YLG2016 Renews Hope for Mission in Japan

For Mariko Ichiba, now co-chair of Japan YLGen, attending Lausanne’s 2016 Younger Leaders Gathering in Jakarta transformed how she understood mission. Worshipping alongside more than 1,200 younger leaders, she was challenged to take up the baton from earlier generations of believers and embrace her place in God’s redemption story. ‘As a leader from the Japanese church, where missions have always been challenging, this experience forever changed my perspective on mission,’ Mariko reflects. The gathering offered what she describes as ‘a foretaste of heaven’ and continues to give her renewed strength and hope as she serves as a Japanese pastor and helps guide Lausanne’s younger leader community in Japan.