Mary Hudson Prayer Journey In Japan

Mary Hudson Prayer Journey in Japan

A 68-year-old grandmother from California is working to "set the table for revival" in a nation where less than 1 percent of the population is believed to be Christian. LaVonne Hira has traveled 18 times to the Far East nation, where she has helped plant churches, preached in local congregations and ministers through relational evangelism. Once married to a man of Japanese descent, Hira believes God grafted her into his family to help them fulfill a call to spread the gospel in Japan. Although she never knows how she'll pay for her missions work, Hira says during each of her 18 visits she has flown with first-class tickets and returned with more money than she left with. While in Japan, Hira often reads her Bible aloud while riding around on the nation's bullet trains. "By doing so, she has read the entire Bible to the nation of Japan several times over," says Steven Kaylor, senior pastor at Hope Church near Tokyo. She also prays regularly for the salvation of the imperial family. "She is definitely one of God's secret weapons to Japan," Kaylor adds, "and only eternity will reveal the full impact of her life in this nation." -Mary Hudson