As crazy as it seems, it has been just over three weeks since I returned from Japan. I had hoped to post up a blog update much sooner, but I’ve had a lot of unpacking to do since them. I don’t mean that I had a lot of clothes to put away, because I only brought one suitcase and had that pretty well unpack after in my first few days back. The unpacking that I have been doing has been the slow review and consideration of my experiences in Japan this summer. To say the least, this summer left me with a lot to think about.
As a whole, my time in Japan was an incredible experience. It was definitely a lot different than what I had expected in a lot of ways, but far from disappointing. I ultimately went there with the goal of seeking out whether God would have me to serve there as a missionary long-term or not, and didn’t know what else to expect. In some ways it was a really enjoyable experience, and in other ways it was very challenging and heart wrenching.
When people ask me whether I like Japan or not, I have to tell them that I think Japan is an incredible country. It’s filled with beautiful countryside, vibrant cities, rich history and culture, and a wonderful people. The food is great, the people seem very friendly, and Japan has many other amenities and other enjoyable aspects to offer. I think that I could easily live there without feeling like I had to leave behind the comforts and things that I love. Of course, that’s what everyone told me. Everyone who had been there as a tourist said it was such a wonderful place to live.
There is another side to Japan though. It’s hard to see past all of the glitter and shine of such a beautiful country, but lying just beneath the surface is a dark hopelessness. As I walked the streets of Tokyo, a city filled with tens of millions of people, my heart was broken as I thought of how few of these people had ever, or would ever, hear the truth about the God who loves them and desires a relationship with them. In a crowd of 10,000 in Japan, it is unlikely that there are even five Christians amongst all of them. Though the shiny paint on countless european sports cars, the freshly pressed business suits, and the dazzling technology saturated cities may provide a seemingly healthy appearance, the heartbreaking levels of suicide, depression, and hopelessness makes it clear that all of the comforts of this world can never satisfy the need for a right relationship with God.
Everything else about my experience in Japan was wonderful. I enjoyed my time there so much, but the insurmountable task of trying to reach people who are so lost was overwhelming. Kazu reminded Adam and I of Christ’s teaching on the rich, saying that “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” As we would walk the streets of the city Kazu’s question would ring in my mind “how can you reach these people with the Gospel.” They were a people who had access to all the pleasures of the world, constantly working long shifts at work, steeped in anti-religious tradition, filled with distrust and disinterest because of the abuses of religion, virtually untouched by the Gospel for so many years, and on and on the list of challenges goes.
Sometimes I felt very discouraged. Even as I’ve come home, the reminders of how difficult a mission field Japan is surround me. My third night back I was able to speak to 130+ teenagers, in my own language, and they were willing to listen. In Japan, I never saw more than 30-40 believers together at one time, and I could barely communicate without a translator. Being back in America, I have access to countless books, sermons, curriculums, churches, and ministries, while in Japan all were extremely scarce. It’s easy to live as a Christian here in America in many ways. There is so much encouragement to follow God, and so much fruit can be seen for the labor we do here. We truly are very blessed as a nation.
However, I never went to Japan because I thought it would be easy. I didn’t go there because I wanted to go where it would be easy to live as a Christian, or where churches and resources abound. I went there in the first place because of the great needs that are there, and I went not because I thought that I could do great things, but because I desired to be used by God in whatever way He pleased.
It was truly very difficult for me at times while I was in Japan, feeling like trying to reach the people of Japan was a greater challenge than David facing Goliath. But these overwhelming circumstances were simply a reminder of how dependent I am upon God’s grace. These insurmountable challenges were reminders of my inability to do anything on my own. This summer was an opportunity to learn what it means to be an instrument in God’s hands. As Paul told the church at Corinth “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” In Japan, we planted many seeds. Whether there will be a great harvest from the work that God allowed us to be a part of this summer is in His hands, not mine. And I am still convinced that, the Japanese people are neither beyond the reaches of God’s grace, nor beyond the bounds of His love.
At this point, I desire to go back to Japan in the future. I plan on working at Word of Life Bible Institute this coming year coordinating on-campus events for their ministries department while I finish up a Bachelor’s in Education degree through Liberty Online. This summer opened my eyes all the more to the great needs of Japan, and I desire to return to join with those who are already being used by God to reach the lost people there. I would like to go back next summer for two to three months to be part of an English teaching ministry at the church, and then I am interested in going back long-term once I’ve finished my degree and payed off my debt in the next few years.
This is the direction that I believe God has called me to at this time, and so I am pursuing it, but I know that my life lies in His hands. Please continue to pray for the Lord’s direction in my life, and for me to have the wisdom to make wise decisions about the future, while also faithfully serving Him where I am at in the present. Thanks for your prayers, and please keep coming back to my blog as I continue to share about what God is doing in my life.
Mackeys in Japan 
Paul,
I just got to read a bit of you blog and found it most encouraging. What you have said about Japan is true. Materialism masks the misery, but we have a chance to introduce Light, Love, and Life to this country! What a privilege!
My prayer is that the Lord prepares you, and that you come back in His perfect timing! May God bless you in your studies and preparation Paul.
Katie
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