Emily Long, a junior business administration

major from Hot Springs, learned first-hand about the

importance of the mission field as she spent 55 days
of her summer traveling and spreading the gospel to
Japanese college students in Nagoya, Japan.
“I worked on a team with six other people
from the United States through the Face2Face
International Missions Board summer student
program. Our goal was to bring people to Christ, as
well as introduce the Japanese people we met to the
missionary families that lived there,” Long said.
Before the team left the United States, they spent
time in Los Angeles preparing for what was about to
take place overseas. They studied mission-minded
books with students from around the country that
were going to different parts of Asia. Once in Nagoya,
Japan, they continued those studies with their
supervisors.
“In orientation, we spent a lot of time working on
our testimonies. We also worked on how to fit Christ
and our own testimonies into a conversation with
ease while relating it to the person we were talking
to,” Long said. “I spent a lot of time praying and
studying on my own to get in the right mindset and
be especially aware of the Holy Spirit.”
The team hosted parties, called International
Friendship Parties, in an effort to raise awareness for
Christianity. They had an important job of teaching
people about who God was.
“Someone would share their testimony and we
would sing Christian songs. Although not one person
gave their life to Christ this summer, we did have a
few people who were interested in being in a bible
study to learn more about God, which is a really big
deal there” Long said. “Japan is a very difficult place
to witness because the people are so content.”
She was able to work with various groups of
people and learn a lot about Japanese culture.
“People do not share their emotions and do not
open up easily. They are content with the life they
live. They are actually very similar to Americans
because these people have a lot and do not lack
the basic necessities of life. They are not physically
hopeless, but spiritually hopeless,” Long said.
The people she encountered, as well as the
experiences she had, taught her many lessons.
“I think I learned more than I taught others. I
think the biggest thing I learned was God’s calling
to my life. I don’t feel called to the international
mission field full time, but I am definitely called to
be a missionary. Wherever you are, whoever you are
talking to and whatever you are doing, that is your
mission field,” Long said.
Long was excited to be a part of the mission work
happening in Japan.
“God is making an impact in Japan and His Word
is being spread to all nations,” Long said. “I feel so
blessed and humbled to be used as a part of that.
How awesome it is that God allows us to be a part of
His plan if we are willing.”
by Abbey Little

EMILY
LONG
Job No.: 031504 Page No. 142
School Name: Ouachita Baptist University

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