Before I left for Japan, people asked me one question. A lot. It was this: “Of all nations you could possibly go to as a foreign missionary, why Japan?”

 

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Before I left for Japan, there was one question that people asked me. A lot.

It was this:

Of all nations you could possibly go to as a foreign missionary, why Japan?

It was not a question. Rather, it was an objection.

They thought I was doing a bad thing.

 

Why did people object to my going to Japan? Nobody would tell me.

In those days, I came up with three possible theories as to why people objected to Japan:

• Maybe they thought missionaries go to poor nations to help poor people.

• Maybe they despised Japan’s manufacturing excellence and economic success.

• Maybe they had racist feelings toward the Japanese people.

That said, I was left with the question. Why Japan?

I had these reasons:

 

Reason 1

When I first considered becoming a foreign missionary, Japan immediately came to mind.

In the ensuing months and years, I investigated several other nations. However, as I considered leaving my career and becoming a foreign missionary, Japan was the only nation of lasting interest to me.

If you are trying to discern God’s will for your life, it is important to pay attention to any interest that persists over time.

 

Reason 2

I had five years of involvement with the Wayfinders. They were an Evangelical organization that focused on the ministries of Evangelism and Discipleship.

Based on that, I was specifically interested in giving my life to pioneer evangelism and pioneer discipleship. That means going where Christ is not known.

Along these lines, a famous missionary named C. T. Studd (1860-1931) said this:

Some want to life within the sound of church or chapel bell. I want to run a rescue shop, within a yard of hell.

To me, that always meant going to a non-Christian nation.

In those days, I had compared the populations of various countries. Specifically, what percent of the population is Christian. Japan was always among the lowest. It was roughly just one percent Christian.

That meant a lot of opportunities for pioneer evangelism and pioneer discipleship.

 

Reason 3

When I was a child, I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin. In the town, there was a Japanese family. Somehow, we became friends with them.

That family had two children: Jimmy and Yukiko. They became two of my closest friends during my childhood.

I was fascinated with them. I was with them as much as possible. I tried to absorb everything about them.

Maybe my friendship with these wonderful Japanese children gave me a love for Japan.

 

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