I had just finished eating dinner at a restaurant with my two boys when I heard something interesting as we were walking out. A couple was speaking to each other in Japanese. I remembered a little from my time in Japan.

I approached them by speaking what Japanese I could remember. They were surprised to hear me speaking their language, and we immediately became friends, quickly switching to English as their English was much better than my Japanese. I learned that they were from the Tokyo metro area and that the husband was assigned an accounting position in Houston by his Japanese company; he and his family had been living in Texas for over a year. We chatted for a while and then exchanged contact information before leaving.

I eventually invited them to bring their son to our church’s Adventurer program on Sabbath afternoons. They started bringing him quite regularly. I will never forget seeing their 7-year-old son reading from the Bible for the first time in his life during a game they were playing during Adventurers. They, like most Japanese, had never attended a Christian church, read the Bible or had Christian friends. This was all new to them. But I knew God brought us together.

Shintoism and Buddhism remain the predominant forms of religion in Japan, but for most Japanese, these are more about tradition rather than a genuine belief. Today, between 30-39 percent of the population identify as atheist. Some say Japan is the most religious yet atheist country in the world.

We believe God has called our family to Japan to help take the gospel there before the second coming of Jesus. We are only one small family, but we serve a big God who loves the Japanese and will show us how to reach more families like my new friends. Please prayerfully consider joining our support team and helping us reach more precious Japanese people for Jesus.

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