Last week, I (Alice) had the honor of running in the inaugural Tokyo Marathon. Out of 100,000 people who applied, only 30,000 runners were chosen—what a thrill to be selected! The day I ran this race will stay in my heart as one of my best memories in Japan.

Although race-day conditions were HORRIBLE, the pouring rain and cold winds couldn’t quench the spirit of the Japanese people. The pride they had over being chosen to run in the first-ever marathon in their capital was very moving. 

I get teary-eyed when I think of the moment at the starting line when the gun went off. The crowd roared with passion and excitement. We all seemed to forget that we were shivering and soaked to the core...

The most amazing thing about the race though was not the running, but how God touched my running buddy, Yuko. 

We had planned to run together, but the rain and the big crowd kept us from being able to find each other at our assigned starting block.

"Lord, please put her in my path..." I prayed. 

 At about the 4-mile mark, to my delight, we found each other. From then on, we enjoyed talking as we ran together, and forgot about how heavy our shoes were from the puddles. It was thrilling to see the thousands of people cheering along the course.

Around the 18th mile, Yuko's pace started dropping, and I could tell she was struggling. By the 19th mile, she was really fading. "Come on, girl! We only have another 6 miles to go!" I said, trying to encourage her. All she could do was nod.

So, I grabbed her hand as we continued to run, and in a loud voice, I prayed over her in Japanese. "Lord, thank you for your strength. Please, help Yuko to finish this race with YOUR strength!" It was really a simple prayer, but in my heart, I was begging God to use this to show her who He is.  

Yuko is very precious to my heart. I have been investing in her for over two years and asking God for her salvation. Even though Sean and I have shared the gospel with her many times and in many ways, something has been holding her back...

But something very encouraging happened the day after the marathon! Sean went to the Sports Center where Yuko used to work as a trainer. The new trainer asked Sean, "Hey, I heard about Alice and Yuko in the marathon! I heard that because Alice prayed for Yuko, that she had strength to finish the race!"

Sean was very surprised that a non-Christian we hardly know was sharing this with him. "How did you know that?" Sean asked.

"Everybody here knows. Yuko sent a mail out to all of her old friends here to tell them! How cool!"

It seems that Yuko is already being a witness to those around her who do not know Christ! To us, this is a very encouraging sign to NOT give up... God IS working deep down in Yuko's heart. Please continue to pray with us for Yuko and the many others here in Japan who don’t yet know Jesus. 

Never Stop Praying!

The weekend after we returned to Japan, our church celebrated a very tearful and joyful event – the baptism of Mr. Okui. Mr. Okui became a Christian in large part because of his wife, Mitsuko, who prayed unceasingly for her husband’s salvation for 45 years.

Mitsuko was still rejoicing when we saw her the following week. She said, “I can’t come down from this cloud I’m on. I don’t want to wake up from this dream! This week we started having devotions together. It is so wonderful!”

Mitsuko’s 45 years of unceasing prayer for her husband reminds us of Jesus’ encouragement to the disciples to always pray and never give up (Luke 18:1). It is also a reminder that the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, but is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

One reason this story is so encouraging is that, statistically speaking, the vast majority of Japanese Christians are women and very few men ever come to know Christ. In a society that celebrates hard work, company loyalty and self-reliance, it is rare to find men willing to acknowledge their weakness and need for the Lord.

Therefore, we ask you to pray specifically for Christian women here, that they would not give up praying for their husbands. And pray that God would move mightily in men’s hearts and that entire families would call on the name of the Lord.

Click here to see video of Mr. Okui's baptism!