I'm Building A Bridge!

The short version of this post:

1. I’m going on a mission trip to Japan this summer (approx. dates: July 29 through Aug. 8), and I’m extremely excited about it!

2. The purpose of this blog is to explain why I’m going (hint: it has to do with a bridge), and how I want you to be a part of it! Follow this blog to get updates!

And now, the long version:

Hello everyone! =D

I’ve decided to do this Q&A style, so here we go!

Q: When/Where/How/With whom are you going? I want details!

A: Plans are not set in stone yet, but it right now the trip will last approximately 10 days, from July 29^th until August 7^th. I will be going with a group of about ten people (six are from Faith Baptist Bible College), led by Randy Gilmore with Nippon Initiative (go to their super-cool website at: nipponnow.org). Some potential churches and ministries I will be involved in are: an English camp an hour west of Tokyo, and Baptist churches in Karuizawa, Nagano; Sapporo, Hokkaido; and Iwatsuki, Saitama. The trip will cost me about $3,000.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish in Japan? Why are you going?

A: I hope that I can be a help and an encouragement to the churches and ministries in Japan that we will visit. I also hope to be a witness for God in conversations with the many Japanese people we will meet on the trains, in the city, etc., as many Japanese people speak a fair amount of English. But more than that, I want to build a bridge between the body of Christ here with the body of Christ there. I want to bring back stories, and names, and specific prayer requests from the mission field in Japan, so that everyone back in the US can keep the Japanese people and the missionaries there in their hearts in a more real way. I believe that God has given me a special love for Japan, and I want to instill a little bit of that love in others here in the US.

Q: So why Japan?

A: I have loved Japan for a long, long time. =) I have been interested in Japanese culture and language for a long time, but God began to develop my heart for Japan in a bigger way about two years ago, when the earthquakes and tsunamis struck. I wanted to help with disaster relief so badly! That was also when I learned that only about 1 in 125 people in Japan call themselves Christians; that’s less than 1%. Shortly after that, when I first came to Faith Baptist Bible College, I heard some testimonies from a group that gone on a trip to Japan the summer before. Even though I had never had a strong interest in missions, I decided right then and there that I would go.

Q: Do you need financial support?

A: Yes! Go to the support page on this blog to find out how you can support me. =)

Q: What else can I do?

A: First of all, you can PRAY! I have witnessed the power of prayer throughout my life, and I’m sure you have too. Some things you can pray for are:

            - The salvation of the Japanese people.

            - Encouragement for the churches and missionaries there.
            - A smooth, successful trip, financial support, and a proper heart and attitude for everyone on our team.

Second, you can SUBSCRIBE to this blog! =) I will have a “short version” and a “long version” of each post, so that you can stay connected without taking up too much of your time. =)

Well, that’s it for the first post! Thanks for reading. =)

Christian