On this page, Missionary Kashiwagura will introduce San Diego, where we will be working in the United States.
What is San Diego?
Population: 1,394,000 (2015)
Area: 964.5 square kilometers (about the same as Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture)
Population density: 1,545 persons per square kilometer (about the same as Satte City, Saitama Prefecture)
San Diego Features
San Diego, California, USA, has the second largest "military port" in the United States. The presence of the navy has allowed the city to grow and flourish, with various research institutes in electricity, telecommunications, medicine, and oceanography.
上空から見たサンディエゴ軍港と市街地
Many technical schools, excellent universities, or research institutes are scattered throughout the city. Many research students and foreign students from all over the world, and of course from Japan, come to San Diego to study specialized subjects. At the same time, various Japanese companies have established themselves in the area, and many engineers from Japan stay here in San Diego.
サンディエゴ大学
Also, because San Diego is located along the border with Mexico, it was common for companies with factories in Mexico to usually live in San Diego and cross over to the Mexican side for work when commuting. In recent years, they have moved to Texas, where the cost of living is lower, but there are still many Japanese companies in San Diego.
In addition, San Diego is an agricultural area. There are people from Japan who have moved to San Diego and are successful farmers. Every year, there are young people from Japan who study and train as agricultural interns at these farmers. I was an intern myself.
San Diego's hilly region where agriculture thrives.
Great Potential for Overseas Japanese Missions
It was 1999 when I visited San Diego for agricultural training. There I read the Bible for the first time, went to a Japanese church, met Jesus, and was led to salvation. As I mentioned earlier, there are many Japanese and Japanese-Americans here in San Diego, including expatriates from Japan, foreign students, research students, and those who are married internationally. When all these people are included, it is said that there are about 60,000 Japanese speakers in San Diego.
サンディエゴにある日本食材の専門スーパー
If you live in Japan, San Diego seems like a completely unrelated place, and for some, you might think, "My town (in Japan) needs a church, but doesn't the town of San Diego need a Japanese-language church?" For some, it may seem like "my town (in Japan) needs a church, but San Diego doesn't need a Japanese church. But San Diego is a place where many of our fellow Japanese live. And they, too, desperately need a mission in Japanese.
Significance of Overseas Japanese Mission
This is because some of them can speak English without any difficulty, but even if they can speak English, there is still an amazing difference in understanding between listening to a talk in Japanese and listening to a talk in English. In fact, a Japanese person who has lived in San Diego for more than 30 years said, "The Japanese words reach my soul, so I have to read the Bible in Japanese to really understand it. I can't really understand the Bible unless I read it in Japanese.
サンディエゴの町並み
Then most of the Japanese living in San Diego regularly return to Japan and go back home to their respective communities. It is a very big difference whether they return home as Christians and gather in local churches, or return home unsaved. Therefore, it is very important for overseas Japanese to hear the gospel in that place and in Japanese.
By Faith
San Diego also has far more social problems than Japan. Drugs, guns, frequent thefts and robberies, disabilities, racism, and cost of living. Japanese people also have to deal with visa issues, education, food, language, etc. In addition, recently there has been an outbreak of the new Corona virus. In addition, there is the recent outbreak of the new coronavirus, a major problem. Who is going to bring the gospel to this place? This is not an easy task. I have been called by the Lord to bring the gospel to the Japanese-speaking people here in San Diego. Since the Lord has given me a mission to engage in missionary work, I would like to devote my entire life to bring the gospel to the people.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
The above verse clearly shows that God Himself desires above all else that people be saved. My motivation to go to San Diego is, above all, from the thought of God's saving Spirit.
Mission as the Work of the Church
By the way, missionary work is something that can never be done alone. In order to missionize, it is necessary to have people to deliver the gospel, but it is equally necessary to have people to send out the gospel. The incident in which the Lord set up and sent out missionaries to the church is recorded in Acts chapter 13.
Now in Antioch there were in the churches there prophets and teachers, such as Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucio the Crenæan, Manaen, the milk brother of Herod the lord, and Saul. As they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Come, sanctify for me Barnabas and Saul, and put them to the work to which I have called them. So they fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them both, and then sent them away. (Acts 13:1-3)
Saul (Paul) and Barnabas, who were sent out, were called by the Lord to their task. On the other hand, Simeon, Lucio, and Manaen, who were sent out from the same Antioch church, fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them before sending them out. Both the senders and receivers had a serious attitude, great expectations, and faithful obedience to the Lord for the world mission that was about to take place. From their mission, the gospel spread to today's world mission, and even to those of us living in Japan.
サンディエゴ港を遠くに望む
I am preparing to be sent on a world mission, and I hope that I will have friends who will share in this missionary work, walk with me, and send me out. I hope that we will be united in faith, trusting in the Lord and looking to Him, and that we will share in the work of the Lord's mission.
We sincerely appreciate your prayers and support.
May the Lord be glorified!
Missionary for Overseas Japanese in San Diego
Hideyoshi Kashiwagura