Peter & Valerie Limmer are working with the local church in Okinawa, Japan, to build relationships with people in their community and share the good news about Jesus with them.  

Once its own kingdom, called the Ryuukyuuan kingdom, Okinawa has its own distinctive culture, religion, and languages.  

The Okinawan experience during World War II was deeply traumatic. During that time, Okinawans were trapped between the warring forces of the Japanese, who conscripted civilians into building military infrastructure rather than letting them evacuate to safety in the months preceding the Battle of Okinawa; and the Americans, who the Okinawans were told would torture them if they were caught.

The streets of Okinawa literally flowed with blood in those days, and in the end the deaths of Okinawans would more than double those of American and Japanese military personnel combined.

Research now shows that post-traumatic stress, such as that experienced by holocaust survivors, can be passed from one generation to the next. We have seen this to be true in Okinawa as well. In the case of Okinawans, this has fed an incredibly passionate love for peace, and the deep conviction that "life is precious".  

In our home city of Itoman, there is a war memorial unlike any other. It lists the names of every person who died here, whether Okinawan, Japanese, or American. There is no distinction between the nationalities, for all life is precious. The list is still growing, as bodies continue to be unearthed.  

The people of Okinawa are incredibly gentle and kind. We now are praying that soon the streets of Okinawa will flow with a different kind of blood: the blood of Jesus that can cleanse, and heal, and restore. Okinawans love peace, and we are eager to introduce them to the Prince of Peace Himself.

God has made extravagant promises to use Okinawa to reach many other parts of Asia with the gospel. We are excited to see these promises, which He's given to many different people (ourselves included), come to pass. What will He do next?

For more about Peter & Valerie's work, please visit their website: peterandvalerie.com.