Introducing New SAM Missionary
Name: Lisa Ellison
Country: Japan
Assignment: Conversational English teacher at Tamagawa Seigakuin Academy in Tokyo.
Date of Appointment: February 14, 2012
Status: Special Assignment Missionary
Length of Service: Three years
Target Leave Date: March 2013
Lisa was born and raised in Tipton, Indiana. Though she grew up in the cornfields of the Midwest, the Lord put a love of the Japanese people into her heart at the age of four when her family hosted their first Japanese exchange student. Since that first introduction to the Japanese culture, Lisa’s love for the people of Japan has grown year by year.
Lisa grew up in the Frankton First United Methodist Church. She earned a bachelor’s degree in the field of animation from The Illinois Institute of Art—Chicago. While in Chicago, Lisa was able to make many friends from all over the world. She was the first American to join the school’s international club. Her love of the Japanese people was further solidified through a close bond with her Japanese college roommate, her “ane-chan” (older sister), and during two visits to Japan, once as an exchange student and once to visit a friend’s family.
After college, Lisa returned to Indiana to care for her ailing grandmothers. During this time, her relationship with the Lord grew much deeper. Following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 11, 2011, Lisa began a mission project called Cranes of Hope, with the help of her church family, to reach out to those hurting along the northeast coast of Japan. She has learned that God does fulfill the desires he places in your heart in his own time. She is very excited to have the opportunity to minister to and serve the people of Japan now.
