The Universal Church has endured persecution in various places around the world for decades, but in spite of this God has transformed the lives of thousands of people. Many who were trapped in lives of suffering have overcome through a faith that was awakened at the UCKG. After undoing the work of the devil in their lives, many of these people enlisted in the army of the living God.

One of these warriors will now tell us part of her story:

“My brother-in-law was murdered with 21 stab wounds in our house, and so I ran away and lived in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I had a sickness that doctors could not heal. I suffered from fainting spells, and it seemed that I would not be able to do anything in life. I tried spiritism, healers, and various religions, but nothing worked. It seemed that I would never be healed and so I thought about taking my own life.

One day my neighbor, who also had problems, asked me to help her get to a place that could heal alcoholics — her husband drank a lot. To be nice, I decided to take her. It ended up being the UCKG. Over time, her husband was freed from his addiction.

That was my first experience of a UCKG meeting — February 1987 — the day I heard something that changed my entire way of thinking and acting: “Surely, He took upon Himself our infirmities and carried our sorrows upon Himself,” Isaiah 53.4.

That word helped me see that my situation could be changed, and since that day my life has been transformed. I learned how to use faith and my problems have ended. A desire to serve God with my life rose up in me, and not long afterwards I became an assistant. From then on I started to share the Word of God with those who were suffering,” says Alice Kanashiro.

Alice moved to Japan in order to work, put money together, and help the Church to grow. But when she saw the suffering of the people in Japan, she began to collect their names and send them back to Brazil for prayer.

She felt a burning desire for those people to be saved, and so she wrote letters to the UCKG in Brazil, asking them to open a church in Japan. She decided not to return to Brazil, and to share Jesus with the people where she was. She says it brought great joy, and was one of her first great victories to see the Church open in Japan. Because the church had so few pastors, she would make meetings. Then in 1993 when she was consecrated as a pastor.

While she was reading the recently released book from Bishop Macedo — “Nothing to Lose 2” — in Portuguese, she recalled a special moment in her life as bishop recounted the story of a meeting in Maracanã (pg 146). Alice attended that event and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit that day. She still has the flyer that she was given inviting her to participate in the meeting.

“Maracanã Stadium was packed. It was powerful because I heard something I’d never heard before: ‘They can kill your body but they cannot touch your spirit. This is your greatest treasure.’ That marked me forever. I sought the Holy Spirit will all my strength that day and found the Lord and Savior of my soul — Jesus. I found the greatest treasure of my life on December 27, 1987,” she says cheerfully.

Today she is Pastor Alice. God used her to open the first church in Japan, and she remains firm till this very day. She is presently at the headquarters church in Japan.
We all need to have this spirit — this burning desire to take the Word of God to the world! Today there are more than 20 churches and special works throughout Japan.