Starting at the Samurai Projects【Autumn 2025 Newsletter】

I am from Shizuoka Prefecture and was raised in a Christian home. During my junior high school years, I began to turn away from God. However, one day during fellowship at church, I became convinced that Jesus is truly God. When I was in a time of deep disappointment, I had a personal encounter with Jesus, and I am deeply grateful that He gave me life and the joy of living. As I experienced more of God’s greatness, I began to feel a growing desire to share the gospel with more people—especially with young people—so that they too might encounter the true God while they are still young.

After graduating from university, through God’s leading, I began serving in student ministry with the Kirisutosha Gakusei Kai (KGK, the Fellowship of Christian Students in Japan) in the Tokai region (Nagoya). This is now my third year in KGK, and this year I also began serving as a staff worker while participating in the Samurai Projects. In my daily ministry, I support student-led activities such as Bible study groups and enjoy spending time in fellowship with students.

In the Samurai Projects, at the end of each term, we conduct self-assessments and receive evaluations from our trainers in three areas: “Biblical Conviction,” “Christian Character,” and “Teaching Ability.” To be honest, I used to dislike both evaluating myself and being evaluated by others. Even in school, I remember feeling uncomfortable when grades seemed to define who I was, and I often felt exhausted by worrying about others’ opinions.

However, after completing the first term of the Samurai Projects, I realized something important: that I still tend to fear others’ evaluations, and that this itself is part of my sin. Yet at the same time, I have also experienced the grace of being able to return to the gospel again and again. Through the classes and assignments in the Samurai Projects, I was reminded not just to gain knowledge, but to see afresh how wonderful the gospel truly is and to rely on God alone.

Our self-assessments or others’ evaluations of us do not change our value in God’s eyes. God loves us with an unchanging love and declares us perfectly righteous through Jesus Christ alone. This truth gives me deep hope. Just as a father watches over the growth of his child, I believe God Himself is joyfully watching over my growth and transformation. The staff and trainers of the Samurai Projects also lovingly walk alongside the Samurai participants, thinking and growing together with us, and rejoicing in our progress.

I want to continue facing myself with the love of God—to keep challenging myself, making mistakes, and growing through it all. As I do, I hope to know more and more of the richness of the gospel and to share it with the students and people around me. I am truly thankful to the Lord for allowing me to learn and grow in such a wonderful environment.

---