JGPNetwork

On this cold February Sunday afternoon as I write this it is snowing outside.  It is a time of colds, flu, etc. For A-san who has a cold, it is also a time of job aplications and interviews.

Since A-san was baptized the third week in January either job application appointments, interview practices, or sickness has hindered getting together with her Christian brothers and sisters for worship. And her mentor has also been sick.

Please pray and ask God to move in a mighty way to open  doors for her to meet to pray, fellowship and worship with her mentors and other Christians. Ask God to give her a hunger and thirst for God, to know Him and His word. She has been witnessing to her friends and giving them copies of God’s word. Pray for fruit to come from that.

Mr. Ono who was baptized in December is also facing trials; the Christians in Okinawa and Niigata are also under spiritual attack.

Pray for God to protect these new Christians and give wisdom and guidance and health to those who are trying to nurture them in the Lord. Thanks for partnering with us in reaching the Japanese from Okinawa to Hokkaido for Christ.

Thank you so much for praying for A-san since last month. After spending the holidays in her home town, she returned to Tokyo.

Sunday your prayers were answered and it was a great day. A-san followed the Lord in believer’s baptism before the worhship. After a great time of fellowship and a very meaningful worship, she want out to meet her friend, Yu-san. Together they searched for an apartment for Yu-san near A-san.

During that time, A-san shared about how she became a Christian and what Christ has done for her. She also shared about her baptism. Then she gave Yu-san a New Testtament and a “Power for Living” book.  Pray for God to use all of these to draw Yu-san to himself.

Please pray that A-san will walk close to the Lord this week. That she will read her Bible, pray and seek God’s face and His will about a job. Pray that God will open the door to just the right job for her, whether it is here or in her home town. 

Even before she reached her apartment Sunday afternoon, her mom was  calling to see how the baptism went. Pray for A-san’s entire family who are very close to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. A-san gave her father a manga Life of Christ and her mother a book when she was home over the holidays. Pray the seeds will find fertile ground in their hearts.

Since the last post, all of the churches in Togane have celebrated Christmas. Lost people heard the gospel for the first time. Not all of those who indicated they would attend Christmas worship did so. That was a disappointment to the Christians who wanted their friends to hear the real meaning of Christmas. Pray for the Christians to continue to be committed to telling others about Christ. Ask God to encourage their hearts and guide them into a deeper closer relationship with Him. Also, ask God to guide them by his Spirit to those who are hungry to know Christ.

 We received God’s greatest gift at Christmas when he sent Jesus to this world. He is giving us another gift now, the year 2008. Today is part of that gift from God. We can give a gift to Him by living this day for Him. Pray for us here in Japan to be faithful in living for Christ, to walk close to him and remember his faithful promises to provide our needs, guide us, protect us, use us, bless us and glorify himself through us. 

We thank each of you who are praying with us and ask that you faithfully hold us up before the Lord each day this year. Satan never stops preying on our weaknesses. Pray for the Christians to give their burdens to the Lord and rest in Him. Pray for protection and strength to overcome temptations. Pray for vision and zeal to share the gospel and a compassion and burden for the lost that will keep us out there telling the Good News that Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life!!

There are many in Togane and Okinawa who are celebrating Christmas as God’s children for the first time. As they remember his wonderful gift of salvation, pray for them to also commit themselves to be lights to those who live in darkness and do not know the meaning of Christmas.

Homeless men, elderly ladies, college students, working young people, and children are among those who heard the gospel in 2007 and look forward to 2008 knowing they are His children and can experience His power, love and grace. Praise the Lord for his answers to our Luke 10:2b prayer for more laborers. Pray for these new Christians to grow and be faithful witness for Christ so many more will be able to experience Christmas next year as God’s children!!

All of you who read the requests on our website and pray have a vital part of reaching Japanese with the gospel. Pray especially during this Christmas season that those who hear the gospel will respond positively to God’s voice, accepting Christ as their Lord and Savior.

The JGPNetwork team wants to wish each of you a Merry Christmas. And we pray that 2008 will be a year filled with experiences that reflect God’s presence and power in your lives. God bless you!!!

Tak, Lana and Emiko

Today a lady in Togane went for a walk in the park near her house where she met a young girl who is spending this year in a special school studying for college entrance exams. Mrs. Mo shared the gospel with her and she prayed to receive Christ as Savior. Pray for this young lady to follow through with her decision, be baptized and share her faith.

The video about the work in Togane is  available once again through the following link thanks to the expertise of an MK.   http://www.beyondthestream.com/thewordspread/
See what God has done and continue to pray, praising and thanking him for working in such a great way.

Lana and Tak

Many Japanese children go to after school cram schools. At one we know, Kei teaches English to a large number of children during the week. Kei is a Christian and wants her students to come to know Christ. As far as we know Kei is the only Christian in her neighborhood. She has been witnessing to a couple of her friends and invites them to come to study the Bible.

While the volunteer team was here, the children at the “Study Room” and their some of their parents had the privilege of hearing the gospel for the first time. Kei had the clowns do a program and a  they had a Japanese barbeque. Not like any barbeque that you have in your back yard (if you are in America). Please pray for all those who received Digest Bibles,  Hope DVD’s, Power for Living books, or Manga Bibles.

DeanO and Dandi, two clowns, spent ten days going to different parks and venues to share Christ. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will use the seeds of the gospel that were sown to lead those who heard the Good News to Christ!!!

A clown team has been here with us since September 7th. We have had a wonderful time. The team has worked hard, some days doing as many as three programs and traveling long distances. They’re great. Japanese, young and old, have been entertained and have heard the gospel. Many Japanese who have never heard the gospel before have had an opportunity to do so.

One man heard the message from the window of his home as the team shared at a park. He came out to tell the team that he had never heard the wonderful news about Jesus before. He and his wife took Digest Bibles and his children took Manga Life of Christ. Pray for this family to come to Christ.   

On Sunday, three groups in Chiba heard the gospel in parks. The Christians witnessed to those who came and three trusted Christ. On Monday the clowns went to an English school about two hours northwest of Tokyo. Only the owner of the school is a Christian. Fifty or so people came and heard the gospel for the first time. Pray for God to speak to those who took DVD’s and Bible portions. Pray for their salvation

We are in Shizuoka this weekend and will be doing outreach in a couple of parks. We’re praying for new contacts and for those who are seeking God to come and hear the gospel presented by the clowns. Pray for those who hear the Good News this weekend to give their hearts and lives to Jesus.

Praising Him for all He is doing,

Tak and Lana

If you have visited our site recently, you have noticed that our old website is gone. We are undergoing radical surgery. Hopefully this new site will help us keep you more up to date on what is going on as well. From today I can post updates directly.

Since I am illliterate in this area, our webmaster has been setting everything up. He has many sites he manages and has been moving all of them. Pray for him.

We are still in process so please be patient with us and pray that the site can quickly get back to 100 working order, with prayer walks, video feeds, photoalbums,etc. We want you to be informed since you are a vital part of the work here.

God has been doing wonderful things. Twenty-two people saved in Okinawa, five in Chiba. Four were baptised in Chiba. Those in Okinawa are meeting several times a week to study the Bible, though it rained he day they set for the baptism and they did not have it. God is answering their prayers. Yesterday Mr. Miku called to say that one of the men has a job.

Pray that we will not be distracted as bumps come up in the road. Bumps like a guest crushing her wrist and needing care until and through surgery,  a grandson drinking cold medicine and going to hospital, a husband with a ruptured ear drum.

Good news and a request!!! The first half of September we have a clown team coming to work with us. Two clowns and their spouses. Pray for receptive hearts as they perform and share the gospel. Also, pray for grace while we travel from Chiba to north Saitama to Shizuoka to Kawasaki. Most days they will be performed at least twice, sometimes three or four times. Pray for physical strength for them as well. Also, pray that we will see fruit.

Thanks for always being there and holding us up before the Father. We count on you and thank God for you.

Claiming His Promises  today,

T and L

We have seen God do some awesome things in Okinawa since we last wrote to you and shared about the men coming to Christ.

The day after our last update, Mr. Miku led another man to the Lord. The next day two men accepted Christ. And then two days later, another man was saved. Wow!!! Six men came to Christ in about a little over a week. In fact just as I was about to hit send on this email, more news and a request came in to Tak from Mr. Miku. “Mr. Ueda was saved a little while ago. Please pray that he will come worship next Monday. Also, and keep praying for the children’s meeting this afternoon at 4:30”

Pray especially for Mr. Shiro who goes out with Mr. Miku to share the gospel as well as bring his friends to Mr. Miku to hear about Jesus. Pray this man will become a fruitful Christian and a spiritual leader.

The next week Mr. Miku took his wife and children to the park and witnessed to some elementary boys. Three were saved. Two were in the sixth grade and had been to church somewhere before. One was in the fourth grade. Pray for understanding from their parents. See the prayer request above.

Please pray for all these new Christians to follow the Lord in baptism and in a daily walk of faith. Most of them are poor; a couple of them are homeless. Pray for Mr. Miku to have wisdom, patience and much discernment as he gathers these new believers together as the body of Christ.

While we were rejoicing at what God is doing in Okinawa, we received word from E in Togane that Mr. To, for whom you have prayed and to whom we have witnessed, had committed suicide. We wept as we heard the news that he had died without Christ. He rejected the gospel, choosing to worship the creation rather than the creator. He his wife and three daughters also have no hope in Christ. Pray for this mother and daughters to come to Christ and know the comfort that only He can give them.

Lastly, we have a personal prayer request for Tak. Because of an increasing PSA count and a blood test in June that revealed a “bad” (according the dr.) free PSA ratio, Tak is entering Koran University Hospital on July 24 for a biopsy. Please pray with us that the test will be successful in detecting cancer cells should there be any. Of course, our desire is that there are not any cancer cells at all. But, we know that God is in control. We will get the biopsy report back on the morning of August 6th which is still August 5th (his birthday) in the States, so hopefully many will still be praying for him.

Thank you for praying with us.
Tak and Lana