Before I joined the AYD, I had the sense that I wanted to deepen my faith and friendship among and with the Asian Catholic youth. Although the political situation around Asia is getting worse, I still wanted to make friends as a Japanese with many Asian young people. By joining the AYD, I found that we Catholics are brothers and sisters beyond nationalities. During the AYD, we were warmly welcomed by the people we met everywhere. We became friends with so many people and got a lot of love from them. I could indeed recognize through that experience that “Joy is living the Gospel, the faith.”

And I could find the answer to my long-held question: “How do I live the Gospel in Japan; in Asia which has cultures different from Christianity?” Joining the AYD was an amazing grace which maybe I won’t forget for the rest of my life. I really appreciate your support and prayers. I want to make use of this wonderful gift and experience for the Church.

My host family together with my Indonesian friend	Photo at Indonesia: Japanese Youth with other delegates from different nationalities