Unity And Reuniting
By Glenn and Marion North
It was the third of January, 2025. A wintry scene was outdoors and the phone was ringing. I did not recognize the number, and most times I don’t answer if it is not familiar. However, I pushed answer. “Hello, this is Katsumi, I am in New Jersey,” and thus began the reconnection of my husband Glenn with his spiritual son Fumio in Japan.
They met in the summer of 1975 while Glenn was witnessing in Japan as part of the IOWC first global team. They met in Osaka, outside a pachinko parlor. They had not been in touch for 50 years. Fumio’s daughter Yukari was visiting America. So, her dad asked if she would see if she could find Glenn North. She found a champion in Katsumi Sabourin. Katsumi made call after call, asking other church family members if they knew Glenn North. In speaking with Carol Pobanz, Carol proposed calling Marian North, suggesting that maybe she was blessed with Glenn.
Glenn, in fact, was able to speak with Katsumi and to confirm that he was on the Global team in 1975, and also that he recalled meeting a young man by that name. He shared that he had written to him, but never heard back. Fumio’s daughter had with her a photocopy of a note Glenn had given to her dad fifty years ago: “Always be strong!” Glenn, 10/30/75, it read. This note was indeed in Glenn’s handwriting. There was also a photograph of a very young Glenn with two young Japanese men.
Photo Credit: Glenn North
What a validation of the purpose and grace of the Global Team effort! How amazing that this seemingly tenuous connection was still treasured by the young man Glenn met. He still held and cherished the photo, and the small note of encouragement.
Two weeks later, Yukari set up a Zoom meeting with her dad in Osaka, Glenn in Wisconsin, and herself in New Jersey, together with a really impressive translator, who did a minimally editorial and highly articulate job in translating. Spiritual son and spiritual father are now grizzled and grey. They exchange memories of their initial meeting. As for Fumio, he remembers Glenn asking him if he had a true friend. He thought long and hard about this, and decided no, he did not. They also updated each other on their lives over the past 50 years in very abbreviated summaries! He told Glenn he always thought that Glenn was a very good person and thanked him for showing him the correct path in life.
Now Glenn’s daughter Carmel is living in Australia and left yesterday for five weeks of touring Japan. Armed with addresses and phone numbers in Japan, Glenn’s daughter will reach out to the newly connected spiritual family. Carmel contacted her cousin in Singapore who is a translator for Japanese and Chinese. Her cousin will come to Japan for a few days with Carmel. Hopefully this family can connect and the vagaries of their distant connections can be solidified by face-to-face encounters. How precious is every outreach for spreading the Word and heart of God our Creator. This blast from the past has totally moved Glenn’s heart!
Glenn and Marian North – north.glenn@gmail.com
Photo credit: Marian North