Goddess of Mercy
Samarai Castle
Friends!
View from the top of the castle
We met some traditionally dressed Japanese. (Evan and Elliot Gilmore)
“…There is no other god besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior, there is none besides Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” -Isaiah 45:21
So far in our trip we haven’t seen many prominently displayed religious symbols. On Wednesday, June 6 we took a day trip to Azu-Wakamatsu. This is the location of a famous castle and also of a famous idol.
I can’t even describe my feelings as I looked up at the 57 meter statue of Aizu Jibo Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. The face of the woman smiles serenely, as she holds a baby in her arms. A temple and a garden are close by and the town laid out in the valley below. This location is described in a travel brochure as a popular place to pray and relax. When I remember that idol worship is instigated by demons, I know it wasn’t my imagination that there was a tension in the air and sinister feeling around the statue.
We didn’t approach any closer than the parking lot outside the temple, but stood there by the van and prayed for God to show His power over this spiritually dark and evil place, even to the point of making the idol fall down.
After that we visited the Aizu Tsuruga-jo Castle. It was originally built in 1384 and rebuilt several times since then. It is really beautiful to see. We walked through a museum inside the castle tower and enjoyed a great view from the top level.
As I write this I’m sitting in a Laundromat waiting for our clothes to be zapped into cleanness. A busy road is right outside and I just think about how most, if not all the people who pass are without hope, without knowledge of this great and loving God who gave His all for them.
Mariah’s birthday was so much fun! Some kind of craziness bug got into all of us… I will let her tell you about it, though.
-Elsbeth
3 comments:
Dearest Elsbeth,
Thank you for the new post! I am also praying for the light of the gospel to penetrate the darkness of the idol-worship and cast it down. You are in our prayers more often than you know!
Love,
Mom
I am praying for you! I would love to be there--all the pictures are amazing. Mindy
Elsbeth,
It's interesting that you included a picture of the idol pastor has told us about. I was just thinking the other day how neat it would be if it would come down when you all are there. I'm glad things are going well. The picture of Elliot and Evan was too funny. We will continue to pray for you all.
Tracey Best
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