Category: WIT

Harune Ozeki

By God’s grace, I was given the opportunity to attend WIT26.

When I was first invited, I had been a follower of Jesus for less than two months. I honestly felt that a leadership camp was probably too much for me at that point. But since I didn’t have any particular plans for the summer and I had been given this opportunity, I decided to give it a try. Kristine from JCFN connected me with the right people, and I replied to the email.

After that, though, I never heard anything back, so I eventually gave up on the idea of going.

Then, just one week before WIT started, I happened to run into Emi, the person who had originally invited me. She asked me how things were going with WIT, and when I told her that I hadn’t heard anything, she immediately reached out to Kristine. Right there, I was also connected with Setsu.

That very same day, I received a scholarship and found out that I could attend WIT.

At that moment, even though I had only been a Christian for about three months, I knew that God had something prepared for me.

The theme of WIT26 was “Forged in Fire,” and the theme verses were Daniel 3:17 and 25—verses I had never read before.

Throughout the sessions, I learned about human weakness, God’s love, the importance of having friends in faith and people we can turn to for advice, and what it means to be a leader. Hearing about the trials the WIT26 leaders had faced, the faith they had in the middle of those challenges, and the ways God had worked through their lives made something very real to me: we are weak, but God never gives up on us. He stays with us and is able to help us no matter what situation we are in.

Since WIT is a Christian camp, there were naturally many opportunities to pray. But I used to feel very uncomfortable praying in front of other people. I worried about what they would think of me, and I felt like I didn’t have a large enough vocabulary to pray the way other people did.

But through WIT, I learned that there is no “right” way to pray. What matters is bringing our hearts honestly before God. When I realized that sincere prayers reach God, little by little, my hesitation about praying in front of others began to disappear.

During one of the times when we prayed for each other one-on-one, I was sharing my prayer requests when I suddenly thought about my family and friends who still don’t know God. I couldn’t stop crying.

For the first time, I realized how deeply I wanted people who have not yet been saved to know God.

As someone prayed for me, I began to have hope. Maybe there isn’t much I can do for them right now, but in His perfect timing, God can prepare the right places, people, and circumstances so that more and more people can experience His salvation.

I also came away with a new determination to give my very best wherever God sends me and to make the most of whatever He has given me.

I realized that living for God doesn’t necessarily mean becoming a missionary, going to a Christian college, joining a campus ministry, or serving at church. Wherever God has placed me, I can faithfully do what He has given me to do. Through my studies, my everyday conversations, my attitude, and everything I have, God can reveal Himself to the people around me.

That is why I believe it is so important for me to listen to God’s voice and surrender myself to Him.

The camp itself was held at an Airbnb, which created such a warm and home-like environment. We ate together, slept under the same roof, talked, laughed, and shared life together. Even though it was only four days, I was able to make friends I could truly open my heart to.

For most of my life, I had built walls around myself. Once I became close to someone to a certain point, I would stop there. I rarely relied on other people or asked them for advice. I always tried to solve everything on my own.

My faith was similar. I had thought about how I could live for God, but I didn’t really know what that looked like. I thought that, for now, maybe simply going to church was enough.

But in just four days, through small groups, prayer, fellowship, and conversations with people who have such a deep passion for those who do not yet know God, God gave me a new desire: I want to share Him with people who don’t know Him yet.

The relationships I made at WIT are truly precious to me. Each person had a unique personality and a completely different life story, yet we were all facing the same direction and seeking to live for the same God. Seeing that encouraged me deeply.

I had been carrying a sense of loneliness, but through the people I met at WIT26—through these friends in faith—I realized that I am not alone.

WIT was something I initially thought I was not ready for. But God used it to show me that He can use me regardless of how long I have been a Christian. He helped me break through walls I had never been able to break before and allowed me to grow in ways I never expected.

It’s not about me.

Wherever God has placed me, I want to continue seeking Him, trusting Him, and surrendering my life to Him. The results may not come immediately, but I want to faithfully pursue the mission He has given me and keep going for the rest of my life, without giving up.

I have nothing but gratitude to God for giving me this incredible opportunity.

I am also deeply thankful to Setsu, Kristine, and everyone at JCFN who helped make WIT26 possible; to all the leaders; to Takuma’s parents and their friends who brought us food; to Emi, who first invited me to WIT; to everyone who prayed for WIT; and to all my friends who supported me.

Thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart!

Now that everyone who participated in WIT26 has returned to the places God has called them to, I pray that we will not forget the blessings we received during these four days. Even when we face trials, I pray that we will continue to look honestly at ourselves, keep our eyes on the Lord through the Holy Spirit, and continue walking with God wherever He leads us.

I had the opportunity to participate as a staff member in WIT24! The theme this time was “The Narrow Gate.” Our leader, Esther (Kamura), received a vision from God, which led to this theme. Each of the staff members read Matthew 7:13-14 and shared what they received from God during each session, leading to teachings based on those insights. Although each of us focused on different aspects, the flow of the sessions began with understanding what the narrow gate is and smoothly concluded with Jesus, who is the gate.

 

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

 

What was particularly gracious for me was the deep learning about the “narrow gate.” I explored who this passage was written for, the historical background, and its biblical meaning. We all deeply read the Bible, were touched by the Holy Spirit, studied with commentaries, asked questions to pastors, and listened to messages. Through staff meetings, I received feedback and gradually solidified the points I would discuss.

As the content of the teachings was nearly finalized, and the slides were completed, we practiced among teaching staff as if it were the actual presentation. Even though I had planned to stick to my prepared points, there were moments when new thoughts popped into my head while speaking, and I shared them. However, during the feedback session, I was told that while those thoughts were biblically accurate, they sometimes strayed from the main point. I realized that the most important thing is to clearly convey the key points to the audience. I learned that saying what comes to mind spontaneously might cause me to lose focus, making the preparation period a valuable learning experience.

At the end of each meeting, Setchan (Shimizu) often said, “Make sure you come back! (laughs),” meaning that as we study the Bible deeply, we can become so engrossed in it that we might lose track of time and struggle to come back out. This actually happened a few times, and while it’s something to do during personal time, it was also a lesson in managing time within the limited period we had (laughs).

After the preparation period, the day of WIT finally arrived! And right from the first day, the schedule changed suddenly! (laughs) We unexpectedly participated in a prayer meeting led by Pr. Takashi Nagasawa, where we encountered the presence of the Lord. We learned about the presence of God through the story of Uzzah, understanding that His presence is equivalent to the Lord’s face. It was a blessing to seek the Lord’s presence together with the people from LA!

WIT, EC, and other camps might be similar in that we prepare the program months in advance, and the schedule is usually packed from the first day to the last. When the schedule changed significantly from day one this time, Setchan said, “Of course, God has a plan within our preparation, but He also has a plan for this very moment. When we dedicate everything we’ve prepared to God, He will accomplish what He wants to accomplish!” I wholeheartedly agreed!

Our plans < God’s plan

I learned to surrender to the Spirit while staying within God’s order!

This time, the accommodation was an AirB&B, creating a very homey camp atmosphere. For four days, we cooked together, read the Bible, learned, worshipped, prayed, and encouraged one another. During the ministry introduction, everyone shared how they are using their gifts in the different places where they’ve been sent. Seeing that everyone faces struggles, challenges, joys, and testimonies, and how they serve God fervently was very encouraging.

It was a great blessing that individuals from different places, churches, and generations could gather in one place to study the Word together. I never expected to have freshly caught tuna, something I’ve never even had in Hokkaido, but I’m grateful! (laughs)

During the final testimony session, we shared what God had spoken to us over the past four days. It was touching to see how each person was spoken to and touched by God in various ways. Although everyone has now returned to the places where they’ve been sent, I pray that they will continue to choose the narrow gate, growing in faith and being guided by the Holy Spirit, never forgetting the grace received at WIT!

I sincerely thank everyone who prayed for and contributed to WIT. Thank you to Yuko-san, who provided lodging and cooked meals, Mao-san, who made the delicious tofu, Hanae-chan, who brought us snacks, and the members of Wintersburg Church who provided the tuna. I am grateful to so many people! I also thank Setchan, Kaori-chan (Reddington, JCFN associate staff), our leader Esther, Kacchan (Inatomi), Taiki-kun (Matsumoto), and Saki-chan (Nishikori) for serving together as a team over the past few months!

I look forward to hearing testimonies of how God transforms the next participants as this wonderful JCFN ministry continues!

Harmony