JGPNetwork

Here is a great update from E. Read and share with your friends.Hello! I have some good news this time. A few days after I wrote the last newsletter, Mrs.Sh and I went out for prayer walking. We saw Mrs.Naka whom Mrs.Shi knew in her yard so Mrs.Shi witnessed to her and invited to our worship service.  She came twice and enjoyed it a lot. Although she couldn’t come the last two weeks because she had a health problem, she is willing to come again. Pray that she will come to worship and be saved.  Mr.Ono emailed me and responded to my email too. He is having spiritual battles and temptations now. Pray that he can win a victory and attend worship. Azu and Izu will come to my house to worship tomorrow the Sunday. It will be the first worship with three of us.  Pray that they will worship regularly, their faith will grow and they will decide to be baptized. We will have a leaders` meeting tomorrow and on March 9. Pray that each one of us will know God’s will clearly and be obedient to Him. We have started to go prayer walking regularly. Pray that we can keep doing it. Thank you so much for your prayers. Your prayers make everything different.A lot of blessings! E

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Niigata, on the Japan Sea side of Japan is one of the areas targeted by the JGPNetwork.  Surrounded by mountains on the east and the sea on the north-west, the snow covers the ground for much of winter. It is a city where no missionary resides. However, through the perseverance of a missionary, God’s Spirit has been moving there. Mrs. K , a Christian, has experienced many personal trials, especially in recent months and has been fasting and praying, learning total trust in her Lord. Will you pray that God will show himself strong to her and that her financial and spiritual needs will be met? Ask God to speak to her daily from the Word and to give her a hunger and thirst for Him, as well as a passion for the lost and a desire to share the gospel.

Sappro, on Hokkaido Island,  is another city in the snow country. In fact, at the end of February they had some of the heaviest snow fall on record. The city was blanketed with several feet of snow in a short time. Pray that the hearts all the people living there will be melt as they hear the gospel just as the snow melts under the sun. 

You have prayed for several months for Mr. and Mrs. I from Sapporo, who became believers a little over a year ago. Would you continue to pray for them? Although they have commited their lives to Christ, they have not made a commitment to make Christ the Lord of their lives and to put feet to that commitment. Pray for that their faith would be manifested in their lives and that they would see the importance of sharing their faith with others. Pray for the times when Mr. I goes to Tokyo on business to be ordained by the Lord. When in Tokyo, he has opportunity to be discipled face to face by Tak. Please pray Colossians 1:9-11 for Mr. I and his wife, and also that they will have a vision to be used by God to spread the gospel to reach the hearts of those in their city.

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