In 2016, Shelby and her siblings, especially her brother, started learning Japanese together for fun, immersing themselves in the language through media and research. They both became interested in visiting Japan, but COVID made it impossible to send missionaries.
After Japan started opening back up in 2022, Shelby’s brother Bailey went on a short-term mission trip to Japan. Through watching his experience, Shelby decided to serve for 3 months in Japan with WorldVenture the next year. After returning to the states, Shelby attended and has now graduated from two years at Ecola Bible College in Oregon. Again, with her eyes set on Japan, she’ll be returning for a short time to serve in various ministries near the end of this year. Shelby’s trip is with the intention of getting a balanced view of the current mission field and open opportunities for future service to Japan.
