Emba first went to Japan on two vision trips in September 2012 and December 2013, and subsequently moved to the Tohoku area of northern Japan in August 2015 on the Japanese Government’s Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme.

She now lives in Saitama (30 minutes north of Tokyo by train) and has taught English in local government schools for the last 7 years where it has been a privilege to see "life from the inside" in this very Japanese public institution.

Emba has a burden to come alongside Japanese facing mental health challenges in a nation that has the 6^th highest suicide rate in the world, where “death from overwork” is common, and where young people aged between 10-29 have the highest rates of depression and suicide in the world. Opportunities have come up naturally through friendship with Japanese in the school context, as well as local church English outreach. She has been dreaming with the Lord for some years on how to be involved more deeply in providing hope and help. In February 2022 a new door opened for Emba to be involved in a small non profit mental health centre run by a missionary couple serving in Tokyo. This centre offers both online and in-person counselling for depression, in Japanese and English, free of charge to those needing mental health care.

For an insight into the current mental health landscape in Japan, particularly among the young people of Japan, please view the following short YouTube documentary in English and Japanese:

Japan's youth mental health crisis

Please pray with Emba for the provision of financial supporters since this deeper involvement in mental health ministry with the counselling centre in Tokyo is unpaid (so as to provide free access to those in need). 

Emba would be glad to hear from you. In particular, she would very much value your partnership in prayer.  You can also:  

Partner with Emba financially

Counselling photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash