By Hannah Goucher, IM Missionary to Japan
Living in Japan can be difficult for many reasons, but one specific reason is the language. I love the way Japanese sounds, but it is very difficult for me to understand well. Of course, I am still learning, but not being able to talk freely with people has made having relationships with others a little complicated.
How am I supposed to get to know people, let alone tell them about Jesus, if I can barely carry a conversation in Japanese? This week in particular, this thought seemed to be on my mind almost all day every day. I had never realized before moving to Japan how much I desired to talk to people and get to know them, and now it felt like I was a child having to learn the alphabet all over again.
Thankfully, today I had something to distract me! I was going to have lunch with my friend K at the local university. K is a sixth-year student studying to become a veterinarian. He also lived in Canada for about six years, so his English is very good (sometimes it feels better than mine)! Not a second after we sat down in the cafeteria to begin our meal, K stopped and asked me a question.
“You’re a Christian, right?”
“I am!”
“Christians pray before they eat, right?”
“They do!”
“Okay, then let’s pray”
Not going to lie, I was pretty shocked that these were the first words out of his mouth, but I was definitely grateful and excited to see where the conversation led. After I finished praying, K and I spent the next two hours talking about many different things related to Christianity and God. While listening to his questions, I was simultaneously praying that God would give me the right answers to say to his curious and seeking heart.
After our lunch, K had to leave to study or attend a class, so we said our goodbyes and I began to walk to the train station. A flood of peace washed over me as I began to step onto the train, thinking about how I had been so worried about connecting with people and yet God had provided an opportunity for the greatest connection: a chance to talk about Him with my friend in a language both of us can understand.
“This is why God has brought you to this place, Hannah,” I thought to myself, as the train headed out of the station. There are so many seeds that the Lord has planted in the Japanese people’s hearts, whether it be yesterday or 30 years ago, and He is allowing you to come alongside and water these seeds.
I can’t wait to see how God works next. You also are a part of what God is doing here in Japan. These many seeds that have been planted and watered by missionaries past and present were able to happen because of your faithfulness in prayer and financial support. Thank you for being part of God’s garden.