09/23/2026
Look what I got?!
I finished my first year of Bible college!
I remember when I was 20 years old, I took my first big adventure to the United States—all by myself.
I could barely speak English, but I took a Greyhound bus and spent a month traveling across America from the West Coast to the East Coast.
Something happened in my heart during that trip.
I felt like I had finally found a place where I belonged.
When I returned to Japan, I begged my mom, “I want to go to the U.S. and study for a year. I’ll work hard and save $10,000. Could you lend me another $10,000?”
At that time in Japan, it was much easier for new college graduates to get hired by big companies, so I really wanted to go to the U.S. and study while I was still in college.
I felt like this was my chance.
But my mom just shook her head.
She said, “We’re already struggling to pay your college tuition in Japan. We just don’t have the money.”
It wasn’t easy to accept. I had to give up my dream—for the time being.
But from that moment, something stayed in my heart:
“I don’t know when or how, but one day, I want to experience studying in the United States.”
Many years passed.
Then, a few years ago, my wife experienced an incredible healing from something she had struggled with for nearly five years.
Through that experience, we encountered this Bible college in Colorado.
We were so happy that we made the decision to start.
At first, I wasn’t even sure if my English was good enough to understand the classes or finish the first-year course.
And in the end, with only about one week left before my two-year deadline, I finally passed the last test of all 42 classes!
It was very close, but I made it!
And my final overall score was 80.2% — a B!
For someone who once traveled across America without being able to speak much English, this means a lot to me.
I did it!
And if you know us, you probably already know this:
Running businesses or restaurants has never been my true purpose.
For me, it has always been about people—meeting people, building relationships, and sharing love with them.
That’s what it’s all about.
Maybe that’s also why this journey of studying the Bible means so much to me.
It’s not just about gaining knowledge.
It’s about knowing God more and learning how to share His love with the people He brings into my life.
More than 30 years after that 20-year-old young man dreamed of studying in America, I can look back and see that the dream wasn’t dead.
The timing, the way it happened, and the purpose were simply different from what I had imagined.
There is a second year of Bible college, but unfortunately, they don’t offer it online.
I don’t know exactly what comes next, but I believe God is a big, good Father.
He always has better ideas, and He always provides a way.
I’m excited to see what He has prepared for the next chapter.
Praise the Lord!
