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Anticipating God’s Work in 2005
By jpnnana | January 16, 2005
Dear Praying Friends:
We wish you a belated Happy New Year!! As we look back with thanksgiving to what God did in 2004 and anticipate what He is going to do in 2005, we are excited. Our New Year started in Alabama celebrating Christmas with our two sons and their families. We missed New Year’s in Japan but it was wonderful to have our family together, to play with grandkids and kids. God is so gracious.
We celebrated Christmas in Japan with our Hatagaya church on December 23, caroling at a shopping street as we gave out over 500 digest Bibles, 500 CD’s, tracts, New Testaments and gifts. Then on Christmas Eve, we celebrated Christ’s birth in Togane where the children presented the Christmas story using puppets. Ko’s friend, U-kun, who had been attending children’s worship, trusted Christ. A couple of the mom’s presented the gospel to him during the fellowship time. He has not been able to come back to the children’s worship because of his mother opposition. Ask God to protect this little boy’s faith and help Ko disciple and encourage his friend.
The three newspaper salesmen who were saved in the fall, brought a friend, Mr. Na, to worship on the 27th and he prayed to receive Christ. These men are working seven days a week and delay going to work in order to attend worship. Ask God to work so they can have a day off for worship and rest. Pray for them to keep their priorities in order, to have a time and place to worship the Lord daily, individually, as well as worship with the body of Christ. Pray Col. 1:9-11 for them. On December 29, they brought a lady to worship and she prayed to receive Christ. Pray for Mrs. Naga to grow in the Lord and. have a desire to witness to family and friends, for a church to be started in Shirako, the town where she lives that has no church. If you are wondering about the dates above, we have worship several days a week at several different places so more people have the opportunity to attend.
From January 17 we will be going with Mrs. Ima to Okinawa to have a time of training, worship and fellowship with the group we met last year. Some are Christian, others are not yet. Thank you to those of you who have already been praying for this time. Please pray that we will have opportunities to present the gospel personally to those who are not yet saved, and that they will respond to the Holy Spirit. Pray for us as we meet with the pastors and staff of the English language churches. Pray that through our time together we will discover how God wants us to partner together to take the gospel to all of the islands in Okinawa prefecture, to the southern tip of Kyushu Island, and to the areas in the Kanto region where we are presently working.
We just received the name of a lady in Shizuoka Prefecture about three hours southwest of Tokyo. She wants to know Jesus. We are sending her a Bible and will go to share the gospel with her on February 1. Pray that her heart will be prepared to hear the gospel message and that she will respond to Christ’s invitation to be her Savior. Pray for her husband and three sons to be saved and for a church to be birthed in Fujidera City.
Thank you all for praying with us and for us. You are a vital part of God’s work in Japan and we count on your prayers!!!!
Claiming His Promises for His Glory,
Tak and Lana
Topics: Prayer Updates |