Shelley Carl
ASSEMBLIES OF GOD
New York State
It is my joy to share with you my calling and ministry in the nation of Japan, a nation I love dearly. As I share this story with you, I pray that you will see the hand of God at work. He has led me throughout this nation to discover that He deeply loves Japanese people.
1972-1976
My family arrived in Japan when I was only 13 years old because my father was in the United States Army. We were a Christian family, and I had already accepted Jesus as my Savior and was water baptized. But moving to Japan was difficult, because from the age of 11 I developed rheumatoid arthritis. Sometimes when cold weather came, I had to use crutches to walk. Despite the difficulties of my disease, I enjoyed living in Tokyo, Saitama Ken, and Kanagawa Ken.
When I was in high school, a group of girls and I formed a singing group called The Believers. We were invited to sing on many military bases throughout the Kanto area. When we sang at the chapel on the base in Yokohama, I met George and Evelyn Sturgeon. They were Assemblies of God missionaries who operated a home to minister to American military people. After the morning service at the chapel, they invited us to come to the home to eat lunch and sing at their afternoon service. Usually when we sang in the base chapels, people loved to watch all 13 girls sing and they applauded us. But at the missionaries’ home, everyone raised their hands and worshipped God while we were singing. I had never seen or felt anything like this in my life.
After the service I asked the missionary, “What is this?” He took me to the book of Acts and explained to me the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I immediately knew this was what I needed in my life. I began to wake up early every day to pray and ask God for this experience. About a month later at a prayer meeting I was baptized in the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues. That moment changed my life forever. I was 17 years old and wondering what I was going to do with my life. As I rode the trains around Tokyo, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see that Japanese people need Jesus. God began to speak to me to give my life for Japan as a missionary.
Becoming a missionary seemed impossible for many reasons. The main reason is that, as I told you, I had rheumatoid arthritis. I wondered how God could use someone like me. But God continued to show me that this is what He wanted. I argued with Him many times, reminding Him about my pain. But how could I say no to God? Finally, one night at a prayer meeting, I asked people to lay hands on me and pray for me. I lifted both hands to God. I told Him that one hand represented this arthritis that doctors told me would only get worse. The other hand represented this call of God for Japan that I felt in my heart. I could not live with both of these things. So that night I asked God to take away one of them. Whichever one He left, that would be my life’s destiny. That night, God instantly and miraculously healed me of rheumatoid arthritis and confirmed His call on my life to become a missionary to Japan. In 1976 I graduated from high school at Camp Zama in Kanagawa Ken, and returned to America to enter Bethany Bible College in California.
1980-1983
After graduating from Bible College, I immediately returned to Japan to serve as a children’s pastor for American military families at the church outside of Yokota Air Base, with missionaries Russell & Mary Emerson. I came for one year, but stayed for three years. Besides serving at the military church, I also had a wonderful time weekly teaching English at Pastor Uehara’s church in Hachioji. During that time, Missionary Margaret Carlow was helping Pastor and Sister Nishi to start a new Japanese service at the Yokota church. Pastor Nishi unexpectedly became ill, and passed into the arms of Jesus at only 35 years old. At the memorial service for Pastor Nishi, I questioned God. I asked Him why He would take a precious Japanese pastor, especially because we have so few pastors in Japan. I asked God who is going to take Pastor Nishi’s place to work for the Japanese people. I clearly heard Him in a silent voice say to my heart, “What about you? Will you work specifically for Japanese people?” I knew that God was telling me again His plan for me to give my life not just to be in Japan to work for the American military families, but to work for the Japanese people. I returned to America to receive the ministerial license and to prepare to become a career missionary not only to Japan, but specifically to the Japanese people. During the time in America I served as a children’s pastor in my hometown of Rochester, NY.
1986-1993
I returned to Japan and attended language school in Hokkaido. During my time in language school I assisted Pastor Watanabe in the new church plant in Higashi Ku, Sapporo. My first Sunday at her church, I could not understand any Japanese. Pastor Watanabe was preaching through the book of 1 Kings, one chapter each week. A missionary helped me to understand that the pastor was preaching about Elijah from I Kings 18. Before returning to Japan in 1986, I spent one year raising prayer and financial support from churches throughout New York. For one year, every Sunday, I preached about Elijah from I Kings 18. And then my first Sunday in a completely Japanese church, the message was from the same chapter. Although I could not understand one word of the sermon, I knew that God was moving in that church and through this precious Japanese pastor.
The following year I moved to Chitose to work with Missionaries Bob and Janet Hymes to open Chitose Christian Center. We also worked together in Sapporo and held an English service at Pastor Shitamichi’s church. We often walked door to door in Chitose passing out the Christian newspaper and tracts about the salvation story of Steve Fox. God worked in marvelous ways. In addition to planting the church, every week I was invited to teach English at the neighboring town of Eniwa to members of the Japanese Self-Defense Force. I felt right at home because I grew up with my father in the Army. I will never forget the first day of class when 200 Japanese soldiers wearing their green uniforms stood up and saluted me because I was now their teacher. Several of the men came to English classes at the church and heard the gospel.
One day a woman named Mrs. Kuroda came to the church. It was a miracle because she never left her house due to fear. Her friend brought her to the church to learn English. Eventually she came to the Sunday service and then the Wednesday prayer meeting at my house. I could feel she was ready to become a believer. Then suddenly one day she came to my house and told me she is returning the Bible I gave her because she cannot become a Christian. When I asked her why, she told me that her husband’s father was a Buddhist priest. Mr. Kuroda was in the SDF in Eniwa, but someday he would have to return to his hometown in Kyushu and become a Buddhist priest like his father because he is the eldest son. Suddenly, the power of the Holy Spirit took over our conversation. I told Mrs. Kuroda that when we become a Christian, we are born into the family of God. Jesus Christ is the eldest son in God’s family. So I suggested that we pray that her husband become a Christian. Then, Jesus Christ will be the eldest son in his family. I was very surprised at those words that came out of my mouth, and hoped that Mrs. Kuroda did not think I was rude. But in fact, she said that sounded great. So every Wednesday we prayed together for her husband. Within two years, Mr. and Mrs. Kuroda were water baptized together, living for Jesus.
1993-2006
God then led me to transfer to Toyama, known as the “kingdom of Buddhism. I served at the Fukuoka Machi church with missionaries Donnel and Venda McLean, and later at Kamiichi Christian Center. I will never forget a little boy named Ren kun. He came from a difficult family situation but God led him to the church I was pastoring when he was about 7 years old. During a Christmas party for the children, I gave him a video of the Jesus story for children. He took it home and watched it and then the following Sunday told me an unbelievable story. When he was very little, maybe about 3 years old, he was a bad boy in day care. He was in trouble at day care and at home, perhaps the worst trouble in his life. But that night, Ren kun had a dream. In the dream, a man spoke to him and said, “Ren kun, I saw everything that you did. Don’t do it again and I’ll forget all about it.” Then Ren kun told me that he never knew who the man in the dream was, until he watched the video. He said it was the same man. Jesus Himself spoke to a little boy in a dream, and then brought him to a church where he could learn who the Man was. God is moving mightily, even in the lives of children throughout Japan.
2006-2007
After many years in Toyama, the mission asked me to relocate to Kyushu for one year and then to Tokyo. I spent a year at Momochi Symphony Church in Fukuoka while missionaries Juan and Colette Gonzalez were in America. During that year I realized that the church is not mine, it is God’s. All the burden of leading a church left me, and I rejoiced that God is building His church in this nation.
2007年～2024年
I had no idea why God brought me to Tokyo, but I came in obedience. For the first few years I worked with Shimura Church, and taught Kids Gospel at Jujo Church, Chuo Seisho Church, Shin Nakano Church and Shimura Church. But again, God moved me to serve at ICA Tokyo, an international church for several years, and then to begin church planting branches with Amano Sensei’s Riverside Chapel. I have also had the privilege to speak in several churches in the Tokyo area.
Besides church work, God gave me an unusual assignment to serve as the co-managing editor for the Japan Fire Bible. God put together an amazing team and we began working on the project in 2008. Miraculously this one-of-a-kind Bible with authentic Pentecostal study notes was published in 2016.
As you know, less than one percent of Japanese people believe in Jesus. I am fascinated with the one percent. I am completely amazed that anyone in this nation can break out of the tradition of the culture to believe in Jesus. I have great admiration for every Christian in Japan, as I believe it is not easy for you to serve Jesus in this non-Christian environment. God chose you, and now I am studying you. In fact I have entered a PhD program in Intercultural Studies to study Pentecostal Christians in Japan. The goal is to create a model of Japanese Christian self-identity. Please pray for my doctoral studies, as I believe this deep research will unveil clues from your lives that can help us to reach even more Japanese people with the truth of Jesus Christ.
Thank you for taking the time to read this story. It is not just my story, it is the story of God at work in your nation. My goal is to shine the light of Jesus throughout Japan, as I “Serve the Risen Son in the Land of the Rising Sun.” My hope is built on Isaiah 9:2, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.”
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