(EDITOR’S NOTE — October is Cooperative Program Emphasis Month in the Southern Baptist Convention.)

DULUTH, Ga. (BP) — Asahi Ito first experienced the Holy Spirit in action while attending Akita International University more than 300 miles from her home in Toyama, Japan. But her parents dismissed her experience, pointing out she was still a minor.

Her account begins with an African American church music history class at the university, taught by a music director from a small church in the U.S., followed by a music workshop at a church in Akita.

“At that time I was very shocked and I was moved that the Japanese people (were) worshiping God so seriously and so joyfully and that I had never seen that kind of situation,” Ito said. “And then the workshop leaders told me about how God loves and Jesus loves us and then through the music and through the choir, we can know how Jesus loves us, and I was moved.

“At that time, I thought the church might be the place I was supposed to be.”

It was a temporary thing, her parents said. Think more carefully, they told her, causing her to step away from the church.

Nearly 20 years later, married with two children of her own, Ito enrolled in an English as a Second Language class at First Baptist Church of Duluth after her husband’s employer transferred him to the company’s Georgia office in January 2022.

This time around, when she began to explore how Christians relate to God and the Holy Spirit, she began to attend small groups and worship services.

“I’m not a minor anymore. Almost every time I attended the worship, I felt this is the place for me,” she said. “I wanted to (be) baptized.

“It was wonderful moment,” she said of her June baptism. “It was so quick, but it was wonderful, and I felt very joyful.”

Once again, she would share her joy with her parents.

It was important to Ito to be baptized before visiting her parents in July, said Mark Hearn, senior pastor of the church that attracts many immigrants and celebrates a diverse congregation.

“She was adamant about wanting to share her faith with her family. I was excited for her,” Hearn said. “We are blessed to have people from 55 different birth nations in our church family. Some have the opportunity to return to their country. And my prayer is that when they do, they will be ambassadors for the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Hearn connected her with two International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries working in Japan, positions funded through the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program.

“I connected her with IMB missionaries Nick and Melissa Scott. Nick grew up in one of my previous churches, and his dad served on my staff at two different churches,” Hearn said. “He was delighted to learn of a new believer that they could encourage and support in country. I believe their meeting formed an indelible bond that will foster future interactions with her family.”

At home in Toyama, Ito took the opportunity to share her newfound faith with her parents.

“The topic quickly moved to another one,” Ito said. “I think many Japanese have kind of an allergic reaction to religious topics. Because culturally we are practicing the religious customs, but we don’t tend to talk about religion, and the same with politics. It’s kind of hard topics for us.”

Japanese are also familiar with various cultic Christian groups that are generalized as representative of Christianity, she said. Instead, Buddhism and Shintoism are common in Japan.

“If people talk about Christianity,” she said, “many Japanese people think, ‘Oh, they must be a member of the Jehovah’s Witness or the Unification Church.’”

While her parents were not receptive to the gospel, Ito has not lost hope. She and her children had a fellowship dinner with the Scotts her last day in Japan, and Ito has plans to try and share the gospel with her parents the next time she visits.

Next summer, she will tell them how God has answered her prayers, particularly how God has helped her with her son’s behavioral difficulties, she said.

“After I started to pray, his attitude and his behavior and paying attention is actually improving,” she said. “I think God is touching his heart. Also, He protects my emotions too. God loves and also protects us.

“And God has own crown for me and own crown for my son,” she said. “He will do good things for me and good things to my son. Through the prayer, I actually know that, so I want the other Japanese people to know that, to know how Jesus loves the people, how God loves the people.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Diana Chandler is Baptist Press’ senior writer.)