Yuki Hanaki
Mustard Seed Christian Church Tokyo (Harajuku)
Hello, I’m Yuki! For a long time, I had no hope in life, but when I moved to Yakushima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture for work, I heard the gospel of Jesus Christ for the first time and decided to follow Him as a Christian. After returning to my hometown of Tokyo, I continued my spiritual journey at Mustard Seed Christian Church Tokyo. Through this experience, I developed a desire to share the good news of Jesus’ hope with all people in Japan. In April 2025, I began my studies with the Samurai Projects and started working as an intern at Mustard Seed Christian Church Tokyo! At the church, I am involved in ministry through praise leading, English conversation, and discussion events.
From June 11th to 14th, all of us Samurai students stayed at the Karuizawa Retreat Center (KRC) in Nagano Prefecture! As well as the regular Wednesday and Thursday Samurai classes, where half of the students are online, the Samurai students also have a monthly “All Together” day where everyone gathers in the classroom for lessons. But this retreat was the first time we spent three nights and four days together as a group.
Several discussions were held to prepare for the retreat. But what stood out most was the decision we all made to “minimize our use of smartphones and other electronic devices, focusing instead on time with God, fellowship, and rest”. Rather than setting strict rules, we decided to voluntarily distance ourselves from digital devices. Some students prepared maps, recipes, and sheet music in advance by printing them out, while others brought analog cameras. The joy we experienced went beyond the original purpose of setting the rule to focus on time with God.
During the retreat, we enjoyed a fulfilling time with three worship services, praise time, cooking, sports, games, hot springs, hiking, sightseeing, and prayer meetings. As the praise leader, I played the guitar and brought more sheet music than I had originally planned. However, to my delight, there were so many opportunities for praise that the extra sheet music I had prepared was not enough. Whether we were cooking, sharing time after worship, or resting at the summit after hiking, we constantly played instruments and praised God’s love. Since many Samurai students typically attend classes online, I am deeply grateful to God for the opportunity to have time to “speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and to sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord,” as mentioned in Ephesians 5:19.
During the three worship services, we listened to Makito’s bible messages and reflected on the three things that the Samurai Projects values: Christ-like character, knowing Christ and believing in Him with certainty, and the ability to teach the gospel of Christ appropriately in various situations we face as we serve Jesus (Character, Conviction, Competence). We took time to reexamine our work, pray by ourselves, share with our friends, and pray together. All of this time was encouraging.
There were also challenges. Each of us had different backgrounds, and our church styles, levels of faith, and ages varied greatly. Even in the short time we spent together, there were moments when it was difficult to understand one another or when our opinions clashed. However, through such moments, the Holy Spirit worked among us, enabling us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another. Once again, we are grateful that all of us Samurai students, who originally should not have gathered together, are united in Christ Jesus.
We are thankful for the wonderful time we were given to encourage and support one another. Please pray that we may continue to love one another, grow in Christ, and bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
