When a local school sets up an exchange program with an educational institution overseas, there are always hopes for what students from each country will gain – whether that be friendship, a greater understanding of different cultures, family systems and more.

What those at Oran Park Anglican College (OPAC) who run the student exchange between their school and another in Japan didn’t expect was that two of the students who visited them would watch the way they lived, ask questions and subsequently give their lives to Jesus. 

“The program was always about cultural learning and exchange; there was never the intention of converting these children, it just naturally happened – because they asked,” says Maria Mertzanakis, the OPAC teacher in charge of facilitating the program.

Each year, students come to OPAC from a high school in eastern Tokyo and are billeted with school families for a week. Each weekday includes half a day of intensive English classes, with the other half spent in class with college students. They also take part in whatever their host family does, which ranges from video games to youth group, and sightseeing to church on Sunday.

Last year, one of the Japanese students noticed the behaviour of his teachers, asking two of them why they were so consistently happy and interacting so positively with the students and other staff. 

Mrs Mertzanakis says the teachers explained the hope they had in Jesus, told him the gospel and said this was why they had such a positive outlook on life. 

“This student wanted to find out more and began to do some research and reading because he hadn’t ever heard of Jesus,” she explains. “Around the same time, another student was exposed to the gospel message at church and youth group... and because those two students were good friends, they debriefed about their days and this Jesus guy that people seemed so excited about.”

After they returned to Japan, one of the two rang Mrs Mertzanakis to ask if she could bring some Christian resources the next time Oran Park students visited their school. He and his friend had begun a Bible study outside school time so they could learn more and tell their friends and schoolmates about Jesus. Might she also be willing to speak to the group while she was there?

Mrs Mertzanakis was delighted and, when she was next in Tokyo, took part in the Bible study and Q&A session with the 30 or so students present. She discovered that the two Christian students had also connected with a church and were preparing to be baptised the following Sunday – her only disappointment was her inability to attend when invited.

“They really wanted to commit their lives to Jesus. It was so exciting!” she says.

Discoveries in Sydney 

Two Year 9 students at OPAC, Emily-Jane Davison and Cole Haack, each had a Japanese student stay with their families earlier this year and, more recently, spent a return exchange week in Tokyo.  

Their students enjoyed the different family dynamics, such as more children, eating dinner together around the table and holding hands for grace. It also surprised the Sydneysiders to discover that, at home, the Japanese students could be at school each day until up to 8pm. 

“I think ours definitely appreciated the very public community at youth group,” Cole says, “just sitting around with a group and then afterwards, during free time, he fell in love with the ping pong table! He definitely liked the company and having so many people to talk to.”

Adds Emily-Jane: “We took Haruna to see the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, and to a wildlife park... but I think her favourite part was just our family, being with us and spending time with us. 

“Mum watched a lot of videos of Japanese singers together with her, she cooked a meal for us as well... and she fell in love with our dog!” 

Mrs Mertzanakis says that the two young men who have come to faith also stayed with Christian families while they were in Sydney, and “saw that they could pray and put their trust in something other than themselves, which for them is so countercultural. 

“In Japan, you’re in control... and their reflection on this was that, no, they aren’t in control, and it makes so much sense to rely on a ‘higher being’, as they put it, to have faith in. 

“Another thing they noticed was the importance of serving. There is an impetus on serving in Japan as well, but for a different reason. 

“What they saw in Australia is people serving because you want to be Christlike and living out those values... but there in Japan it’s to benefit each other as a society rather than give glory to God.”

Pray

• Praise God that two students saw the difference in the lives of Christian staff and families at Oran Park Anglican College and discovered the reason was Jesus
• Give thanks that they have committed their lives to Jesus through baptism
• Pray they might continue to bless others with God’s word and the knowledge that he has a plan for their lives, too