What We Do
In August of 1988, we arrived in Osaka, Japan with an 11-month-old daughter, ready to tackle our first goal of language school. Before we left the States, a veteran missionary gave us some valuable advice. He said, "Your first 30 years of language school will be the hardest." He assured us that it would get easier after that!
That bit of humor carried a great deal of wisdom. This IS a difficult language! It is not so difficult to learn, as it is to use. There are thousands of characters in their writing system and several levels of politeness in speaking. There are also many hidden meanings as well as predetermined statements that seem to have no meaning that one is just supposed to figure out! Besides these, there are many dialects that become separate languages in themselves.
Despite the difficulty of the language, Japan is a great place to live and work. The Japanese people are a hard working and kind people.
So why are we learning such a difficult language and why have we lived in Japan for 20 years?
Our heart's desire is to see people come to know the most wonderful Friend a person could have - Jesus Christ! To tell people the miraculous story of Christ and His power to change lives is a blessing beyond compare. To do so in a land where many areas are almost untouched by Independent Baptist missionaries is challenging.