Diocese)

Mr. Masaya Takahashi visited East Timor which is also a JLMM mission area. He met people and JLMM missionary Ms. Kuniko Sato there. The following is his awareness.

I had seven months' training before being sent abroad. There were only two candidates (trainees) in the year, Ms. Kuniko Sato and me. She studied in the States and worked in the English school in Japan. She speaks good English and her Japanese has Nagoya accent. She is a good painter. She is decisive, active, energetic and cheerful. She is honest and hates anything crooked.
Among these characteristic, her most attractive point is kindness. During the training she taught me a lot of things and gave me English lessons in our way to the railway station and in the train because my English was poor. While watching TV, she talked about politics, religion and bioethics. When I was a university student, I had never talk about such noble subjects but chatted on new computer games, TV anime and comedies and martial arts. So my impression of her was "an intelligent and adult lady". She gave me all that I did not have.
In my Christian life, she was an example during the training. She looks strong but sometimes she worried and got depressed by some events. In such moments she admitted her weakness and got power to forge ahead by praying and depending on God. I was influenced by her and prayed every night and shared my experiences, happiness, grief and worries with her. It was very meaningful experience and it helped me to overcome many difficulties and receive gifts in the training. Upon completion of the training I was sent to Cambodia, she East Timor in November, 2005.
One day in August this year, I received a mail from Ms. Satoko Watanabe who had been sent to East Timor last year. The mail said "Kuniko and I are waiting for you. When are you coming here?" I had promised Kuniko to meet her again before, so I replied, "I want to go there to meet you. Is it all right?"