Chapter 4: Youth and Faith

When I was a child, I was a frail boy. 
Despite suffering from asthma, I grew up supported by the warmth of my grandmother. 

Eventually, as they grew up and became young men, 
A certain thought had begun to sprout within my heart. 

Why do people live? 

Since childhood, 
Having felt the pain and vulnerability of life firsthand, 
I naturally started thinking about such questions. 

And around that time, 
I encountered the church. 

The church was a quiet place. 

There, 
It's different from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. 
A calm atmosphere prevailed. 

People pray, 
Quietly confront your own feelings. 

In that atmosphere, 
I felt a strange sense of relief. 

Eventually, I 
The path of a priestYou become more aware of that. 

A path in life dedicated to others. 
A path to support those who are suffering. 

For me at the time, 
It seemed like a very noble way of life. 

But in reality, 
That path was not easy. 

Life doesn't always go the way you want it to. 

Sometimes the path you were trying to take can be blocked. 

I too, 
You will experience setbacks in your life. 

But looking back now, 
All of those experiences, 
I think it was just part of the flow of life. 

Sometimes people 
Take the long way around. 

But along that detour, 
Sometimes you encounter something truly precious. 

My life too 
Perhaps that was the kind of journey it was. 

My encounter with the church was, 
It was a major turning point in my life. 

It's not just the word faith, 
How to live as a human beingThis also served as an opportunity to reflect on that. 

Humans cannot live alone. 

Supported by someone, 
I live my life supporting someone else. 

The boy, who had been protected by his grandmother's warmth, 
I gradually began to walk out into the world. 

And during that journey, 
I was about to experience another strange encounter. 

Later, 
It will become a place I will never forget in my life. 

Lake Nojiri. 

There, 
In the story of my life 
An event of special significance awaited them.