Nathan and Judy Takeda

Growing up, Nathan’s mother was his main Christian influence, as well as teachers and the school he attended as a young child. Looking back, he would call this nominal Christianity as there was a lack of understanding of Christ and His salvific work on the cross. In 2018, he came to saving faith and this was a completely different narrative. Upon confession of faith, he was baptized and started faithfully attending and serving the local church in Lethbridge.

Judy grew up in the Old-Colony Mennonite tradition in her early years. She was first introduced to the gospel through VBS. After 4 years of faithful VBS programs, a church was planted. Her parents started taking their family to this church, and Judy came to faith here at the age of 17. This would begin her journey as a Christian, leading to bible school, becoming a nurse and several short-term mission trips before settling in Lethbridge.

In 2020, their paths crossed, and soon after, Nathan and Judy were married. Both were already involved in evangelism among the homeless and were encouraged by SIM to continue this ministry during their first year of marriage. In 2024, with their little family growing, Nathan moved into a more discipleship-focused sports ministry and bible study on the indigenous reserve. Due to a lack of volunteers, they found themselves taking a step back to focus on raising their little children (Ozias and Shiloah) and being more involved in their local church. This time allowed them to pray about where God would have them and reflect on how God is using experiences and people in their lives over the last 5 years to prepare and disciple them for a future in overseas missions. They are looking at doing a vision trip in 2027 to see how God is building his church in Paraguay and how they might be part of the SIM team presence there. The purpose of this trip is to gain an understanding of the ministry needs, better communicate these to their church community and, Lord-willing, be sent out as long-term missionaries.