Meet Emily, IM Missionary to Japan
Hey everyone! My name is Emily Petty, and I am twenty-four years old! I was born and raised in the exciting state of Illinois. Illinois has always been home, but I will soon be calling Tokyo, Japan, my home as I will be doing my two-year internship there with the Hope Alive Church. Learn more about Hope Alive Church and ministry at hopealive.jp
Why Japan?
Japan caught my eye back in 2013 when I went there on a mission trip at sixteen years old. This was eye-opening because I saw the devastating reality of meeting someone who had never heard the name of Jesus or experienced the Hope of knowing Him. Once I accepted the call to the missions, the alarming statistics about Japan have kept me aware of the great need for Christians to go to Japan. Less than 1% of Japanese people are Christian. This means that out of 127 million people, only 300,000 might attend church. So, a young Japanese child could go from kindergarten all the way through their dying day having never met a Christian.
There is a great need at Hope Alive for a young adult ministry. Young adults need to see other young adults in church, otherwise, they do not think they belong.
24 Unreached People Groups in Japan
Emily shares about her internship in Japan and how she has previously witnessed the Japanese culture’s hopelessness first-hand.
How she is ministering to the people in Japan
How you can pray for Emily
- Pray for the hearts of the Japanese people to be open and prepared for the Gospel. The Holy Spirit has already moved mountains in people’s hearts. Let’s pray that God continues to do so!
- Pray for Japanese leaders to emerge in the church. There are Japanese people who are growing in their faith and learning to take over positions. Let’s pray for the continuation of these discipleship efforts.
- Pray for the effects of Covid-19. Japanese borders have stayed closed during all of 2021. Let’s pray for numbers to stay down so that missionaries can come and go, and ministry can stay active.
- Pray that God is glorified in every ministry at Hope Alive. Every day the Spirit moves. Pray that we see His guidance and power in our lives.
You can partner with Emily to reach people in Japan with the Gospel.