おはようございます!” (Ohayougozaimasu!) The cheerful shout of “Good morning” rang out as I went on the ten-minute walk from the train station to our language school early one morning last summer. The people of Japan generally keep to themselves, so I was just as surprised to hear the greeting as I was to see who it came from: an energetically waving Japanese parking lot attendant whom I regularly passed on my way to class. He was looking straight at me! I smiled, waved back, returned the greeting, and went on my way, my steps a little lighter and joyful.
I had been walking to and from the train station during our time at language school, enjoying observing the goings-on around me, eager to learn as much as possible about the country. Earlier that week, as I walked past the parking lot, I noticed an older Japanese man calmly watching each passerby. We made eye contact, so I nodded, smiled, and went on my way, not thinking much of it. The next time I passed, however, was when I heard the aforementioned boisterous “おはようございます,” thus beginning a friendship with the Good Morning Guy.
After those initial greetings, every time he was working in that little parking lot, we would hear his joyful exclamation, see his broad smile and an excited wave, and return the favor. As we went home from class, he would cheerfully say “さようなら” (sayounara, goodbye) as we walked past.
Every morning that we saw the Good Morning Guy and exchanged greetings, it gave Caitlyn and me a little boost of energy and joy. Once, when Caitlyn was ill and didn’t go to class, the Good Morning Guy asked me where she was. After I explained, he said, “お大事に” (odaijini, get well soon). I could tell he cared about us, and we didn’t even know each other’s names!
As the time grew near for our move out west to Yamaguchi Prefecture, I felt sad thinking about leaving the Good Morning Guy and his cheerful greetings. I thought just disappearing would be inappropriate, so I went to the local stationery store, bought a card, and wrote a short note. I shared how seeing him each day brought us joy and that we would be moving soon. I also thanked him for always being kind to us. I ended the note with part of Proverbs 17:22, “a joyful heart is good medicine” (ESV), and included that it was from the Bible.
I waited until our last week of school, then gave him the card on our second-to-last day of class. On our way home, we could tell he had already read the note because he had a huge smile on his face. I had not expected to see him; he did not work every day.
On our way to our final class, we saw the Good Morning Guy at work—and as soon as he saw us, he ran inside his work area and came out with a huge bag. He came up to us and spoke in English. “My . . . my . . . present from me and my wife!” and handed us the bag, containing a very scrumptious-looking cake.
We asked the Good Morning Guy if we could take a picture with him, which he said would be great, and he snapped one on his phone, too. After that, he opened his arms and gave us both giant hugs. All this behavior was very unlike a stereotypical Japanese person, who usually does not express his or her emotions publicly, especially with strangers. We knew that, somehow, God had used us to touch his heart.
After class, we did not see the Good Morning Guy as we walked past the lot. However, a minute later, I heard a very loud “Michael-san!” I turned around, and the Good Morning Guy was waving his arms in the air, saying goodbye to us one final time.
I never would have guessed that such a small act would lead to a friendship with the Good Morning Guy. Small acts, though, make a big difference, and the Holy Spirit can use these to point people to Jesus. I do not know if the Good Morning Guy is a Christian, but I hope that, when I get to heaven, I hear a cheerful, “おはようございます!” (Ohayougozaimasu!) and see the Good Morning Guy once again.
What acts of kindness can you do for those around you to lead people to Christ today? I encourage you to ask God to give you opportunities to show His love to others.
