今天，主日崇拜的講員是臺灣第一代外交替代役的連加恩醫生，主題是宣教。
他引用了1950年代，一個從美國到厄瓜多爾的宣教士Jim Elliot的說話“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose”，來提醒我們：要用我們反正留不住的東西，換一些我們不能失去的東西。
連醫生也是用了他讀完醫科之後，反正要當兵的二十個月的光陰，到了非洲服侍了當地的人，令他們、令自己都不再一樣。這是他出發的時候，想都沒有想過會發生的事。
我今天在教會結束了一切活動回到家的時候，已經是下午的四點多五點了。連日來不能安眠，令睡覺質素很差，已經很累了。再加上昨天跟今天的佈道活動、崇拜侍奉，更令我累得不得了，於是回來的時候就午睡了。睡到差不多醒來的時候，一個想法就好像自己有意識的在腦中形成了。
想著連醫生對非洲的負擔，回想到我九八年的時候開始去日本短宣，而且在四年間去了三次，其實是對日本這個國家很有負擔的。如果我要用反正不能留住的，換甚麼不能失去的東西的話，日本的靈魂就是我想去換的。
之前我的financial planner跟我計算過我的財產，說根據我現有的資產，加上未來十年的收入，其實大概五十嵗的時候我就可以退休了。我當時很高興，但只是覺得，當初我只是憑直覺開始的一切存款的努力，果然是對的，如此而已，並沒有真的決定五十嵗要退休。
但今天，這件事就突然變得有重要性。
如果我真的可以提早退休的話，我為甚麼不用多出來的退休生活，去為神到日本換靈魂呢？
從現在到我五十嵗，有差不多十年的時間，我可以努力的去學日文做裝備，到日本短宣來印證神的心意，並且有足夠的財力負擔自己的開銷，可以令我的家人沒話說，不是一個很完美安排嗎？
當然，如果神要我早一點去的話，他會再有新的說話給我罷？！
我是很害怕的，因為做宣教的，尤其是在日本宣教的，結果絕對可以預估：就是沒甚麼結果。但是神將日本放在我心中，也是絕對沒有疑問的。 我已經知道是不會像到大陸、非洲甚麼的地方那麼容易結果子，但就正正因為難，很多人不願意去，所以更加要去。 而且在歷史上日本對中國所有的加害，更是令中國人不想理睬日本人。可神是不偏待人的，他願所有的人都得著拯救、不願一個靈魂失喪。所以日本人也是神愛、要定意拯救的人。
噢，我很害怕呀！但是我知道神是愛日本人的，我願意保持開放的態度，去尋求這是否是神的心意。
就用這十年罷！
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Japan demographics
Japan Demographics Profile 2007
Population
127,433,494 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 13.8% (male 9,024,344/female 8,553,700) 15-64 years: 65.2% (male 41,841,760/female 41,253,968) 65 years and over: 21% (male 11,312,492/female 15,447,230) (2007 est.)
Median age
total: 43.5 years male: 41.7 years female: 45.3 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
-0.088% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
8.1 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
8.98 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.055 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.014 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.732 male(s)/female total population: 0.953 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 82.02 years male: 78.67 years female: 85.56 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.23 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
less than 0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
12,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
500 (2003 est.)
Nationality
noun: Japanese (singular and plural) adjective: Japanese
Ethnic groups
Japanese 98.5%, Koreans 0.5%, Chinese 0.4%, other 0.7% note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil (2004)
Religions
observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
Languages
Japanese
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2002)
--- adopted from Index Mundi ---
Population
127,433,494 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 13.8% (male 9,024,344/female 8,553,700) 15-64 years: 65.2% (male 41,841,760/female 41,253,968) 65 years and over: 21% (male 11,312,492/female 15,447,230) (2007 est.)
Median age
total: 43.5 years male: 41.7 years female: 45.3 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
-0.088% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
8.1 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
8.98 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.055 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.014 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.732 male(s)/female total population: 0.953 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 82.02 years male: 78.67 years female: 85.56 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.23 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
less than 0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
12,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
500 (2003 est.)
Nationality
noun: Japanese (singular and plural) adjective: Japanese
Ethnic groups
Japanese 98.5%, Koreans 0.5%, Chinese 0.4%, other 0.7% note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil (2004)
Religions
observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
Languages
Japanese
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2002)
--- adopted from Index Mundi ---
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