Without any warning, a group of Taiwanese believers came to Tokyo for a short-term mission trip, based out of Nippori Church. In the few minutes before the mission team arrived, the youth fellowship scrambled to learn how to say "warm welcome" in Taiwanese. That evening, the team cooked braised pork rice (lu rou fan) and bubble milk tea for us to enjoy.
Meeting Brother Jiazhi
As the evening was winding down, I talked with a few of the visitors. Among them was a brother named Jiazhi, who had a congenital disability. Despite the physical difficulties, he lived a life full of hope that transcended hardship, and through it he testified to and proclaimed the Lord's way. When I walked over to him, I thought I shouldn't just pass him by, so I sat down and talked with him for a while. When we parted, we held hands and prayed blessings over one another.
A Week of Persistent Invitations
Over the following week, Jiazhi launched a gentle "offensive" on me, urging me to invite local friends who were open to the gospel to join them for a meal and conversation. Suddenly I had one more thing on my plate, and honestly I felt it was a bit of a hassle. But considering they had come all this way and were staying for a whole week, I felt I should make some effort for their "KPI," so I invited two friends. One of them responded, and we started discussing when to meet. Because of my work schedule, we ended up settling on lunch on the very last day of the mission trip. In the meantime, most of my friend's replies were just "mm" or "okay," so by the last day I was still a bit worried β until I called and he told me he was on the train, and I finally relaxed.
Lunch on the Last Day
After we met up, I figured I'd just leave things to the Taiwanese visitors and enjoy my meal. But my friend was in great form, talking about all kinds of things from mainland China, and the Taiwanese visitors found it all fascinating. In the last thirty minutes of the conversation, Jiazhi finally got to the point β he took out a gospel booklet and began explaining the basics and key points of the gospel to my friend. My friend said that although he still had obstacles to believing, he didn't mind being friends with us. Afterward, on the way back to church, this friend stayed with us the whole time and chatted with everyone.
What This Trip Meant
This experience of partnering with our Taiwanese brothers and sisters on this short-term mission trip was rare and precious β precious because it actually worked. Ziyi shared with us that handing out flyers to strangers on the street mostly just tests your courage, since there's no deeper emotional connection with the person. Only with the friends around you, people you actually spend time with and share an emotional bond with, can you pour in more love and genuine care. This matches my own view fairly closely. I'm someone who needs relationships, and since coming to Tokyo, I've tried to build connections through every possible channel. I often think of it this way: it's not about "evangelizing," but simply about building connection, trying to understand and respect one another. Whether there's a chance to go to church together afterward, to learn about our faith β that comes later. This is even more true for us as Christians living in Japan. How our behavior and attitude earn the respect of Japanese people, how well we can blend in with them β these are questions we need to work through before we ever get to sharing the gospel.
Gratitude and What Comes Next
I'm grateful to the Taiwanese brothers and sisters who came to Japan. It was Jiazhi's constant encouragement over that week that made this meeting with my friend happen. I want to carry this effort forward and keep inviting this friend to church.
A Little Bonus: A Well-Trained Mission Team
One last small story. I'm terrible with faces β it usually takes about three meetings before I can match a name to a person. And yet several of the visitors, whom I'd only met once, blurted out "Brother Tan" the moment they saw me at the final gathering on the last day β while I couldn't recall a single one of their names. Later I told Yawen about this, and she said, "That's exactly what a well-trained mission team looks like." Thank you, all of you.
Postscript
I wrote this account three years ago, during my second year in Japan. Now, these members of the Taiwanese CCC team have become good friends of mine. Every time we meet, it feels warm and familiar β a friendship that has long since crossed the strait. I'm also grateful for the freedom Japan has given us, the space to be together like this.
