One Year in Japan: Lydia & William Payne’s Update from Fukuoka

One year ago, Lydia and William Payne moved to Fukuoka, Japan, to help plant Mustard Seed Christian Church Fukuoka. In this update, they share how God has been working in their lives, their church family, and their city, where 99% of people don’t yet know Jesus.

Learning to love Fukuoka

Over this first year, Lydia and William have learned to enjoy the everyday life of Fukuoka. They’ve visited the beach, hiked mountains, watched the fall leaves change, walked through Christmas markets, and taken in the beauty of cherry blossoms. They’ve enjoyed incredible food like tonkotsu ramen and fresh seafood, and they’ve tried more adventurous dishes like raw horse and pig intestine.

All of this has helped them feel more at home in a place that still feels very new.

A new church in a city that needs Jesus

In September 2025, Mustard Seed Christian Church Fukuoka officially launched as the 11th church in the Mustard Seed network. For Lydia and William, this was a long‑held dream: to serve at a local church in Japan, sharing the gospel week after week in a place where so few people know Jesus.

In just nine months of Sunday gatherings, God has already done something beautiful. By His grace, they have seen five people baptized into new life in Christ, each with a story of how God was at work long before they arrived. These baptisms are a reminder that the gospel is powerful and that God is drawing people to Himself in Fukuoka.

Team transitions and God’s faithfulness

This first year has not been easy. Their team in Fukuoka has gone through some significant transitions. They said goodbye to two dear teammates who moved back to the United States and welcomed a new teammate who came from another church in the network.

For several months, Lydia and William have taken on extra responsibilities to help keep the church running and to care for people well. It has been busy and stretching, yet they testify that God has been faithful to sustain them and their team.

The long work of language learning

Alongside church ministry, Lydia and William are still full‑time language students. They attend language school five days a week, four hours a day. Learning Japanese has been every bit as difficult as they were told it would be, and some days it still shocks them how hard it feels.

They both wish they could say they are now fluent, but that is not their reality yet. They likely have another year of language school ahead and possibly several more years before they feel truly competent. This has been a humbling, marathon‑like journey where they are learning to be patient and to trust that small, faithful steps matter.

“I still need Jesus”

One of the biggest lessons Lydia shared is how deeply she has come to see her need for God. Living cross‑culturally has reminded her of God’s goodness and grace, but it has also exposed her ongoing weakness and sin.

Even after moving to another country to tell people about Jesus, she has been reminded that she still needs Jesus every day. She is grateful that God’s power is made perfect in weakness, and that He uses imperfect people to share a perfect gospel.

“People are people”

William shared that God has been teaching him a simple but important truth: people are people. He expected the cultural divide to make it almost impossible to understand or connect with Japanese people. But over and over, God has shown him that while culture shapes how people see the world, deep down we are all the same.

We all struggle with similar sins, temptations, anxieties, and worries. We all carry hopes and joys. Most importantly, every person is made in the image of God and made to know and love Him. That truth gives Lydia and William confidence as they build relationships and share the gospel in Fukuoka.

All the gospel for all of Fukuoka

The vision of Mustard Seed Christian Church Fukuoka is “all the gospel for all of Fukuoka.” Lydia and William are quick to say “thank you” to The Crossing for your partnership and prayers. Because of your support, they are able to live on mission in Japan and work to see this vision bear fruit.

As they closed their update, they expressed deep gratitude for our church family and the privilege of being sent to a place where the need for Jesus is so great.

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