Why can I never remember the word for astronaut? I paused, then said in Japanese, “The word . . . it’s not 宇宙人 (uchuujin, space alien).” After watching the word-finding struggle for a few painful moments, the Japanese teacher stepped in and reminded me of the correct word: 宇宙飛行士 (uchuuhikoushi).

A few moments prior, the teacher had asked me about my childhood as part of our Japanese conversation practice. When I was young, what did I want to be when I grew up? After being reminded of uchuuhikoushi, I shared how I loved space but gave up on the idea as I grew older.

After I finished my explanation, my classmate, Lihua, spoke up. “Do you think we’ll ever meet any uchuujin?”

I paused for a moment. Remembering that Ellen White mentioned other worlds (Patriarchs and Prophets 41.2, Review and Herald Sept. 29, 1891), I answered, “Yes. But we won’t get to meet them.” Cue looks of confusion from both the teacher and Lihua. I continued, “Would it be okay if I explain a Christian idea to you?” They both agreed, so I kept talking in basic Japanese.

“God created many different creatures a long time ago. Humans were one of those creations. However, humans rebelled against God, so we are sort of isolated here until the time when God fixes the problem of human rebellion. After that, we will get to meet the other creations.”

The teacher followed up and asked, “Do you think that isolation will end soon?”

“Yes, I do. But that’s a much longer story.” And, after some introductions to Japanese words I could have used while sharing, the Japanese class moved on for the day. I had given a primitive explanation, leaving out many important pieces of information like angels, God’s love for humans, and the first rebellion in heaven. Still, the overall topic was not forced, and they seemed genuinely interested in the answer I had given. This opportunity was my first to share some of my beliefs in the classroom—in Japanese.

What made this conversation more amazing was the prayers that it answered. You see, two classes prior, the same Japanese teacher announced that she was leaving our language school after the following week of classes. This was a huge disappointment, as she had been a wonderful teacher for about five to six months. I asked some friends to pray that, if the time were right, God would provide an opportunity to share about Christianity with this teacher before she left. Who could have guessed that God would provide that opportunity through a question about aliens?

Please continue to pray for the language school teachers that we have learned from the past many months, along with our fellow students with whom we have socialized and learned. We want to see them in heaven. Please pray that God will water the seeds that have been planted and that there may be fruit for His kingdom from this school.

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