You may remember Mrs. Matsuda, 88, who got saved last year and baptized a few months later. Earlier this year we burned her idol shelf and butsudan. (see my post of 2//8/13) She had been having physical difficulties that come with age for several months. About two weeks ago, her daughter was able to place her mom into a nursing home in Sanda where the daughter lives. She came to church on the 18th with a wheelchair. She was as genki as ever, smiling and talking and asking about Joe.
This past Sunday, it rained hard all morning, so Mrs. Tanaka did not bring her mom to church. Monday Mrs. T. took mom to the doctor to check her foot. About a month ago Mrs. Matsuda fell in her home and while she did not break the foot, it was severely bruised and swollen. Last I saw it the color was normal, but still swollen. Anyway, Mrs. Tanaka returned to her home and left mom to go to sleep probably about 9:30 or 10:00 p.m.
Sometime around 11:00 p.m. we got a call from Mrs. Tanaka saying that her mom had died suddenly. Her heart just stopped beating. Henry went up to Sanda and was back about 1:15 a.m. I could not sleep. Well, as is the custom in Japan since they do not embalm bodies here, they have to cremate in the next day or two. A hearse brought Mrs. Matsuda's body here to the church. The two sons of Mrs. Tanaka and their wives were here also, and about 1:30 a.m., the Christian funeral company came and started preparation. They placed the body in a simple pine box, lined with a white lace and packed the body with dry ice and cloths. After discussing costs, etc., it seems everyone left about 4:00 a.m. I think I was already asleep.
Tuesday afternoon the funeral company came back to decorate for the funeral services. So many flowers and the smell was overwhelming, but still looked beautiful. The "wake" was at 7:00 pm with mostly family members and church folks attending. The funeral itself is Wednesday at 11:00 a.m.
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| Monday night /Tuesday morning about 2:30 a.m. preparation for burial. |
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| The black cloth-covered coffin has Mrs. Matsuda's bible on it. |
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| Photo of Mrs. Matsuda |
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