Introduction
My name is Akiyoshi Kinoshita. Nice to meet you.
Hello, my name is Kinoshita Akiyoshi.
I was born in Shiga Prefecture, home to the largest lake in Japan, and before I knew it, I was 53 years old.
I was interested in computers since high school, so I enrolled in an IT-related vocational school, and after graduating, I got a job at a system development company. However, nothing I did worked out, so I would go shopping to relax, and even if I was satisfied with what I bought, I would soon want something different, and I was addicted to shopping.
In that state, when I was walking in front of Hikone Station on my day off, a man approached me and listened to a Bible story. He told me that Jesus Christ was crucified for my sins, died, was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day.
I realized that the reason I was not able to do anything well was because I was ignoring God and living selfishly, so I believed in Jesus as my Savior. After I believed, my insomnia, which had made it difficult for me to fall asleep after 2-3 hours, was cured, and I was able to fall asleep within 30 minutes. I also gradually became free from my shopping addiction.
After I believed in Jesus, I was transferred to another base due to a certain incident while working in system development. I was transferred from system development to factory work, which was a completely different field, and I made many difficult days of mistakes every day. I also wanted to work in long-term missions, and I was hungry and thirsty in my heart. I learned about DTS (Discipleship Training School), so I decided to quit my job and enroll in DTS.
The DTS classes were a time to deepen my intimacy with Jesus. I went to the Philippines for 7 weeks and Kochi Prefecture for 2 weeks for outreach, and during that time I was led to work as a YWAM staff member because I had a desire for long-term missions.
The Frontier Mission School will start in September 2025, and then the Kochi Prefecture base will be developed, so I would like to work as a Takatsuki base staff member until then.
Why develop Kochi Prefecture?
I went to Kochi Prefecture for two weeks for DTS (Discipleship Training School) outreach.
I served mainly in the Hata area of Kochi Prefecture, which is located in the southwestern tip of Shikoku and takes about 1 to 2.5 hours by car from Kochi Station.
There is a train, but it takes longer than by car, so the main means of transportation is by car.
The population is half that of Shiga Prefecture, but the number of foreign missionaries is 17 in Shiga Prefecture and 2 in Kochi Prefecture.
Japan is an unreached area with less than 1% Christians, and there are many cities and towns in Kochi Prefecture that have not yet established churches.
YWAM in Japan has 14 activity bases, but none in Shikoku yet.
A Frontier Mission School is planned to start in September 2025, followed by development based in Kochi Prefecture.
Previous experience
System development
I became interested in programming when I was in high school, and entered an IT-related vocational school in 1990. After graduating from vocational school in 1992, I joined a company and developed a class survey system for public high schools and a contract drafting system for real estate agents.
Middle East short term mission
I learned that there was a short-term missionary program to the Middle East and that I could go on a short-term missionary mission while working at a company, so I went to Jordan in 2022 and Egypt in 2023.
The Middle East is a very hot and far away country that takes a long time to travel to, but I was grateful to be able to share the Gospel with the Muslim people.
DTS(Disciple Training School)
The DTS classes were a time to deepen intimacy in my relationship with Jesus.The classes were not just about accumulating knowledge, but also a time to practice loving each other by praying for each other, encouraging each other, and giving gifts.
I went to the Philippines for 7 weeks of outreach and to Kochi Prefecture for 2 weeks, and what left a deep impression on me was that after the service at a nursing home in Kochi Prefecture, one non-Christian said to me, ``I'm so glad you came today. I couldn't stop crying. I thought my life didn't matter anymore, but now I have hope. Thank you.".
About YWAM Takatsuki
Schools include DTS (Disciple Training School), SBS (Bible Study School), and FCS (Frontier Comic Seminar).
There is a communication night every Wednesday from 6pm, and there is a dinner party that anyone can participate in.
We also have a worship and praise time on the second Friday of every month that anyone can join.