Ido House 井戸ハウス
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • My Account

  • Signed in as:

  • filler@godaddy.com

  • My Account

  • Sign out

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • CONNECT
  • GOEN
  • GIVE
  • 2026 LAUNCH
  • More
    • HOME
    • ABOUT
    • CONNECT
    • GOEN
    • GIVE
    • 2026 LAUNCH
Ido House 井戸ハウス

Signed in as:

filler@godaddy.com

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • CONNECT
  • GOEN
  • GIVE
  • 2026 LAUNCH

Account

  • My Account

  • Sign out

  • Sign In
  • My Account

GOEN // Language Garden

So much of what we do is built upon our ability to communicate. The Bible calls us to go and make disciples, teaching them to obey all that Jesus has taught us. Being able to speak is foundational for making disciples. Let's be honest, you can't really teach without speaking.


If you are not familiar with our four core pillars of ministry, our third pillar is "Language". For us, it is a joy and privilege (and sometimes burden) to learn the language of the local people. We care deeply about speaking to them in ways that they understand and are moved by. Speaking their literal language does that!


We dream of creating a resource (and one day a school) where believers can be equipped to share the Gospel with those God has given them grace to reach. GOEN (pronounced "Go"-"N") will be a humble beginning of mostly references, links, and tips, but we pray it will bless you and prepare you to grow in your ability to preach the Good News and to "goen" make disciples... yes, we went for it, and no, that was not actually intentional when picking the name.

We got the idea for GOEN when dreaming about what the language learning journey should be like. The name comes from two kanji (Chinese characters) that mean "Language" and "Garden". Gardens are peaceful and beautiful, but they take time and consistent effort. They will become extremely fruitful when properly nurtured, but it also takes a variety of skills and approaches to care for a garden. Language is the same. 

Initial resources and content will prioritize Japanese (and maybe English), but some of the resources and many of the tips will apply to all languages.

For now, we will be posting videos, explanations, and links to useful websites. We are currently working on our own material for teaching Japanese for ministry and will reveal that over the course of a few months. This page will be more of a "choose your own adventure" style of learning. We also have a contact form that you can use to contact us directly if you have questions or feedback about your process. As we said before, this is a humble beginning that we hope will encourage you to pursue language learning, but with purpose and precision. 

THE METHOD OF GOEN

The Bible

The Bible is our greatest resource on earth. But we also know that much of the Bible's language doesn't appear in natural conversation (we mean in the world. It probably shows up all of the time in your conversations). Because of this, there is often (maybe even always) a gap that remains after much time studying your target language. GOEN seeks to bridge that gap and be your primary source for language learning.

Language Acquisition

For all humans, language is caught, not taught. As babies, we receive much input, and eventually have enough to produce output. Language acquisition happens when we are able to connect the new words with known images or concepts. For example, the fruit you see here is called "momo" in Japanese. I won't translate that for you, because your brain already did that.

Relevant Vocabulary

Our aim (and we would imagine your aim) is not to just "learn a language". We seek to "make disciples". As the Bible is our main source for teaching and discipleship, we must have that language available to us. GOEN's method is to use the books of the Bible to mine target vocabulary, and introduce them to you in living and natural sentences. This method will grow you in your ability to live overseas (which includes grocery shopping, taxes, public school, etc.) and raise up disciples who know the Bible and live in community with other believers.

OUR AMBITIOUS GOAL (WITH EXAMPLES, OF COURSE!)

Below you will find six sentences. I would imagine that they are quite intimidating! We admit that this method is going to work much better once we have audio generated and "decks" created. Our desire is not to rush something, but to show the potential.

Reading: maruka san wa kami o shinjiteimasu ka.

Translation: Does Mark believe in God?

Target Vocabulary: 神 (kami) God

Reading: uchi no ko, matai wa amari benkyoushinai.

Translation: My child, Matthew, doesn't study hard.

Target Vocabulary: 子 (ko) child

Reading: rekishi jou, iesu kirisuto hodo hiroku shirareteiru namae wa arimasen.

Translation: Among all of history, there is no name more widely known than Jesus Christ.

Target Vocabulary: イエス・キリスト (iesu kirisuto) Jesus Christ

Reading: nihongo dewa, "fukuin" wa ippan teki ni tsukawareru kotoba dewa arimasen.

Translation: In Japanese, "Gospel" is not a commonly used word.

Target Vocabulary: 福音 (fukuin) Gospel

Reading: yohane san wa raigetsu hajime ni kaettekimasu.

Translation: John will be back at the beginning of next month.

Target Vocabulary: はじめ (hajime) beginning

Reading: kore wa seisho no ruka ni yoru fukuin sho desu.

Translation: This is the Gospel according to Luke in the Bible.

Target Vocabulary: 書 (sho) document

SO NOW WHAT?

If you were to take the time to create physical or digital flashcards (we are currently working on an Anki deck for you) with the sentences above, you will not only have six new sentences with natural Japanese, you would have around 30 new vocabulary words and be able to read this:


マルカの福音書1:1  神の子、イエス・キリストの福音のはじめ。


We mentioned an ambitious goal. That goal is: One Gospel. Over 1,000 naturally acquired Japanese words.


We will not be stopping with the Gospel of Mark. Once Mark is completed, we will use the book of Acts, followed by Romans. We determine there will be over 5,000 commonly used words learned, as well as the ability to read and discuss all three books (and most of the New Testament) by the end. Please pray for our humble beginning as we seek to equip believers with excellent language ability.

NOT GOEN, BUT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Bunpro

Fluent Forever

WaniKani

Bunpro is the equivalent of the PC in the "PC vs Mac" debate. Bunpro is all business, with a focus on passing the various JLPT levels. It is not designed to be the simplest UI, but it is extremely powerful and is, in my opinion, the strongest grammar-equipping service out there.


*One month free

**Japanese only

Referral Link

WaniKani

Fluent Forever

WaniKani

Arguably, the most intimidating aspect of Japanese is its writing system. Kanji, specifically, is one of the great "gatekeepers" preventing many from wanting to study. If Bunpro is the PC, then WaniKani is the Mac in our metaphor, designed to make learning Kanji easy, fun, and approachable.


*Free to level 4

**Japanese only

Homepage

CIJ

Fluent Forever

Fluent Forever

The single most effective way to learn a language is with "comprehensible input". This is when the language is not translated, but the meaning is understood thanks to the context in which you are hearing, or reading. This site continues to grow in excellence and has many videos available for free.


*Free videos, but most are locked behind subscription

**Japanese only

Homepage

Fluent Forever

Fluent Forever

Fluent Forever

Apps and language learning are like a peanut butter and cheese sandwich. It works for a very few "special" cases, but it mostly does not work well together. However, Fluent Forever is an app worth using. The content is actually useful and actually memorable. My personal love for this app is that it firsts begins with training you in hearing your target languge.


*14 day free trial

Homepage

HONORABLE MENTION

Pimsleur

Pimsleur

Pimsleur

The Pimsleur Method may not have been the first SRS (spaced repetition system), but it was my first, and it greatly impacted my ability to pronounce the Japanese language. They continue to update their service, and I think it is great if the only time you have is your commute to work.

Homepage

Migaku

Pimsleur

Pimsleur

Not having Migaku in my top choices was so hard. It might be the overall best service if you are focusing only on one program. It links to YouTube, Netflix, and more. I didn't use it to its full potential due to my other focuses, but I think it is incredibly powerful and incredibly simple (the perfect combination)!

Referral Link

Memrise

Pimsleur

Memrise

Honesty time. Memrise is good, but I really only wanted to put it in here if you insist on using a more gamified app and were tempted to use Duolingo. Please, don't use Duolingo. 

Homepage

Books

Podcasts

Memrise

I don't know what to say about this. Do you remember the kids in school when you were growing up who were always reading books? They were the smart ones, right? It turns out that that works for foreign languages, too. Just make sure you gradually level up your reading difficulty.

Podcasts

Podcasts

Podcasts

Podcasts are unbelievably underrated in language learning. It is free, and many people have targeted topics and levels that are as specific as "beginner-level discussions on alligators in New York City sewers". You know, the normal conversation topics. But seriously, try "shadowing" the speaker while you listen.

Shows

Podcasts

Podcasts

Watching shows in your target language is maybe the lowest level of language learning, but it is still something. However, it can be powerful if you pair it with appropriate levels (comprehensible input), shadowing, and some supporting software like Migaku. Try not to watch with target language subtitles only.

If you have questions, feedback, or you are just here to say "こんにちは!", please do so below!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Copyright © 2025 Ido House - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • CONNECT
  • GOEN
  • GIVE
  • 2026 LAUNCH

2026 Ido House Foundations Launch

Partner with us to see a prayer house and community center established here in Uchiko, Japan, reaching the 99.9% who have yet to hear the gospel.

Learn more

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

Accept