Context & Calling

Tomorrow, I leave for Japan.

For months, I’ve been preparing for this trip-reading, studying, praying, packing, and trying to learn as much as I can before I go. Now, with my suitcase almost packed and just a few things left to do, the trip suddenly feels very real.

If I’m honest, the part that makes me most anxious isn’t traveling to Japan. I’ve been there once before. While I certainly don’t know everything about the culture, it isn’t completely unfamiliar. What’s harder is leaving my family, especially my children, for nine days. That’s a small sacrifice compared to what many missionary families experience, but it’s one I’m feeling today.

This trip also feels different from my first visit. Since then, my seminary studies and completing the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course have profoundly shaped the way I think about missions. They’ve challenged me to think more deeply about contextualization, to appreciate the global Church, and to approach another culture with greater humility. Rather than arriving with assumptions, I want to arrive ready to listen, learn, and encourage the people
God has already called to serve there.

I’m looking forward to reconnecting with Japan through fresh eyes- learning from missionaries who have faithfully invested years of their lives there and from Japanese believers whose experiences will undoubtedly deepen my own understanding of God’s work in the world.

As I prepare to leave, I’m praying that God will give me wisdom, humility, and attentiveness. My hope is that I will be an encouragement to others and return home with a deeper love for His Church and a clearer vision for faithful ministry, both in Japan and back home in Texas.

Acts 1:8 has anchored my thoughts throughout this season:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

As our team travels over the next nine days, I would be grateful if you would pray with us.

Pray that we would serve with humility and love. Pray for the missionaries and Japanese believers we will have the privilege of encouraging. Pray that God would prepare the hearts of those we meet, give us wisdom in every conversation, and continue building His Church in Japan.

I’ll be sharing reflections, stories, and photographs throughout the trip as time and internet access allow. My hope is not simply to document where we go, but to reflect on where I see God at work and what He is teaching me along the way.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. Your prayers are a meaningful part of it.