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[Music]

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'SET FREE'

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My father left us when I was 6 years old. 

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He borrowed a lot of money from people

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and ran away when he couldn't pay it back.

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So, my mother worked hard and had to raise six children by herself.

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She didn't believe in God, and was the kind of person who hated anything like that.

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One day, a typhoon came that was so strong, it felt like it would knock our house over.

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As the storm became stronger, our mother said,
"Everyone, let's hold the house walls together!"

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My mother involuntarily started saying  "Namu Amida Butsu" repeatedly.

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Hearing that voice for the first time really scared me, 

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and it was the first time I realized my mother was scared of something too.

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I was so scared.

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I graduated from junior high school 

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and got a job at Matsushita Electric,

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while also going to school at night.

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Three years later, 

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I gradually became sick, got tuberculosis and then was hospitalized.

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When I got into bed in the hospital

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I would pray to God at night.

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At the time, I wondered if God really exists,

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and if people prayed any kind of prayers,

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probably any real God would hear those prayers.

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So I started praying every day.

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After a short time, someone asked me, "Would you like to have a Bible for yourself?"

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So I applied so that I could get a New Testament Bible.

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I started reading it gladly.

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As I kept reading,

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it was full of so many miracles from Jesus, going on and on.

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The stories were so crazy, like from a manga or something.

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Things like walking on water,

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healing a blind man,

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I didn't know how anyone could believe that nonsense.

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I thought, "Christianity", and "Christians" are not that big of a deal.

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In fact, that's why I was going to stop.

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But then I thought,

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maybe I'll try reading it again.

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If I'm almost done reading it through a second time, 

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maybe I'll understand it better the third time around.

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It says in Matthew 11:28:

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

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After that, even though I had just read the verse,

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it felt different than simply reading words.

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It was more like I heard a voice, a voice that really spoke to me.

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It wasn't a harsh voice, but a gentle, normal voice. 

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 I heard the voice say "I will give you rest."

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It was the first time that's ever happened to me.

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I never told anyone about it. I kept it to myself.

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I had so many worries inside of me.

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On the surface, I looked like I was having a good time.

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But it wasn't true.

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I was holding onto so many worries and so many sufferings.

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At the time, I was reading the Bible while lying down.

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I got up, and sitting up on the bed, I prayed, "God, please help me."

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Just saying those few words, tears began to flow, and I began weeping a lot.

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But after a while, when I was done crying,

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I realized I had a peace inside of me, from the bottom of my heart.

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I knew God had truly given me rest.

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For the first time,

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I realized my need to be connected with Heavenly God through Jesus,

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and that Jesus is the one who saved me from sin.

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and I accepted and believed in Jesus.

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I didn't know such a life existed at all, until I knew Jesus.

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So since I was discharged from the hospital,

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I thought of the many other people who feel empty, just as I did.

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I want to be used as a bridge for telling others about Jesus.

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[Music]