Japan Team

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

God is using an English as a Second Language (ESL) ministry in Japan to draw people to Himself. As MB Mission’s Winter TREKers learned, building relationships in a Japanese culture is a difficult task. But despite this challenge, God is using an English-teaching ministry to make His name known in a culture where Christianity is seldom spoken of.

The six girls who came to Japan to serve alongside Laurence and Leona Hiebert in Toyota City chose to make their presence known in the community by offering eight-week English courses. These courses were held in the church, and they examined topics such as English Music and Lyrics and North American Culture. The girls used this opportunity to examine faith-based songs, share their testimonies, and end each class with a story from the bible.

Throughout a period of eight weeks, a few of the TREKers watched as some of their students took steps of faith toward knowing God. Though their steps may have seemed small, the girls rejoiced in knowing that these small steps all add up to a long stride toward the kingdom of heaven.

Darlene and Amber S. talk about Misa. Misa started attending their English Music and Lyrics class. Darlene says she could tell that Misa wanted to accept Christ so badly, but her problem was not a lack of faith. Instead it was the social constraints in Japan that would make it difficult for Misa to branch off from her friends and have her own system of beliefs. The Japanese culture is very group oriented, and if Misa became a Christian, it would result in a huge separation from her friends and family.

In the first class that she attended, Misa asked Darlene and Amber if they could listen to the song “Amazing Grace.” The following class they prepared the lyrics, and after explaining what the song meant, they noticed that Misa was crying. She told Darlene and Amber that when she was young she used to go to Sunday school. Coming to English class was the first time she had set foot in a church since she was a little girl. Amber says, “ I could see in her heart such a desire to know God in a personal way.”

Nanae is another woman that God is changing. At the end of her North American Culture class, Brianna read the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. Nanae was simply blown away! She didn’t understand how Jesus could feed 5000 people with just five loaves of bread and two small fish. But this story just fed Nanae’s desire to know more about Jesus. She asked Brianna for a bible so that she could read other stories.

Finally, Simone talks about Sawako. When the English classes wrapped up after eight weeks, Sawako approached Simone and told her this: “Before I came here Jesus was far away, but now He’s a lot closer to me.”

After spending more than three months living in a vastly different culture, these TREKers have come to realize that it is important to celebrate the little things. Every smile, every word of thanks, every friendship built, and every small interest expressed in God is a step toward opening up to His personal invitation. Pray that God would grow Misa, Nanae, and Sawako’s desire to seek Him fervently, with their whole hearts, despite the pressure of their culture.

Our English as a Second Language (ESL) Teachers in Japan work in the context of a local MB church to provide this effective method of introducing community members to the church. Alongside evangelism and discipleship in the classroom, many lead bible studies for church members and also for interested members of the community.