Encouraging women ministering in Japan

Earlier this year, I took a deep breath and walked through the door to a room filled with women, most of whom I didn’t know. It had been 19 years since I had attended a JEMA WIM (Women in Ministry) retreat. I was anxious and unsure of what to expect. Women were sitting on the floor, on overstuffed bean bags, and some were sitting on chairs.

Jessica, the MC, quickly put me at ease with some interactive ice breaker games, which included throwing balls of yarn to each other. Soon the room was filled with noisy conversations as ladies introduced themselves to one another.

Many different countries and agencies were represented, but we had similar goals—we wanted to see the name of Jesus uplifted and glorified in Japan. My personal goal was to grow deeper in love with Jesus and to be renewed and refreshed. I was looking forward to hearing the speaker, Mary Schaeffer, share during the main devotional time.

During a coffee break one of my friends jokingly asked, “I heard that you started this retreat . . . You didn’t, did you?”

I jokingly replied, “No, I didn’t, but my friend Faith and I did.”

The first JEMA women’s retreat

The year was 1992. Our first son had just left for college. Our creative ministry in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, was going well and proving to be very rewarding, but I was at a point of feeling the need to reevaluate my effectiveness and commitment. Despair, disappointment, and discouragement had crept into my soul.

Then my husband, Barry, came home from attending a men’s retreat. He was recharged, revitalized, and overflowing with enthusiasm. These meetings had rekindled his joy in ministry.

What if there were a retreat for women involved in Christian ministry? Might other women also be feeling discouraged? I began praying about the possibility of someone starting a women’s retreat . . . something that could encourage and restore joy for women who were discouraged and felt the need to be renewed and revitalized. I shared this idea with my Bible study friend, Faith. She thought a women’s retreat could be very beneficial.

At that time, Barry was the president of JEMA, and I asked him if he thought JEMA might be interested in working with us to start a women’s ministry. We were overjoyed when the JEMA committee gave us permission to move ahead.

The first JEMA Women in Ministry Committee consisted mostly of wives of mission leaders who had a desire to see the women in their organizations flourish. We worked and planned together a retreat for women in Christian ministry, and in 1993, my dream became a reality.

Thirty-three years later!

In March 2025, I had the privilege of attending the the thirty-second WIM retreat. Mary Schaeffer was the speaker, and in one of her talks she told us of the time their family went river rafting. At first the river was calm and smooth, then it became rougher, and then they hit some rapids. Her husband was thrown out of the raft three times. Mary drew the analogy that no matter where we are in our walk with Jesus—whether it’s in the calm waters, the rough waters, or the raging class IV rapids—God is still there, and he is still in control.

What a blessing and encouragement it was to share this time, sitting and learning, with sixty other women. What a joy to see that my idea in 1992 had become this ongoing ministry to other women working in Japan. Truly, it was worth walking through that door.

Image from short news article about the 1994 WIM retreat in Japan Harvest, Summer 1994, p. 25