Luna Wang

My name is Luna, and I’m from China. I’m a third-generation Christian in my family. When I was a child, our home was what we called a “hospitality home.” At that time, the gospel was still quite limited in southern China, so many preachers from the north felt called to go and serve in the south, where the environment was much tougher. My mother opened our home to receive these preachers, so I basically grew up surrounded by different servants of God.

Each person who came to our home was a stranger at first, but because of God, we got along like family. We ate, drank, and slept together. They read the Bible with us, prayed with us, went to church with us, and served with us. My mom was involved in care and visitation ministry at church, so she often took me with her to visit coworkers in very remote areas, and also older preachers who had been imprisoned for their faith.

When I was in high school, about to apply for college, I prayed and asked God for three things: first, a church that suited me; second, a student fellowship; and third, a spiritual partner. I’m really thankful—God answered every one of those prayers.

I ended up going to university in Shanghai, which was far from my hometown. My parents didn’t want me to go because they couldn’t bear to see me leave, but deep down I knew that was where God wanted me to be. So I went. And it was in Shanghai that my spiritual life really began to grow.

When I was little, I went to Sunday school and served at church with my parents, but I didn’t have a personal relationship with God—I only knew Him in theory. It wasn’t until I moved to Shanghai and started thinking and discerning things for myself that I began to question God’s existence. I wondered, “Does the God my parents follow really exist?” So I prayed, “God, if You are real, please let me experience You and feel Your presence.”

After that, I started reading the Bible and praying regularly. One night, I knelt by my dorm bed and prayed, “God, if I don’t experience the Holy Spirit’s presence tonight, I’ll stay kneeling here until I do.” And in that moment, something amazing happened—I truly experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit. I felt God touch my heart, and I realized I was a sinner who needed His salvation.

When I finished praying and stood up, I was filled with a joy that words can’t describe—a kind of joy that only those who’ve experienced God can understand. It wasn’t something from the world; no one could give me that kind of joy. As I continued reading the Bible, God’s Word became sweeter and sweeter to me. Even though I was alone in Shanghai, far from home, I wasn’t lonely—because I had God. From that moment on, I knew without a doubt that God is real—He’s not just my parents’ God, He’s my God too.

After finishing my studies in Shanghai, I began to seek God about what to do next. My parents wanted me to move back home and work there, but I knew that back home there weren’t any Christian peers or student fellowships like in Shanghai. My classmates there weren’t believers—they spent most of their free time in bars and entertainment places. I felt that if I went back, my spiritual life would decline and I’d drift further from God.

While I was praying about this, Songge—who’s now my husband—came into my life. He really cares about the situation of the church and Christians in China, where believers often face government pressure. We often talked and prayed about those things together. He encouraged me to go abroad, but honestly, that idea felt impossible at the time. So my sisters’ prayer group and I prayed over this for more than a year. It was during the pandemic, when Shanghai was even under lockdown, so leaving the country seemed almost impossible. But through it all, God was teaching me obedience—whether I could go or not, I learned to fully surrender to His plan.

In that difficult time, God still worked everything together for good. Through the people and circumstances around me, He led me to decide to go to Japan. I remember crying a lot then—I told God, “I don’t know what lies ahead, and I’m scared, but if You’re the one leading me out, I’ll be strong and courageous and go.” So, like a little child who didn’t know much, I went to Japan.

When I first arrived, I felt a deep loneliness—not just emotional, but spiritual loneliness. I kept reaching out to find a church, and eventually, I found a Chinese church. The first time I walked in and started singing worship songs, I couldn’t stop crying. I asked God, “Lord, in Shanghai I had so many passionate brothers and sisters and great spiritual fellowship—why did You bring me to such a lonely place?”

I felt that if being in this new place meant my spiritual life would decline, then my life would lose its meaning. But deep down, I knew this step was from God, so I trusted that He would take full responsibility for my journey. I shared with Songge how different it felt in Japan—people were colder, there were no student fellowships, and I felt spiritually isolated.

Then he said something that stayed with me: “Since you had such great fellowship in Shanghai, maybe now it’s your turn to bring that kind of fellowship to Japan. You can’t always wait for others to care for you—now that you’ve grown, you can become a blessing to others.”

That really touched me. I thought, If God brought me to Tokyo, then I should do whatever I can for Him here. So I started opening my home to students, and I began caring for others—like one sister whose mother had just passed away. I invited her over for meals, talked with her, and prayed with her. Even though I was new to Tokyo and also needed care myself, God gave me so much strength and love to serve the people around me.

When I first joined the Chinese church in Tokyo, I was their very first international student. Later, a married couple who had studied in Japan joined, and the three of us started the church’s youth fellowship. Over time, more and more students came—now there are over 20 of them, including a few seekers who don’t yet believe.

Two years after I arrived in Tokyo, my younger brother and cousin also came. So the three of us moved into a bigger place to make it easier to host gatherings. They were willing to open our home just like I did—to welcome brothers and sisters for Bible studies and fellowship. Every month, the youth group meets at our house. We usually prepare food together, eat, and then start the study. Even after I moved away from Tokyo, my brother and cousin are still continuing that ministry of hospitality.

Looking back, there have been so many challenges along the way—but when I count God’s blessings, I can see that His grace was never absent, not even in the hardest times.