Sota,* a bright and eager 20-year-old student from the countryside of Shiga, Japan, embarked on a life-changing journey when he decided to study abroad at California State University, Long Beach last fall. Coming from a traditional background with little to no exposure to Christianity, Sota’s experience in the U.S. would lead him to discover something far greater than he ever expected—the love of Christ.

Our global worker, Cecil, first met Sota at a welcome party for 30 Japanese students who had just arrived in Long Beach. He invited Sota to a conversation lab, and over time, they developed a friendship.

“As our conversations deepened, so did his curiosity about faith,” Cecil says. Sota soon began attending a Charis church with other students, where he was warmly welcomed into a Japanese Bible study. The church community showered him with love and acceptance, something he later admitted he had never experienced before. 

As he heard the gospel over the coming weeks, he began to understand God’s love and forgiveness in a way that was entirely new to him. 

One of Sota’s dreams was to go camping, so he and Cecil planned a four-day trip to the Eastern Sierras. Surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of God’s creation, their conversations about Jesus, forgiveness, and faith grew deeper. Before the trip, Sota had already begun reading the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, as well as parts of Genesis. He was searching, asking questions, and genuinely seeking truth.

The following week, as Cecil drove him back to his dorm after church, Sota asked him a simple but life-changing question, “How can I become a Christian?”

Cecil says, “We spent the next two hours in my car, going over all that he had read in the Bible: what it means to have faith in Jesus, to trust in His sacrifice, and to receive His grace. That night, after much discussion and prayer, Sota placed his trust in Christ.”

The next day on campus, Sota couldn’t contain his joy. With a radiant smile, he shared that his decision had changed his life.

Like many Japanese Christians, Sota had concerns about returning to Japan, where Christianity is a minority faith. He wondered if there were other Japanese believers who had walked a similar path.

To encourage him, Cecil set up a Zoom call with Shutaro, a former student who had also come to faith while studying in Long Beach eight years ago. Today, Shutaro is planting a church in Hiroshima. For over an hour, the two talked about faith, challenges, and what it means to follow Christ in Japan. It was a deeply encouraging moment for Sota, as he realized that he was not alone—God was already at work in Japan, and there were others who shared his faith journey.

As their conversation came to an end, Shutaro shared about his baptism experience. At that moment, Sota turned to Cecil and said, “I want to get baptized too.”

We praise God for the way He has revealed himself to Sota, and in April 2025 Sota was baptized. Celebrate with us, and please pray for God to hold Sota close as he prepares to return to Japan.

*Name changed for security