My name is Gil Cauthorn. My wife, Michika Cauthorn, and I were married in 2013, and together we have been serving as a missionary family in Japan. I have been involved with ministries in Japan for over 8 years, and have been living as a bi-vocational missionary in Japan since the spring of 2011.
Prior to living in Japan, I came on short term mission trips through the organization “Mission To Japan/Homestay International” 5 years in a row, while also serving in hosting and ministering to Japanese students through churches in Florida. Throughout these years, I have been blessed to be able to minister to hundreds of young Japanese college students through campus ministries and as an invited speaker at various on-campus chapel services. Partnering with churches in the region, my wife Michika and I have been able to effectively disciple recent graduates and young couples into new lives with Christ. Michika also regularly translates for our church and is currently translating various discipleship programs and tools into Japanese to be used by Japanese Christians to lead and nurture new Christians.
In October 2014, we moved into a house in central Osaka to be able to host house church outreach services and to be a more effective part of our church mission in Osaka. We serve at our church in Osaka called “Mustard Seed Christian Church” (MSCC). Osaka is a city of over 17.4 million people where less than 1% is evangelized; making it one of the most unreached places on earth. Japan has the second highest rate of suicide of any developed nation, making it the nation’s leading cause of death for people between the ages of 20 to 44. Sadly, Japan also has one of the world’s largest sex industries, which until this year included a semi-legal network of child-based pornographic circles.
Our family is dedicated to being obedient to Gods’ calling and to glorify God by spreading His truth and love of Christ to this nation. In a joint effort with our Church leadership at MSCC, we want to continue to reach out to the lost, disciple, nurture, help with the maturity process of these new Christians, and intentionally develop Christian leaders here in Japan.