Sara Maifeld, Class of 2022 FLBC graduate, is moving to Japan this fall to serve the Japanese people through SEND International. In Japan, she will connect with a ministry team that will plug her in where her God-given gifts will be best used to share the Gospel.   

“It all started in 2018 when I was there [Tokyo] for a month… I remember coming home on the flight after that month and I remember just kind of processing through everything and thinking that the whole time I had been in Tokyo, I had only seen one church. That one church really stood out in my mind, and that got me thinking [about Japan].”

Sara grew up in South Dakota, where her and her family often hosted foreign exchange students from Japan for a month during the summer. God used these students to expose Japan’s spiritual need to Sara early on. Only about 1% of Japan’s 125.7 million citizens identify as Christian. This fact, along with a handful of trips to the country, has stirred her affections for these people and motivated her to share the Gospel with them.

One of these visits was a short-term exchange trip for a month in 2018. During that month, Sara recalls only seeing one church the whole time she was there. Since then, God has been preparing Sara for full time ministry in Japan and confirming this calling through various conversations and encounters.   

Sara first considered attending the Free Lutheran Bible College after a six-month mission trip to Japan, after which she desired to be better at understanding and teaching God’s Word for the purpose of international missions.

“In Japan I would be teaching these English classes that would double as a Bible study, and the ladies I would teach would ask me all these questions, to which I had no good answer. I knew that if I was going to come back long-term, I needed a better foundation in God’s Word.”

Sara also attested to how FLBC not only helped build on the foundation of who she is in Christ but also trained her to live out her Christian Walk in the mission field.

This training under God’s Word for two years will be helpful when she faces various challenges that come with this particular mission field. Japanese people are notoriously difficult for westerners to cultivate spontaneous interactions with because of their systematic lifestyle. Their trains are always on time, their days are perfectly planned out, and they have strong ties to family traditions. The expectations and lack of room for error create a culture that has no sense of need for help outside of their own capabilities.  

“Everything is so organized, by the book, and according to the rules; everything is in its place. That can get overwhelming – not just for us Americans, but in general because it is especially unique to Japan’s culture. There is such intense social pressure to be a certain way, and to conform to the rules.”  

Another challenging factor is the expectations from an individual’s family; the Japanese live to bring honor to their family, and if one strays from tradition or family rules, they have the potential to be shunned.   

As a result of these dynamics, some missionaries to Japan may never see Japanese individuals come to know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Please be praying for Sara during her time in Japan, and specifically that she would be expectant of the Holy Spirit to be at work in the hearts of the Japanese people—even if she doesn’t get to witness it. Pray Sara would be continually built up in Christ and equipped for the work awaiting in Japan.   

For anyone considering missions, Sara encourages them to pray for the Lord’s leading and to also talk to other missionaries who have served in the country they are considering visiting.  

“I was so grateful that FLBC was specifically just Bible and studying God’s Word. I am so grateful for a more accurate view of God’s Word and the weight it carries… I grew up knowing that it was true, but not to the extent that I now know it is, along with its accuracy.” 

The importance of being grounded before going into all the world was a point Sara stressed well. A few more practical pieces of advice would be to find an organization that will equip your giftings well, serve on a short-term mission trip to that country, and seek wise council on those decisions.   

To learn more or support Sara Maifeld’s missions to Japan, visit  send.org/give/missionaries/maifeld. To learn more about how you can get grounded in God’s eternal and inerrant Word for a life of Faith in Jesus Christ and faithful service in His Kingdom, for all walks of life across the nations, request more info.