Hello, my name is Brandon Thompson, and I am pursuing a missionary internship in Obanazawa, Japan, in Autumn 2024. A love for Scripture and the Great Tradition has characterized my adult life, moving me to pursue a BA in Pastoral Theology and Bible from Columbia International University, during which I spent a semester abroad studying at Jerusalem University College. Thereafter, I completed a Master of Divinity at Columbia Biblical Seminary, concentrating in biblical languages and exegesis. I am now finishing a Master of Sacred Theology from Nashotah House Theological Seminary, where I delved into early Christian theology, metaphysics, and exegesis.

While I had several classes focusing on missiology in my BA and MDiv, I did not consider that God may be leading me down such a path until just before I began my STM. That summer, in the span of a month, I had five encounters with different former and current missionaries in Japan, such that I began to ponder whether the Lord may be laying a new path before me. These encounters continued after arriving at Nashotah House, culminating in semester-long exposure to a stained-glass depiction of John McKim, an early graduate of Nashotah House and a missionary, who became an Anglican bishop of Japan. Set below him was a stained-glass rendering of the Japanese islands. At every moment of our daily worship—morning prayer, Eucharist, and evening prayer—I could look up and contemplate the ministry of this forerunner in the faith.

As I take a break from academic study, I will be engaging in a discernment process of where God is calling me to serve. Part of this discernment will take place in Obanazawa, Japan, where I will serve alongside a missionary family and participate in the life of the Church in Japan. Under their discipleship, I will pursue language study and learn to communicate the new life given by Christ in a way that it may be understood and freely received by the people of Japan.

I invite you participate in the Church’s mission and journey alongside me, seeking to behold God glorified in and beyond Japan. Pray for faithful ministers and educators to arise and pour themselves out for Japan, those who communicate and embody the Word who is Truth. Pray for the Spirit to inspire artists, musicians, writers, and architects, so that the beauty already present in Japanese culture may show forth the presence of God without obstruction. Pray for me, that I may behold the face of Christ, proclaiming Him and gathering to Him all who would receive His life. “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory, unto the ages. Amen.” (Rom 11:36) 405044