Outreach on the Beach + Farewell

Hang Tu | June 9

We had an outing / outreach on the beach Saturday and it was fun. A few English Connect contacts showed up, but we also made new friends on the beach and taught them frisbee. They loved it. We went to karaoke with the APCC team to bid farewell.

We flew to Osaka Sunday morning and worshiped with MSCC Osaka, met up with Kenji and pastor Shin from MSCC Tokyo at night. Kenji was so exited to show us his hometown.

It’s been an amazing trip. I am so thankful and proud of our team. We walked close to 20k steps a day. Kenji moved fast, (go go go!). Matthew and Ian did a great job following.

Talking to people – complete strangers – in Fukuoka was uncomfortable, but once we tasted a bit of a success, we wanted more. I can’t remember how many people we talked to exactly, but it was a lot. A few of them actually came to English Connect and hung out with us afterward. That was so rewarding. We will continue to pray for these faces, having developed a friendship with them.

The Japanese people are just so polite, disciplined, respectful, clean and organized. It’s hard not to like them. They made you feel welcomed and appreciated. On the outside, they are wonderful. But on the inside, they are very lost and broken.

The missionaries we met all said they appreciate the financial support and prayers, but what they really need is people moving to Japan to live sent.

They feel alone doing the work. They feel so happy and lifted when we come to visit. But they are sad when we leave.

The harvest is plentiful. The workers are few.

On average, there are 1200 people worshiping in 11 MSN churches across Japan. Time that by 1000, you will reach 1% of the population.

1200 x 1000 = 1.2 million (1%)

(Total pop is around 12 million)

We got work to do.

Thanks so much for praying for us. We’ll see you soon!

English Connect Was a Success!

Hang Tu | June 6

We met up with the Wissles and the Fukuoka team and had lunch with them. The last few days had been going to the streets, parks and university campus to engage people and invite them to English Connect. Our first Fukuoka English Connect went really well, praise God! We had 16 people show up and also 15 missionaries and staff. After English Connect, Ian and a few of his contacts went out to play pool but ended up doing karaoke. Matthew, myself and a few of our contacts also went out for a late dinner. Praise God that they were willing to connect with us!

Reaching the Unreached

Hang Tu | June 3

After visiting the famous Fukuoka tower, we went to the city hall area and later on in Ohori Park to pass out English Connect cards, invite people to join the Thursday night English Connect. We notice that people are generally more open and relaxed in Fukuoka than Tokyo. The walking pace is slower; local Japanese are willing to linger and meet people, even strangers for conversation.

The Smiths have a 6 month-old baby boy – Oliver. He has blonde hair and blue eyes, and he's the number one attraction, especially to the elderly. We also can easily talk to people with pets (complementing their pets and asking for permission to pet them seems to disarm people).

English Connect is one of the main ways to draw people into the church. A crowd will come to English Connect. A lot will come to community events (picnic, hangouts, etc.). Some will come to Sunday services and a few will attend First Step (intro to Christianity) and a few will get baptized and become believers.

The process is slow, but, it's working for MSN.

On average, there are about 1,200 people worshiping in MSN churches across Japan. If we multiply that by 1,000 churches, that would give us 12 million, about 1% of the total population since Japan has 124 million people.

1,200 x 1,000 = 1.2 million

The task of discipleship in Japan is huge. How will MSN plant 1,000 more churches in order to reach 1% of the population? It's almost impossible if you ask me.

Currently, MSN are trying to come up with new strategies, revitalizing dying churches in Japan. 15% of the Japanese churches are without pastors, and 80% of churches have pastors older than 50 years old. MSN can come alongside these churches to give support and care.

MSN is also creating a school of theology in Tokyo to train not only Japanese Christians but Christians around the world who wants to serve in a metropolitan area. They will get first-hand experience serving in an urban area while studying theology.

Please pray for our remaining time in Fukuoka to be fruitful as we invite different people on the streets, parks and universities to be part of English Connect.

Please pray for this Thursday night, our first English Connect meetup that we have at least 10 people (not including us).

First Impressions

Ian Clark | June 2

Tokyo has been a whirlwind of new food, complicated train stations, and dense crowds of people. We spent these first two days orienting ourselves to Japanese culture. Understanding the hearts of those whom we are here to pursue is critical to making connections that open the door for gospel conversations. Here are three things that have stood out to me during our time here so far:

Pursuit of excellence in everything: Japanese culture is built around an attention to detail that goes above and beyond anything I’ve seen in America. There is no task too small or mundane that it does not deserve the utmost attention and respect. While visiting Meiji Jingu - the most famous Shinto shrine in Tokyo - we encountered a worker cleaning paths. The path in question was the width of several lanes of traffic and stretched hundreds of yards in either direction, but instead of ignoring the small scattering of leaves on the path or using a leaf blower, he carefully and methodically swept the path with a traditional bamboo broom. The uncountable hours required to finish the task notwithstanding, he worked with a focus and purpose that would be unthinkable for such a task in the United States.

Spiritual hunger: during our visit to the Mustard Seed Church Tokyo, we learned again the extent of darkness in Japan. Less than 1% of the population is Evangelical Christian, and an estimated 85% of the population does not even know a Christian. Yet there are deep rooted traditions in Shintoism and Buddhism, sometimes without participants even knowing the meaning behind the rituals they perform or attend. Japanese children are taken to a Buddhist temple during several milestone birthdays in early childhood, and Buddhist funerals are often held for deceased family members, yet those in attendance frequently cant translate the chants performed by the Buddhist monks during these ceremonies.

Extreme respect and introversion: the natural question becomes: if people are spiritually hungry, how could an open country like Japan have so few believers? The respect for others’ privacy is a defining feature of daily life in Japan. Trains feel like libraries, with little to no conversation. Interaction between strangers rarely occurs, as people don’t want to “interrupt” others as they go about their days. This results in a culture where evangelism requires an even more delicate and intentional approach than usual. Societal norms dampen natural faith sharing, and shape a population where the vast majority of individuals have never heard the Good News.

Hang Tu | June 2

We flew to Fukuoka Monday evening. We are slowly getting the hang of taking the trains. I sat with a Chinese tourist on the way to Narita Airport (Tokyo), Albert. He is currently a grad student in Europe and was planning to study in the U.S. a few years back but his visa was denied. He is not angry, just disappointed. After 15 minutes of small talk about food, and culture, I asked him about spiritual things. I found out that Albert is an atheist but open to learning about Jesus, I shared the gospel with him and we exchanged numbers. Meanwhile, Pastor Matthew was standing near me and was praying.

In 2025, the number of foreign residents in Japan reached a record high of 3.7 million, an increase of 10.5% from the end of 2023, according to Nikkei Asia. The Chinese population was the largest, followed by the Vietnamese and South Koreans. MSN recognized these global shifts and began to translate many of their materials (1st Step Class, which is essentially an intro to Christianity course) in Chinese, Korean and even Portuguese.

Many of these foreigners like Albert will not be able to hear the gospel, and might not be open to Christianity in their homeland, but, in a foreign land, away from their family, they are hungry for connection, community and support. The Church not only provides these foreigners with the gospel, but a sense of belonging. Much of the MSN is about reaching the 99% of unreached Japanese, but also recognizing the need of the city and providing for the foreigners the Lord brings to this country. Mustard Seed Christian Church Tokyo is the most diverse congregation, followed by Osaka, and Kyoto.

Tuesday morning, we couldn't find a big enough room in our hotel to meet and pray, so we cramped into Kenji's room. Kenji led us into a time of God's word in Acts 1 and 2. We looked at these truths.

- The person of Christ

- The promise of Christ

- The power of the Holy Spirit

- Preparation

- Proclamation

- Fruitfulness

Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Not just the professionals (missionaries and pastors) are called to be witnesses. ALL BELIEVERS are to be Jesus' witnesses. At Fairfax Bible, we often said the phrase "Love Christ and live sent." We can live sent or be Jesus' witnesses any where and everywhere. As long as we have breath, we are witnesses. The question isn't "should I be a witness of Christ"? It's "Where should I be a witness and to whom am I to witness?"

We met up with the Fukuoka Team: David, Alyssa, Wissel, William and Lydia Payne, Mai Kaneda, Gabe & Jesse and their kids.

We Made It To Japan!

Deciding which restaurant to eat took longer time than I thought and ordering food from the app was challenging. Scan the QR code and it's all in Japanese! I wish Kanade was here.  We went to the Tokyo Tower and thought we would save time if we walked; we just ended up making a huge circle and finally went to bed around 8:30 PM. I woke up 2:30a PM. Not bad :)

We’re going to the Meiji Jingu (shrine) this morning for a prayer walk, and the MSN Tokyo church for worship. We’ll be meeting with Jay Greer (president of MSN) and Don Broeker, today as well as IBM (International Mission Board) directors for Japan, and a missionary this evening.

After 22 hours of flying and travel, we made to our hotel at 2 PM on Saturday. Happy picked me (Hang) up at 3 AM from Centreville Friday morning and we arrived at our hotel at 2 PM Saturday.

Ian and Matthew are quick learners so we were able to transfer smoothly in different train stations.

Japan Missions Trip 2025

Could you imagine living in a country where less than 1% of the population identify as Christians, even fewer (0.5%) are born-again believers, and only 0.2% attend a Protestant church? What if the majority of your friends, classmates, and co-workers never heard the gospel or even the name of Jesus before? What if you lived among people who had never read the Bible because they either didn’t own one or didn’t know someone who does? Welcome to Japan.

From May 30 - June 10, 2025, we are answering God’s call to go to Japan. We’ll be joining a team from All Peoples Community Church to serve with our global partner, Mustard Seed Network in Fukuoka. We'll be encouraging Pastor David Wissel, his wife, Alyssa, and their daughter, Heidi (and newborn baby), as they lead a newly formed church-planting team that recently relocated to the city of Fukuoka.

DURING OUR TRIP, WE WILL:

Join and encourage believers through worship services at other Mustard Seed churches:

  • June 1 at MSN Tokyo

  • June 2 at MSN Fukuoka

  • June 8 at MSN Osaka

Support the launch of "English Connect" with Mustard Seed Network (MSN) Fukuoka by building relationships with locals at:

  • Universities

  • Train stations

  • Parks

  • Night markets

Learn what God is doing through local churches across Japan.

Explore key cultural and spiritual landmarks in each city to better understand the context of ministry, including:

  • Temples

  • Universities

  • Museums

  • Other significant locations

We are thrilled about this opportunity! As you can imagine, a trip like this requires a lot of spiritual and financial support from people like you! As a team of three men, we are needing to raise approximately $8,000 total for this trip. Our flights alone will cost just under $2,000 each. The remaining funds will go toward covering our hotel, food, and local transportation expenses. 

IF YOU FEEL LED TO GIVE, HERE’S HOW YOU CAN DO IT:

  1. Click the Give button

  2. Enter your amount

  3. Select Japan Trip as your giving designation

Gifts of any amount will help us achieve our financial goal. But most importantly, we crave your prayer support. Prayer is the fuel that will protect and empower us as we partner with Mustard Seed Network and seek to reach people living in a city and country who desperately need the good news of the gospel. Japan needs Jesus, not us, and we greatly desire that He is working for, in, and through us!

As we prepare to go and while we are on our trip, we would love to know that you’re following our journey and praying for us! You can keep up with all that’s going on during our trip through regular updates to this page.


For the Glory of Jesus to the Uttermost Parts of the World,

Hang Tu, Ian Clark, and Matthew Nicosia

Glimpses of Last Year’s Trip