Dear Friends,
Consider the plea of the Gentile woman who pursued Jesus, believing that he is the Son of David.
And behold, a Canaanite woman came out from that region, and began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed."
But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came to Him and kept asking Him, saying, "Send her away, for she is shouting out after us." But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" And He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she said, "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; be it done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed at once. (Matthew 15:22-28)
May we pursue our Lord in prayer in that same manner, confident that our gracious Lord will hear and answer as we pray for the Kingdom of God to be established in the hearts of the Japanese. Please pray with us for these requests:
- Give thanks for 7 young Christian adults from Chiba prefecture who will be coming as volunteers to help with the Kids’ Sports Day this Saturday, June 30. Pray that this will be a safe, fun event for all and that the Lord would prepare the hearts of the children to respond in faith to the Bible message.
- Pray for more volunteers to join the summer mission team and consider coming yourself!! Volunteers will be working at Sendai Megumi and Yamamoto Nozomi Churches. At Nozomi Church, they will be helping with all the regular activities plus a one day V.B.S., an English Café, and tract distribution, as well as erecting a cross on the Nozomi Church building. Dates are from July 13 to August 3. Please contact Matt Filbert (proclaimchrist@rpmissions.org) or David Nakhla (david.nakhla@opc.org) for more information.
- Continue to pray for our flyer and tract distribution project. Thank God that each month this year we have had new people come to Nozomi Center and Church activities. We pray that God will use (the Japanese translation of) John Blanchard's booklet, Ultimate Questions, in the hearts of each recipient to convince each one of his need to learn about the true and living God and to attend worship to learn more and come to believe in Jesus. As someone recently pointed out, this booklet enables many to learn about the gospel in the privacy of their own homes without pressure from family or neighbors not to go to the church. It can be a first important step toward hearing the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.
- Thank God for the answer to prayer (May Prayer Notes) that Mr. S., a middle-aged, former Buddhist priest, returned to Nozomi Café last week and invited Woody to his home. Pray for God’s blessing on that upcoming visit and especially that Woody will have the opportunity to present the gospel to him.
- Give thanks for the gospel presentation on Acts 16:31 at the June Friends’ Lunch and pray that God’s Word will take root in their hearts.
- Pray for conversion of the following persons who attend worship services from time to time: Mrs. H. Mrs. I., Mrs. N., Mrs. S1., Mrs. S2; also please pray for Mrs. U, who was a faithful attender at worship and Bible study, but stopped, after pressure from her husband.
May the Kingdom of Christ be established in Yamamoto,
Laurie and Woody