Japanese journalist was baptized in the chaplain battalion “Mariupol”
Japanese journalist Takashi Ozaki has been a volunteer in Ukraine for more than a year, and he has recently been baptized in the chaplain battalion “Mariupol”
This was reported to Ukrinform correspondent by pastor, military chaplain Gennadiy Mokhnenko, who together with the chaplain battalion “Mariupol” is volunteering in the most dangerous areas of the frontline.
“For the first time Takashi came here more than a year ago in order to record an interview with me and he stayed with us … He is a man from a different culture, who observed the work of our chaplain battalion all year round, and he has recently said:“ You’re risking your life every day in order to help people and I want to become a Christian just like you” And we baptized him right on the Catholic Easter on April 9th. After we baptized him, he had his first communion in his life,” Mokhnenko said.
The chaplain explained that Takashi has worked and continues to work with many international publications. “His publication was in the legendary Newsweek. I saw many different editions where there were publications, reports. He writes for newspapers and magazines around the world,” the pastor specified.
“Back then I gave a short interview to Takashi, and then two weeks after, he went to the frontline with us, then he began to travel with my teams to the different frontline villages, I saw how he worked in a warehouse as a loader. I asked our guys about him, and they said that he rented an apartment in Zaporozhye and began to help us. So he has been working with our team during the whole year,” Mokhnenko said.
Pastor Gennadiy specified that Takashi travels to the most dangerous areas of the frontline. He was in the Eastern frontline, and he travels to Kherson, he helps to deliver the humanitarian aid to the people in need. He also continues working as a journalist and writes interesting reports.
“He, of course, as Japanese, is a very interesting person. Wherever we go, people always invite him for a visit, they love him. He stayed in Gulyai Pole with our soldiers, he lived there for several days, in the basements under the shelling. He already got a lot of friends. He’s learning Ukrainian language and has already started to speak something in Ukrainian. He mainly communicate in English, however, he is actively studying Ukrainian language,” Gennadiy explained.
Now this Japanese man is a christian. Unexpectedly, but we are very glad. Thank you, Takashi, for your ministry to God and to people in Ukraine”, Gennadiy Mokhnenko wrote.
https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-regions/3696673-aponskij-zurnalist-takasi-ozaki-u-kapelanskomu-bataljoni-mariupol-prijnav-hresenna.html
