Sarah was holding her eleven-month-old son on a rush-hour train in Tokyo, bodies pressed close on every side. When Sarah noticed her son was touching the sweater of the woman next to them, she quickly apologized. But when she realized the woman was responding in English, her embarrassment turned to excitement, and she began asking her questions about her life. How had she learned such perfect English?

The woman was only riding one stop, so when she went to get off, Sarah got off with her to continue the conversation, and Sarah shared a short version of how she’d come to know Christ.

It turns out that fourteen years earlier, this woman studied at a university in California, where she’d been part of a Bible study that greatly impacted her, but left her with more questions than answers. Once back in Japan, she fell into a deep depression. Recently, once again, she cried out to God for someone to read the Bible with.

Sarah spent the next few days doing exactly that. The woman was afraid as her family had told her not to become a Christian, and in Japan, that kind of decision can create distance from the people you love most. On the last night of the trip, Sarah brought her to meet two other Japanese Christian women. Both of them were the only believers in their own families too. Hearing their stories seemed to settle something in her.

She decided to step out in faith. She was baptized.