Bri’s Heart for Students and Missions Leads her to Japan
January 2025
Bri Gadaire, a lifelong resident of Vancouver, Washington, has always had a heart for missions. From the moment she read a book about David Livingstone as a young child, Bri felt called to share the gospel with those who have never heard of Jesus. Now, after years of living on mission in the US, Bri is embarking on a journey to Yamanashi, Japan, where she will join Kenji’s team as part of Encompass World Partners’ mission to reach the unreached.
God has been using Bri’s journey to perfectly prepare her for this assignment. With a double major in Bible Theology and Psychology, she graduated amidst the challenges of 2020 and found an unexpected mission field in teaching kindergarten. This season honed her skills in sharing the gospel with young minds and shepherding hearts. Later, God gave her an opportunity to gain even more discipleship experience by leading her church’s youth group. “I love hanging out with students,” she says. With a sense of humor, she adds, “I was such an awkward student and had such a hard time during those years. I think as I grew older, the Lord has just used that to help me to walk alongside them through those difficult times.”
Bri didn’t feel called to a specific people group, but she’s always had a deep desire to live on mission and see the gospel transform people’s lives. Her introduction to Japan came through a personal connection with Encompass missionaries Ralph and Joan Justiniano. Despite Ralph’s passing, Joan hosted Bri during a short-term trip to Japan, allowing her to see firsthand the spiritual need in a country where less than one percent of the population identifies as Christian. During that trip, Bri participated in English camps, youth outreach events, and Bible studies, which gave her a passion for Japan’s people and culture. She says, “Japan is one of the most homogeneous and largest unreached people groups, which really captivated my heart. God gave me the desire to go there and be a light.”
In Yamanashi, Bri will work alongside Kenji and others at Olive Church, one of the rare churches in the country that has a Japanese pastor. While Kenji uses rock climbing as a ministry tool, Bri’s focus will be on developing creative methods to connect with youth and support Olive Church’s children’s and youth ministries. As the first phase of her ministry, Bri will spend the first two years of her assignment studying the language. “I don't necessarily have the gift of language, but I want to learn the culture and language really well—that will make me more efficient in ministry.”
Reflecting on her calling, she says, “I want to go where people might not know Jesus if I didn’t go. Growing up in a place with churches on every corner, it’s hard to imagine a world where people have never heard of Jesus. That’s what drives me—to be a part of changing that reality.”
As Bri follows God’s call to missions, she’s looking for people to partner with her in this ministry. Would you consider joining her in reaching Japan for Jesus? Your financial support and prayers can help Bri get to the field and sustain her ministry as she brings the hope of the gospel to Yamanashi. Together, we can make an eternal impact.
More Stories
When Anna* was challenged to think about her goals for 2026, she sensed a clear nudge from God: begin preparing material to train others....
February 17, 2026
“In the 1980s, if you walked into a Christian bookstore in France, you’d find maybe two shelves of Christian books,” Florent...
February 13, 2026
As someone who’s spent much of his life planting churches in Asia, Ted now serves as the Director of Encompass...
February 10, 2026
Reaching the unreached is a beautiful idea, but it’s a lot easier said than done. Even so, Auburn Grace Community...
February 9, 2026
“I had no idea what Japan was,” Kya says. “Then my parents took me when I was 10, and now I wake up every day and think about...
January 30, 2026
Mika* grew up in Japan as part of a family that was culturally Buddhist, yet God gently placed people in her life who...
January 29, 2026
Grace Church in Simi Valley, California has been partnering with Encompass for over 60 years now, making us their primary missions agency. That...
January 23, 2026
The environment a child grows up in becomes their baseline for what’s normal. As you can imagine, children growing up overseas often form a...
January 23, 2026
“I never set out to become a crisis response person,” says Barb. In fact, if you had asked her younger...
January 21, 2026
