I wrote this in 2004, when I was 14 years old. About my grandmother’s death.

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On February 20, 2004 the phone rang and I was told that my grandmother Michiko had passed away. She was sixty eight years old. My parents decided to go to Fukushima where my grandparents lived, to prepare for her funeral. When I first heard that my grandmother died, I was so shocked that my eyes started to fill with tears. At that time I didn’t know why she had died and I felt hopeless. She was studying the Bible everyday for around two years. She studied the Bible two or four hours a day, and she studied it really hard.

My grandmother was reading the Bible and went to the church, but she wasn’t baptized yet, so I was worrying whether she went to heaven or hell. During our trip to Fukushima, I was worrying about this the whole time. When I arrived at my grandparents’ house, I knew that my grandmother died while she was studying the Bible. My father found out the reason she had died. He found out that she died because she studied the Bible too hard. When I saw what she was studying and what she wrote in her Bible Study Notebook, I knew that she was a Christian.

She wasn’t baptized, but she was a Christian. She wanted to be baptized but she couldn’t, because of her husband, my grandfather. She lived for God’s glory and she lived like a Christian woman. She is a great example to us, of how we are supposed to live as Christian men and women. At that moment I knew I was not hopeless anymore and God made me believe that I will meet her again in heaven.

The day before the funeral was snowy and was really cold. But on the funeral day, God showed us His great work. On that day the weather was perfect and I saw the bright sun and the beautiful mountains. At night I saw many stars shining in the sky. Truly, only God is our help and comfort our times of sadness.

This unexpected occurrence in my life first gave me a shock but God gave me more comfort. I learned many things from my grandmother’s death. I learned the greatness of the comfort given through our brothers and sisters in Christ. At the funeral we sang the hymn called “God Be With You Till We Meet Again”. This hymn makes me believe that I will meet her again in heaven more firmly.

God be with you till we meet again;
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you;
God be with you till we meet again.
[Refrain]
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

Her life on this earth was over and she has started her eternal life in heaven. Her life on this earth was full of sadness and worries. But at last she found peace, true peace in heaven, the Kingdom of God. She was alone as a Christian in Fukushima. She studied the Bible alone, but now she is with Jesus Christ and the people who believe in Jesus. She is praising God in Heaven with them. She is not alone anymore. I am so thankful to God for giving me a great Christian grandmother. I am also proud to have a grandmother like her.

I feel the great handiwork of God, God’s mercy, God’s love and God’s glory from everything that happened at my grandmother’s death. When I was on the way home, I was full of joy towards God. She left behind her great testimony of God for her non-Christian relatives, and not only for them, she also left us a great testimony. At the funeral, my eyes were filled with tears of joy towards the Love of God and His great mercy.

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. – Revelation 22:1-7