Items for Prayer for Japan and our ministry.
1) John was recently sitting across the table from a Cambodian pastor that was planting 8 churches and heavily involved in preventing human sex trafficking. Last month, John was in Indonesia to meet with key Asian national leaders engaged in church planting movements. It was a week of blessing with these pastors. John’s friendship with a former Japan missionary led to this connection. 2) For Elaine’s next craft outreach meeting there was a pastor’s wife…
Elaine and John will visit Iwaki city and Pastor Mori and his family then head to Ishinomaki. We will be working with Dean and Linda Bengston. Elaine will teach craft classes and John will visit many victims families. Also on Sunday John will preach at Ishinomaki House of Prayer, and we will visit the temporary housing facility where we have been helping with supplies. Pray for safe travel during this winter season, opportunities to listen,…
CPI has developed a partnership with World Harvest Mission (www.whm.org). The director of mission, Josiah Bancroft and his wife Barbara will be visiting Japan and tying up again with CPI. From 2/28 to 3/8 CPI will be building on the Gospel Renewal Seminars highlighted at last fall’s CPI National Conference. Seminars will be in four major cities, Sendai, Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. Elaine will be training in three, John probably in 4 along with a…
“[Prayer] is a labor for which there is no substitute in the kingdom of God.” O. Hallesby 1. Elaine’s next card making outreach is 1/15 at the Crossroad church. 2. Ask for God’s blessing for our 1/16 Agape group meeting for Valentines. 3. John continues small group leaders training at the Nerima church. Pray for these 15 people’s growth. 4. Thank you for praying for wisdom, along with other decisions, the CPI national conference in…
Five years ago I wrote a blog on the psychological scourge affecting a large number of young people, hikikomori. I have not heard much good news from five years ago until now. Last week Elaine and I had lunch with Pastor Koichi Hirano and Pastor Nobuo Watanabe at their Setagaya church’s new café. We had not talked with Pastor Hirano for several months and he shared some amazing stories. The Hikikomori are the Japanese most…
A Happy 2014 to everyone! In Japanese akemashite omedetoo gozaimasu! We are extremely thankful for God and his faithfulness in 2013. Ministry progress included tsunami relief, developing lay leadership, reaching women, and the 4th largest church planting conference in Japan. As we look to 2014 both Elaine and John have great expectations for what God might do through local evangelism, training lay people, equipping church planters, and some tsunami ministry. We anticipate with seminars and…
SPOTLIGHTS FOR PRAYER AND PRAISE “Prayer is the greatest of all forces, because it honors God and brings him into active aid.” E. M. Bounds 1. Praise God for our trip to the US in December. We experienced a White Christmas! 2. Tim is back to school this semester. Ask God to favor Tim for a possible internship in IT. 3. Elaine’s classes are in full swing this month. Pray for sensitivity to each person…
This last summer a short-term worker from the Midwest worked in one Japanese church for just a few weeks. As a result the church made at least 38 new contacts of people in the community who previously had no connection to the church. We need more workers like him. “Come over and help us.” Recently our field met and discussed the needs for many harvest workers. Here is a shortened list: 1. Relational Evangelism ministry…
1. Praise God for using the both of us throughout the very busy November. Pray that ministry affects would continue for many months and years. 2. Thank God for many great opportunities for evangelism at church, through our home, and with Christmas activities. Elaine’s Christmas Tea was very successful in sharing the message of Christ. 3. Pray for our trip to the US 12/13 to 1/1 to visit family, conduct some business, visit some friends,…
Over 325 leaders were equipped in the over 150 hours of training offered at the 2013 CPI National Conference near Mount Fuji. This conference was the 4th largest CPI conference (just slightly smaller than 2011). About 80 children also participated in a Kids’ Program. Over ½ attending were new people! So CPI continues to grow by attracting new and younger people, this all keeping CPI fresh. There seems to be a developing interest in missions…