True Discipleship Knows no Bound

I am Mami Unten from Okinawa, a disciple of Ps Ruby. It is by God’s grace that I could be ordained as a cell leader on last Sunday. I could not have done by myself, it is totally from God.

Growing up in a single-parent family, I was not good at interacting with authorities, I couldn’t trust them. Even though I had worked in church for three years prior to coming to HK, I still didn’t know how to be myself, how to take pressure, or how to express myself in a positive light. I also had difficulty sleeping.

Before coming to HK, I was hopeless and helpless. I didn’t know what life was about anymore. I didn’t even have time to hang out with friends; I only had time for work. My life was truly hard and miserable. In my head, I knew that God loved me; but in my heart, I simply couldn’t feel it. By then, I didn’t even have the strength to continue serving God.

Miraculously, I had the chance to come to HK 611 in 2018. At first, I came here to do Bible School and I joined the ANEW (All Nations) Community. In this ANEW community, there are Filipino, Indonesian, Australian, Malaysian, American and Chinese. I feel at home and accepted. We do not speak the same language, but we do feel the same spirit, and grow in the same Tree of Life DNA. I experienced healing, little by little.

First of all, as soon as I set foot in HK, my sleep improved greatly. Recently, I have moved into Ps Ruby’s house, whereas in the beginning, I dared not to look her in the eye. Moreover, I have friends whom I can hang out with and share my life and struggles with.

As my life is being nourished by the Tree of Life, hope has been restored to my life. My passion to serve and follow God is rekindled. Encouraged by Ps Ruby, I began to embark on the journey of discipleship again. I couldn’t imagine myself discipling anyone in a foreign land. Therefore, I started to serve by playing keyboard in ANEW and even in Tagalog service, despite not understanding any Tagalog (even now)! In doing this, I started to build relationship with the Filipino sisters despite the culture and language barriers. When Roxan had planned to go back to the Philippines in December 2019 (although in the end, she did not) a golden opportunity has arisen for me, to disciple the Filipino sisters.

I was ordained last Sunday, and I am utterly amazed: my cell leader is a Chinese, my cell members are Filipino, while I myself am Japanese! True discipleship is without boundaries. Praise God: as I am healed, I am being built up as a Tree of Life, and I too can bring healing to others, to the nations! All Glory to our God!•[2020.07.19]