Entering into Japan I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It’s a first world country with a lot of hype. Even our World Race alumni opened saying a world racer has never left Japan saying they had a terrible month in Japan. I still didn’t believe the hype, yeah it was a pretty place and all but I wasn’t head over heels. A lot piled on my mind this month. This is month three. It is also our last month with our teams because next month all the guys would be together for ministry and then team changes happened soon after. Not only that our living situation was crazy. Our team of seven would be split into three different houses, the guys together and the girls split into pairs. Well so much for team time. Our first days we spent as a squad and I wasn’t wild about the food. It actually made my stomach churn for the first time while being on the race.
This was a great start.
We then left Osaka being the only team to be in the city of Sanda. It was a suburban area really nice and scenic. Our host informed us of Japan and what ministry would be like. I was still feeling sick to my stomach and becoming physically exhausted form the travel days before. Great, I was that guy pulling the sick card and not participating in ministry. Way to make a great first impression on the host Carlos. I continued to beat myself up about it. Then a day soon after we left as a team to spend the day together in Osaka. We thought it would be one of the few opportunities we would have as a team. I was still feeling sick and not looking forward to walking around as much but i wasn’t about to miss out in being in the city. When we got to the train station and waited by the tracks I just felt a spiritual heaviness all around. That lives were lost here by suicide and thoughts of depression circulated the environment by the railroad tracks. I later learned that its suicide is a common thing at the train stations in Japan and train workers had vouchers for Japanese people to show their job to relay why they were late to work. (That really shocked me.) I opened up to my team about it and how it was affecting. Since being in Japan I was in a dry season with God and didn’t feel Him or hear Him.
We made it Osaka and being on a World Race budget in Japan was such a struggle. This was the most expensive month we would have and our hosts already warned us that we will blow through our budget here. That was struggle for me because I struggled financially already. As people struggled with that concept it made the experience tense while being in Osaka. Some people wanted to shop and others wanted to explore but we were trying to be together. It just wasn’t cohesive. There was so much unsaid tension between us and left a bad taste for the start of leg here. Our next team time together we voiced more of where we were with being in Japan. I was feeling better physically but spiritually still struggling. I was surprised to hear that it was the same for most of my teammates. We were all going through the motions in different ways. We realized how much more we had to fight and seek into God.
That night when we all went to bed God finally spoke to me. I was talking to God about how hard this all is. How it was hard for me to go out and reach the Japanese people. I was lost and needed to hear God more than ever. Then He spoke: “Have Faith.” So simple but so true. I was losing all my faith about Japan. Already having these negative preconceived notions. I had less than three weeks to make most of this month. I needed to have faith that God was going to use me to reach these Japanese people. Then I realized that I didn’t have to go out and find these people but God was bringing them to me on a weekly basis. Our host had a series of English classes and events setup weekly for us full of people they have invested in over the years. These people have already had the Gospel shared with them but have yet to make the decision to follow Christ. We were stepping in with a fresh perspective to them through our own testimonies of what God has done for us and is continuing to do while being on the race. I felt so much more motivated and and excited for the ministry here in Japan. My heart was stretched in a way only God could do.
I then took off into the ministry with trails a blazing. I became more excited for each class that we got to talk or any new culture experience we got to be a part of I was all for it. It was a new mentality I had: I get to serve. Working with my host was great. The Japanese are very much so into planning an scheduling and I expected nothing less from our hosts, who have lived in Japan for 25 years raising four kids, to have such a scheduled detailed list for our month. Sticking to set time and remembering all the details was key for this month. Luckily these are areas where I strive in. I helped maintain our separated team to be on the same page throughout the month. Our hosts usually relayed me the details and I presented it to the team. I was thriving in this. I loved all the English classes and how the relationships were being formed in each one. Even the classes with the more challenging students began to open up to us more. I could see the progress unfolding and I know that they didn’t love us but the Jesus in us. Our team times were even much more meaningful. We prayed and fought for each other to make it work this month and became closer than we have ever been.
In the time Japan I even befriended a Japanese college student who was a Fuji scout in Japan. He took us on a hike on our first Sunday in Japan. He’s not a Christ follower but he believes in something. He just wasn’t sure what yet. I talked with him up most of the hike and it was encouraging to hear him so engaged about my relationship with God. He asked questions like “When did you come to know God?” and “When did God change characteristics about yourself?” After that day we stay connected throughout our time in Japan. We hung out almost everyday and he made a way to come to everyone of our events even if it meant skipping a class or biking several miles to meets us. Not that I condone skipping class or anything. Ha! Anyways, God really laid him on heart. Him and I would have very deep conversation about God and other topics. I even shared with him about how God has burdened him into my heart and I was grateful to have a friendship with him. I shared with him about divine appointments from God and how paths cross for seasons and reasons. On our last days we had one last outing just the two of us where I poured out all that God left for me to say to him while I could in Japan. I finally prayed for him that night.
And here you’re probably expecting that He gave to life to Chris right there and then. No that wasn’t the case. I let him know that regardless the time I’ve spent here in Japan with him I prayed he would come to know Christ and even he chose not too I did not regret a single moment I spent with him in Japan. That is was not time wasted or would I ever stop being his friend. I would leave Japan and continue to keep up with him and pray for him. His friendship meant more than conversion. I even made a pact with him that five years from that moment where ever we were in life we would come back to that restaurant, sit at that same table, and have a meal together. Neither of us had ever made a pact before but both agreed to it. I knew in that moment I entered into Japan making a friend but leaving with a lifelong Japanese brother.
We then had our Sayonara (goodbye) party. All of the students and people we met throughout the month gathered to celebrate our time here and say goodbye. I played games, cupid shuffled, and hugged them all one last time. So many different people God had me form relationships with and burdened me with. I just wanted to stay longer and teach one more English. This month immediately transformed from the worst month on the race to the best month on the race. I left having such a heart for this nation and for these people. God shared with me His heart for Japan and I was so grateful. It came by faith to believe I could love this place. I met up with the rest of my squad again at the end of the month and they all talked about how they could really tell from all my posts that this was an incredible month for me. It was. Only when I chose too. God always turns our weakness around for His goodness.
“Our lives have just started. Our futures are full of opportunities.”
–Takumi Yuasa
P.S.
I am also still raising funds to be fully funded. If you can give any amount please click the Support Me tab and give here. I am sitting right now at $12,845 out of the $16,267 goal to be fully funded. I need to be funded by the end of December. Thank you for taking the time to read this and please share with anyone you know who would be encouraged by this and/or could possibly give financially. Keep praying with me throughout this time. This is nothing more than a drop in the bucket for God. God bless you all!
