The Boy Who Followed Us

We had a special encounter with a young boy named Kouta from Yoshida Junior High School in Yokohama. Kouta was a Chinese immigrant living in Yokohama’s Chinatown. He wasn’t particularly close to many of the other boys, except for one fellow Chinese-Japanese student. Kouta had recently moved to Japan, and his Japanese wasn’t very strong. Thankfully, our translator Irene was fluent in both Japanese and Mandarin, allowing us to communicate with him easily.

Our first camp with OTM in Yokohama was an incredible experience. After the camp, we held a gathering at a nearby church where we played games, shared testimonies, and handed out gifts to the kids. Kouta stood out to me—a quiet but joyful boy. He told me he loved basketball because it was fun and a better way to spend his time than watching TV, playing video games, or even doing schoolwork—quite unusual for a kid in Japan.

Not only did Kouta attend our clinic and hang out with us at the church, but he also followed us to lunch afterward. He and a friend joined us, and we shared laughs while enjoying the meal together. Later, we headed to Don Quijote, the Japanese version of Target, and to our surprise, Kouta followed us there unknowingly! We were happily surprised to see him again, and his presence filled us with joy. To make the moment even more special, we decided to give him some additional Pokémon cards. He was so grateful and even teared up when we gave him the cards and an NBA toy. He told Irene how thankful he was for our generosity, and seeing the joy on his face was incredibly moving.

I explained to Kouta, through Irene, that these gifts were a way to show him that God loves him. We prayed for him, and he promised to learn more about Jesus.

Meeting Kouta reminded us of the importance of reaching out to the next generation and sharing the hope we have in Christ.

Please pray for Kouta, that he will come to know God and build a relationship with Him.

Written by

Rico Hopping