Jonathan Ogden is an artist from Manchester passionate about the intersection of visual art and music. Jonathan expresses his faith creatively through psalm-like lyrics and sweeping, melodic instrumentation. As an artist, he draws inspiration for his music from beautiful things worldwide, and Japan marks a heavy influence for his beat tape Twenty Four, an acoustic EP. In this episode, Jonathan will share his creative process for making art, his experience in Japan, and his journey of faith. The purpose of this podcast is to showcase how much God loves Japan through different stories of people ..read more

In this episode, I am here with my good friend, Jim Peterson, serving in Japan for almost three decades! Jim is a lover of Jesus and a second-generation missionary in Japan. Currently, Jim and Hydi are Evangelical Covenant Missionaries in the countryside of Japan. They live on this beautiful mountain called Mt. Akagi where they run the Akagi Bible Camp and host various ministries throughout the year. Jim is a lover of all things mountain, outdoors, and theology. In this episode, we talked about the gray area of what it means to honor and revere ancestors, holding the tension of the Japanese tr ..read more

Today, we will be chatting with Grant Buchholtz. Grant and Miho Buchholtz serve as missionaries at Evangelical Covenant Church and pastors at Tokyo Life Church in Ikebukuro. In this episode, Grant talks about the blessings and challenges of being on home assignment back in the US. He talks about helping his kids navigate the challenges of being put back in school in the American system and the perks of having this season back in America while missing their home church in Tokyo. Grant also talks about his journey of God calling him and Miho to ministry in Japan and planting a church in the hear ..read more

Today, we will be chatting with Wenyuan Bao. Bao lives in Silicon Valley and is a Japanese cultural enthusiast. He enjoys listening to Aimer, watching anime, and learning more about God's love through Japanese culture. In this episode, we will nerd out about our mutual affection for Japanese culture as well as the amazing Japanese food that we will partake in together the next time Bao and I visit Japan.  This podcast exists to showcase how much God loves Japan through different stories of people. It is like God sending a care package to the ones He loves in Japan! If you would like to sh ..read more

Today, we will be chatting with Aspen Petersen. Aspen is the Serve Asia Country Sending Coordinator for Overseas Missionary Fellowship, a mission sending organization founded by Hudson Taylor. Aspen has the privilege of being a part of OMF Short Term Workers' journeys in finding their place in Missions through the application, preparation, pre-field training, and post-field discipleship. For Aspen, it is an honor to come alongside people and help them follow God's call upon their life to reach out in love and Gospel to the people of Japan! This podcast exists to showcase how much God loves Jap ..read more

Today, we will be chatting with Catherine Porter. Catherine is a missionary in the northern region of Japan. She is a lover of Jesus, Japan, music, books, and chocolate brownies. Cat shares how knowing God's deep love for her propelled her to live a life surrendered to Jesus in this episode. Her yielded heart to Jesus is why she became a full-time missionary in Japan. This podcast exists to showcase how much God loves Japan through different stories of people. It is like God sending a care package to the ones He loves in Japan! If you would like to share your experience with us, please email c ..read more

Hello friends! This week, I am starting the #prayforjapan series. The purpose of the #prayforjapan series is to pray for Japan through various topics within the Japanese culture.  In this episode, I will be talking about cherry blossoms. In Japan, the cherry blossom season is when these flowers bloom. Japanese cherry trees bloom for a short time, symbolizing the transitory nature of life. We all live for a short time, and the present time is not something that we can ever get back, so we should appreciate each moment to the fullest. The purpose of this podcast is to showcase how much God ..read more

Today, we will be chatting with Ed Mori. Ed lives in beautiful sunny Southern California with his beautiful wife Jill and 4 kiddos. Ed's passion is to tell people about the wonderful life that we have in Jesus, whether it'd be through getting to know his neighbors or loving on his kid's friends. In this episode, Ed also talks about something that is really close to his heart - adoption. Through Ed's story of adoption, we gain a glimpse of God's magnificent love and how God is weaving a beautiful tapestry to display the most beautiful story of all.  The purpose of this podcast is to showca ..read more

Today, we will be talking with Rei Meek. Rei lives in Nishinomiya 西宮市, which is a town near Kobe.  Rei has been in Japan since 2016 and is currently teaching English and serving in ministry with a local church. In this episode, Rei talks about the absolute joy of following Christ and the delight in following His call to Japan.  The purpose of this podcast is to showcase how much God loves Japan through different stories of people. It is like God sending a care package to the ones He loves in Japan! If you would like to share your experience with us, please email carepackagetojapan@gm ..read more

Today, we will be talking with Renee Williams. Renee Williams lives in Iwate Prefecture of Japan, where she runs a local cafe in the town of Taro. Cafe Suika is a watermelon-themed cafe where Japanese locals gather not only to eat delicious meals and also to hear about the gospel of Jesus Christ through Cafe Suika's Heart Care ministry. Be sure to "like" and check out Cafe Suika's Facebook Page ?☕️ The purpose of this podcast is to showcase how much God loves Japan through different stories of people. It is like God sending a care package to the ones He loves in Japan! If you would like to sha ..read more