Ask any missionary what he or she misses the most, and the answer will likely be family. But Darlene Williams, International Mission Board missionary to Japan for the last 24 years, had an unusual experience when her mother came to live overseas with her and her husband, Charlie, for three years.
Winnie Rotch, more commonly known as “Bo Bo,” moved in with the Williamses due to health issues when they came home on stateside assignment in 2001. When they returned to Japan in May 2002, 86-year-old Rotch was granted a visa as a dependent to return with them.
“It was a God thing,” Darlene Williams said. “We thank God for allowing us a chance to share her with our Japanese friends and our extended family here in Japan.”
The Williamses are strategy coordinators for Tokyo, living in Yokohama and trying to find new ways of sharing the gospel with the Japanese people. Serving in a city with more than 33 million people is quite different from life in their hometown of Mobile.
According to Williams, when Rotch joined them in Japan, it opened up new opportunities for ministry. Rotch became active at a day care for senior adults, establishing new relationships in the area.
“At first, she was hesitant but she soon began to make friends,” Williams said. “Even without knowledge of the language, her smile communicated her love for the Japanese people.”
Every Tuesday, Rotch would be taken to the senior adult center. “I just enjoyed it. I taught them how to play cards,” she said.
“Because of my mom’s relationship to the day-care center, we have been able to take several volunteer teams to visit,” Williams said. “The volunteers have been able to share testimonies with this precious group of Japanese senior adults and workers.”
Rotch also had Japanese sitters that would come to the house and stay with her twice a week. “Most of them were not Christians, so it gave us an opportunity to share our faith with them,” Williams recalled.
Williams said she grew up in a close-knit family, attending yearly family reunions, having Easter egg hunt competitions with cousins and going to neighborhood gatherings on Sundays after attending her home church, Shadowlawn Baptist, Eight Mile, in Mobile Baptist Association.
“I think the emphasis on family as I was growing up greatly influenced my decision to care for my mom for as long as God allowed,” she said.
When the Japanese officials refused to extend Rotch’s visa, she returned to Mobile in September 2005, but not without leaving a lasting impression on the Japanese people.
“They all grew to love Mom and cried when she had to leave,” Williams said. “Whenever I go back to the center, they always ask how Bo Bo is. They tell me how lonely they are at the center on Tuesdays with her not being there.
She always entertained them.”
Now 89, Rotch said that one of her favorite things in life has been getting to know the Japanese people. “They’d do anything in the world for you, and they’ve been so good to my family over there,” she said.
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