God's travel insurance

This is the translated version of 
My essay about our mission trip to Gifu.
I promised Bro. K that I will translate it 
So he can read what I wrote about him.
I finally did it after a month.
I put explanation on spot with (※).
But those names of places 
Are hard to understand if you don't know.
It's travel essay so names appear often.

---

"Are you coming to the Gifu trip?"
When my pastor asked me, I gave him an obscure answer.
"My husband said he might be able to take off but haven't decided yet……"
"So you are coming. Then the next question is the transportation."
He must have known by now, that I am slow to go anywhere. He pushed us to join our church's mission trip to Gifu prefecture.

I saw a video series about Gifu ten years ago, and it has been my dream to go there ever since. We borrowed Toyota's Noah after the scripture "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be when the Son of man appears"
 Six adults and two kids rode in with only my husband as the driver. Other people went by train. In my church, there are many drivers but seldom have a driver license. As for me, I have a license but I can't drive. Good for nothing.

We left Yokohama after lunch, and before we even got on the highway, we were caught in a traffic jam. Took us an hour to get to the highway, but beads of cars lined up like a spiral on its ramp. Yet, we were not dismal. All the members except my family were Filipino. Tagalog, English, and a little bit of Japanese flew in the car. It was like a grown-up school trip with kids. 

Finally, the car started running. In Ashigara service Area, we rested at the foot-only hot spring cafe while the kids were playing. When we left, the sky was already dark blue, and I couldn't see the scenery of Shizuoka and Aichi, which I was looking forward to. When we stopped at Kakegawa, it was storming outside. My husband ran to the restroom holding our son and it looked like he was blasted by the wind. I went after them, and I saw my son wiping his head saying "My head is wet now…."

Visiting Chinese sisters, who are without a pastor or church, in far away Gifu, and hold a home service there was the purpose of the trip. The house was filled with every nostalgic things from the Showa era to the Heisei era. Thirteen of us from Tokyo were sucked into the house which reminds you of your granny's house in the province. The plot in front of the house was a village shrine. Shrine had a long rectangle plot and beside the stony Torii (※Shinto shrine gate archway), there was a stone monument that says "For the fallen soldiers of Japan Russo war" (※1904-1905). The tranquil shrine sunk in dark woods and was almost colorless, except for the one straight standing Camelia tree with vivid magenta and three little yellow Iris that were about to bloom beside a tree stump.

The meeting started the next morning after the arrival. Twice a day, morning and evening. In the morning service, I was a babysitter, so I took them to a playground. My eyes were captivated by the landowner's historic mansion in front of the playground. The huge gate in the style of Nagaya-mon (※Gate with rooms on either side. Prestigious. Only allowed for certain classes in the Edo period) with time-worn gray stucco. Burned cedar fence with delicate work applied. The woods inside the property. White stuccoed storehouse (※Kura). The main house reminds me of the vacation house architecture of the pre-war era (※That means before 1945) and detached houses. How big was that property! I have never seen a landowner mansion still in use with such grandeur. And it was not dilapidated, but well maintained. I got so excited and with my eyes sparkling, I advertised for everyone to go take a look at the mansion. What kinda mission trip is that?　

Then we went to the Gifu castle. What a beautiful scenery I saw when we crossed the Nagara river with cormorant fishing boats
floating, under the Mt. Kinka (※another name for Gifu castle). Mt. Kinka is made out of chert rock and its stratum is bent almost straight. I think I have seen that in Bura Tamori (※educational TV program about history and geoscience). The chert is smooth and hard but fragile. My husband picked me a fragment and I warmed it in my hand like a treasure. But as soon as I handed it to my two years old son, he dropped it and was chipped. But even the cleavage was marble color and beautiful. From the top floor of the castle, I saw Mt. Norikura and the Northern Alps. I was moved thinking, over those mountains lay the land of Shinano (※a.k.a Nagano prefecture). Though I came all the way to Gifu, my heart is filled with the land of Shinano now.

When the darkness set in, the evening service started. Two Japanese rooms were used as one big space, removing the fusuma, the sliding door. International faces gathered in the room. In front of a huge TV screen used as a projector, Brother K from Nigeria stood. I sat under his feet as an interpreter. Chinese sisters and a Portugee couple surrounded me. And many others behind. This day's interpreting was peculiar. After I interpret English in Japanese, the other two interpret them in Chinese and Portuguese. I was nervous about the responsibility of finding simple words as raw material, to prevent misinterpretation. I anxiously watched Bro K's lip movement.　

"Let's talk about insurance today." Said Brother K. Sitting beneath him and looking up, he looks like a big tree. 

"We live in an age when everyone wants to be insured. If you buy a bicycle, you get insurance. Buy a home and get insurance. Insurance prepares you for an uncertain future. By paying a premium, you will be insured for the time of trouble. I pay for my health insurance too.

"But the insurance of this world is very tricky. It has long and complicated policies. When you try to claim your coverage, they say because of policy this and that, you can't get coverage."

"But today, let me introduce you to special insurance. This insurance needs no premium. You can get its coverage anytime anywhere, however much you want. There is no limit."

"This is the insurance policy." 
Bro K with a dark coat and muffler lifted a middle-sized Bible in the air. 
"God gave this insurance to His children. And it is already paid for. The blood of Christ was its price."

"I tell you what this insurance covers. Health, finance, job, career, lost items, earthquake, fire, World War third, atomic bomb….. And not just your own but it covers your family and children. Is there such insurance in this world?"

"All the promises written in this Bible are yours if you are in this insurance. Believe and get the dividend. It is all yours."

"This insurance will also give you perfect security. Read Psalm 91. Put your name in there. Doesn't the book of Hebrews tell us, The Lord is my help. I shall not fear. What can a man do to me?"

"This insurance not only covers this life but the afterlife too. Eternal life and resurrection, it gives us."　

"What wonderful insurance! Why are you troubled? Why are you upset? Did you read the policy of this Blessed assurance? Everything is included there. Ask and it shall be given to you."

The meeting ended with Holy spirit fever. My translation was awful, but my faith was raised by the word. Insurance, God's insurance. The word was planted in me.

The next day we were invited to a nearby church, and the pastor preached there. Meanwhile, I was chasing after kids at a playground. After the service, I fast read the book I found on the bookshelf, "Persecution of Japanese Christian during WW2", it was vehement. After we received the warm hospitality and the same members rode again on the Noah. About one-thirty in the afternoon.　

The co-pilot's main theme was to support the only driver we have, my husband. At first, two brothers and I were saying, let's take a turn. But the job of the co-pilot is to judge from his eyes to discern if he needs water, or give him crackers when he looks sleepy, as his wife I was better at them so I was given a comfortable seat most of the travel. Having a girls' party in the back seat was also fun though.

Seeing Mt. Kinka on the left, we said goodbye to Gifu. We crossed the three Great Kiso rivers (※Kiso river, Nagara river, and Ibi river), and the car run smoothly on the highway while I wonder if the mountain on left is Mt. Ena or not, people in the back fell asleep like a bingo sheet.

"NEXT STOP OKAZAKI 40KM AWAY". I raised a notepad and showed it to the backseat. People who were awake gave me a thumbs up. We wanted to go further while people are asleep. And I also wanted to stop at Okazaki, for my ancestor's connection. Co-pilot's privilege.　

What I wanted to see was Okazaki castle (※Built by Saigo clan. Famous for it being Tokugawa Ieyasu's birth place) but I couldn't see a thing from the Service Area. There were Okazaemon, the city mascot character goods in the shop though… I bought a pretty set of Osu Uiro sweets for my mother. We got fully loaded with snacks and aboded to the car again. Bro.M is now the co-pilot. He was told to look after the driver, so he briskly supported him and it was kinda cute. He is good at Japanese, so two of them were conversing in Japanese and English mixed.

It was after we. entered the Shizuoka prefecture. We saw traffic information signage, a shocking words, "Gotemba to Yokohama Machida, 45 km 180 minutes". At first, I couldn't believe my eyes. That means the whole Kanagawa prefecture is congested. I bent myself forward from the back seat to join the conference.

What are we gonna do? Cross the Hakone's mountain? Get off the Highway at Gotemba and take the Hakone turnpike to the Seisho bypass? But Hakone's mountain is already dark by now. Are we gonna extend the car rental and find a hotel? What about Ashigara SA's hotel? We didn't want to be caught in a traffic jam with six and two years old. 

Anyhow, we decided to take supper at Shimizu SA. I got a big map at the information and we thought of the possible route. Hakone's mountain is congested also. Everybody thinks the same thing. Then maybe it is better to follow the back of the traffic jam…..

"Anyway, we should eat first. The situation can easily change in thirty minutes."
Pastor said. We folded the map and everyone scattered in the food court. I stood in the line for Shimizu port's seafood Kaisendon, but when my turn came it was sold out. How disappointing. I changed to Ramen noodles with egg. It was good also.

While I was getting cups of water for everyone at the water server, Bro.M came, thinking the same thing. I told him,

"The traffic jam is also included in the insurance, isn't it?"
"What?"
He was puzzled by my sudden words.
"The traffic jam is included in the insurance."
I repeated the words, for me to believe them.
"What insurance?"
"That one, with Heaven as its headquarters."　

I see, said Bro.M and he tried to carry thin paper cups filled with water, four of them at once. I told him, I will carry it too! And he said then I'll do three, and he skillfully carried three cups to the table.

Our kids who were tied to the child seats for so long were liberated in the kids' area and were jumping around. We waited until they were satisfied so it was about an hour of rest. When we returned to the car, the pastor said let us pray, and we started after the prayer.

Little by little, the congestion was getting chopped to pieces. As we drew near to Kanagawa, the spacing between cars was getting closer, but it was still flowing. I came back to the co-pilot seat, and my husband and I played the number plate game. The rule was you win if you find your ancestral place's name on the number plate. My husband's ancestors are people who took deep roots in one place so he was a bit disadvantaged. 

We passed Gotemba and Hadano alright, and just when we tried to get off the Highway at Atsugi, the traffic jam started and on the dark road, red lights piled up. We got off the Highway, looking at it from the side.

"God protected us from traffic jams."

 I muttered out loud trying to cast the thought that it's overstated. Thinking I should not overlook this miracle of God so naturally done. 

"Because it was included in the insurance, God rescued us out of the traffic jam!"

I looked back to the pastor and said it, wanting to ascertain that it was a miracle. Pastor nodded gently.

Then we dropped everyone and went home by the seaside. My two-year-old son was left in the back seat alone looking out the window. 
 "In the dark sky without light, the heart says I love you."
With the feeling that the festival is over, he spoke an avant-garde poem to the empty seats.