How Did I Get Here?

Just three months after I finished college in the US, the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident that struck the Tohoku region of Japan, called me to the country of my childhood. Looking back, I was a bit headstrong, truly believing I could make a significant difference. And I’m sure there was a certain amount of arrogance and naivety in my thinking at that time. Regardless, without too much planning, I hopped on a plane and headed back to Japan.

I worked hard during those early weeks, but I quickly learned that my heart needed a great deal of transformation. While I had uprooted my life in the US to serve God and the people of Japan, I had come with my own ideas of how God would use me, my own preconceptions of the paths he works in, and my own subconscious motivation and reward system. I had to learn—and am still learning—that I need to recognize how big God is, how small I am on my own, and how much he loves and guides me.

In the initial years, I was privileged to work with several relief groups, beginning with Samaritan’s Purse as a Volunteer Coordinator. I led teams into tsunami-affected areas and taught them how to do the proper demolition carpentry needed before a construction team would complete the renovation work after us. After Samaritan’s Purse discontinued those projects at the end of 2012, I began organizing and working alongside carpenters building houses for Asian Access missionaries and a church and community center for a local neighborhood.

As we were completing the church building project, my colleagues and I began to conceive of a new type of organization. We saw the need for continued coordination between the churches and mission organizations in the region; one that would promote cross-denominational communication and collaboration to further build community. We formed a team that aimed to assist local missionaries and pastors in the area who had grown close through the relief work. Through this team we founded the Ishinomaki Christian Center in Ishinomaki, a region that experienced nearly a third of the destruction of the triple disasters.

Our team goal remains to build and strengthen the bridges between the Christian communities in Ishinomaki and to connect them to the local community. One of the main ways we do this is by running a volunteer center that can be used by any local group. It is truly beautiful to join Evangelical Free, Presbyterian, Grace City, Baptist, JEMS, Japan Brethren, YWAM, and many other groups and denominations that are working hand-in-hand to share the joy of Christ and rebuild this city in his name. We coordinate work for interns and volunteers all across the city as well as house and feed them. We strive to create an atmosphere that catalyzes spiritual growth and community renewal through Christ.

What has changed in Ishinomaki since 3.11?

In the culture and language of Japan it is often difficult to articulate the Christian definitions of grace, sin, faith, and even Jesus himself. This causes a disconnect at times when the best intentions in our ministry are met with little response or understanding. We can end up frustrated if we don’t understand a couple of important things about Japanese people.

If we quantify spiritual development on a scale of one to ten (where ten indicates that an individual recognizes Christ as their Lord and Savior, is following him, and desires to disciple others to do likewise, and one signifies a person who wants nothing to do with that kind of life), the average Japanese person would score less than zero. This is because there is so little context to understand the gospel in Japan. But recognizing the existence of this gap in a basic spiritual context can actually aid us in starting conversations about faith and allow us to communicate that hope in Jesus is for all people and all nations, including Japan.

Over the past five years, I have seen in Ishinomaki a shift toward a new image of Christianity, a religion that most Japanese have historically viewed as being un-Japanese. I have seen biblical truths played out so viscerally that the definitions of some of our words of faith have gained new context. I believe a new platform is emerging, a framework for conversations about faith, about love, and about the hope found in Jesus. The stigma of Christianity in Ishinomaki as a foreign ideology is changing as believers portray a life of faith that leads to compassion, stewardship, and service. This new portrayal of the gospel does not encompass all of what it means to be a disciple of Christ, but it is still a much better place to start the conversation.

How did the conversation change?

There are many ways fellow believers all over the world are trying to connect with Japan. Thankfully, we recognize that Japan is not a lost cause to the gospel. I have observed three things that have brought about a catalytic movement in my Ishinomaki area.

First, there is real momentum in local churches coming together. This began with the disasters through a sheer desperation to survive and continued with the recognition that the unity formed in the process was beautiful and healthy.

The second stimulus was the outpouring of the worldwide church. Huge numbers of volunteers came to serve, and showed that Christ is not bound by borders. The church’s unusually large presence in those early months showed the suffering locals in Tohoku that they were not forgotten.

Third, residents of Ishinomaki have experienced tangible acts of love that help define many biblical truths. God’s grace has been shown through acts of love that can never be repaid, like rebuilding homes and livelihoods. The people of Tohoku have been exposed to the faith of countless individuals and families who have discontinued their former lives in other areas and other countries, and continue to sacrificially follow God’s call for them to serve in this area.

I am so excited to be a part of what God is doing in the city of Ishinomaki and know that God is working in many other ways throughout this country.

How God is sustaining this movement

God’s work in Ishinomaki is rooted in unity: unity in Christ as we work side by side; unity in the local churches as they seek to meet the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of their communities; and unity in the church as a whole, as Christians of all nations, ages, cultures, denominations, and personalities come together to glorify the one God in all manner of unique ways.

“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:16, NIV).

We are the body and Christ is the head. This metaphor is of course vitally important in all parts of the global church. As I reflect on the past five years and hope for the years to come, I am confident that Christ will do incredible things through our humility and our unity as his body. 

*For more information about the Ishinomaki Christian Center, see their website: http://ishinomakicc.org
Photo supplied by the author.