Hiroshi Kojima’s baptism last May as a believer in Christ was an answer to 17 years of prayer.
In 1994, Hiroshi’s wife, Miyako, a Christian, invited him to join her for the annual summer camp sponsored by Back to God Ministries Japanese staff. Summer camp is a time for isolated believers and seekers to come together for spiritual growth and Christian fellowship. For Hiroshi, it was a time to explore his wife’s faith.
Hiroshi later commented, “The Christian faith was not familiar to me. I had few opportunities to encounter Christians. It was difficult to understand the existence of God.”
Hiroshi Kojima
He continued to attend the annual camp because he enjoyed spending time with Christians and participating in times of worship, Bible study, and prayer.
“Each year we were thankful Hiroshi came,” says Rev. Masao Yamashita, leader of Japanese outreach for Back to God Ministries International and organizer of the summer camp. “We continued to pray that he would come to know the Lord Jesus as his Savior.”
Miyako continued to pray for her husband’s salvation. In August 2011, at the age of 79, Hiroshi committed his life to the Lord.
He was preparing for baptism when classes were suspended because the pastor was called away for family reasons. Friends and supporters prayed that Hiroshi would not be discouraged, and on May 27, Miyako and other believers celebrated as Hiroshi publicly professed his faith and was baptized.
At the time of this writing, Miyako and Hiroshi were planning to attend the August 2012 summer camp. “Thank you for your prayers for Hiroshi,” says Yamashita. “Please continue to pray that he will remain strong in the faith.”
About the Author
Nancy Vander Meer is a staff writer with Back to God Ministries International in Grand Rapids, Mich.
