Jordan Thiesen

What’s up everyone, my name is Jordan. I’m a Canadian missionary from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I grew up in a good Christian home with totally supportive family members as far as the eye can see (pun intended). As a YWAM missionary in Yokohama, Japan I’ve been working the ground for skate ministry here in the most populated urban area on earth. Since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the skateboarding community in Japan has grown exponentially. And it’s only growing more each day! Many new skate parks and skate shops are opening across Japan and the nations openness to skate culture is expanding.

I did a Discipleship Training School (DTS) @ YWAM Los Angeles back in 2015 and had the opportunity to serve alongside other Christian men and women who were bringing the Good News to their local skate community. I can say that I was truly inspired! As I watched them skate, make friends, give out pizzas and share a Bible story or testimony, I could see myself doing the same one day. But I was young and didn’t yet know the gifts that God had put inside of me. From there, I went on a short-term mission trip to Tokyo and was able to practice what I learned from the LA skaters first hand. It was so natural and enjoyable! Even a few Japanese people decided they wanted to begin following Jesus during our time there.

Fast forward 9 years, we’ve been pouring into the skate culture here consistently, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with hundreds of skateboarders who have never met a Christian before. There’s an endless amount of Japanese skaters to reach with God’s message of hope.