Hiroaki Tokuyama, Leon Buchanan, Tomoaki Kadoi, Andrew Buchanan,
Makito Miyashita, Thierry Richards
Hiroaki Tokuyama
Mustard Seed Church Tokyo
Introduction: Hiroaki Tokuyama (28) graduated after his two years on the Samurai Projects on 27th March. He has worked at Mustard Seed Church in Tokyo where he has shadowed and been trained by the pastors. He will continue working for Mustard Seed in Tokyo where he will preach once a month and lead the adults ministry.
Before joining the Samurai Projects, I was faced with the daily struggle of working as a Christian and how to connect my faith with my real life. In my role as a high school teacher, there were many times when I was challenged about my values and choices in my faith as I interacted with students, parents and colleagues. Through this process, I became aware of the challenges of working in a setting where there are very few Christians, and I developed a desire to support others in a similar situation. This desire was a major catalyst for my participation in the Samurai Projects.
When I joined the Samurai Projects, I shared with the pastor, church staff and brothers and sisters my thoughts and what kind of work I wanted to do through this internship. I was anxious, but many people in the church supported me through prayer and I realised that their support was a great provision from God. To this day, I am truly grateful that I have been able to move forward in my internship with the encouragement of Christ’s church.
One of the most memorable experiences was being able to see first-hand the local churches in different regions and engage with the local people on the last two mission trips. As I am usually involved in ministry in Tokyo, I do not have many contacts with churches in other parts of Japan, and the experience of planning and organizing weekday events in such places and attending Sunday services together was very valuable.
I am also grateful for the opportunity to study the Word in depth through classes such as biblical exegesis, apologetics and systematic theology. In particular, I have experienced how theological study is directly related not only to my personal faith life but also to my work in the church, which has made me reconsider my vocation.
Furthermore, the connections I have made with the friends I have met through this program have been a great blessing. The feeling of being united by the gospel, despite our different backgrounds, is invaluable to me.
Through these experiences, I have learnt once again the importance of connecting faith with real life. The learning and connections given to me through Samurai Projects have strengthened my ministry and faith life. I will continue to walk with Jesus, looking forward to how God will lead me and how He will work with the people around me. I would like to thank all those who support this program and I pray and ask that the glory of the Lord will be further revealed.