What's it like being a missionary in Japan? • Meet Kim Larson

One of the privileges we have here at Bethany is being able to support missions around the world. We say that we are focused on ministry here on our campus, near in our community, and there in places all over the world. And joining me today is Kim Larson, who is one of our missionaries that we support. And I want to be able to talk to you a little bit about your ministry and what you do. And it's.

I don't get to do this over. I don't have to do this over a zoom call. I get to do this just one on one, which is great. So let's start here. You are a missionary in Tokyo, specifically Tokyo, Japan.

But I want to back up a little bit and say, first of all, how did you cross paths with Bethany? How did you. How did you come on Bethany's radar? How did Bethany come on your radar? Yeah, that's a great question.

So I actually went to school at Winona State, Winona, just across the river. And after I graduated, I was asked to work with this organization called APEX Missions, which Parker and Maggie Robbie were a part of. And they were attending Bethany and had invited me to check it out. As I was just coming to lacrosse to work with APEX at uwl. After checking it out a few times, I decided that where I wanted to plant my feet in lacrosse.

And so you got kind of a passion for missions. Were you thinking missions like growing up? Were you like, yay, missions? Was that sort of your. Your focus?

No, actually. So I was an atheist from 13 all the way to 19, and I came to know the Lord in college. But after I came to know the Lord in college, someone was telling me about the 1040 window. Basically from 10 degrees latitude to 40 degrees longitude. It's this rectangular bo on the world map, and it makes up a lot of Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East.

And in this box, it's people groups that less than 1% of those people groups have ever heard the name of Jesus before, that there's Bibles translated in their language, or there's churches that they could even go to. Because of this. We need more people to go to the 1040 window to share the Gospel so that they can even know the name of Jesus Christ. I think I'd been a believer for a month. And after I heard about the 1040 window, I just realized that I had every opportunity in the world to come to know Jesus.

And I kept saying no, but there was people that didn't even have that choice to say no or not. And I knew from that point on that missions Needed to be in my life in some way or another. These are primarily what we would call unreached people groups, Groups of people who have not been reached with the gospel. There's not a large scale Christian population there. Very similar to the early church and to the New Testament.

Yeah. So how did you settle on Japan? Actually, I had no desire to go to Japan. Japan was the last place on my radar. I had just come back from a trip from Southeast Asia.

And after that trip, I was asked if I wanted to intern with apex my senior year of college and lead a trip. And that kind of freaked me out because I had been a believer for maybe a year and a half at that time. And I was like, there's no way that I'm equipped. They're like, no, you're going to go and you can choose between Japan, the Middle east, and Germany. And I was like, great, let's go to the Middle East.

That sounds amazing. Like, that sounds like what I envisioned missions to look like from a very naive mindset. And after talking with the college pastor of the students that we were going to be taking and with my teammates, they were like, kim, I don't know a lot of parents that would be comfortable sending their kids to the Middle east right now. And I was like, well, we can just weed out the week. Let's go.

And they're like, no, I don't think that's the mindset to have. And I was like, oh, that's fair. So then I was like, oh, let's go to Germany instead. Like, that sounds really fun and exciting. And they're like, kim, we actually think that Japan is where this trip should go.

And I remember being like, okay, great. So I didn't actually have a choice. This was the pop quiz, and I failed it. Like, although I can laugh about it now, at the time, I felt really bitter because I didn't want to raise support for a place that I didn't want to want to go. And so I remember praying, lord, break my heart for what breaks yours in Tokyo, Japan, where we were going, because I knew I wanted to lead this trip well, and I didn't want to have bitterness in my heart.

And, yeah, the Lord totally broke my heart. Awesome. So you and I passed, like ships in the night. You were leaving Bethany as I was arriving. I don't take that personally, but raise support.

You went to Tokyo. Talk a little bit about what your ministry consists of in missionary terms. There are church planters and there are Bible translators, as you mentioned. There are folks who do Missionary, aviation, all kinds of things. Medical missions.

What does your mission look like? Yeah, my team's focus is on church planting, specifically small house churches. And so something that my team is really passionate about is giving a place where Japanese people feel comfortable asking questions about the Bible, Christianity in general, anything under the sun that will continue to get them thinking about potentially coming to know the Lord. We want to give them a comfortable place to do that. And we found that when we have small house churches, it's a more accessible and more intimate way for them to fully take in what we're.

We're talking about on our, on our Sundays. And so we've so far have four churches planted and are in the process of potentially expanding to a fifth, which is really exciting. And so when I go back, a large focus of mine will be on continuing to be a part of one of our small house churches and planting more. Do you find the Japanese people are curious about Christianity? Yes, I.

Yes and no. I would say that oftentimes it takes a long time to get them comfortable, to ask questions if they are curious. A lot of times when I first meet people and they learn about my job, they're like, oh, I am an atheist. And I'm like, oh, okay. And they're like, I do not want to have any spiritual conversations.

And I'm like, oh, okay, that's, that's fine. And let's just start off with coffee and getting to know one another. And then eventually I find that after we have taken time to get to know each other and they get more comfortable with me and they know that I want to just connect with them on a human level, then they're more willing to open up about their questions when it comes to spirituality, Christianity, Jesus. And that's when we can start opening up those conversations and I can invite them into our church. I would think that in Japan, although there might be atheists because of Shintoism and there's a sense of spirituality there, because ancestors who have passed on, you need to honor them.

And spirits are a big thing, and what we would think of as ghosts would sort of be a big thing. So there's at least an accessibility to a spiritual world. Yeah, actually. So I would say that Shintoism and Buddhism are the two largest religions in Japan, but with the younger generations coming up, they're taking on more of a stance of being an atheist or agnostic. Oftentimes when you talk to people, they will say, oh, my family's Buddhist, so I'm Buddhist, or my family Shinto, so I'M Shinto.

But they don't really practice it the same way that their family does. However, that's like another can of worms of even just talking about Christianity, of like inviting them into our church and being like, hey, do you want to just check it out? Their response might be, at least at first, my family Shinto. Like I, I'm Shinto, I can't be a part of this. Because in their minds if they were to switch to another religion besides what their family has believed in for generations, then that would be really shameful.

Shame is a big thing. The shame, honor, culture, we talk about that sometimes in that's the world of the Bible. Yeah. And that certainly is the case throughout the east as well. Are you seeing people of all ages that you're mostly connecting with or is it the younger crowd?

What's really cool about our churches is we have a lot of multi generational churches. Some of them are more focused on different things. Like one of our house churches we call family church because that's where a lot of the families go. So that they can both be, be, you know, encouraged and learn and like take part in a sermon as well as like teach that to the kids as well and have a kids church afterwards. The one that I'm a part of tends to be more 20s and 30s, but then we have a few that are the ages between 20 to 60 or 70, which is really sweet to see.

Personally I'm. My focus is more on people around my age or younger. So where do you meet people to invite them to church? What my team and I have found is when we go about and find specific hobbies or places of interest and just develop genuine connections with those people there. So for instance, at my language class I've really poured into my language teachers or I really enjoy bouldering and running and so I've become a part of like a run club and going to a bouldering gym.

And so I found mutual interests with people in those places and I can develop friendships with those people there and then eventually as those friendships continue to grow, invite them outward. And some of my teammates are moms and so they're able to connect with moms when they drop off their kids. Or my coworker Colin, he's a part of a rugby club and so he's been able to connect with people through that too. Does it help that you are a curiosity to people as a blond haired westerner coming into a culture that maybe doesn't see a lot of those? Does that help you?

I wish. I think that in the sense that there's more leniency if I make a cultural mistake and people are really kind about that, or even with language, they get really excited that I want to learn a language because it's very clear that it's not my first language. But in terms of just overall curiosity about me as a person, I wouldn't say that's the case in Japan. That's probably not a case in Japan. In general though, is that really a part of their culture?

Curiosity about each other? Are they very. Are they more, I would say, self possessed people where you're, you're sort of focused on, on yourself and your family and less outgoing with other people in general. People in Japan are community focused when it comes to an external lens. For instance, there's this unspoken rule that if there's a lost kiddo, like if you just see a random kid in need or an elderly adult, you're going to help those people and you're going to make sure that they are safe and taken care of.

That's just an unspoken rule. Or if you see someone that drops their coat, you're going to run and pick it up or like show them that they left their coat on the ground and, and give that to them. Or for me, remember my first week I got lost. I was trying to find a bus and it was only in kanji and I couldn't read kanji at the time. And so I was just standing at a random bus stop for 20 minutes just looking around for what I was supposed to take in.

This random Japanese woman who I've never met decided to stop her trek of wherever she was going. And for an hour and a half she went and went out of her way to help me. And that's just a part of their culture. But when it comes to internal things, they tend to be really reserved. They don't really trust.

There's kind of this saying called hone and tata mai. And your hone is your inner self and your tata mai is your outer self. And so you can show people anything in your tata mai, in your outer self. But to let people in on your inner self, like your politics, your questions on religion, really hard things that are going on in your life, you don't let people into that. That's just something that you keep in because you don't want to burden people with your problems because that would be really shameful.

Yeah. So can you tell us a story of someone? You've been there, it's been about four years by my calendar. Give us Give us at least just one story of someone who you've been able to impact with the go possible. I would say my.

My friend Erico. So I've known Erico for about three years now. A little over three years. And she was one of my language teachers. Right away we just like bonded in the first class.

She lived in America for 10 years, so right away she already kind of was used to American culture in a a little bit, which made it a little easier to connect, but more so she already had an idea of what a missionary was. Because at this school that I was attending, there was a lot of missionaries that were coming through from different organizations. But it was also really clear that she was super professional. And there was this guard up, which I totally understood. And honestly, like every day before class, I would just pray, like, lord, I just pray that you would allow me to get a little bit closer to Eriko sensei just a little bit.

And literally every class I would get a little bit closer and she would let me in a little bit more. Even to this day, I go into class and I'm like, I don't know how we could get any closer, but we do like it just. She lets. She continues to let me in and hone her honey. Yeah.

And so I remember maybe it was two years into class, I finally got her her number, her phone number, which technically, teachers and students aren't supposed to have each other's numbers. And so she broke the rules a little bit, but a lot of teachers do. And so after she gave me her number, I get this random text and she was like, hey, for your next class, can you please bring in your most important item to you to do show and tell. And you're only going to do it in Japanese. And I was like, okay, great.

I know exactly what I'm going to bring in. Afterwards, I get to class and she shares her item and she goes. And then she's like, okay, it's your turn. So I bring out my Bible and I present it to her in Japanese. And before I could even finish my first sentence, she stops me and she slams her hands onto the table, bends over, her eyes are wide, her jaw like drops.

And she's just like, is this a Bible? And I said, yeah, this is a Bible. Have you ever. Have you ever seen a Bible? And she's like, maybe in my hotel in Chicago, but in person like this?

No, like I've never seen it before. And I was like, oh, really? Do you want. Do you want to hold it? Do you want to touch it.

And she's like, it's so holy. This is such a holy book. I was like, yeah, but you can, you can read it if you want. You can like open it. And she was like, no, no, it's too holy for me.

It's too holy for me. And so after that, like, I slowly was able to start asking more questions. And she was opening up to me about different things in her life. And I think the next class she asked me if I could would pray for her family. And then the next class she told me that I was her angel, which we're still working on, but just continue.

Like every time it just feels like there's a continuation of her asking me another question. And she's not quite there yet. But I do have a Bible that is in Japanese that I've been holding onto and waiting to give to her for when she's ready. And so she's someone that I've been really putting a lot of focus on. Well, we need to pray that God would give you that timing.

Probably giving it to her too early would be. She might push it away, but God will lead you into that. Let's talk a little bit about the uncomfortable part of, of missions, which is the financial piece. And it just takes money to be able to do what you're doing and to serve you know where you are. So let's talk about that.

What can you tell us about your financial picture and what you need? I know there's a, there's a set amount that you kind of need to raise, but then there's a monthly support amount as well. Can you talk to us about that? Yeah, I, I am fully support raised. So my, my entire salary and anything that's related to what I do, like for instance, whether it's Bibles to give to people or things that we need for our churches or other ministry things, all come out of the finances that I, I support raise.

And so I'm very thankful for just the years that I've been able to do this and for all of the faithful people that have come alongside, joined my team, whether that's through prayer or finances or both or, or just being an encouragement in different ways. The Lord has blessed me immensely over the last several years of doing this. But right now I am currently in need of about 10% in monthly support. And so that's probably around 700amonthly support. But my bigger need is my, my one time, which is about $20,000 of need.

And that really makes up a. I'll be in need of When I go back to Japan for the different ministry, like whether it's books that I need to. For. For our church services or Bibles to hand out to people, different tracks, plane tickets to get to back to Japan and everything in between, like, that really will hold me over for a really long time. So that comes out of that one time cost and that it goes into your account. And that's part.

That's just part of the process that in order to make it over to another place and to serve there, you've got to have this bank account kind of filled up because they want to make sure that you're supported there and not stranded there. Right, Exactly. And it also helps in case I do have a month where for whatever reasons people need to drop and I don't have my full monthly support, that one time really is a security so that I can dip into that one time if needed. If I, for some reason don't have enough in my monthly. Okay, so that is about $20,000, and then you still need about $700 a month to make it up.

All right, so we're going to pray about that, too. So, Kim, if there's one thing that you want us to take away from hearing about your ministry, one thing that's going on there in Japan, one thing that you want your church to hear from you, what is it? We're all called to missions in some way or another. And whether that's by joining Missionaries support team in some way or doing that locally here in La Crosse, I just really want to encourage everyone to think about what missions could look like in their life. Japan is in the 1040 window, but the Lord is at work.

And it's so cool to see how many people are accepting the Lord there. And I've been fortunate enough to see eight people in my four years get baptized, which is a huge number. Wow. And so it's been so sweet to see that, and I'm excited to see through your prayers and your encouragement what more the Lord can do through me and my team in Japan. Awesome.

First of all, thank you for obeying the call of God on your life to go and to do something that many of us would not do, or we'd like to think we would, but maybe we wouldn't. Thanks for being obedient. Thanks for going to a place and to a people group that is not yours and loving them well. And we're going to keep praying for you. Thank you.

Thanks for having me. Well, there it is. Church. If you want to meet Kim and talk to her a little bit. She'd be happy to answer questions for you or if you want to pray for her or if you want to support her financially.

She's going to be out at the kiosk in the lobby today right after the service, so make sure you go out and say hello to her. Thanks.