| I grew up going to church but did not have a clear understanding of Christ's work on the cross. I believed in a Creator God but thought of Him as somewhat like Santa Claus -- if I do good, I get good things and if I do bad, I get bad things. I thought that my good works plus Christ's death would get me into heaven. In high school I got disillusioned with our church and tried other friends' churches but never settled on one. Although I was a good student, on the gymnastics team and later a cheerleader, I also was a bit wild. In college I continued to live my life the way I pleased. I thought if I was a good student, made friends, was good at sports (I was a gymnast) and had a boyfriend I would be fulfilled and happy. I had all those things but I wasn't happy. Nothing quite satisfied. In March of 1980, as a junior at Southwest Texas State University, I started working for the university full-time as a computer programmer while going to school part-time. The gal who sat at the desk in front of me, Debbie, would casually talk about God on our breaks and at lunch. I found our conversations stimulating. Debbie talked about Jesus like He was her best friend. I had never heard that before. I knew that I didn't have that kind of relationship with God but little by little I wanted it. In May of 1980, I visited the church my father and his new wife attended. My parents had divorced when I was a Sr. in high school and their break-up had been very difficult on me. I found the pastor's message compelling; besides, it was the first time I had stayed awake through a whole message! I returned to church that night with my parents and as the choir sang, "I Surrender All," I realized that I had tried to get to God on my own in my way. I realized that I needed to trust solely in Christ's death for my salvation. So that night I walked down the isle and gave my life to Christ. I immediately experienced deep forgiveness and healing for my previous livestyle and a peace that was amazing. During the summer I was discipled by a gal at that church and I was involved in the church's college Bible study and outreach activities at the University of Texas (when I wasn't working or in class). In the fall I moved from Austin to San Marcos and got involved with Campus Crusade for Christ and with Church in the Valley in Canyon Lake. I led a Bible study for high school girls from Canyon Lake High School. In 1982, I began to feel restless in the college town and felt I needed to move on -- either seeking employment in the computer industry outside of the university or possibly full time Christian work. I had lunch with a friend, Rene', and a friend of hers who had been to Africa for the summer. As we talked, Rene' commented that she didn't think she would want to go to Africa. She was more inclined to go somewhere less primitive like Japan. The friend said something to the effect of, "Japan?! Only 125 people trusted Christ in 6 weeks there with 400 short term workers. We saw more that 10,000 trust Christ in Africa!" I responded, "I can't think of a better reason to go to Japan. Seems like they need more workers." And so this started my journey to Japan. In May of 1983 I quit my job and went to Japan on a short term summer project with Campus Crusade for Christ called, "Discover Friends."Our group of 31 was sent away from Tokyo to Nagoya much--to our disappointment--but it turned out to be great. I loved my summer. I clearly shared the gospel with 10 girls that summer (19 years later I still get together with one of those girls about 6 times a year!), and tried to with many others who refused to hear. No one trusted Christ with me personally but our team at Kinjo Girl's University saw the president of the English Speaking Society trust Christ. At the end of the summer I took a day alone to seek the Lord and felt He was calling me to Japan. Although I have administrative gifting, I also love to be with people (my hubby says I could make friends with a wall if there wasn't anyone else to talk with!). I returned to Japan (Tokyo this time) in January of 1985. Has it really been that long ??? And the rest is history! Home |
| Lois' Story |