Ryota Yogo

Born and raised in a small town in Japan, I had no access to hearing and experiencing the gospel of Jesus Christ growing up. For the first 19 years of my life, I had never seen a church building nor met any Christians.

In 2002, I came to the United States as an international student studying on a college campus in TX. Within a few weeks of my arrival, I met a group of college students from Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship on campus, who welcomed me into their community. Through their genuine friendships with me, I was attracted to what they had and were living for, which was Jesus Himself, and truly understood what Ecclesiastes 3:11 was meant for me, which says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts…” And, two years later after I met Christians for the first time in my life, I gave my life to Jesus and asked Him to be the Savior and Lord of my life. This has brought total transformation into my life. Jesus helped me stop doing things that displeased Him and begin living my life for Him. Chi Alpha helped me grow in knowledge of the God of the Bible and discipled me to share my faith in Jesus with others. It started with my family members in Japan and other international students from all over the world on campus.

After completing my undergraduate study, I went back to Japan to work in the marketplace for four years. During this time, I connected with a missionary in Tokyo who was directing the Chi Alpha chapter in Japan and also with a local church to continue serving God and discovering His will for me. I also met my wife, Shinobu, around this time. She gave her life to Jesus when she was studying in TX as an international graduate student.

In 2011, I returned to the U.S. to pursue a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and re-connected with another Chi Alpha chapter on this campus. Upon the completion of my graduate study, I was invited to join the ministry team there and began serving there as a full-time campus missionary in 2013. In the summer of 2020, my family and I, along with three other campus missionaries, moved to Arlington, TX, to lead the team of launching the Chi Alpha chapter at the University of Texas - Arlington (UTA). We envision building a spirit-empowered, disciple-making community to transform the university, the marketplace, and the world.