Kiyoshi Yaht 
 
 Literature Department 
 WOMEN'S MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION 
 
 UNITED BRETHREN IN CHRIST 
 406-408 Otterbein Preu Bldg.. Dayton. Ohio 
 
 PRICE. 2 CENTS 
 
MY LIFE'S STORY 
 
 KlYOSHI YABE 
 
 According to the Japanese custom, being 
 the first child of my parents, I was born at 
 my mother's native home, a dry-goods store 
 in the town of Yamato. My family name, 
 Yabe, translated into English is "the arrow 
 family." My birthday, according to the 
 western calendar, was July 4, 1884, and every 
 American unconsciously celebrated my birth- 
 day. There was great joy in my home and 
 among my relatives and on the seventh day, 
 they gave me the name Kiyoshi, which 
 means "the love of cheerfulness." 
 
 As my father, like other Japanese, lived 
 with his parents, my family was a very 
 large one. At the time of my younger 
 brother's birth, I remember, there were more 
 than a dozen people in the house — great- 
 grandfather and great-grandmother, the 
 grand-father and grandmother, the father 
 and mother, the baby brother, a married 
 couple — workers on the farm, a young woman 
 nurse, an orphan boy whom my father 
 adopted and myself. Besides these were two 
 cats, one dog and three horses. 
 
 During my childhood days I was influenced 
 greatly by the non-Christian religions, es- 
 pecially Buddhism. My grandparents were 
 both exceedingly pious Buddhists. My 
 mother also was a devoted worshipper of 
 Buddha. 
 
I graduated from the common school at 
 the head of the class. My grandparents were 
 so pleased with this that they expressed 
 their gratitude to "Tenjin", the god of learn- 
 ing, by sacrificing some white chickens. At 
 the age of thirteen I left my home and went 
 to Wakamatsu in order to study in the 
 government high school. 
 
 One day, while I was taking a stroll near 
 the high school, I saw on the street a pecu- 
 liar-looking person who was singing in the 
 midst of a great crowd. He was a tall man; 
 his skin was white; his hair was light; and 
 his nose was extraordinarily large. Though 
 I could not catch his odd Japanese talk, I 
 was able to understand that he was a fol- 
 lower of the Nazarene and that he was try- 
 ing to teach his religion to the non-Chris- 
 tian people of Japan. With great curiosity 
 I wanted to know about this strange man, 
 and upon investigation, I was informed that 
 he was an American missionary of the 
 Seventh Day Adventist denomination and 
 that his name was William D. Burden. 
 
 This event took place during my Junior 
 year and I began to go to church from that 
 very week. I entered the missionary's Bible 
 class, thinking that I might learn something 
 about his language, manners, and customs, 
 as at that time I had an ambition to be a 
 popular and successful man, and was always 
 anxious to learn new things from the West- 
 erners, whom I had loved very much. I con- 
 tinued, therefore, to attend the church for 
 nearly a year. I read the New Testament 
 more than once, although I was not able to 
 understand the deep significance of the 
 spiritual kingdom. 
 
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In my Senior year, a great change took 
 place in my home. The veneer factory, which 
 belonged to my father, was burned a few 
 months preceding my graduation from high 
 school and my father, exceedingly poor, was 
 no longer able to support me in college, in 
 which I had been expecting to study. 
 Through this calamity, however, our Father 
 showed me his great mercy, for without this 
 misfortune I would likely never have become 
 a Christian. 
 
 When I learned of the bankruptcy of my 
 home, I was sick at heart and looked around 
 for a friend from whom I could find conso- 
 lation but I could find none. I prayed to my 
 old Buddha, but he relieved me not. After 
 hours of torture, I approached the window 
 of my room and opened the screen door. I 
 saw the beautiful sunset. The evening sun, 
 leaving a crimson tinge, was sinking in the 
 western sky. Clouds were picturesquely 
 colored along the horizon. As I watched this 
 evening scene of North Japan, I met with 
 the Creator for the first time in my life. 
 
 "Oh, Maker of the heavens and earth," I 
 cried, " why did you destroy my father's 
 factory? He is an honest, good-hearted busi- 
 ness man." "Why, God," I continued, "did 
 you punish me? I am not a Christian but 
 have tried to be a good boy. Why did you 
 punish me? Why did you make it impos^ 
 sible for me to become an educated man and 
 make some contribution for the uplifting of 
 my dear Japan?" 
 
 I cried out to God of Israel, and he heard 
 my heart cry. I had been thinking that I 
 was alone in distress, but I found with me 
 my Father. The still, small voice of heaven 
 
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comforted my heart with the words, "All 
 things work together for good to those who 
 love God." The Spirit of God taught me 
 that it is hotter to "lay up treasures in 
 heaven" than to lay them up on earth, that 
 it is better to be a true man of God than to 
 be a popular man of worldly success, and 
 that it is more blessed to be the minister of 
 Jesus than to be the ambassador of Mikado. 
 
 Before long I decided my life's vocation — 
 to become a Christian minister. But when I 
 asked my father at home, through a letter, 
 if he would allow me to enter the Mission 
 School in Tokyo, he was tremendously 
 grieved. He at once came home to Wakama- 
 tsu and asked me if I had not lost my senses. 
 Though I explained to him the best I could 
 why we should obey our Universal Father, it 
 was in vain. My father would not allow me 
 to become a Christian. "If you will give up 
 the religion of your ancestors," my father 
 finally said, "and embrace Christ, from now 
 on you are no longer my son." 
 
 My father left the hotel for home, but I 
 still saw vividly his sad expression. I tried 
 to forget him but failed. For a few minutes 
 I passed through a had trial. I almost de- 
 cided to go after my father and tell him that 
 I had changed my mind. While I was some- 
 what hesitating about my important decision, 
 the Holy Spirit whispered to my troubled 
 soul, "If any man will come after me, and 
 hate not his father, and mother, and wife, 
 and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, 
 and his life also, he can not be my disciple." 
 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou 
 Shalt be saved, thou and thy house." 
 
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On the following morning, before dawn, 
 I left my old boarding house only seventy 
 "sen," thirty-five cents in American money 
 in my pocket. After walking for nine days 
 I arrived in Tokyo. I entered the Seventh 
 Day Adventists' Bible School, and became a 
 member of the church. 
 
 The greatest problem during these days 
 was: How can I save my family? I wrote 
 many letters to my parents in which I stated 
 concisely why one should worship Jesus. But 
 I learned, from one of the younger brothers 
 at home, that my father would not read any- 
 thing if it was addressed in my handwriting. 
 My heart was almost crushed. Though I 
 was deeply disappointed, I simply prayed the 
 Father, who is Wisdom and Power. I asked 
 one of my Christian friends to send my 
 father a portion of the New Testament in his 
 handwriting, as I thought that he might read 
 even a few lines of "the Word of God." This 
 was a successful plan; not knowing his 
 handwriting, my father took the book and 
 read a little portion of the Gospel of Mat- 
 thew. He happened to read first the Sermon 
 on the Mount. With intense zeal and much 
 delight, my father read that sermon. A 
 short time later he resigned his position and 
 left "O terra" (the temple). Then without 
 serious difficulties, my mother, grandmother 
 — on my father's side, — and some younger 
 brothers accepted Christ. 
 
 For one year and a half I studied in the 
 Bible School, and according to the doctrine 
 of the Seventh Day Adventist denomination, 
 tried to keep the ten commandments which 
 were given through Moses to the people of 
 Israel. 
 
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I was afterwards shown by his Spirit it 
 was my thoughtlessness which had caused 
 me to embrace the narrow doctrines of the 
 Seventh Day Adventists and that it is not 
 the teaching of Savior Christ to expect 
 heaven by keeping the laws and command- 
 ments. I made up my mind to come to the 
 United States of America in order to know 
 more about the different denominations of 
 the Christian Church and to prepare myself 
 to do greater and better service for Jesus 
 and for Japan. 
 
 In the year 1906, the "Empress of Japan" 
 carried me from the land of Nippon to Amer- 
 ica. I landed first at Vancouver, British 
 Columbia, Canada. While I was there, a 
 certain wealthy man at Dayton, Ohio, asked 
 the Japanese consulate for two domestic 
 workers who would be granted time to study. 
 I applied for one of the i>ositions and cama 
 to Dayton. 
 
 While I was passing through almost un- 
 bearable hardship and homesickness, it was 
 very fortunate for me to meet with Rev. 
 Takejiro Ishiguro at Bonebrake Seminary — 
 then Union Biblical Seminary. Through Mr. 
 Ishiguro I was Privileged to know Rev. and 
 Mrs. J. E. Knipp, Dr. S. S. Hough, and Mrs. 
 Mary Albert — now Mrs. Hough, who were my 
 deep sympathizers in my trials and discour- 
 agements. 
 
 In the fall of 1907 I entered Steele High 
 School. I graduated at the high school in 
 the spring of the following year, 1908. 
 
 I went to the University of Chicago and 
 studied there one year. Although I enjoyed 
 immensely my study at that great institution 
 
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of learning, I felt keenly the lack of spiritual 
 uplift in the undergraduate life. 
 
 While I was at Dayton, I often had heard 
 the name of Otterbein University and had 
 known that Otterbein stands as a first-class 
 Christian college in the country. During the 
 summer of 1909, the voice of the Father 
 whispered to me, "Come to Otterbein!" and 
 so I left Chicago and went to Westerville, 
 Ohio. 
 
 From the time I left Japan I had not been 
 a member of any church. After careful con- 
 sideration, therefore, on the second Sunday 
 of October, 1909, I joined the Church of the 
 United Brethren in Christ. 
 
 At the time of my graduation from Otter- 
 bein University in June, 1912, a call came 
 from the Japanese Y. M. C. A. of Chicago 
 asking for my services in the religious de- 
 partment of the institution. I studied at the 
 Graduate Divinity School of the University 
 of Chicago for two years including three 
 summers taking the A. M. degree in the de- 
 partments of Practical Sociology and Reli- 
 gious Education in 1913, and B. D. in Church 
 History and New Testament in 1914. 
 
 Having finished both college and seminary 
 courses, I applied to the Church of the 
 United Brethren in Christ for ordination. 
 On September 13, 1914, at the Southeast 
 Ohio Conference, which had its annual ses- 
 sion at Bremen, Ohio, I was ordained by 
 Bishop G. Mathews. 
 
 Thinking of my religious experience, I 
 have passed through four periods, namely: 
 the pagan life, the skeptic life, the Old Testa- 
 ment life, and the New Testament life. Be- 
 fore fifteen, I was an Idolator. During my 
 
high school days, I had no God. During the 
 Seventh Day Adventist life, though I was ex- 
 ceedingly earnest in seeking righteousness, 
 I was bound by laws and knew little of the 
 grace of the Savior God. The last six years 
 of my experience, I have been enjoying the 
 life full of gratitude, realizing the warm 
 touch of the Master's embrace. 
 
 The rivers and mountains of my native 
 Japan still set forth the glory of God, but 
 the people are walking in the shadow of 
 death. Including all branches of Protestant 
 Christians and Roman Greek Catholics, there 
 are in Japan at present less than one per 
 cent, of the population who are Christians. 
 Our Chief Shepherd, in order to bring back 
 one lost sheep, would leave ninety and nine 
 and go after one wandering one. As I think 
 of the mission field of Japan, I see ninety- 
 nine lost sheep out of every hundred. I see 
 them on the hills and in the valleys, in the 
 South and in the North, in the city and in 
 the country. Life without Christ is no life. 
 My heart goes after these wandering millions 
 in my native Japan. 
 
 "Unto whomsoever much is given, of him 
 shall much be required." God has given me 
 much and I know he requires much of me. 
 Surely I need strong health and sound intel- 
 lect, which are the urgent need of the Chris- 
 tian minister everywhere. Yet, even above 
 these, I feel absolute necessity of the conse- 
 crated heart. With burning passions for the 
 souls of men, I wish to plunge into my min- 
 istry among my people. 1 wish to make my 
 joy His joy, my plan His plan, and my work 
 His work. 
 
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