Foster children with diverse backgrounds have been accepted and cared for by Tenrikyo Sento Branch Church Head Minister Kazuhiro Wakasa, 41, and his wife, Mrs. Sawako Wakasa, 36. Fuji Television Network has produced a documentary covering their life at the church in Arakawa Ward, Tokyo, over the last six years. Not long ago, the documentary was broadcast under the title "Seeking the bond of family—six years of love and struggle."

The documentary focuses on the story of a girl who became their foster child in the sixth month of her pregnancy at the age of 13. The six-year period traced by the 55-minute film starts with the arrival of her first baby and her struggles with parenting, followed by her second pregnancy and delivery, and culminates in the beginning of a new chapter in her life.

The Wakasas registered as foster parents in Tokyo in 1996, when Rev. Wakasa was expecting to become the head minister of the church. He and his wife thus started a new life at the church because they had taken to heart the following words of Oyasama, "There is no greater salvation than to care for and raise another person's child" (Anecdotes of Oyasama, the Foundress of Tenrikyo, no. 86, "Great Salvation," p. 72).

The girl who is the central figure of the documentary came to the Wakasa family in the summer of 1998 as their eighth foster child. Because of family circumstances, school bullying, and her fear of people, she had withdrawn herself from the world. It had been planned that she would go back to live with her parents after giving birth while her child would be placed in institutional care. Rev. Wakasa, however, believed that the great salvation and happiness of this girl and her baby was to be found in their living together because God the Parent had put them together as mother and child with a profound intention.

She began to pull herself together through her life at the church and made up her mind to bring up her child herself. The Wakasas themselves made a resolution to do their best to work with and nurture the mother and her baby throughout the rest of their lives. The couple accepted the girl's decision and warmly watched over her growth.

Though initially she had difficulty in coming to terms with her double roles as a mother and an adolescent girl, she gradually began to handle her parenting responsibilities. Eventually, she started to take care of other foster children living together at the church besides her own baby. Also, she began to go to night school while raising her child and working part-time.

In the summer when the girl was a senior in high school, however, she got pregnant for the second time. The father of the baby was 19 years of age.

Rev. and Mrs. Wakasa prepared themselves for the inevitable accusation that they were negligent in failing to supervise those in their care as foster parents. They were shocked into silence. However, Rev. Wakasa said later: "It was not a light decision for her to give birth again. The father of the baby offered to take responsibility for the girl's pregnancy. I believe that true salvation comes after we accept every single matter. We would never have changed our stance to watch over the girl for the rest of our lives."

Rev. and Mrs. Wakasa resumed another period of parenting—that is, caring for the children as well as their mother—after they managed to obtain consent for continuing as foster parents from those concerned. Rev. Wakasa encouraged the couple, saying that, someday, they could say they derived happiness unknown to others, although they might go through trials and tribulations.

At first, the 19-year-old boy was bewildered because he was becoming a father of two children all of a sudden. However, receiving kind support from the Wakasas while living at the church with many people, he gradually came to feel more comfortable about undertaking parental responsibilities. The girl recommenced her schooling after delivering the second baby. The couple got married after her graduation. The documentary ends with a scene of their wedding at the church.

Mrs. Wakasa said: "Now she has grown up and is no longer under our foster care, but we will always maintain our family bond with her as well as with her husband and children. We have faced a variety of situations and problems in fostering children, but we have never felt it a burden. We are able to live day by day thanks to the blessings of God the Parent, and truly my greatest pleasure is to watch our foster children growing day by day."

In the spring of last year, Rev. and Mrs. Wakasa were certified as expert foster parents. Looking back on their activities as foster parents, they stated: "We have come to realize that God the Parent always shows us further blessings after we do our best. In spite of the growing demand for foster parents in society, few people know about the reality of foster families. We would be very happy if this documentary helps more and more people to get interested in fostering children."