Anna and Noah Hoech
When Xiyue and Shuji first reached out to us about Central Conference back in April, Noah and I were both really excited to go! Over the years, God has deepened our desire to go to the unreached, and after visiting Japan for the first time in the summer of 2023, we have been slowly working towards partnering with local churches in Japan to do church planting long-term. But in the season of waiting to depart, God opened a door for Noah to do a PhD in Old Testament. This meant that we were going to stay in the States for at least 4-5 years. Even as Noah finished up his first year in his PhD, we feel the dryness of the waiting season and our yearning to be abroad. Here is where CC came in!
We were so touched to see so many Japanese Christians gathered in one place and praising the Lord. At first, we were overwhelmed by how much we didn’t understand, but I felt a deep longing to understand the language. Yet, we were really grateful for these feelings and getting to lean into that for a weekend because it kept us humble. It showed us how much room we have to grow. Our friend once reminded us that he wants to be a missionary because it is the only place where his proud heart will remain humble. We left CC with more motivation and excitement to practice our kanji, learn our grammar, and practice speaking! We are so grateful for this community that was so welcoming, speaking English with us, providing translation for the sessions and in small group, praying over us, and just being our friend for the weekend.
The worship brought me to tears several times. What a beautiful God we have who calls people from every tribe, language, nation, and culture to serve him! It is absolutely such a beautiful experience to sing alongside Japanese and non-Japanese brothers and sisters in another language but worshipping the same God. It gave me a glimpse of what heaven would be like and truly brought me to my knees in worship of a God who calls us into His presence. As I watched everyone in the room worship God, it reminded me why mission exists. It’s how John Piper puts it: “Mission exists because worship doesn’t.” The closing ceremony was also so encouraging. We were so touched by so many people who prayed over us about our calling to Japan, and we’re so grateful for the many examples of those who have gone before us.
One of the sweetest moments in this conference was seeing how loved our baby Azariah was. We still treasure the picture of baby Azariah being held by the Japanese children. It was very comforting to us, especially as we look to raising our children in Japan. Thank you for welcoming us at Central Conference. Our time there reignited our desire to go abroad and reminded us of staying content as well as connected in the preparation season. We hope that we get to come back again in the future.
Much gratitude,
Anna, Noah, and Azariah Hoech
