Growing up in a Buddhist family in Japan, but I did not believe in any God. I came to NZ in 2004 to enjoy a new life. But after I’d been here two years, I got very sick and could not work. So I lost my job. I spent all my money on medicine and felt worthless. By this time, all my Japanese friends had gone back to Japan. That meant I had no friends, no job and no money. I felt that I was nothing; I was disappointed I hadn’t changed anything even though I had started a new life in the new country.

During my sickness, I picked up a Bible in both Japanese and English that my ex-flatmate had given me – to help me improve my English. I began to read it, but only to sarcastically challenge the existence of God. In my thoughts, I said to Him: “Show me what you can do for me!”

Then a curious thing happened. After I read the Bible, I felt my sickness go away and I felt clean inside. I wondered if this was just a co-incidence…
But I could not stop reading the New Testament (the second part of the Bible) because I wanted to feel that clean feeling again. I also wanted to know if the Bible had the power to heal me.

“If the Bible is God’s Word and if I believe in this book, can God heal me?” I asked myself. So I prayed: “Can you hear me, God? Please heal me. I want to believe what you say in this book!” A week later when I finished the New Testament, I was completely healed!
I still had questions, but I was sure that God had healed me. So I started coming to the Baptist Tabernacle Church to know more about God.
I was quite amazed to find the answers I was looking for as I spoke to those who were around me, or heard the preachers at the “Global” service at the Tabernacle.

Then my father back in Japan lost all feeling in his legs. I was very worried but I prayed for him and encouraged my mother to do the same. A week later he was completely well again! So now my mother began to believe in God too.

When I decided to follow Jesus as the Son of the Living God, I was scared. But what actually happened was that my loneliness completely left me and peace came into my heart. I do not need alcohol to make me happy anymore. God also answered my prayers and helped me to give up smoking.

Would you like to know more? If so, please come along to Global on Sundays at 10.30 am and find out more about Jesus and why He is The Way, the Life and the Truth.