Hang Tough for Jesus

23 October 2011

Dear Phyllis,

In August 1965, after a one year furlough, I got back to Karuizaw for another crack at language study. A new gal with TEAM had just shown up as a first term missionary. Mary Ellen Gudeman was a phenomenon like I had never seen – before or since. To say she landed running hardly describes it. The first week she was in Japan she was leading souls to Christ at Matsubarako Bible camp. And she never slowed down. Mary Ellen had been there about three weeks before I got back, and we met at the language school to study Nihongo (Japanese) together. I was a 2^ndterm missionary with six previous years behind me serving the Lord in Japan. In those days I thought that made me quite senior, and, for new missionaries, I was looked upon with a certain degree of respect and awe. But Mary Ellen was cut out of a piece of cloth like we had never seen. She was so filled with Christ that I would have considered marrying her; except she was 12 years older and slightly taller – both of which were disqualifying features. But we were very close friends. In Christ our hearts could not have been more one. Forty six years later she still stands in an almost mystical category in my mind among the hundreds of missionaries and Christian workers I have known.

Mary Ellen grew up in Indiana as a teenager during the 2^nd WW. She loved dancing and was a volunteer worker at the USO clubs. During the war, the US military had USO clubs in many towns to provide moral boosts for lonely servicemen. There was nothing immoral about it, but many young girls worked at these clubs just to be sisters away from home to talk with and entertain these soldiers. That was Mary Ellen's contribution to the war effort – to be a friend and dance with soldiers.

Somehow during this time she got under the sound of the Gospel and more or less got saved. She taught Sunday School, but her heart was very much in the world. She loved the world and all it had to offer. Then when she was in her early 30s she came down with cancer. She knew she was ready to die because of her hope in her fire-insurance salvation, but she didn't want to because she loved the world. The Lord did two things for her while she was in the hospital. He healed her of cancer; but more importantly, He cured her of the world. Being face to face with death sobered her up to the futility of building your nest in this world. She was a highly efficient secretary and was making good money, but she cashed in everything to quit business and go to Bible School. Upon graduation she had no idea where to go, or what to do, and decided to attend a Deeper Life conference in Fort Wayne. She said the organizers of that conference must have despaired over an resounding failure of a conference. They had invited one of the top conference speakers in America, and, in an auditorium that would hold more than a thousand, only a handful of people showed up. By every visible account the conference was a total blow out. With one unseen exception. God got a grip on a sister who had just graduated from Bible School that He spoke to through that conference; and she sat up all night weeping. As it turned out, all the blessing that God had to pour out on hundreds of people got deposited in one single girl. The sponsors of that conference will never know until they get to heaven, but it can arguable be said that was the most productive conference for the Kingdom of God that they ever held. Theologically I can't explain it, but, somehow, she got a does of the fullness of Christ like I have never seen in any other person.

We had a Wednesday night prayer meeting for the missionaries in Karuizawa. Mary Ellen was teaching English in Minami ko High School about half an hour from Karuizawa. Every week she would report on how many got saved that week, and request prayer for others. In a nation where the national average is about one soul a year that a missionary leads to Christ, she was seeing several saved every week.

One time I was riding a train talking to three men sitting across from me. A high school girl was sitting next to me listening to the conversation. After half an hour she chirped up with a question slam on the mark. I left off talking to the men and devoted the rest of the time to this high school girl. I thought she might get saved, but we came to her eki (station) before I got that far. But the next week I got a letter from her saying she wanted to come to Karuizawa to see me. I was single in those days, and couldn't have a girl visit me, so I asked Mary Ellen if they could stay with her. At 3:00 o'clock I went to the eki to meet this girl and a friend she brought with her, and took them straight to Mary Ellen's house. She invited me to come back for supper. At 6:00 I went over there to be greeted by three weeping females – two of which just got saved.

Mary Ellen had a little prayer box with the names of contacts she knew and would take out one card to pray for them before every meal. She said the prayers were always the same and considered whether or not she should throw the prayer box away. But one night she had a dream. She saw her prayer box tied with a beautiful ribbon. An angel came down from heaven and opened the prayer box. Beautiful music poured out. She shared this experience with us at prayer meeting and said, perhaps her prayers sounded monotonous to her but sounded different to the Lord. On that account she decided to keep the box.

There was one girl at Minami ko that was particularly hateful. She would write Mary Ellen letters telling her how much she loved Buddha and hated Jesus. Needless to say, Takeuchi was the object of considerable prayer. Ten years later I was over in that town and met a girl about 28 years old. I asked where she went to high school, what years, and what was her name. I was stunned that that was Takeuchi. The next week she came to a dendo Kai (evangelistic meeting) in Karuizawa to hear the Gospel. The following week I happened to see Mary Ellen and told her that I had met Takeuchi and she came to church. Mary Ellen gasped, “I was just thinking about taking her name out of the prayer box.”

There is a scriptural law that says all seed “brings forth after its own kind” (Gen 1:21,24,25). To a large degree this is also true spiritually. Many years after I first met Mary Ellen, I was attending a New Years conference at Matsubarako Bible Camp. I went into a room, and saw a young man sitting at a small table on the floor. I sat down to have a chat with him. It didn't take long to tell where he stood with the Lord. The man was on fire. You could feel the heat coming off him. I asked, “How did you get saved?” He replied, “I was a university student and an American missionary, Mary Ellen Gudeman, came to our university...”I stopped him and said, “Say no more. I know the rest of the story. You have the same spirit as Mary Ellen.” Indeed there was a strange characteristic about the people that Mary Ellen led to Christ. Most of them stuck. That is unusual in Japan. And most of them had her fervor.

One time we had an unusual young man come to Karuizawa for language study. He was slam different than the rest. The man had a tremendous passion for Christ and for souls. One day I asked Joel how he got saved and wound up in Japan. He said he was raised in a strong Christian home and his parents were very active in missions. He said they always had missionaries in their home. One of their frequent guests was Mary Ellen Gudeman. I told him, “Naru hodo (I see), that explains everything. You have her spirit.” That is what made him different. She imparted that same burning passion to him.

I say all this because I am wondering if I haven't married the next generation Thai version of Mary Ellen Gudeman. I have only known Pammy three months. Time will tell what is actually going on, but what I have seen so far is something I have never seen in Thailand, and seldom seen since the days of Mary Ellen Gudeman. I spent my entire letter last week talking about her, and I could write a full letter about her every week.

All the young boys in this muban (housing area) love to come to my shop to make things. They are a bit of a nuisance but I have put up with them for five years. They pilfer through my scrap pile for little sticks to make guns and swords. I always stop what I am doing to help them cut sticks where they draw the lines, and nail things together. I have prayed for them and greatly desired to share Christ with them, but language has been prohibitive. The first day Pammy was here she told them to come next week and she would have a Bible study for them. They did, and she led all five to Christ. That was the second Saturday she was here.

The other day a mother came to see me asking if I would teach her son English. That must have required a great deal of courage for that woman to come to my house and make that request. My friend, Mike, is interested in working with young boys, so I had Pammy set it up for Mike to teach them. School is out in Thailand and they had class every day. Pammy is working with Mike interpreting for him.

Last Thursday one of the boys stole Pammy's cell phone. She came home upset that she lost it. That afternoon the guilty culprit brought it back. Pammy was out at the time, but I told Mike's house keeper what happened. The phone came back, but the case was missing. Pammy stopped by Mike's house on her way home, and An told her that the boy had returned her phone. She saw the boys and suggested, “I'll bet you could find the case also.” They did. Pammy stopped by the boy's house to talk with his mother about the incident. An hour later she came here and sat outside talking with Pammy. It almost brought tears to my eyes to see those two women bonding. They are like sisters. Pammy asked the little thief why he stole the phone. The other kids are sons of wealth parents but his folks don't have that kind of money. Pammy had four cell phones and gave one to the guilty boy. Needless to say he was thrilled. Of course Pammy shared Christ with his mother who said she wants to go to church with us. Caw (the boy) went to church and Sunday School with us today.

Missionaries have been living in this mubaan for over 14 years. I have been living here full time for the past eight years. To the best of my knowledge this is the first time a Christian has taken someone from this muban to church with them. Pammy doesn't just tell people about Jesus. She prays with them for salvation, and then takes them to church. We plan to have a BBQ at our house this coming Wednesday. I have wanted to do this ever since I have lived here. Pammy said, “Of course, we will have a Bible study afterwards.” I have wanted to have a home ministry for the past 22 years and this is the first time that it looks like that is becoming a reality. I am preaching almost every Sunday now in various Thai churches. Domestically we are doing very well but the spiritual fire that is taking place is a cause for inexpressible thanks giving.

On a totally different subject, Thailand is under water. We came within 20cm (8 inches) of having a historic flood here three weeks ago. But the cities further south are having floods like no one dreamed was possible. The only way to get from here to Bangkok is by air. The TV news of Bangkok is unreal. Major portions of that city are totally submerged. Unlike any flood I am familiar with, they say this one will prevail for weeks. Our floods here in Chiang Mai only last for two of three days, but the water there looks more like a lake than a river.

Jesus is coming and it isn't surprising that things like this are happening.

Let's hang tough for Jesus,

bill