I came across this website through an article in CT, but I am confident that the Lord has brought me to this point and for His purpose...I look forward to getting in touch with you all. Although I know that He will provide and make all things possible, as a father of three and a devoted husband...I cannot help but wonder if something like this is even feasible.

Anyhow, I cannot be more thrilled to learn of this mission experience as I truly feel as if my years of discernment, prayer, and meditation have finally some real tangible manifestation and worth. I have had a tremendous amount of peace and calm while I have explored your provided resources, and I am thankful for this.

The only surprise that I have come across is how quiet these forums are, and how old some of these posts are?!? Perhaps I'm approaching the forums incorrectly, but I really thought that there would be more of a bustling forum.

And greetings and blessings to all.

Wow, it is encouraging to hear from you Andrew! I am glad that you have been persevering in seeking God about how you and your family can serve Him... and that your search now includes Japan.

Please enjoy perusing this site, reading about Japan and the ministry options in this great mission field.

In terms of the quiet nature of this forum, yes, I definitely hear you! When I first started this website a few years back, I was hoping that it would become an active online community where people would be encouraged to grow in awareness of Japan and its spiritual need, where interested individuals could connect with missionaries currently serving there, and where many could find ministry options that fit who they are.

This can still happen, but I am disappointed that go2japan hasn't grown faster. Unfortunately, we have not been able to advertise the site at all. There is some progress, though. It is growing fairly slowly, mostly by word of mouth (twitter, facebook, etc...). We certainly welcomed the mention in Alanna's March CT article! Any pub you could provide in your circles would be appreciated.

I do think that part of the slowness is due to the perception that North Americans don't immediately think of Japan as a mission field. Poor developing countries are often associated with mission fields; Japan's affluence sometimes makes people think it isn't particularly spiritually needy. This couldn't be further from the truth, but perception can overshadow the facts. Until the triple disaster 13 months ago, Japan was off most people's radar, including those in the arena of Christian missions. Though it has been a terrible tragedy, I think Japan has unique opportunities for the Gospel. And I am most encouraged by the way the church in Japan -- albeit small in percentage -- has risen to the challenge of bringing help and hope in the face of this overwhelming disaster.

Maybe your family can be part of God's solution in Japan--the local church. And yes, it is possible, as many of our missionary families have 2, 3, even 4 kids! All things are possible!

Keep Japan on your heart! Hope to hear from you soon.

Blessings!

- jeff

Greetings Jeff (and others),

I sincerely do appreciate your prompt and kind response. All of this is simultaneously exhilarating, comforting, and lonely...if any of that makes sense. I am excited about the possibilities of such an adventure, but the practical realities of moving my young family halfway around the world to a foreign land sounds daunting....

Again, while I consciously know that the Lord will provide all, if I might speak frankly, the financial aspects of the trip sound particularly challenging. We are in a difficult economic period, and that coupled with the prospects of selling "Christianity in Japan" to those with generous hearts sounds like quite a feat. While my heart feels like great work can be done among the people of Japan, I cannot help but recall countless conversations about the missionary vacuum that Japan has been known as. It is because of these conversations that the notion of mission building in Japan was also so foreign to me.

Anyhow, I am first generation Korean-American. I do not speak Korean nor did I attend the Korean-language churches of my parents...in spite of this and despite the fact that my "Korean-ness" is foreign to me also, I still felt a kinship to the country of my parents. I thought that if I were to go anywhere in the world that Korea would be an appropriate place. But for the opposite reasons of Japan, I wonder what there would be for an American Christian to do in Korea that isn't happening on its own.

I speak of this because it is 1) part of my story, but also because I know that there has historically been some animosity between the two cultures. Do you think that there will be a hindrance in me being of Korean descent? While I can imagine that great reconciliation could be built (perhaps) through my presence there, I don't want my ethnicity to be a further polemic to the Good News being shared amongst the Japanese.

I know that the Lord has always had designs for my life, and I will continue to trust in Him...and I am thankful for being right here, right now. I thank you for your encouragement. I will continue to hold Japan in my prayers, and I trust that the Lord will continue to keep you all under His benevolent and generous providence.

blessings,
Andrew

Hi Andrew, 

I had just written a rather lengthy response to your post, and then lost it all!  So, I'm going to try this again.  My response will be briefer this time, but hopefully it will still be clear.

First of all, I would like to encourage you to try and find people who you can meet with in person, whether they have been missionaries in Japan or elsewhere.  This was incredibly helpful to my husband and me when we were preparing to come over to Japan.  Each meeting seemed to give us a different insight into missions in general, or Japan in particular.

Now on to the questions that you actually asked:

1.  I think that the biggest hurdle in fundraising is not the economic climate, but our own attitudes.  As I see it, we can take one of two approaches: 

     (a) Ministry partnership development is a drudgery to be endured.  "Begging" for money is a "necessary evil", and good riddance when it's complete.  You start to begrudge every additional moment you spend in your home country, and begin to see people as dollar signs.

     (b) Ministry partnership development is a joy.  It involves meeting with people and inviting them to join you on the great adventure that God has set before you.  In this mentality, you are able to minister to your partners, excite them about God's kingdom, and allow God to use this time to further prepare you for His work.  This is not to say that there is never frustration, but He directs our timeline by way of your finances, and you experience God's provision as you never have before.  

If you do decide to come with us to Japan, Asian Access / SIM training allows you to chose from a few different options as far as training for support raising goes.  I would recommend that you take the BodyBuilders "Support Bootcamp" course.  For my husband and me, this course helped to shift our mentality to a much healthier perspective. There will always be economic excuses that people will bring up not to join you, but I think you will be surprised at how many people are willing to sacrificially give to God's work.

2. As far as "selling Japan" goes, you will need to do your research.  Asian Access will recommend lots of reading material to you.  It's very high-quality stuff, and I would recommend you read every page.  If you want to get an idea of some of the things my husband and I tell our partners, you can check out our website: peterandvalerie.com.

3. Lastly, I wouldn't be too worried about your Korean heritage and how that might impact ministry here.  One of the missionary couples who we met with before we came over was Korean, and they had served in Japan.  To be honest with you, they were some of the most joyful and victorious missionaries we'd ever met!  Our God seems to most delight in using people and circumstances that would perhaps seem counter-intuitive.  Who knows, you might get a chance to be Gideon!  

Take care,
Valerie [file/]

Hi Andrew,

I'm so glad you logged on and wrote so honestly to us unknown folks. We are scattered all over the world. I worked in Japan for about 20 years and now travel all over Asia as the Lord directs.

If the Lord is calling you to pursue bringing your family to Japan to share the love of Christ with people there who desperately need it, then please do not fail to pursue further. Before I went to Japan the first time I was in charge of recruiting for the mission and talked with many folks in your situation. Universally, there is some trepidation as one considers how God might be leading--especially if his leading could lead to such a radical departure from all that is familiar.

Conversely, you do not want to miss God's best if he is calling you to be one of his emissaries to the Japanese. The problem is that all too often we live by what we can see mixed with faith instead of a faith that supersedes human possibilities. Our family had little church support potential and I was 40 years old--too old to learn Japanese is what a lot of missions would say. The short story is that we have never on paper had the support to serve in Japan. But God made his calling clear and has provided all we have needed for 20 years running! PTL! He can do the same for you.

May the Lord make his will clear and put a passion in you for his calling in you that you cannot deny. God bless you, my friend!

Mike
A2 Church Multiplication Catalyst

Valerie, Michael, and all others....blessings, and thank you for your tireless efforts in spreading the Good News. But a specific thank you for both taking the time to write. I appreciate it. I do not mind being honest and open to you all, as if I can't be honest with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, then who can I be honest with, right? But more frankly, I feel like I need to and am compelled to speak plainly and with honesty...as I feel for the first time in a long time a tremendous sense of peace and a calming of my heart. While I am not definitive that Japan is where the Lord is pointing me, I feel as if I am "in the right direction". So again, specific thanks to both Valerie and Michael for writing and sharing...and above all, for your truthful encouragement and welcoming embrace. Like I said earlier, it is sincerely appreciated. I have no personal problems loving and living radically in the name of our Lord and Savior, but it certainly is a jarring and lonely notion to take these initial steps. Speaking of which, I received an initial email response from SIM.

Anyway, I will continue to pray, meditate, and keep Him close...and I ask for your prayers for my wife and family, as they continue to discern what it is the Lord is asking of them. My wife was the first to see my "call" within me, and she was the first to mention an overseas mission for our family...but our initial conversation has taken her aback. Perhaps she isn't ready, perhaps she hasn't spent enough time in discernment, perhaps the practical realities of just such an unorthodox decision is jarring her, or perhaps she simply feels like she could not live in the "bush" (so to speak). I don't know, and I will not pressure her. Despite all this, she has told me that she will be supportive if this is what the Lord is asking of me...however, I pray that she finds her own peace in time.

I look forward to actually speaking with the rep at SIM, and I look forward to sharing my story with him. And I will continue to keep you all posted. There is so much about living in Japan that doesn't make personal sense, but that ironically is not as troubling as if I were to ignore why He would want me to be there. In fact, I cannot help but laugh because as a young adult, despite my faith and love of Christ, the word proselytize just held an aversion to my sensibilities. (I think that much of that is because of my New England upbringing and education.) But today, I cannot think of anything that is more important and affirming than to reach those and share in the love and good news of our Lord. Cannot think of anything that is more important to me, and how I want to raise my family. I speak with my pastors often, and they mentioned how they can't live their lives 100% in the church, building the church, and in the lives of the congregants...and I was taken aback by that. While I understand the importance of balance, it just feels so innate and natural that I want to give more of my life to Him and to His will.

May He keep you all in His loving and generous providence,
Andrew