Small Steps to Sharing the Gospel in Japan

Emily and her family moved to Japan from South Korea last year as TEAM global workers. In that short amount of time, they have seen the Lord open unique windows of opportunity to build relationships and share the Gospel in Japan.

“‘A cat?!’ I heard a voice exclaim.

‘Yes, it’s my cat.’

‘Amazing! How old is your cat?’

In any other context, this would be a mundane exchange. But standing on a sidewalk in Japan, as an American woman holding a leash attached to a tabby, it felt like a small breakthrough.” – Emily (TEAM Global Worker)

Emily and her family moved to Japan from South Korea last year as TEAM global workers. In that short amount of time, they have seen the Lord open unique windows of opportunity to build relationships and share the Gospel in Japan.

Emily and her husband Rob have been involved in missions for more than a decade. When asked about what inspired their missions journey, Emily explained it like this: “I think our main draw was the fact that there are people in the world who still don’t have access to the gospel.” They have lived in several different places but are now serving a least-reached people group in Japan.

Although their main priority right now is learning the language so that they can share about Jesus, Emily told stories about how they have already been able to make connections in many small ways.

Missionaries, like all followers of Jesus, are not called to produce the final results, but to faithfully share the Gospel one step at a time.

One way that Emily and Rob are building bridges with locals is through their cat, Princess Caramel. Walking their pet on a leash outside everyday has opened many doors for Emily to have conversations with her neighbors. Her prayer is that these small interactions would lead to deeper relationships and opportunities to share the Gospel in Japan.

Emily shares Princess’ story like this: “Our cat Princess has given me many opportunities I wouldn’t have had without her. She has allowed me to practice my language learning and talk with neighbors. One neighbor made it a point to come talk to me when I was walking Princess. She told me the whole neighborhood knows about ‘the lady who walks her cat!’ I am thankful for these opportunities and look forward to having Gospel conversations as my language abilities grow.”

Another way that they are building bridges is by making connections at a school that serves the people with limited Gospel access. Emily shares: “My husband is interested in art, and he got connected to the school through their art exhibit. They do an international exhibit annually and he was invited to come and speak at the art exhibit.” She adds, “We’re trying to keep those lines of communication open and hopefully we can find a way to serve the school in some way.”

Yet another way that they are building connections is through their church. Their church hosts a “Café IQ” where people can come and ask any questions that they have. Rob volunteers with the café and answers questions like, “What’s the role of AI in our world? Do I matter? Does anything matter? What is beauty?” Some people come just because they want to improve their English skills, but many questions they discuss lead to some kind of spiritual topic.

These deeper relationships are not built overnight. Emily comments, “In this context, it’s very relational. Building trust is really important.” She continues, “I think showing them empathy and trying to build trust is probably the first step.”

Emily is grateful for the small steps they’ve been able to take during their first year in Japan, the connections formed at the school, church, and with neighbors. These moments may seem small, but they are part of the larger story of ministry. Missionaries, like all followers of Jesus, are not called to produce the final results, but to faithfully share the Gospel one step at a time.

Emily concludes, “Sometimes it feels like you’re not making any progress, like you make a comment, then you find out 30 years later what kind of impact it had. So that can be discouraging. You know you’re trying to make inroads, and you just don’t feel like you’re getting any traction. [But] ultimately, we don’t know what’s happening in people’s hearts and minds. Because maybe God’s working and you just don’t see it yet.”

What if the place God is calling you to next is thousands of miles from home? Step into life-changing community, build meaningful relationships, and share the Gospel in Japan. God is moving among the nations, and your willingness to go could become part of the story He is writing. Explore opportunities to serve in Japan and around the world.

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