I was born and raised in a typical Japanese home which is basically no religion, but sometimes practicing Buddhism and Shinto.

When I worked at the hospital, I was taking conversational English from a missionary. I hated religion, so I asked her not to push any religious stuff on me, and she didn't, but she used the Bible as the textbook. So without knowing, I was studying the Bible for about two years. In 1986, my instructor invited me to go to Easter morning service. So I attended my very first Christian Church Service and I got saved that same morning on the spot.

God totally changed my life and He gave me many opportunities to share the gospel at the hospital where I worked. One nurse and one dietician accepted Christ and began attending the same church as me. In 1989 God led me to go to Bible College in Canada. After graduating, I had a desire to go back to Japan and help missionaries. In the meantime I met my husband Bruce at college and he wanted to go to Japan as a missionary. So I thought I could help this missionary. We got married in 1991.

The next year we went back to Japan. My husband worked at a Japanese company for 10 months before we moved to the mission field as independent missionaries. The mission field we moved to was a Christian campground. My husband knew of this place through another missionary and God gave him the burden to minister there as the caretaker.

Before we arrived, there was no caretaker for 10 years, so the place was a mess. There was so much work to do, financial difficulties, health problems, a three-month-old baby and there was no body to go to for help. So much rain, snow, gloomy weather and discouragement. It was very difficult for me. Above all, my concept about mission work was very narrow: Bible studies, special music, people oriented ministries etc. Taking care of the campground was :behind the scenes work." I had a very hard time. However my husband was so happy to serve the Lord this way, (like scrub the toilet) and I learned a lot from that. Through seven years God showed me constantly His power and His glory in that campground. Then God gave us a new vision: to minister to military folks in Japan. Before Bruce went to Bible College, he was in the Air Force and was stationed for three years in Japan. So he wanted to join that mission. For that, we needed to establish a home church in the USA. Last year, May 12, we moved to Palm Bay, Florida. Almost immediately God led us to join Covenant Presbyterian Church. It is a very wonderful church. My husband got a job at Covenant Christian School and our children attended the school.

We lived with my parents-in-laws. They are wonderful folks. While in Florida I got my visa, and there have been so many other blessings. I certainly enjoy the sunshine and the heat. But there have also been some challenges, like getting a drivers license and driving. In Japan the cars go on the left side of the street. Things like using a debit card or making a Doctor's appointment were new to me; I had never done those things before. This may be no big deal for most people, but for me, each time I needed to pray before I did something new.

Now God is clearly showing His will for us to go back to the Christian campground in Japan where we worked before. I had a struggle about that, but God is clearly showing His will, so I will go and obey. Please pray for our preparations to go back to Japan at the end of September. All my testimonies were like this until God shined His light on a particular area that I really didn't want to touch before.

I was attending the Tuesday morning Bible study last year. At the end of the study, in December, Susan came to the class and spoke about pro-life ministries. I was sitting and listening as if I were totally innocent and ignorant of abortion. Before I became a Christian I had an abortion. When I became a Christian God forgave me. Before I got married I talked to my husband about the abortion and he still accepted me. He said "God forgave you so how come I shouldn't forgive you?" He carries this burden with me. However, when I heard about abortion from Susan that was an area that I really didn't want to touch. I didn't want God to expose that area. I talked to Susan and she recommended that I go to a post-abortion Bible study. I went through that study for 10 weeks. That Bible study was wonderful. God healed me in that area and I have victory over past experiences. And from that Bible study God gave me a new vision about that kind of ministry in Japan. I really did not want to touch this area before, but now I know God can use me in it. I am willing to share with the ladies who have had the same experience, also the ladies who are thinking of having an abortion. I don't know how and when to start this kind of ministry, however I believe that God will open the door for that in Japan. Please pray for that also.

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." - Isaiah 43:18-19

Copyright © 2001 Miho Truss