After decades of ministry in one of the world’s most spiritually challenging mission fields, Joshua Bautista is now helping send others across the globe to share the Gospel. Bautista grew up in a Christian home and knew he wanted to be involved in mission work from a young age. "Ministry was part of our lives as a family," says Bautista, the Executive Director with Operation Mobilization (OM) Canada. "In terms of my personal walk and ministry, it started in 1994. That was my first short-term mission trip to Japan. I went for three months, and it changed my life." Coming back from the trip, Bautista felt led to pursue life as a missionary in Japan full-time. He moved there in 1995, where he initially started helping a church plant for the first five years. After that, Bautista became the pastor for the following 12 years at a small church where he watched the congregation grow from 30 to 90 people. Related Stories: From film sets to faith: Winnipeg man preparing for ministry in Japan Ministry at sea: missionary ship travels to South Africa to spread the Gospel Watching God Move in a Country Steeped in Tradition "Japan is known for its really hard spiritual ground," says Bautista. "Some people call it the graveyard of missionaries. But persevering in God's work was something that I learned through my time there." Bautista shares that throughout his time in Japan, he and his wife learned to truly lean on the Lord for everything. "In the perseverance, in the struggle, we could see that God is still faithful. I remember the car would break down, and we would not know where we would get the money to get it fixed. Someone rings the bell and gives us the exact amount of money we needed to get that fixed. That's just one example." .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } The missionary and pastor could see that the culture was vastly different in Japan, making it initially harder to share the life-changing good news of the gospel. "It takes a long time for them to make the decision that Jesus is real. It entails so much, like the social isolation and being an outcast from your family or at work. The whole culture is so ingrained in Buddhism and Shintoism as part of tradition. To live as a Japanese person means you abide by the culture and traditions. When you become a believer, it's Biblical culture you take on. To make that public declaration, especially in baptism, is one of the hardest things. But once they do that, you get very committed, to the death, believers." Making the Decision to Move Bautista and his wife had a son while in Japan. The baby was born with a rare genetic condition called Williams' Syndrome. "He had two open-heart surgeries by the time he was one. He suffered from multiple delays. We started thinking about his future, and after a lot of prayer, a lot of discussion, we decided that God was leading us for his special needs education, back to Canada." Even as Bautista’s ministry in Japan was thriving—especially as he became a bridge between the church and the Japanese education system—he sensed that God was leading his family to make the move to Canada. "A friend of mine said, 'Anyone can do what you're doing here. You're not indispensable. But you're the only father to Caleb.' That was the last nail in the coffin. Looking back, we can see how God led." From Pastor in Japan to Pastor in Canada After the family moved, Bautista took a role on the pastoral staff at Bramalea Baptist Church in Brampton, ON. "I was on staff here for 10 years. Finally, I was in my zone as a mission pastor. I loved what I was doing because my heart was always in missions. I was overseeing both local and global missions." A position opened up in Operation Mobilization Canada in 2022 for Executive Director, and after much prayer, Bautista applied for and got the job. Sending People Across the World to Share the Gospel "OM is a global mission organization, and we're in 147 plus countries. We have 132 different nationalities, we're very diverse, and crazy, radically in love with Jesus and people." The ministry helps people with their most pressing needs across the globe, whether it's basic supplies, housing, education, or pastoral care. "Our mission and vision is to see vibrant communities of Jesus-followers amongst the least reached. From child and women empowerment and development, all the way to church planting. We are focusing on spotlight regions, and we have two ships that go around the world sharing the good news, love, help, and hope." At any time, OM offers 90-100 short-term mission opportunities, spanning from a week to six months. "The enemy deceives you and I, that we're not part of God's plan of redemption. He'll deceive you to think you're not worthy, or distract you by saying, 'It's not worth it. Enjoy what you have here.' But I want to encourage our listeners, if you're a follower of Jesus, you're part of God's redemptive plan. It doesn't matter what you have or don't have. It's what you have in your hands, that's all He needs. Is it worth it? It's worth it!"