Featured Usagi the Yakuza Gangster

Thanks, friend. Amen!

 

It's been around a month since I posted here. In the meantime we were at a standstill. Then last week things began to happen. I counseled with Usagi on Tuesday, and he told me then he was going to flee the city. My missionary friend up north advised him against this, and I advised him against this. Then I brought him to our home and had him call the ex-yakuza pastor for advice mentioned at the beginning of this story, and that good man also advised him to stay here and stand up for Christ. However, the police had told him that the only way he could quit was to leave town.

I asked Usagi some questions then. Did the godfather know where our church was? Yes. If Usagi fled would the godfather come around asking us where he was. Yes. So far this hasn't happened, but if it does things will get interesting.

So, early Sunday morning Usagi hopped on a bus and went down to the coast to catch a ferry to the mainland. The next day I heard from him in a large city, then a day or two later from another large city, and finally this morning from a third large city. In the first two cities he had found no place to stay and no way to get by. Finally in the third city I could help him!

I called a missionary friend of mine with a facility up in the mountains, reachable from this large city, someone who specialized in helping people in trouble: suicidal people, mentally ill people and others with problems. After explaining the situation to my friend, I was given permission to give the phone number to Usagi with the admonition that he would have to work if he went there. Usagi was only too happy to agree to this. Probably today he will end up there. May God grow him into a mature Christian and a useful servant.

So thank you to everyone who has read this story and prayed for us and Usagi. I believe this story has come to an end--unless the godfather shows up, at which time he will hear the Gospel!

 

Thanks, Bob!

 

For those praying about the possibility of the godfather coming around to question me, here is what happened over the weekend. First of all, Saturday evening Usagi texted me, "It's great that I believed in God!" He was doing fine at the facility I sent them to, willing to help in God's work. He washed the dishes for them for a group that was there.

On Sunday morning was when I thought the godfather or his minions might show up, and I was praying about what to do if they showed up at service time! Lo and behold, we had a monster snow storm on Sunday morning, dumping about 14 inches on our city, which is a little much even for here in snowy Hokkaido! (Think Siberia when you think of our city.) We even cancelled the evening service! So since Usagi was the snow shoveler for the godfather, chances are the dude is still snowed in!

In the meantime, during Sunday School hour I got a call from Uchiwa San (not his real name), a former drug pusher under Usagi who Usagi was able to help get out of yakuza influence and get police protection since Uchiwa was only a 3rd tier member. Uchiwa asked where Usagi was and I told him only that he was down on the mainland island of Honshu in a Christian facility. This week I plan to visit Uchiwa and give him the Gospel for the first time.

 

I've thought of doing this, and even have a publisher in mind.

Alas, I've not been able to find out where the godfather lives, otherwise I would have visited him and witnessed to him and tried to get him to set Usagi free. (In one case the yakuza believer brought the godfather to the church to discuss it with the pastor, and the gang released the believer.) All Usagi would tell me is the general area of the city, not the specific house.

 

He's a real piece of work! Rich from the sorrows of drug users, prostitutes and other sad, sad people.

 

You might be surprised! :smilewinkgrin:

 

Depends on how much he would pay me... and how the payment would occur! Soon as I heard him say to his minion, "Ice him," I'd be out of there. :laugh:

 

Usagi finally fled from the gang, went to my friend's facility. At some point he worked on the earthquake cleanup in Fukushima--full hazmat gear. He ended up in a large city back on our island of Hokkaido. Sometime before we left Japan I met him for lunch there and had some wonderful fellowship. In parting he hugged me--something very rare for a Japanese man to do.

We are no longer in communication, since he has no computer or other ways to communicate, but I pray for him daily and thank God for what He did in his life.