The Okinawa sun was fierce, the match was fast, and Daigo had salt air in his lungs. One moment he was staring past the pitch to the sea; the next, a striker was racing right at him. Daigo dived, stretched, and pushed the ball wide. It was a save!

Football soon took him far from home. Scouted for a Tokyo academy, he swapped island life for towers, floodlights and exhausting drills. His dad’s words travelled with him: “Read your Bible, Daigo.” At first, he did it from habit. Slowly, Jesus’ words began to feel like they were directed at him: “Follow me.”

That call unsettled him more than any attacker. He wrestled, resisted, then finally said yes. Baptism came, then a professional contract. Stadiums got larger and louder, but Christ’s voice kept him steady. When a team in Europe called him, it hurt to leave Japan. At his send-off, with banners waving, Daigo simply said, “Jesus Christ changed my life. I belong to him.”

Europe felt grey, strange and lonely. The language was hard. Yet Scripture steadied him, and a small Japanese church welcomed him like family.

Now, on a new pitch under a pale sky, Daigo still dives, guards the goal and perseveres. Wherever football takes him, his roots in Christ hold firm.

Praise God for Japanese sports people following Jesus. Pray that athletes will hear and trust the good news as they travel for competitions or training.

Pray for believers like Daigo, starting again in new places. Ask God to provide local Christians who welcome, encourage and disciple them.

[Names changed for privacy]

Returnee Focus shares the good news of Jesus with East Asians who migrate to different countries.

Please join us in praying for this ministry. Our Prayer Campaign runs each September, with daily stories and prayer points.

You can sign up here: omf.org/returnees