Elder Sadao Takahashi (Ida Manmin Church, Japan)

Elder Sadao Takahashi and his wife Deaconess Mitsuko Takahashi in front of his house

My parents were Christians and I attended missionary schools in my teens. But after I entered college, I began drinking and hanging out with bad friends. Finally I stopped attending church. After I graduated from college and got a job, I began attending church again, but my life of faith was the same.
In May of 1994, near my house I found a church whose cross tower shone with neon light, and my wife and I attended Sunday morning service of the church. My faith was the worst at that time, but I came to the church with curiosity because there was rarely found a church that had neon-lighted cross.
The church I attended at that time was Ida Manmin Church which Pastor Seung-gil Ryu founded 3 months previously. Five months later, in October, reading the Bible, I realized God had guided me to the church through the Scripture Psalm 94:17-18, saying, "If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence. If I should say, 'My foot has slipped,' Your lovingkindness, O LORD, will hold me up." Since attending the church, my heart was renewed and my life changed greatly.
I experienced a special grace of God in January of 1995 when the Great Hanshin Earthquake happened. Before the earthquake happened, I dreamt twice that my wife and two sons came out of the house but my daughter couldn't come out of it. In that dream, she was crying for someone else's help. My wife and I prayed for her and her family at Daniel Prayer Meeting. The following day the Great Earthquake struck. The area in which my daughter and her family dwelled was damaged most severely, and we couldn't communicate with her for the following 3 days.
By that earthquake, a train was turned over, and streets and many buildings collapsed. But my daughter's house was completely protected, and some people around her confessed they would worship the God of Christianity. I was so touched and grateful for the great love of God.
In April of 1995, I attended a special prayer meeting Mrs. Boknim Lee, Manmin Prayer Center President conducted during her visit to Ida Manmin Church for the church anniversary. When she prayed for me, my body became hot like fire and I contritely repented of my life with tears and runny nose. After that I quit drinking and began giving tithe and offerings and attending Sunday evening service. A little while later, I attended Daniel Prayer Meeting and the Dawn Prayer Services.
I was born in 1935, and I'm now 75 years old, but I am in good health enough to travel overseas by the grace of God. In 2009, I attended the 2009 International Multi-cultural Festival in Jerusalem Dr. Jaerock Lee conducted, and this year, I attended the 2010 Manmin Summer Retreat along with my wife. We also visited Muan sweet water site in which salty water had turned into sweet water by the power of God just the same as recorded in Exodus 15:25. There I was healed of my 4-year old case of athlete's foot after submerging myself into the Muan sweet water pool.
While delivering the 4-session series message 'The Seed of Life' Dr. Jaerock Lee told us to listen to sermon more than 10 times and I obeyed. Listening to the sermon repeatedly, I experienced of my grey hair turning blackish little by little. Now the hair on the top and back of the head turned blackish. The pain on the right knee disappeared and I received unexpected financial blessing, too.
Just as recorded in Isaiah 46:3-4, "Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, You who have been borne by Me from birth and have been carried from the womb; Even to your old age I will be the same, and even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; and I will bear you and I will deliver you," I really appreciate abiding in the guidance of God and singing praise for God's love displayed in different ways.