From childhood, both Tim and Sarah have had an innate love of Japan and Japanese culture and it has become a key part of our marriage. As believers, the love for Japan has become more than a recognition of the beauty in the country and its people. It has become a hope for them to be redeemed. As such, we have been actively involved in Japanese ministry together for over 15 years.
In 2017 we followed God’s lead in relocating our family from Washington D.C. to Orlando, Florida. At the time we believed we were giving up our ministry to Japanese because D.C. has more than 10X the number of Japanese immigrants or temporary residents as Orlando. We lifted up our lives and asked God to show us what was next.
To our surprise, shortly after moving we were asked to come on board with Second Level, and become focused on developing culturally specific discipleship materials for Japanese believers to grow and share their faith. As a family we have served on two month-long trips to Japan with Second Level and over six years in ministry with the organization.
Another love we’ve had since childhood has been for Disney movies and art. Tim is an animator by trade and has worked on some Disney animation productions. Sarah and Tim have used Disney movies as tools to share the Gospel of Christ both in Japan and America, revealing the parallels to Christ’s story of redemption often found in the films. Our home in Orlando is several minutes away from Walt Disney World, which we’ve found has a culture of its own. In many ways we’ve become ambassadors for Christ to the cast members of WDW. One example is a young man from Tokyo whom we invited to our home for New Years dinner with our family (New Year’s is the most family centric holiday in Japan.) While at our table he suddenly began to cry. He said, “I’ve been in America for one full year now and this is the first time I’ve been in an American home.”
Around this time we were connected to Agape Source, an organization focused on welcoming the International cast members to Orlando and caring for their physical, emotional and, most importantly, spiritual needs. We began volunteering with them while also serving with Second Level. They told us they had been praying for a couple to come and specifically care for the Japanese cast members with the love of Christ.
This is a very unique calling that we believe we have been prepared for since our childhoods. The need and opportunity here is great as Japanese are the second most unreached people-group and are unlikely to hear the Gospel in Japan. What they expect when they come to America is a chance to experience American culture and improve their English, but what they end up finding is often a letdown involving intense work schedules, little opportunity to meet local American friends and only a chance to speak “hospitality” English with park guests. The consequences of this experience often lead to depression and feelings of loss. We bring them hope, not merely for their time here in Orlando, but for Eternity.
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