Jehovah’s Witnesses

I first met them one Saturday morning as I was stepping out of the shower. The doorbell rang and I dashed to answer it wearing only a pair of shorts and having a damp towel draped over my shoulder. I thought the visitor might be the mailman or a friend since I rarely have callers at my door so I wasn’t really concerned about putting on a shirt at the time. But, when I opened my front door, there were two Japanese ladies standing there with Japanese editions of “The Watchtower” in their hands and looks of shock on their faces.

“Ohayo gozimasu” I managed to say while feeling rather silly without a shirt. They answered in turn and then proceeded to try and figure out who I was, what language I spoke, and what I thought about God. In my beginning level Japanese I managed to give them my basic biography and they told me their names were Miki and Aya and they were Jehovah’s Witnesses (Gasp! How had they found me all the way in the Japanese inaka?!). Then they told me to read my Bible everyday. Miki and Aya left shortly thereafter because they weren’t yet prepared to deal with a gaijin, but, that was not the last time I would see the Jehovah Witnesses.

The next week I saw Miki again at the Ajimu Joyfull Family Restaurant. She was my server and almost had a heart attack when she walked up to my table to take my order. I think this was when Miki felt that God had put me in her life to convert. I could tell as I paid my bill they she had crusade burning behind her eyes.

Twice since this meeting, Miki has come by when I’m not at home to drop off friendly postcards written in broken English and decorated with precise drawings of Biblical scenes. Her messages are nice with bits of scripture and encouraging remarks like, “You feel lonely? Maybe we here for you!” and “Remember me? I am Jehovah’s Witness. Your friends alone in America, have friends now in Ajimu.” At any rate, it’s nice to get some mail.

The other day, the JWs stepped up their tactics when they stopped by with a guy who lives close by in Ajimu (they were hopping to get me to commit to having Bible study with him). They had prepared a pretty good English presentation of the Jehovah’s Witness theology complete with all the thought provoking questions about the end of the world. I didn’t know how to handle them exactly, so I just listened and told them I love God and I’m busy on Sundays so I can’t come to their church. My rejection of their offer didn’t seem to weaken their resolve at all, however.

Since that day, they have come by again and this time I didn’t answer the door. They seem committed to reaching out to me and while this is sort of nice, I wish their invitation for community didn’t involve me needed to convert. I’ve heard stories from other JETs who get “adopted” by Japanese locals, but their tales involve free meals and drinking buddies, not salvation from the fiery end of the world and endless spiritual literature. Geeze.