When God Makes the Next Step Clear: Cheryl's Trip to Japan

In September of last year, I had the great opportunity to go on a trip with several other CATC covenant members to Japan to explore the opportunities of ministry that exist there. Upon hearing about this opportunity, I began praying and asking God if this was somewhere I should go, and He was very clear in His answer to me about going to Japan! As I began to learn more about Japan—its culture, their worship of ancestors and false idols—I began to realize the spiritual darkness that exists there.

My heart was burdened for them, that they clearly have just NEVER heard of Jesus and the Gospel because of what part of the world they live in. They don’t even recognize their need for a Savior because most are materially wealthy and don’t think they need anything else. I also learned that a lot of people there are so consumed with their material possessions and climbing the corporate ladder that they have no time to consider their spiritual need or even desire for building meaningful relationships—so much so that you could be on a train with hundreds of people and no one is talking to anyone, not even small talk; you could literally hear a pen drop.

With a population of over 126 million people, Japan is one of the world’s second-largest unreached people groups, with less than 1% being Christian. After learning about this great need for the Gospel there, I was excited to go and be a part of what God is doing.

While there, our team had the opportunity to meet with an organization named Mustard Seed Network, whose mission is to glorify God by making disciples through planting gospel-centered churches in urban Japan. Their goal is to plant 12 churches in 12 cities by 2025. We had the opportunity to visit three of their church plants in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, and attend two of their Sunday gatherings. It was such a blessing and encouragement to be there and worship with the few in this country who do profess faith in our Lord!

Every time I have visited a church in another country, it makes me think of the one day when we will all be singing together, worshiping the Lord forever in many different languages, and this time was no different. It was a beautiful expression of the body of Christ! We even had the privilege of witnessing one baptism each in two of the churches we visited, which, as you can imagine, is a very rare occurrence there.

One of the things we learned when visiting the Mustard Seed Network churches is how diverse Japan is becoming, with many people immigrating there for different reasons—and many of these people have never heard the Gospel either. These are people of many nations coming together, searching for meaning in life.

One of the ways the church is trying to connect with people is through hosting meetings called “English Connect.” This is a place, such as a coffee shop, where people can come and practice the English language because being able to speak English well can turn into better job opportunities for them. At each English Connect, there are native English speakers who facilitate conversations—some about common topics and some deeper questions about beliefs and cultural practices. The intent is to get to know people and share life in hopes of inviting them to church and sharing the Gospel with them. We had the opportunity to be a part of two of the English Connect events, meet new people, and invite them to the Mustard Seed Network church as well.

On Sunday morning in Osaka, we had one of these English Connect events right before their morning service, and I met a young lady named Yasuko. She had traveled to Osaka from Hiroshima for a work conference and sought out an English Connect event. So there we were, sitting and talking about life—and in our short time together, I found out that she had never heard of the Gospel or known about the person of Jesus. I felt this urgency to tell her and invite her to stay and go to church with me immediately following our meeting time, and she agreed!

So for the first time in her life, she heard the Gospel presented clearly and experienced what it is like to be in a room of people worshiping the ONE TRUE GOD! The seed was planted that day, and I am so thankful we exchanged information to keep in touch so we can continue to communicate about life and faith.

I am so thankful for this trip opportunity I had to be a small part of God’s plan in reaching the nations for His glory! Undoubtedly, God changes you and others when you say yes to being His hands and feet! Will you join Him?!

The question is not if you’re called, but to whom and to where you’re called.

Join us for Sending Sunday on November 9 as we unveil our lineup of 2026 trips. After both services, stay for an interest meeting in Annex 2 to learn more about each trip and how you can get involved.