For 10 years, Naoe Matsuda has been teaching a Total Life Seminar class for mothers of new babies. Prior to that, Matsuda was an education specialist conducting classes for Japanese expectant mothers at the White Memorial Medical Center.

“After the women had their babies, they would call me for tips on how to take care of them," she said. "So many women called me that I told them if they would meet together in a class, I would teach them at the Hacienda Heights American and Japanese Adventist church.

Pastor Nozomu Obara commends Matsuda’s work with the class. “Since last year, the church board of the Japanese church has been supporting the Total Life Seminar financially and hosts the Monday-morning classes. Parenting is its basic program, but every other week, I have a Bible study in the program.

"We have seen the reaping from this group. As we know, there are '10-40 Window' areas within the United States. Greater Los Angeles is the one of those places, because there are many ethnic communities here.”

“I train the new mothers in three-month classes over a total period of 2-3 years so we get to know each other well,” Matsuda explained. "I never advertise; women just recommend the class to their friends. With the Lord’s blessing and with the Bible classes Pastor Obara has recently been teaching during the seminar, 10 baptisms have resulted during the decade the classes have been offered. Three of these women were baptized in January 2005.”