11 January 2015
Dear Phyllis,
I have got to be one of the most blessed men in the world. My 13 years with the language school, and my association with the Karuizawa Union Church brought me in contact with an enormous number of missionaries. If there was anyone in Japan that knew more missionaries than me I don't know who it was.
One of the top men that it was my privilege to know was Dave Martin. Dave was one unique legend. He had a horrible heart condition. The doctors said it was impossible for him to live past 30. The only reason he got to Japan as a TEAM missionary was due to a mistake in the TEAM office where they got his medical records mixed up with someone else. He had been accepted as a missionary and cleared for the field when someone discovered their mistake. The doctor resignedly said, “Alright, if you want to die in Japan you may but you won't last ten years.” The Lord never healed him, but kept the dying man going for 50 years. One time the doctor told him he must have three months total rest. TEAM contacted me to see if he could stay in my house in Karuizawa. I told them, of course, he was welcome, but there was a long flight of steps to get to my house, that was not recommended for a man with a bad heart. They decided that Bethel House would be the best place, so he rented a room there for three months. Pastor Takahashi was the owner of Bethel House, and thought it was a waste to have Dave Martin living in Karuizawa without having special meetings. So the first week of Dave's three months of recuperation rest was spent having dendo meetings preaching the Gospel every night. John Schone thought it was great to have Dave Martin in Karuizawa and got him to go over to Matsubarako Bible camp for meetings the next week. After that Peter Kobabe in Nagoya wanted him to come down there. So Dave's three months of solid rest was spent preaching his heart out every night all over the place. That was Dave Martin.
Peter Kobabe told me that one time when he was down in Nagoya, Dave's wife, Jackie, called early one morning. Peter staggered out of bed to get to the phone to answer it. Jackie said, “Could I speak to my husband, please?” Peter replied that they had been up very late the night before, everyone was exhausted, and he was reluctant to disturb Dave. Jackie laughed and said, “He has been up for hours.” Peter quietly knocked on his door and was stunned to see Dave fully dressed sitting at the desk having devotions. Another friend once told me that Dave had shared with him that, since being saved, he had never missed a day getting up early to meet with His Lord Jesus. I will say this for another view. Dave was militant about rising early every morning, but he was also equally militant about taking a nap in the afternoon.
Myron Haggi told me of a lovely, highly moral, girl that he had coming to his church for two years, and he naka naka couldn't get her in the Kingdom. One time Myron had Dave come for some dendo (evangelism) meetings, and asked Dave to see what he could do. She was saved the first crack off the bat. After Dave left Myron asked the girl what in the world he had shown her or said to her that he hadn't done a dozen times. She replied, “Oh, of course, you had told me everything, but when Martin sensei spoke to me about Jesus and said, 'Sister wouldn't you like to accept Jesus as your savior?' I looked into his beautiful blue eyes and I couldn't say no.” It wasn't the Bible that got her in but Dave Martin's eyes.
Dave was famous in Japan for pulling off the most unorthodox stunts of any man in the country, but he pulled one that would have to be an international first. He had a very fine man in his church in Bushi that got killed one day in a work accident. At the funeral Dave preached on the controversial verse in 1 Cor. 15:29 that says, “what shall they do which are baptized for the dead”. The Mormons use this verse for their doctrine of believers being baptized for all their dead ancestors to get them out of hell. Very few conservatives have the courage to preach on that text. But Dave used it for the funeral message. He took the traditional approach that in the 1st century there was tremendous martyrdom. As one Christian was killed another man would step forward and be baptized to fill the ranks of the fallen. Dave explained this historical approach and then declared, “We have lost one of the best men of our church. We need someone to step forward to take his place”. And then Dave did the ultimate, ultimate, ULTIMATE NO NO!!! He called on the man's father and asked from the pulpit, “Otoo san (father). Will you come forward and be baptized for the dead to replace your fallen son?” This had never been done in history. The old man couldn't believe what he heard and didn't respond. Dave repeated the challenge again and asked him to come forward to be baptized for the dead. The man naturally was furious. In an outrage replied, “NO!” Dave calmly responded, “Very well, that is your decision. Oni san (elder brother) will you come forward to be baptzed for the dead to repalce your brother?” Astonishingly, the man rose to his feet and went forward. This is ridiculous theology and unthinkable personal work. The man was unsaved, but by his act of going forward, he was soundly born-again of the Spirit of God, and developed to be a real man of God. Only Dave Martin could pull that one off.
After 30 years of highly fruitful missionary service Dave and Jackie retired and went back to the states. But then the Lord took Jackie first. No one would have believed that he would out live her. After she was gone, Dave was lonely. He got on a plane and went back to Japan as an independent missionary. He longed for another partner and thought of a student he had met twenty years before in a Bible school. He couldn't remember her name but contacted the school to get her full name and asked where she was. She was pastoring a church in Shikoku. He wrote her a letter saying he wanted to come to Shikoku to visit and talk to her. He had something he wanted her to pray about. Would she consider being his wife? He was pleasantly surprised a week later to get a reply from her saying he was welcome to come. At the eki (train station) he asked the obvious question, “Did you get my letter?” Of course. Secondly, “Did you pray about the question I asked you?” Yes, she had. He had pushed it that far so why not go all the way? “Do you have an answer?” “Yes.” So that was settled at the eki.
They were happily married for the next 14 years.
About 12 years ago I heard that the Lord finally released His servant from his tattered tent and he is with the hundreds – perhaps thousands – that are gathered before Jesus Throne because of him. What a man! I have known hundreds but there was only one Dave Martin.
Looking forward to seeing him soon,
bill
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