Brother Josh Kelsey, SGT, USMC, CAMP FUJI, JAPAN

Since April 2004, my spiritual journey has taken me from 29 Palms, California to Camp Fuji, Japan.   In this narrative, I’d like to testify to God’s grace in Japan.  HE IS SOOO GOOD!

                        Actually, I specifically requested this duty station based on past experience.  It goes back to 1999 at my first duty station on Camp Hansen, Okinawa.  I was not walking in a right relationship with our Lord Jesus.  Several times I remember someone reaching out a hand to pull me from my pit of ignorance.  Blindly, I only avoided them with excuses.  Once I had grown out of my rebellious state and sought after God’s will in my life, I was eager to redeem the time I spent in Okinawa and serve Jesus there.     

          I was to report to Camp Fuji, Japan in less than a week.  My spiritual maturing process had taught me to tread lightly when contemplating the “whys and what fors" of God, so I let these questions subside.  What made this alteration in my destiny seem so divinely inspired?  The fact that only 3 Marines were chosen out of a group of nearly 100.  

            At the airport, there was a van with two marines waiting to pick up the two other marines and myself.  Their stories centered mostly on their pursuit of women and the Tokyo nightlife.It seems the lustful imaginations of man are a never-ending pit.  I gracefully diverted the conversation toward the topic of Camp Fuji.  I praise God for delivering me from the similar self-destructive ways of my former self! 

                     A week or two later, the local city of Gotemba was hosting an annual festival to promote community among the people.  I wasn’t feeling up to going until my Christian brother, Julian, persuaded me to go.  What we would see that day would change our lives forever.Strolling through the first street we came to brought the sound of lively music to our ears.   To our amazement, the music they were singing was Gospel! It was there that I first laid eyes upon Reiko, my wife-to-be.

           They invited Julian and I to join them back at the church for refreshments and pizza.  Gladly, we accepted.  A man named Kitamura offered to drive us to the church.  (I would later find out that he is Reiko’s uncle.)   Ever since then, we remained in contact and even joined the Gospel choir.

            Consequentially, I became acquainted with Reiko and her family.  She is a second generation Christian whose father and mother are active members of the church.  Her brother also is strongly devoted to music ministry and teaching at a local church school.  I could not have dreamed of finding a more God-centered family to meet my future wife.  The language barrier seemed like hardly a barrier at all. Now, I see how the Holy Spirit works to graft together our hearts and minds in a way that surpasses our cultural, lingual, and even historical differences.  I’m so blessed!  Praise God forever!  He is my Rock and my Redeemer!  May I never cease to praise Him!