By Grayson Hester
Father Richard Rohr could have used a seemingly infinite number of metaphors to describe the Trinity—a courtroom, a competition, marriage, you name it.
What he chose was a dance. In the book he wrote with Mike Morrell, appropriately titled The Divine Dance, he characterizes the Trinity as an unending flow of giving and receiving, as not a militaristic march or even a relationship, but as a Christlike choreography.
It is flow, it is elegance, it is heartbeat and rhythm.
To Mirea, it is ballet.
This college student in Kanazawa, Japan, took inspiration from her mother as a child to begin dancing. Now she takes inspiration from the Christ, to whom she has dedicated her life, to use her abilities toward creating community.
“There was an earthquake on the Noto Peninsula, and there was a charity event, and then I decided to do ballet at that event,” she said. “Ballet is that kind of way of refreshing myself.”
She performs and practices at home or the dance studio in her hometown and even at Kanazawa International Baptist Church (KIBC), which CBF field personnel Laura and Carson Foushee serve.
Their presence in Ishikawa Prefecture—of which Kanazawa is the capital—proved instrumental in 2024, as they were able to leverage years’ worth of relationships to provide help where needed, harbor when asked and, as in the case of Mirea, a moment of choreographic respite.
They were able to help a community heal because they are that community. 2022 marked the second time they led KIBC, the first from 2013-2016. It has given the opportunity to create beloved community among the relatively small number of Christians who live there. Some arrived having already dedicated their lives to Christ.
Others arrived simply because they needed community and, as is so often the case, found Christ along the way.
“They welcomed me from the day I first went to Kanazawa International Baptist Church,” Mirea said. “And when I decided to become a Christian, they celebrated me and gave lots of advice.”
Between following in her ophthalmologist father’s footsteps by studying medicine and honing her craft of ballet, Mirea is, like any college student, exhaustingly busy.
But that doesn’t stop her from investing in the church that first invested in her.
“She has been such a bright presence to our group,” Laura said. “The different times that we’ve been able to ask her, ‘Hey, Mirea, we would like to include you in this project or activity—would you be willing to help?,’ she almost always says, ‘Yes.’”
Her involvement runs the gamut, from routine Bible studies to assisting in lunch and dinner preparations for other KIBC members and translating for mission teams. But in any situation, what remains consistent are, to hear the Foushees tell it, her smile, her dedication and her sharp intellect.
“Mirea is just a sponge—she’s able to soak up some of these theological concepts that we’re learning about in church together,” Carson said, “that are really difficult for native English speakers to learn.”
No matter if you’re in Kentucky or Kanazawa, being a college student is often an isolating, trying experience. But it’s places like KIBC and people like the Foushees, who help lighten the load and guide the way.
By offering Mirea opportunities to serve, to learn and to grow, they are living out the command of Colossians 3:14 to “clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” It’s the foundation of many a church’s ministry, and the basis for the Offering for Global Missions’ current campaign, “Embracing Neighbors. Nurturing Hope.”
If the Foushees have anything to say about it, their experiences with KIBC and Mirea are a perfect example of the beauty that can come from it. “Those interactions were extremely meaningful for her. We were so happy to see the different ways in which she has been able to engage in ministry with us,” Carson said.
No matter where Mirea goes from here, to whatever dance studio or medical practice, she’ll carry with her the friends made, the encouragement received and the divine dance into which she was baptized.
“I sometimes talk about my future to Carson and Laura. We have dinner together. They became my family in Kanazawa,” she said. “I’ve already decided to live with God, but I think I truly can promise that. So, I’m so looking forward to it.”
Watch the video of Mirea’s story here.