(Aki) When I encountered the living Christ who saved my life, I wanted to live this "second" and new life for him. The work of missionaries fascinated me and I soon found myself living surrounded by Christians wanting to make Jesus known. While doing a devotional at my friend's house, I flipped through the pages of the Bible and opened it to Genesis 12. I was deeply touched by the story of Abraham following God without knowing where he was going. After praying that I would walk closely with the Lord like Abraham did, I received a call to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to German speaking nations.
(Sachi) When I was studying in Seattle, I became friends with Indonesian Christians. They were not only fun and joyous, but also thought seriously about life, relationships, and the future. I realized they had something in them that I didn't have. I found out the answer was Jesus Christ and believed in Him as my Savior and Lord. Later on I received a call to make Jesus known and had a burning heart for Muslims in Indonesia.
Sachi and I (Aki) met in Christchurch in 2009 and started a long distance-relationship between New Zealand and Japan. Many times, we almost gave up our relationship because our vision and missionary destinations differed, but the Lord molded our hearts and led us to marriage in 2012. We learned that to serve the Lord whole-heartedly wherever he puts us is most important, and vision and destination are secondary. We submitted ourselves to Him and the Lord has given us an opportunity to work among Muslims in a German-speaking nation.
We are based out of Minemachi Christ Church in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan and have been serving with OM (Operation Mobilization) in Linz, Austria since December 2020.
