This was one of my main questions when I was preparing to go to Japan for the first time back in the spring of 2001. I had images of technology, samurai, Mt. Fuji, WWII, Tokyo, rustic houses, rice fields, sushi, sumo, and geisha. My image was predominantly based on pop culture. While none of these impressions were wrong, they only represented isolated threads in a tapestry of culture.
There are many great resources on both the spiritual and cultural reality of Japan. First, check out our Japan country profile here on go2japan.org. There you will find information such as an overview How to Pray for Japan. While praying you can look at the Sociological Needs, Spiritual Needs, and Trends and Issues in Japan.
There are also countless books, documentaries, magazine articles, blogs, and websites offering a wide range of information about Japan. Be tenacious and take the time to discover more about Japan. It is a beautiful nation full of tensions and apparent contradictions. My prayer is that as you learn more about the nation of Japan and its people you would daily fall more in love with them and be burdened to pray for them yourself.
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In 2000 I was slowly growing in both faith and maturity as a Junior at Texas A&M University. As part of that process I was beginning to value missions through experiences such as the Perspectives course. I didn't think missions, or vocational Christian ministry was going to play any role in my future. None the less I was beginning to think missions were important to God so it should be important to me as well. My church had several summer opportunities for the college students so I began to explore my options. As I was looking the decision came down to a trip to Spain or a trip to Japan.
Growing up in Texas there was always a pressure to learn to speak Spanish. In retrospect I wish that I had studied the language but my response at the time was to take German in High School and avoid the Spanish language as much as possible. I was not an anime or manga fan at all. None of the usual reasons people come to Japan applied to me. The reason that I chose Japan over Spain for the Summer of 2001 was as simple as the fact that as I was deciding I thought to myself, "I hate Spanish." So in early spring 2001 I applied to go to Japan with A2 and started training...
-note to reader: I have since matured a bit and actually wish I had taken the time to learn Spanish when I was younger. Thankfully God redeemed my immaturity by using it to lead me to Japan.
Just a quick update: Roberta and I were accepted on December 20, 2010 to be career missionaries with Asian Access. This represents a status change for me and Roberta’s formal entry into A2.
Check out my blog for more updates soon...
(This kayaking photo was taken on our honeymoon.)
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