Reflection from Japan Trip
God’s Love for Every Culture and Nation 🗺️
When I traveled to Brazil and Thailand in 2022, I spent most of my time with local Christians and itinerant missionaries. This Japan trip was special because it was the first time when I interacted with long term missionaries🧳, those who had been in Japan for 2 years all the way to 30+ years. I was touched to hear each person’s story of how God moved their hearts for the people of Japan. For many, their love ❤️ for Japan 🇯🇵 can be traced all the way back to their passion for Japanese culture when they were a child or teenager and for some, their compassion for Japan was stirred up by the 2008 tsunami. As they shared their stories, I was reminded of the love God has given me for the people of China since I was 6 years old. Whether I was choosing a school project, a book or a movie, I always wanted to learn more about Chinese culture 🇨🇳. I dressed up as explorer Zheng He; I loved to read Chinese historical fiction novels; I design my school classroom with Kung Fu Panda 🐼.
*Reflect: Which culture do you have a (super)natural love for?
Japan needs friends 🤗
I heard a quote, “Japan does not need more missionaries. Japan needs friends.” It was encouraging to meet Americans and Canadians who have chosen to be a friend of Japan for many years.
I was reminded of Jackie Pullinger who moved in 1966 to love God’s children in Hong Kong’s Kowloon Walled City, a center for opium and brothels. In her book, Chasing the Dragon, she recounts a dialogue with one of the gang leaders, “We’ve been watching you. Many missionaries come to Hong Kong to help us poor people. They put us in sociological boxes and analyze us. Then they take our pictures to shock the Westerners by our living conditions…What we want to know is if you are concerned with us. Now you have been here for four years, and we have decided that maybe you mean what you say.”
While I am not putting down short term mission trips, I believe long-term missionaries and relationships are needed to fully express God’s love to a community. Here is the second part of Jackie’s dialogue: “Poon Siu Jeh, we sat up for the whole night last evening discussing you, and we came to one of two conclusions. Either the British government has sent you here as a spy, or what you say about Jesus must be true, because there can’t be any other explanation. Nobody’s going to spend their life with us down here unless they have to, or unless Jesus is real.” For these people in Hong Kong, it took 4 years to build trust and relationship before they could believe that God has sent Jackie all the way from England to share the love of Jesus.
*Reflect: How long does it take for you to build trust with someone?
Jesus has been pursuing 👰🏻♀️ Japan for hundreds of years.
In 1549, Francis Xavier from Portugal traveled to Japan to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. As the good news began to spread, Nagasaki was estimated to have 500,000 Christians in the early 17th century. However, Christians also experienced persecution during this Japan revival.
In 1597, 26 martyrs were forced to march 600 miles from Kyoto to Nagasaki to be executed. During my trip to Japan, I was able to walk on part of this path. It was such a humbling experience to walk in the footsteps of these martyrs. As I reflect, I am reminded of John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” These saints were willing to give up their lives because they had a revelation of how much Jesus loved them. They were marked by God’s love and there was no turning back on their faith. Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Even though leaders tried to take away Christianity by burning down churches and Bibles, the love of God ❤️ still remains in Japan.
Japan has a history of saints who loved Jesus till the end.
The 26 Catholic Martyrs of Japan (Feb. 5, 1597) were crucified by the open-minded Buddhists in that country in Nagasaki.
The 205 Catholic Martyrs of Japan (1617-1632) died over a period of 15 years, 205 missionaries and native Christians were executed for their faith.
The 188 Martyrs of Japan (1603-1639) were lay people and religious priests who were killed because they believed in the Prince of Peace. They were beatified on Nov. 24, 2008, by Pope Benedict XVI.
The 16 Martyrs of Japan (1633–1637) were a group of missionaries from the Philippine Province of the Dominican Order who were slaughtered for refusing to deny Christ.
