By Tim Allan
When two elderly women told Tia Blassingame they wanted to be her Japanese mums, she knew she was in the right place.
That was Tia’s first Sunday at Keisen Kristo Kyokai church, in Yamagata, a city in the north of Japan, and fully confirmed God’s call on her life.
Tia, who is sent by SIM USA and arrived in Japan at the end of 2022, said: “I was told it could take months to get to know Japanese people and to form proper relationships.
“But on that first Sunday in church these two women, who were exactly the same age as my mum would have been, offered to be my Japanese mums! They are now firm friends – Hariko and Miwako.”
Even though the Japanese women were in their 70s, they were very keen to learn English – as were two of their friends, a Buddhist woman also called Hariko and Yoko, who was something of a sceptic about all faith.
As their relationship with Tia developed, they suggested she run an English class for the four women. So they started meeting in one of their houses every month, sharing tea, learning new words and gradually building a strong friendship with Tia.
She said: “I had been praying for relationships like this so it was exciting to see these women come into my life. Because my two Japanese ‘mums’ were Christians, so it seemed good to start each lesson with a little Bible study.
“I would write out the verse in English, with the Japanese translation underneath. I would read the verse and then they would read it in English and in Japanese.
“They would often ask about words they didn’t understand or which didn’t translate easily…like the word ‘void’ from the early part of Genesis. As I told them synonyms for void, I was able to share about how God created everything from nothing.”
As their monthly lessons developed, so their relationships blossomed. When the church held a book fair, Tia said she’d like to buy them a gift. The Buddhist Hiroko san asked for an easy-to-read Bible!
From that time, their conversations about the Bible grew and grew. When Tia mentioned a Bible character, Hiroko would eagerly point to her story Bible to show where the character fits into the narrative.
Then Yoko, at first so sceptical about any faith, started showing more interest, to the point where Hiroko lent her the story Bible. Yoko also turned up at church for a Sunday morning service and heard a wonderful gospel sermon from a guest preacher, who was also a government official.
Tia said: “I can’t say these two ladies have fully put their trust in Jesus yet, but they are definitely seekers – eager to know more about who Jesus is. I will keep praying for them and we will see what God does in their lives.”
Of course, while Tia’s work continues, and though it may be a long time before her friends are truly saved, she is used to hardship and has learned to be patient.
She was diagnosed as a type one diabetic, just like her father, when she was eight. Her mother died in a terrible car accident when she was just 13 and she later suffered in a long-term abusive relationship with her then fiancée. Complications with her diabetes have now left her blind in her left eye.
But Tia’s indomitable spirit shines through all she says and does. She has no doubt of her calling to Japan, after it was revealed to her in a cataclysmic dream in 2015. She tried some short-term mission trips and then connected with SIM in 2018.
She said: “It took me four years to raise the funds. It’s very hard for a black mission worker to raise funds, especially to go to Japan.”
Please pray
- For Hiroko and Yoko to come to a living faith in Jesus Christ and that Tia and her friends will find the right ways to lead them.
- For Tia to continue growing in her love for Christ and for the people of Japan, that she might serve them better.
- For God to lead Tia to the ministry where he wants her to serve and for her to be patient as she waits for his guidance.
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