I grew up in the countryside of Japan. Every morning my parents prepared offerings and prayed in front of the ancestral altar and the Shinto altar. I did not know about Jesus Christ.
But even though I had no idea about God I sometimes went to events at a nearby church. When I was in 3rd grade of elementary school, I joined a kids’ event at church—it was baking! (I was more excited to eat what we baked than to make what we baked!)
At that time, there were problems with cults in Japan. So I felt that church or religion is dangerous and I decided not to join other activities at the church, but only do baking (or eating!).
But when I was in the fifth grade. An evangelist came to the church. Through spending time and talking with her, I changed my mind about church being a dangerous place. So I started attending Sunday school.
Once during Sunday school, the teacher said “God knows everything about you.” Everything? Even my weakness and what I don’t want others to know? It was a huge shock and made me scared.
“God, if you really exist, please do not come to me.” This was my first prayer to God from my heart. I prayed this way because I had a sense of not being a good person. I was weak and not perfect. God accepted my prayer, but answered in a different way to what I wanted.
“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken” (Psalm 55:22 NIV). When I received this verse from God, I had peace and relief which I can’t explain. But it was enough so that I could accept God and his love. I began to trust God and started to walk with him.
After I trusted God, my parents were strongly against me getting baptized, so I waited for eight years. Through that time, my parents saw that God is with me and the Christian God is not dangerous. They came to church when I got baptized!
I hope and pray that God saves them by his grace too how he saved me. There are still challenges in my life, but I am happy to walk with God and serve as an OMF missionary in Japan.
I am excited about how God uses me to tell his good news to the people like me who never knew about him.
By Kaori, an OMF missionary
