Background Info
Kent is a former Naval Flight Officer who felt the call to the ministry while still in uniform. He resigned his commission in 1996, spent a year and a half in Ukraine as a lay missionary, then returned to Orlando, FL to pursue a Master of Divinity degree at Reformed Theological Seminary. There he met his wife Yuko, a native of Japan, who was studying for her Master of Arts in Counseling. They both graduated in 2001 and are eager to serve the Lord in ministry.
Ministry Assignment
Serving with A3 since 2003:
- As Career Missionaries
- Tohoku, Japan, 2012-present
- as Church Planting Associates:
- Term 2: Osaka, Japan, 2010-2014
- Home Assignment: Jacksonville, FL - 2009
- Term 1: Chiba/Tokyo, Japan- 2006-2009
- Pre-Field Deputation: 2003-2006
Words of wisdom...
- Pray. Ask God to reveal your heart. For what reasons would you, or would you not, pursue full-time missionary service?
- Ask other mature believers in your life if they sense this is the direction God might be leading you.
- Then, absolutely, read Let the Nations Be Glad! by John Piper – the most passion-inspiring, God-glorifying book on missions I’ve yet read.
When you're in Japan, be sure to...
Visit Kyoto, with its numerous temples, shrines, gardens, and other monuments to traditional Japanese culture. It is a beautiful place!
Hoping for "ultimate contributions"...
I'd like to help establish a worldwide prayer movement for Japan that would break through spiritual barriers and see masses of Japanese embrace the gospel of Christ. (This has begun to happen in the Middle East, as a result of the worldwide prayer movement for the 10/40 Window begun about 10 years ago.)
Meaningful methods...
Both of us really want our home to be a place where ministry takes place -- home Bible studies and fellowship groups, an open door for those who are hurting or seeking answers to spiritual questions, etc. We’re drawn to the picture of the early church in the New Testament, which often met in homes.
Hopes for the future...
I (Kent) hope to be a good student of Japanese language and culture, so that I might be able to truly understand the minds and hearts of those I am trying to reach with the gospel – and so that I might better understand what following Christ looks and feels like to my Japanese brothers and sisters. Yuko hopes to get certified as a translator so she can help in translating Christian literature (especially in the area of counseling) into Japanese.
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