To be Japanese is to be Shinto and Buddhist, yet most Japanese are nominal participants in their religion. They participate in various rites and rituals, but most do not believe in any of it. We witnessed this firsthand during our vision trip, a short visit where missionary candidates explore the country in which they will serve. While at Sensō-ji, the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo, our tour guide, Noh, explained how to retrieve a fortune from the omikuji (a set of wooden boxes containing fortunes). “First, you place 50 yen into the offertory box, then you shake the metal container to receive a metal stick with a number. After that, you match the number to the box,” he said.

Some members of our group started digging through their purses to find coins, but Kwan and I stood aside, watching. Noh approached us and asked if we wanted to participate. We politely declined and explained that we were Christians. He then said, “Oh, it is just for fun. We do not really believe in any of this; it is just part of our tradition, part of our culture.”

We looked around at the large temple complex and saw many devoted worshippers actively participating in the worship of false gods—all this for something they did not truly believe in. Unfortunately, time did not permit us to ask them about what they really do believe in. The truth is, most Japanese people do not believe in anything, and therefore, they have no hope. That is why missionaries are needed to bring the hope of Jesus.

Our family is excited and humbled to be chosen to share the hope of Jesus with the Japanese people. Please join us in praying for them, and prayerfully consider supporting us financially.

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