Andrew and Marlie Foltz

Andrew has had a long connection with missionaries. Two missionaries adopted him when he was only two years old from the Philippines. He has always felt a draw to missions but got distracted chasing the ‘American Dream.’ Andrew and Marlie had a heartfelt conversation coming back from a marriage conference in 2023. She told Andrew, “I want to see you on fire for Christ. It doesn’t matter what that looks like, as long as you are serving the Lord wholeheartedly. I will follow you wherever that takes us.”

Marlie grew up in a Christian home. As a teenager she abandoned her faith and started to do things her way.  After about eight years of faithless living, Marlie finally decided to love the Lord, but she was still going to live life her way. Still, things were not working out. Marlie went back to God and decided it was finally time to stop living for herself and do things God’s way. This is when she knew missions was a call on her life.

Marlie was able to visit Japan back in 2016, and from there she started seeing the culture in a different light. During her trip she thought about what Christianity could be like in Japan. God did not let that thought leave Marlie’s heart, and almost a decade later, we have felt a pull to answer Marlie’s question of "what would Christianity look like in Japan?"

Less than 1% of Japan’s population are evangelical Christians. This means 99% of people are walking around without hope for eternity, most of whom might never hear of Jesus because of the sheer amount of how many can share the Gospel vs. how many have never heard.

God has called us to Japan, and by faith we are obeying. Andrew has always been discipleship-focused in his faith. He excels at building and nurturing relationships over many years. He has also spent much time in recent years re-reading Jonah and asking God about a future in missions. It is through these experiences and lots of prayer and seeking God’s leading that we have been directed to Japan.