After Internship, Kya Pursues Long-Term Missions

For the past 10 years, Kya has had a heart for Japan. She even considered serving there as a missionary, but for a long time, she didn’t think she was “smart enough” or “built for missions.” 

“I felt like you had to know the Bible front and back—like you could pull Scripture out of thin air,” she says. But as Kya grew in her relationship with God, she realized that God doesn’t expect us to be Super-Christians. “We’re not perfect, but God is calling each of us to be wherever we are supposed to be,” she says. 

So she trusted God and went on a Team Internship to Japan with us in Summer 2026. During the trip, she and her teammates spent three weeks traveling through Tokyo, Yamanashi, and Osaka visiting our workers there, serving alongside them, and experiencing everyday life in Japan.  

“We went to a building that's 60 floors up, so you can see all of Tokyo, and it looks endless,” says Kya. “That really put in perspective how many people hadn't heard of Christ before. Seeing it from that perspective was really eye-opening.” 

But the internship wasn’t just about seeing Japan as a tourist. By doing life alongside Encompass workers, Kya got an honest picture of what long-term missionary life actually looks like. “One of the things I'm so grateful for is how nobody sugarcoated anything,” she says. I appreciate how they were all upfront with all the struggles.”  

That transparent mentorship helped Kya understand the real sacrifices that come with a long-term calling. During her trip, she even experienced missing her brother’s engagement, her dad’s birthday, and the Fourth of July—a realistic taste of living overseas. 

But even after counting the cost, Kya senses God calling her back to the mission field long-term. "I loved my time in Osaka, and it was so neat to be able to connect with the Japanese people through teaching English and using that as ministry opportunity," she says. “I finally found where I'm meant to be, and I feel so much peace in knowing that." 

Now, Kya is going through the process of becoming a long-term Encompass worker. She is currently on track to deploy in 2028, giving her time to continue her Bible education, complete her Teaching English as a Foreign Language certification, and begin building a network of financial partners. 

We’re so proud of Kya, and her journey is a reminder that God doesn’t require us to have everything figured out before we say yes. Sometimes we just need to trust Him, take the next step, and discover where He is leading us.