One of the most-read stories on our blog is from 2023. It’s called The Door to Japan…SHUT!

It was written by OMF missionary Brian Newton. It’s hard to know for sure why this story resonated with so many people. Perhaps it was the recognition that, sometimes, God’s plan for our life might not make sense.

Or, as you can hear in the audio of that story, it might have been son John’s serious health troubles and the compassion we would all feel for a family in that situation.

We’re thrilled that we get to hear the story in full, and so much more, from Brian himself on the latest episode of our podcast below.

His future didn’t seem too bright when, at age five, a teacher told Brian’s mother that he would “never become anything.”

God had other plans, but there would be challenges along the way.