Hearing God’s Voice in a Foreign Land

Leaving behind Mongolia, where I was born and raised, and encountering the true God across the sea in Japan still feels like a dream. That I was able to find my way to Zion in a foreign land—where I knew very few people—feels like a blessing granted entirely through God’s guidance.

I am currently living in Toyama, on Honshu Island in Japan. One day, I attended a gathering of Mongolians in the area and noticed a young woman with a calm and gentle demeanor. I later learned that she was a Christian—something rare among Mongolians—which immediately caught my attention. However, since we were not well acquainted, I hesitated to approach her. In time, we began exchanging messages, and she shared a video about the Passover, one of God’s commandments. Wanting to understand it more deeply, I asked to meet her in person. When we met, she showed me an introductory video about her church. As I watched the members serving others, my heart was deeply moved. Their genuine love and willingness to help touched me, and I felt that a church attended by people like this must be a place I could truly trust.

When I learned about the new name of Jesus—the Savior in the Age of the Holy Spirit—I felt as though I had finally found the truth I had long been seeking. Overwhelmed with joy, I was nearly brought to tears. After coming to Japan, I had attended a Protestant church for about a year, one I had first encountered during my middle school days. Yet throughout that time, my heart remained unsettled. Even when I asked questions and received answers, true understanding continued to elude me. That began to change when I started studying the Bible with a member of the Church of God. His explanations were always grounded in the Bible, with each verse carefully opened and connected. Truth no longer felt distant or abstract. It became clear, coherent, and convincing.

For about a month, I studied the Bible diligently after work. Every passage felt new and filled me with awe. The truths of the Sabbath, the Passover, and the Second Coming Christ—who came according to prophecy—resonated deeply within my heart. I became fully convinced that the Church of God is the true church and longed to receive salvation there.

Although there was no Church of God in Toyama at the time, I did not hesitate. I woke up around 1 a.m. on Saturday and traveled six hours by car with a church member to Nagoya Zion. There, I received the blessing of new life and kept the Sabbath worship. Though I was unfamiliar with the New Songs, I praised God wholeheartedly and listened intently to the sermon. Having found the truth far from my homeland, every word felt all the more precious.

Meeting the members of Nagoya Zion for the first time was deeply moving. Each person was unique, yet all shared a warmth that reached my heart. Their kindness was neither rehearsed nor superficial; it flowed naturally from sincere care. Though I was shy and awkward at first, I soon came to cherish every moment I spent with them. Before I knew it, each member felt like a beloved part of my own family.

After my first worship, I continued studying the Bible online with the missionary. As my understanding of the truth deepened, my faith in Heavenly Father and Mother grew ever stronger. Along with that growth came a heartfelt desire to share the gospel with my younger sister, who also believes in God. Since she was planning to move to Japan, I hoped that she, too, would meet the true God and find comfort and hope, even while living far from home.

I called my sister and told her that I had begun attending the Church of God, encouraging her to visit a nearby Zion to study the Bible. However, she was busy with work and found it difficult to make time. After moving, she also ended up living farther from the Zion I had mentioned. Then, quite unexpectedly, she contacted me with joyful news. She had received baptism at the Church of God. Near her new home, she had met members who shared the truth with her, and only after seeing the church sign did she realize it was the very same church I attended. I was filled with awe at God’s providence and deeply grateful that He had answered my prayer to guide my sister to the truth.

These days, whether I am gazing up at the sky or enjoying a simple meal, gratitude naturally wells up in my heart as I reflect on how Father and Mother are always giving us what is good. Above all, I am deeply thankful for the promise of heaven, which is more precious than anything in this world. Because of that promise, I am striving to cultivate the character befitting a citizen of heaven—learning to overcome my quick temper and my tendency to insist on winning. Though this process is not easy, I believe that the blessings God will grant are far greater. Through prayer and continual effort, I seek to become someone who brings joy to God.

The path walked by the forefathers of faith recorded in the Bible was filled with countless obstacles and hardships. Compared with them, my own journey of faith has been remarkably comfortable. God carefully planned and perfectly prepared everything over a long span of time to save the children living in this age, yet my faith feels small and fragile when measured against that of the forefathers—or even the heavenly family members around me. Whenever I reflect on my shortcomings, I feel ashamed. Still, I resolve not to let the love God has shown me be in vain. I will hold firmly to my faith until the end and diligently share the love and truth I have received from God, so that we may soon find our heavenly family who long for His word and establish Zion here in Toyama.