Aroma Ministries

How God knit together the Ayatsuka Family!!!

Rocky spent a couple of years working for JICA after graduation from business college. Then he felt called to serve Jesus full time. He began doing ministry in various ways, one of which was assisting local missionaries with music and translation. In 1997 Marla arrived in Kitakyushu as one of those missionaries and they met! Marla shares the moment they met...

"I was attending my first Tuesday night Bible study fellowship. As we approached the meeting, their were shoes piled in the entryway, as they always are in Japan. There were sandals and tennis shoes and so forth, and then in the corner was a pair of Justin Roper cowboy boots. I wondered who in the world those could belong to!? Inside the Bible study had already begun and there across the room sat a young man translating for someone sharing a testimony. He spoke English with a Texas accent!!! After the Bible study, he stood and removed his guitar. He was wearing worn and faded Wrangler jeans, and a huge western belt buckle. I was then introduced to one Mr. Rocky Ayatsuka."

Over the next year and a half of fun and friendship with the Tuesday night Bible study and times of ministering together in many ways, Rocky and Marla formed a wonderful friendship. Then in January of 1999 friendship turned to love! They were married in March of 2000.

Soon after they began to desire an addition to the little family. Four long years of prayer and struggle later, the Lord led Rocky and Marla to the path of adoption! They prayed for a way to make that possible in Japan where adoption is rare, and through a Christian Japanese organization God made it possible for the Ayatsukas to bring two precious infants into their home. Hana who was born in 2004 and came to their home at just over a week old and Kai born in 2009, and laid in their arms when he was 6 days old!!! What miraculous blessings they have both been!

The Ayatsukas enjoy doing ministry as a family! Hana has written her first song and enjoys learning to play piano. Kai LOVES the drums and talking about Jesus. Both kids were born great travelers, and they have a gift of making friends in an instant and being "joy spreaders"! They are both bilingual and homeschooling. Hana wants to learn to speak Spanish too! Her dream is to grow up and move to the States, marry a cowboy and ride horses everyday! So far, Kai dreams of drums and more drums!!!