Thirty years ago, 13-year-old Hirotsugu Mochida was struggling. His family was having hard times, and he needed hope.
Hirotsugu found it through The Back to God Hour radio program. What he heard on that broadcast would change his life—and impact the church in Japan.
Hirotsugu’s parents, who practiced Buddhism, Shintoism, and ancestral worship, suffered from debilitating illnesses. Much of the responsibility for looking after the family fell to their young son.
After an especially difficult day, Hirotsugu heard a radio broadcast about a Savior who lifts our burdens. He sent a note to the BTGH asking to know more about this Savior.
Mrs. Namiko Kumada was handling follow-up work for the BTGH at the time, and she remembers the day Hirotsugu contacted her.
“His burden seemed much too heavy for a high schooler,” she said. She directed him to the Kita Numazu Reformed Church, where he later gave his life to Christ. Eventually he became a pastor and evangelist, working with Christian Reformed World Missions in Japan.
Today Rev. Mochida is one of the BTGH’s Japanese broadcasters and also serves as the chairman of the Japanese Media Ministry Advisory Committee, which provides access to the gospel through radio, the Internet, cell phones, and print. More than 15,000 people respond each month.
About the Author
Nancy Vander Meer is a staff writer with Back to God Ministries International in Grand Rapids, Mich.
