The calling and then the going

As a born and raised Japanese-Canadian I had heard about Jesus many times in Canada but every time I wanted nothing to do with Christianity.  It wasn’t until I was visiting my brother in Okinawa, Japan in 2003 that the Holy Spirit touched my heart in such a profound way and I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior.  Four days later I was baptized in the Pacific Ocean, in the East China Sea.  From that time onward my life was changed forever and I knew that it wasn’t just a coincidence that I was saved and baptized in the homeland of my ancestors and I always sensed that I would be involved in world missions in some way. 

In 2006, I saw rare video footage of the underground church in China baptizing new believers for the first time.  I started to weep and weep and weep as my heart filled with compassion for the lost.  In that moment the Holy Spirit whispered gently to me that God has called me to be a missionary to Asia.  Initially I felt that I was called specifically to Japan, but little did I know how God would expand my vision to other nations in Asia.  

Over the past few years, through my travels to Tokyo, Japan; Panmunjom, a city in the de-militarized zone on the border between North and South Korea; as wells as various parts of mainland China; God confirmed my calling to Japan but also placed the nations of China and Korea on my heart.  I didn't know when I would go, where I would go, or how I would go but I just continued to trust God and listen for His direction.

I have spent the past several years in preparation mode and I finally sense that God is saying that now it is time to GO.  When I was seeking God in prayer for specific direction on where to go first, He showed me a picture of a map.  The map showed a dotted line being drawn first from Calgary, Canada to Taiwan, then from Taiwan to mainland China, from mainland China to Japan, and finally from Japan to Korea.  I had never thought of Taiwan before but God showed me that my main goals in the initial stages missions work are to learn to speak Mandarin as fluently as possible, to adjust to the culture, and simply just to love the people. 

From there I had to decide what type of ministry to do and which organization to serve with.  Through connections of my pastors, I was introduced to an incredible organization in Tainan, Taiwan called Ray of Hope.  Ray of Hope is an amazing and established pregnancy crisis centre that provides pregnancy counselling, a warm and welcoming home to live in, as well as life skills and vocational training to unwed moms, both during pregnancy and after giving birth.  They also provide sexual abuse counselling, post-abortion counselling and a community of healing for those who have experienced much hurt, guilt and shame in a culture that tries to ignore or cover up such significant issues.  For more information you can check out their website at http://www.rayofhopetaiwan.org.tw/en/

From the first conversation that I had with the director, I knew this was where God wanted me to be and that He has so many things He wants to show me about Himself and His kingdom through this work.  I'm not here to preach or to teach, but to learn as much as possible, to serve with a humble heart, and to pour out His love with no strings attached.  

God values every single person, every single life - and even if our situation seems broken and unchangeable He wants us to know that there is ALWAYS hope.  He is a good God and has an awesome plan of redemption when we place our trust in Him.  Psalm 34:18 says The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 

It's only just begun and yet I feel God's grace to do the work that He's called me to.  Here's a picture of little 6-week old Yuen, a baby who was saved through the work of Ray of Hope.  I know she's just a newborn but somehow I sense that she has an amazing destiny ahead of her :)