Kinya's Bible School Doctrines Teacher: A Baptist Bishop?

Dan & Lois Bishop showing hidden talents!

Today, Dan Bishop, a retired Baptist Mid-Missions missionary to Japan--the person who started Koriyama Baptist Church--was at church. He has been asked to come back and visit the believers in Japan and will be in the country for two months, speaking in a different church every Sunday. Many Japanese Christians were affected by his years of active ministry.

I remember his wife, Lois Bishop (who has gone to be with the Lord), was so happy for me when God first led Kinya & me together, she shed tears for me.

When we first came to Koriyama, Kinya had a real phobia of Christians and would leave the room--run upstairs, in fact--if someone from church happened to come to the house. But when Mr. Bishop visited, Kinya didn't run away. In fact, I remember he stayed and talked, then he surprised me by shaking hands with him.

Mr. Bishop is the missionary playing the musical saw on the June 10, 2010 post, "Precious in the Sight of the Lord"; and that's his wife blowing the comb-in-wax-paper next to him. Yes, it seems the Bishops were...exceptionally gifted.


June and Kinya to Honeymoon, 1987

Mr. Bishop asked me this morning, before worship service, how Kinya was. I told him he was physically healthy but was still having psychological problems preventing him from coming to church. It dawned on me a few minutes ago that I had never told him about Kinya's turnaround last November. I had written almost fifty people--some in English, some in Japanese--letting them know of his decision in answer to their prayers...but it hadn't occurred to me to contact missionaries who had retired and left the country!

During the course of the day, I'm sure Mr. Bishop figured out what had happened by piecing together what I said, but I didn't realize I had never told him about what happened last year November! I'm so sorry, Mr. Bishop. He'll be staying up at the campground--only 45 mins. away--while he's here in Japan. The Bishops served there too, over ten years of their missionary ministry. I wonder if there will be some way for me to get up there to see him (before the welcome fellowship on the 23rd, that is; I had planned to attend that).

Mr. Bishop knew Kinya when he was still a single student studying for the pastorate. In fact, I think Mr. Bishop was Kinya's doctrines teacher. I wonder if Kinya will come to the welcome meeting to see his old Bible School teacher?