personal reflections by victoria kim & rachel tse

Fukuoka opened my eyes to challenges of discipleship in Japan. Through our welcome orientation, presented by Miss Jenny Oh, she elaborated on why missionaries are needed here. Many missionaries struggle to get people to accept Jesus because they will either say they accept Jesus out of respect, but mainly, that Christianity goes against their identity as Japanese. Buddhism and Shintoism dominate Japan, not just as a religion but fully integrated into Japanese culture. Monotheistic Christianity proves impossible to uphold while preserving their previous religions, causing many Japanese to reject Christianity.

I learned the importance of relationship building. Even through the language barrier, I bonded with many of the children that attended VBS. Though it was only 3 days, I felt that the positive atmosphere excited the children to learn more about Jesus. 

- Victoria K

As we landed into Japan our team was greeted warmly by the Oh Family. As we got introduced Mrs. Jenny Oh gave some much needed history on Christian activities going on through the years in Japan. I was shocked to hear that Japan, a modern, free of religion country had only 0.4% that were actually Christians. Mrs. Jenny Oh told us stories that really gave me a bigger picture about why Christianity was so low in Japan. Even though they knew Christianity was the truth they still decided to stick with Buddhism because they did not want to be separated with their parents in the after life. In Japanese culture honoring ones parents is a big thing and for missionaries to say that the people's parents died with the wrong religion really decreases the popularity of Christianity. 

I was in charge of worship and hand motions and by the end of the trip, seeing the kids dance and jump with big smiles on their faces my heart could not help but ache for them. I can not imagine the cultural restriction the little kids will face when they grow older. This is why interacting with the kids as much as possible is so important in developing their faith. 

- Rachel T