Slam the Door, Lord

I had been fascinated with Japan for decades. In the same month, I had my first taste of sushi and taught my first lesson on intercultural communication. Soon after, while serving at a Christian camp, I learned how unreached Japan was. I tried to go on my own, but repeatedly failed.

If You Have Work for Me

Finally, in 2021, I applied for a Fulbright grant to teach in Japan for a year. I told God, “If I am only a tourist, slam the door, Lord. But if You have work for me, then no power on Earth can keep that door shut.” With that, I clicked “Submit” on my proposal and put it out of my mind.

Long story, but God flew me to Japan, put me up in a house, and I stayed eleven months. I taught at Tsuda University, Tokyo International University, and Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS), where Yukako was my minder. It was exciting, but I still didn’t know what work He had for me. 

Anything You Like

One day near the end of the fall term Yukako told me I could teach a one-week intensive class if I liked: a whole semester in five days. I asked, “What should I teach?” She replied, “Anything you like.”

The next day she handed me the tiny, printed list of course titles, which was a record of what previous instructors had taught. One course was titled “Christianity: Unity in Diversity.” 

I thought “Hold up. Am I being offered the opportunity to teach a class about Christianity?”

I designed a class titled, “How Christianity Helps Explain the Way Westerners Communicate.” The cornerstone was Joseph Henrich’s argument that the individualism-collectivism split grew out of Catholic teaching about marriage. I taught about relational mobility, power distance, conflict and forgiveness, explaining how Christian teaching had shaped communication differently from Confucian and Buddhist ideas. 

And Here I Was, the Sensei

TUFS scheduled the class. Only three students signed up for it, but we had wonderful conversations. Then, Tsuda and TIU both asked me what I planned to teach in their spring term, and I offered my spiffy new special topics. In the end, I taught these to more than 90 students. My friends, many of them Cru staff, were amazed: they told me how hard they had to work just to get on campus, and here I was, the sensei, explaining Christianity and fielding questions. 

At the last meeting one young lady named Keiko approached me and said, “I’ve decided to become a Christian.” She told me how many people she knew were in desperate need of forgiveness. I now pray for her all the time.

God didn’t open the door for me to minister to Japanese students; He kicked the door off its hinges.

He gave me a role I never could have won by my own efforts. The thing I couldn’t stop saying to my American students when I returned is, “God really is that good!”