Nathan & Nozomi Brownell

Dozens of shoes spill out from the entryway of the Green House youth center where adolescents have gathered for the afterschool program. They’ve finished a snack and now sit attentively while a speaker shares her testimony. This kind of story is rare in a nation where only 1 percent of the population professes to be Christian, but the students lean in, some tearing up.

The Brownells live in Yokohama, Japan, and are serving youth and children in the area in partnership with Nihon Kirisuto Kyodan. Nathan teaches at an RCA-founded school, Nozomi recruits and trains volunteers for Children and Worship, and they both work at the Green House. In a culture where adolescence can bring unbearable stress, their ministry is critical in creating Christ-centered environments of acceptance, forgiveness, and hope.