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Rejoicing and Grieving
By jpnnana | May 12, 2004
Dear Prayer Partners:
Thank you for praying for the eight year old girl we mentioned in our last update. Your prayers were answered. On Monday we witnessed Mi chan follow the Lord in baptism at Mrs. Sa’s house in the ofuro. It was a time of rejoicing. The Christians encouraged her with promises from I John and had a celebration lunch together. We are taking seriously the part of Acts 2.42 where it says they ate together!!
“Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep”. On Wednesday at worship as we sang and prayed, Mrs. M kept wiping the tears from her eyes. When I asked her what was wrong, she blurted out, “Mrs. Oka died yesterday and she hadn’t trusted Christ yet.” Mrs. M and Mrs. Yo (you have been praying for Mrs. Yo and her family) had witnessed to Mrs. Oka but she said she was not ready to believe although she had gone to church as a child and thought that perhaps she believed the Bible at that time. As the Christians heard the news, they wept as they ask “What? Why? How? She was only 39 years old!!!” Shock was on all their faces and they wept as they prayed, praying for the family, for each other, for God to give more compassion for reaching the lost with the gospel, to have a sense of urgency, to trust Him more and be more obedient.
Join them in praying for Dr. Oka and his three children as they grieve and adjust to life without Mrs. Oka. She was not only wife and mother but a nurse and partner, working daily in the clinic with Dr. Oka. Pray that this family will be open to the gospel and be saved. Pray for these two heartbroken ladies as well, that their faith will be strong and that they will have an even greater sense of urgency to share the gospel, with the Oka family and their own families as well.
A team from Calvary Baptist Church in Jackson, Tennessee is due to arrive in Japan the first week in June to work with the Japan Gospel Penetration Network, to prayer walk, distribute literature, visit, witness, lead a seminar, etc. Pray for them as they prepare: their minds, their hearts, and their bodies. We’ll be doing a lot of walking. 
Pray that God will direct the schedule each day. Ask God to use this team to pray down the strongholds of Satan and break down barriers to enable us to enter new areas sow the seeds of the gospel and reach the lost.
The door seems to the opening for a simple church start in Hiratuska, about an hour south of Tokyo. The T family wants to reach their neighbors and friends and is willing to open their home. Next Tuesday, May 25, we will be visiting another family in Matsudo with Mrs. Ima. They want to start a house church in their home. Pray that these two homes will be the beginning of many churches planted in these two cities. Pray the light of Christ will shine in those neighborhoods and that reproducing disciples will be birthed and nurtured.
Mrs. Ike, who had only been saved a little over a week, moved to Imaichi, about two hours north of Tokyo to a small town where there is no church. She will live with her parents who are strong Buddhist. They do not like Christianity. Pray for this new babe in Christ to be connected to the True Vine as she lives in a place that is hostile to her faith. Pray she will experience Christ’s presence in her life each day. Also, pray that God will show us how to disciple her long distance. We don’t know any other Christians in that town.
So much to be thankful for, so much to pray for!!! How thankful we are to each of you who write and let us know you are praying. We also thank each of you who share the request with even more people to expand our prayer network. We see the power of prayer daily as you pray. Thank you so much.
Claiming His promises for His glory,
Lana and Tak
Topics: Prayer Updates |