The atmosphere was lively. Café staff called out orders as people talked and laughed, and music played in the background. People were eating, sipping hot drinks or reading. I, however, was laser-focused on my evening’s homework and feeling overwhelmed at how many different ways there are to count objects and people in Japanese. How can there be so many ways to count objects and people? I ruminated. I wanted to ask a local if I really had to memorize all these ways of counting. Maybe I can ask someone who speaks even a tiny bit of English if there is a shortcut.

I looked to my left and saw a young Japanese woman looking around as if she, too, wanted to talk to someone about a question or thought of her own. Here’s my chance.

“Sumimasen.” (“Excuse me.”) The young lady looked at me with both uncertainty and interest. I tried my best to begin in Japanese and asked about all the words used for counting items. But then she started responding to me in slow, clear English. JACKPOT! Her English was actually good enough to have a meaningful conversation.

What happened over the next hour or so could only be explained as a divine appointment. I told her I was in Japan with my family, working as a cultural and language researcher for a Christian organization. I started with questions about the Japanese language, then slowly moved to questions about Japanese culture. Then slowly, inch by inch, I moved to questions about spiritual things. She seemed interested in sharing. The only time I spoke was when I asked questions or shared my fascination with everything that I was hearing and learning. I tried to let her lead the conversations after I asked questions.

At one point, I asked her what Japanese people think about the idea of one Creator God. “The Japanese believe in many gods, called kami.” She said. She went on to explain that many Japanese believe in something called yaoyorozu, which is a belief that the kami (spirits) are present in almost everything. Even a grain of rice contains some trace of deity. I did not comment or judge. I simply wanted to learn. The more I listened, the more she shared. Furiously, I wrote down her responses.

As I considered asking my final question, a fierce battle erupted in my mind: Ask? Or don’t ask? Yet there was something about this encounter and the certainty of God’s presence that emboldened me. “Would you be interested in studying the Bible in English?”

“Yes,” she replied. I was in shock that I had asked, and even more so that she agreed to studying.

Since then, with the help of a church member, we have formed a small group. Recently, my Japanese neighbor has joined. I do not know what God will do with our little group. But we do believe He is with us and that He is preparing a people among the Japanese for Jesus’ soon return. Please continue praying for and supporting our project in Kyoto, Japan. Thank you.

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