2022 Summer Missions Recap

Japan’s borders were still closed to foreign travelers and visitors this summer since 2020. However, God is good and OTM sponsored the Acuna Family (Mike, Yuko, Yuuki, and Maki) to continue its mission and vision, to reach the Japanese students through basketball. One of the biggest hurdles these past two years was getting into the country. Thankfully the Japanese immigration approved Mike’s visa last year and grated us an extension for this year.

Our camps were in Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagano, and Shizuoka. Everyday Mike connected with students via social media and met them at basketball courts to offer free training. As he developed a trust with the students, it gave him an opportunity to speak into their lives, to be a positive role model, to them, to pray with them, and to guide them to know God. Many of these students aspire to play professionally and are looking for an opportunity to be seen. OTM offers a place for these students to develop their skills and provide mentorship to help them achieve their goals.  It’s also a great way to practice their English so it's a win-win for them.

We are looking for sponsors who share the same vision and are like-minded. OTM will be expanding next year and we will need a network of partnerships.

THANK YOU to those who have supported us financially. We’ve used your donations to rent gyms, connect with students, build relationships with them, and be the salt & light in this world. We were invited to some new schools, which allowed us to the opportunity to host basketball clinics and training opportunities. Mike also had opportunities to share his testimony with students during our clinics, and during the teens service at a local church.

It was another successful year! We are so grateful for all the partnerships and volunteers who supported us along the way. God met our needs each step of the way. He gave us strength and health to endure the hot, humid summer weather. Despite the rising COVID cases in Japan, our family remained safe and healthy.

We look forward to next summer. Japan finally opened its borders to allow foreign travel! We are looking to build a team of volunteers to join our 2023 Summer Missions Trip!