Jed Hernandez

You are so Faithful

The culture shock I experienced in Japan was literally the moment I stepped off the plane and into the Japanese airport. It was so quiet. I’ve never been in an airport where it was that quiet. When we were on our way to J-House, two more things caught my attention. The first was that men in suits and women in dresses/high heels rode bikes. The second was that people drove cars on the left side of the road and the steering wheel was on the right side of the car. Although there was a cultural difference between America and Japan, I quickly began to realize that the God in America is the same as the God in Japan. He is always faithful no matter where I go.
Our first week in Japan opened my eyes to the desperate need for revival in Japan. We went to Kyoto to visit a Shinto shrine and a Buddhist temple to pray for people. It was such a sad sight to see people of all ages, young and old, praying to false gods. There were couples praying to certain idols, kids throwing coins as offering to certain gods, and people joking around even as they were praying. It was as if this was just something to do, rather than it being a genuine relationship with the living God. My heart broke for these people because they were worshipping false Gods.
In my times of need, God was always there to provide whatever I needed. The campus ministry isn’t really an area of strength for me, but God helped me to start and build on relationships with students. I was also able to form lifelong relationships with the J-House staff and the Jesus Soldiers. It usually takes me a while to open up to people and get close to them, but with God’s help, I was able to do these things pretty quickly with the people I met. Doing this allowed me to freely share the gospel with the friends that I made. The seeds were planted and all I can do is continue to sow prayer for them because I know that God is the only one who can change people’s hearts.
God’s faithfulness was so apparent especially in my own heart. I originally applied to go to Mexico, but ended up going to Japan. In retrospect, I think that Japan was the best place for me. The campus ministry stretched me out of my comfort zone as we had to speak to complete strangers. I was also stretched in prayer every night because we can do all the skits, songs and dances we want, but in the end, prayer is ultimately what will help to change people’s hearts. I feel that this trip helped me to develop a lifestyle of prayer that I can continually build on for the rest of my life.
This trip was full of blessings and memorable experiences. I can really sense that God is working in Japan. One month isn’t enough to change a nation, but it’s enough to store some prayers. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to Japan, but for the time I was there, I really feel like my heart for that nation grew exponentially. It will forever hold a special place in my heart. I’m just so thankful that I had the opportunity to take part in the expansion of God’s kingdom by serving in Japan.