The Beginning

Let me give you the scenario: Up until 4 years of age, I was in a continuous battle with brain cancer and spinal meningitis. I was blind in one eye, and had 1400/20 vision in my other eye. I was the guinea pig of countless experimental surgeries and procedures, and everyday I had to struggle with rehab. I wasn’t expected to live long, and yet at 4 years of age I became convinced six things were going to be true about my life :

1. I was never going to date
2. I was only going to marry a Japanese girl
3. I was going to be a Pastor
4. I was going to live in Japan
5. I was going to be a Pastor in Kyoto
6. I was going to bring good news to the Japanese people

People didn’t quite understand me, because I wasn’t suppose to live, and my family was either not Christians or new Christians. Everyone thought it was simply the ramblings of a crazy sick kid, but to this day God has been faithfully leading me in my life, even when I wasn’t conscience of His presence. He has to date helped me to realize in full the first 4 of the six statements, and even now the last two are coming forth into realization. And when I look on this in my life I am amazed, because every time I came up to a major roadblock in my life, God has positioned and maneuvered me through the seemingly impossible obstacles along the way. Does that mean that my life has been easy? NO! Just the opposite – every time I threw in the towel, God worked me back into the ring.

So why am I writing this? I am writing this as my first blog post on this website, because I am standing at the threshold of point number 5 in my life. I am surrounded by a wonderful family, an amazing Church (Liberty Church), and I have wonderful friends and teammates who have come along side of me in this adventure! I am a lucky man, and yet as I stand here ready to wade into this adventure, I am surrounded by doubt, fear, and uncertainty. Did God really say? Did God really bring us here? Is this where I am supposed to be? Do I really think I can make a difference? There are constant struggles with finances, work, and I can’t even speak the language fluently! Is this where I am supposed to be?

Then I remember a quote that the famous missionary, Alexander Mackay, once said,

“A powerful nation has to be won from darkness to light; superstition and idolatry have to be overthrown; men have to be taught to love God and love their neighbor, which means the uprooting of institutions that have lasted for centuries; labor made noble, the slave set free, knowledge imparted, and wisdom implanted; and above all, that true wisdom taught which alone can elevate man from a brute to a son of God. Who would not willingly engage in such a noble work, and consider it the highest honor on earth to be called to do it?”

I am not good enough for this work, BUT God is, and I have not been the one ordaining my life, healing me, restoring me, and pushing me forward. I gave up many times, but God is and always has been faithful! My desire is to live with complete abandon for Him, to give my all and leave the rest to Him. You don’t need to be perfect to serve God, you simply need to be willing, and for all my faults, at least I am and always will remain willing. So I thank God for allowing me to come to this wonderful country of Japan, and to the beautiful city of Kyoto in order to share Him with the amazing Japanese people. Not because I can, but because God Can and Will!

- Mike