“I think the most helpful thing was having the opportunity to meet Japanese people from the universities and surrounding area. This was helpful to ask questions to them about their culture and even for God to grow a burden in me for my friends to know Jesus. I was able to make Japanese friends, lead worship in a bilingual setting, abide deeply with Jesus, and network with ministries and churches seeking to see the Japanese reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ. My time in Atlanta was a crucial time for training and experience that confirmed my calling to the Japanese people.”
“Mobilization-I understand more about the importance and priority of mobilizing the local church into God’s greater global mission. Japanese Strongholds- I learned through the RJC class and Japanese friends things the people go through in their daily lives. It has made me more understanding and compassionate towards them.”
“Something that was helpful was the Contextualization talk and the Honor and Shame talk in the mobilization hours was great. The contextualization has led me to read more about the Japanese worldview and explore options of presenting the gospel to the Japanese. The honor and shame talk really opened my eyes, specifically working with Japanese Christians leaders. Considering my position as an outsider and the time it takes to build trust with Japanese leaders.”
“I developed my social skills when getting to know strangers and new faces. Support raising was a huge learning curve but it proved to be a very fruitful experience in trusting God’s calling. I’ve also developed skills to pursue missionary work here in the states. I understand the Japanese culture and the barriers that might come with trying to understand Jesus. I also understand that aspects of the gospel can be interpreted differently and resonate with certain cultures vs. others. Mobilization training was valuable especially since I do not come from a ministry trained background. I did learn a lot of basics and how to approach scenarios. There are aspects that I feel fully equipped to reproduce myself. I was able to see how effective the model works for Japanese people and is a great way to connect and share the gospel.”
“It helped me grow in team building but also my communication. I feel like I found my voice and gained more confidence throughout the internship!! The bible studies we had as a team grew my faith and understanding of God and the bible. I enjoyed reading together as a group. I enjoyed the different activities we were involved in to see the different aspects of ministry and help in finding your gifting as well as calling. I really enjoyed growing and learning about discipleship more and what that looks like. The mobilization trainings were super helpful in moving forward with ministry, I have more tools to add to my tool belt. I feel like these tools are even cool when casting vision to supporters and support raising. The discussion on Vocation was so cool and helped me think about my path and direction. I feel like I’m in my vocation for this season in my life but I know in the future it could change.”
“I feel very equipped with what I learned. I feel like I have better understanding of scripture and how to study it better. I have gained more confidence when talking and being able to speak up in a healthy way. In mobilization training, I feel like I can grow more now in applying it to ministry activities but also feel like there was some helpful things in regards to support raising. It was a great tool in knowing how to share with others God’s heart for the nations in whatever setting we are in. I feel like I grew in better time management. I feel like i can better structure or prioritize my time.“
“Second Level Ministry has modeled what it’s like to live a life of love in Christ. Growing up around Christian friends and family, I have seen not much love being shown. Sometimes, I ever wondered if I would meet a group of believers that would desire to show the love of Christ with each other and to the unbelieving world. Seeing believers inability to love, and not caring to love, really discouraged me and made me stay away from these people.
When I met Second Level staff and others, I came up with my guard up, rightfully so. I came into this ministry expecting that these people would not act in love and unity! Yet, as time passed, I noticed that there, in fact, was love and unity among these people. Yes, no one Christian is perfect. People still have their sin and flaws. But what I noticed was a desire to grow amongst each other and build a deeper, loving connection. I saw that Second Level staff and others truly cared about each person. This is very heartbreaking to say, but this was the first time I have ever heard a Christian say to me, “You are a blessing!!” Not only did they say this in words, but they treated me like they meant that statement.
Thank you Second Level for your showing me what true, Christlike love looks like!”